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Transgenic Drosophila that expressed either luciferase or green fluorescent protein driven from the promoter of the clock gene period were used to monitor the circadian clock in explanted head, thorax, and abdominal tissues. The tissues (including sensory bristles in the leg and wing) showed rhythmic bioluminescence, and the rhythms could be reset by light. The photoreceptive properties of the explanted tissues indicate that unidentified photoreceptors are likely to contribute to photic signal transduction to the clock. These results show that autonomous circadian oscillators are present throughout the body, and they suggest that individual cells in Drosophila are capable of supporting their own independent clocks

Introduction: Bronchial clearance techniques using oscillatory instrumental devices used in the approach to the COPD patient can improve the cough pattern and favor expiratory flow, thus facilitating the expulsion of secretions, avoiding atelectasis, favoring ventilatory mechanics, oxygenation and maintenance of a patent airway. Methods: A systematic review was carried out following the inclusion criteria based on a search of electronic databases such as: PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer, Google Scholar, between the period 01/05/2023 to 01/02/2024 in English, Spanish and Portuguese, including studies such as Randomized Clinical Trials and cohort studies. Results: A total of 14 articles were included, 100% in English. The number of participants was 3105, aged between 35 and 85 years, 50.2% of the participants were women. High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HCFWO®) was the most commonly used device 35.7% n=5, followed by Flutter® 28.6% n=4. Intervention time ranged from 1 to 12 weeks, 3 to 7 times per week, 1 to 4 sessions per day, lasting 10 to 30 minutes, between 10 to 20 Hz. Conclusions: The use of HFCWO can have a positive impact on pulmonary rehabilitation, specifically on pulmonary function and oxygenation variables, when implemented as a complementary therapy to early mobilization, therapeutic exercise, and bronchial clearance breathing techniques. Keywords: COPD, mucociliary clearance, chest wall oscillations, respiratory therapy, breathing exercises.

We tested whether pronounced morphological variability of horses caused by artificial selection was followed also by variation in their vocalization. We compared whinnies of 10 breeds representing horse varieties both in morphology and history using discrimination analyses (Wilks´ lambda = 0.070). Whinnies of Shetland pony were the most distinct from calls of other breeds (74.1% classification success). This result is in agreement with distinction based on morphological features. Whinnies of the primitive Hucul horse belonged among the most correctly classified ones (73.5%). Classification results of both Old Kladruby horse colour forms were very different: whinnies of the grey form revealed the least successful classification (18.9%) whilst calls of the black form showed one of the best classification outputs (72.4%). A surprising result was the extreme vocal distinction between the heaviest breeds, confirmed by discrimination analysis, the Czech-Moravian Belgian (55.5%), and Silesian Noriker (51.4%). This finding was contrary to their morphological similarity. The relationship between morphological and acoustical variables revealed a significant correlation. Our results did not confirm the hypothesis of acoustic distinction in horse breeds based simply on their morphology. However, whinnies of an old breed, the Shetland pony, were the most distinct ones from all the others. The other old breeds, the Thoroughbred and the Old Kladruby horses, clustered together with the modern Czech warmblood. Our results seem to not confirm the second hypothesis of vocal distinction based on the length of time since establishment of the respective breed. Significant differences among horse breeds indicate the process of vocal distinction during the process of artificial selection.

In March 2010, a 3.5-month-old Korean native calf was anatomized and two nematode worms were detected in the thoracic cavity. The worms were identified and classified by light and scanning electron microscopy on the basis of features at the anterior and posterior parts of the worms. The worms were female Setaria digitata and Setaria marshalli and numerous eggs which contained microfilaria were detected in the uterus of both species. The body lengths of the S. digitata and S. marshalli were 78 mm and 117 mm, respectively. Mosquitoes act as the vector for Setaria nematodes but these are inactivated in winter in Korea. Therefore, we concluded that this case represented setariasis with congenital infection occurring during the summer prenatal stage of life.

We artificially selected for body size in Drosophila melanogaster to test Lande's quantitative genetic model for the evolution of sexual size dimorphism. Thorax width was used as an estimator of body size. Selection was maintained for 21 generations in both directions on males only, females only, or both sexes simultaneously. The correlated response of sexual size dimorphism in each selection regime was compared to the response predicted by four variants of the model, each of which differed only in assumptions about input parameters. Body size responded well to selection, but the correlated response of sexual size dimorphism was weaker than that predicted by any of the variants. Dimorphism decreased in most selection lines, contrary to the model predictions. We suggest that selection on body size acts primarily on growth trajectories. Changes in dimorphism are caused by the fact that male and female growth trajectories are not parallel and termination of growth at different points along the curves results in dimorphism levels that are difficult to predict without detailed knowledge of growth parameters. This may also explain many of the inconsistent results in dimorphism changes seen in earlier selection experiments.

Given that it is fundamental to detect positive COVID-19 cases and treat affected patients quickly to mitigate the impact of the virus, X-ray images have been subjected to research regarding COVID-19, together with deep learning models, eliminating disadvantages such as the scarcity of RT-PCR test kits, their elevated costs, and the long wait for results. The contribution of this paper is to present new models for detecting COVID-19 and other cases of pneumonia using chest X-ray images and convolutional neural networks, thus providing accurate diagnostics in binary and 4-classes classification scenarios. Classification accuracy was improved, and overfitting was prevented by following 2 actions: (1) increasing the data set size while the classification scenarios were balanced; and (2) adding regularization techniques and performing hyperparameter optimization. Additionally, the network capacity and size in the models were reduced as much as possible, making the final models a perfect option to be deployed locally on devices with limited capacities and without the need for Internet access. The impact of key hyperparameters was tested using modern deep learning packages. The final models obtained a classification accuracy of 99,17 and 94,03% for the binary and categorical scenarios, respectively, achieving superior performance compared to other studies in the literature, and requiring a significantly lower number of parameters. The models can also be placed on a digital platform to provide instantaneous diagnostics and surpass the shortage of experts and radiologists.

Two sets of four replicate lines of Drosophila melanogaster were selected for large and small thorax with controls. F1progeny of crosses between the selected lines within each size category showed (a) a reduction in preadult viability in large lines relative to control and small lines when they were cultured at medium or high density in competition with a standard mutant marked competitor stock, and (b) an increase in larval development time in large lines relative to control and small lines. Natural selection for increased body size in adults may therefore be opposed by adverse effects on larval viability. The results are discussed in terms of the developmental mechanisms probably responsible for the change in body size. The preadult survival of the large and control lines was measured at three different temperatures, and there was no evidence for a significant interaction between size and temperature. The observed evolutionary increase in body size in response to reduced temperature in Drosophila must therefore involve either different genes from those subject to selection for size at a single temperature, or a fitness component other than preadult survival. There was no significant asymmetry in response to selection, and thorax length showed heterosis in crosses between the selected lines.

Reaction norms of wing length, thorax length, and ovariole number were studied according to growth temperature in the circumtropical Drosophila ananassae, and compared to similar data from the cosmopolitan D. melanogaster. In the two species convex reaction norms were observed, but they were not parallel and sometimes exhibited intersections either at high (wing) or at low (thorax) temperature. On average, D. ananassae may be considered as a species with a bigger thorax but shorter wings than D. melanogaster. The shapes of reaction norms were analyzed and compared after quadratic polynomial adjustments. Significant differences were observed, in several cases between polynomial parameters, and in all cases between characteristic points that is, Maximum Value (MV) and Temperature of Maximum Value (TMV). The wing/thorax ratio may also be considered as a specific trait related to wing loading. Major differences were observed between the two species for the mean value and the shape of the response curves of this trait. The main observation of this work was however a shift of TMVs for wing and thorax length and ovariole number in D. ananassae toward higher temperatures. These variations in the reaction norms corresponded to a shift in the species thermal range, suggesting that temperature adaptation was accompanied by a modification of the shape of the response curves.

Es importante evaluar las variables determinantes de las características de la canal y de la carne de ganado ovino porque están relacionadas con la aceptabilidad de la carne en el mercado. Por tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar las características de la canal y fisicoquímicas de la carne de cinco biotipos raciales: Katahdin (n=9), Dorper (n=12), Pelibuey (n=18), Blackbelly (n=14) y Suffolk (n=7) de diferente rango de edad (≤ 12 meses; n=42) y (> 13 meses; n=18), machos (n=53) y hembras (7). Los datos se analizaron por estadísticas descriptivas, modelo lineal general y correlación de Pearson. El peso de la canal caliente (PCC) fue mayor en los corderos Katahdin (23,76 kg), Dorper (24,49 kg) y Pelibuey (22,91 kg). Los machos fueron 23,08% superiores (P<0,05) en PCC que las hembras. La capacidad de retención de agua fue mayor en los ovinos de menor edad (61,59%) (P<0,05), que los de mayor edad (59%). La grasa intramuscular fue mayor en los Katahdin (4,12%) y Pelibuey (3,27%). La proteína fue mayor en los Suffolk (16,50%) y Katahdin (15,85%). El índice de compacidad de la canal tuvo una alta correlación con el peso de sacrificio (r=0,819), PCC (r=0,954), rendimiento de la canal (r=0,618), perímetro del tórax (r=0,773) y perímetro de la grupa (r=0,734). En conclusión, las características de la canal y de la carne de los biotipos raciales machos de menor edad presentaron mejores valores que los ovinos de mayor edad y hembras, y posiblemente con mayor aceptación en el mercado.  

Thirteen neuropeptides varying in length from 7 to 11 residues and ending C-terminally in -Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2 (calliFMRFamides 1-13) and one dodecapeptide ending in -Met-Ile-Arg-Phe-NH2 (calliMIRFamide 1) have been isolated from thoracic ganglia of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria. Different repeating patterns of amino acid sequences enable the peptides to be arranged into distinct groups. One such group of five nonapeptides has the sequence Xaa-Pro-Xaa-Gln-Asp-Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2. Three peptides in this group, with the N-terminal tripeptide sequences Thr-Pro-Gln-, Thr-Pro-Ser-, and Ser-Pro-Ser-, are able to induce fluid secretion from the isolated salivary gland of Calliphora at a concentration of 0.1 to 1 nM. However, two other members of this group with the N-terminal tripeptide sequences Lys-Pro-Asn- and Ala-Pro-Gly-, the latter being the most abundant peptide isolated, were inactive in this assay, as were all the other peptides isolated. This indicates that the N terminus (in addition to the C terminus as previously found for FMRFamides of other organisms) is crucial for at least some biological activities.