Hedgehogs held a special place in ancient Egyptian life like many other desert- and marsh-dwelling animals. Their natural defensive qualities were admired by Egyptians their bodily parts, notably hardened spines, used as ingredients medico-magical prescriptions. In tomb reliefs of the late 3rd Millennium BCE, hedgehogs are represented being carried alive offering bearers or background participa...

Vulvodynia refers to unprovoked pain in the area of the vulva. The pain sensation(s) that someone may encounter could be stinging, burning or irritation. At times it is even described as rawness. Localized vulvodynia known as “vestibulodynia” refers to pain that is provoked by touching the vestibule. This can happen with the first experience of a tampon, speculum or sexual activity. Delayed ons...

Cnidarians represent one of the few groups of venomous animals that lack a centralized venom transmission system. Instead, they are equipped with stinging capsules collectively known as nematocysts. Nematocysts vary in abundance and type across different tissues; however, the venom composition in most species remains unknown. Depending on the tissue type, the venom composition in sea anemones m...

Mayetiola destructor is a destructive pest of wheat and has six developmental stages. Molecular mechanisms controlling the transition between developmental stages remain unknown. Here we analyzed genes that were expressed differentially between two successive developmental stages, including larvae at 1, 3, 5, and 7 days, pupae, and adults. A total of 17,344 genes were expressed during one or mo...

A Leslie matrix model for predatory gall-midge is constructed. From the model we estimate the stable age distribution which is important when the gall-midge is used in biological control. We compare the two common parametrizations of Leslie matrix., i.e. the flow-birth and the pulse-birth projections. We show that both parametrizations lead for the given data set to practically the same results...