Dispersal affects the social contexts individuals experience by redistributing individuals in space, and the nature of social interactions can have important fitness consequences. During the vagrancy stage of natal dispersal, after an individual has left its natal site and before it has settled to breed, social affiliations might be predicted by opportunities to associate (e.g., distance in spa...

The excitatory action of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is considered to be a hallmark of the developing nervous system. However, in immature brain slices, excitatory GABA actions may be secondary to neuronal injury during slice preparation. Here, we explored GABA actions in the rodent intact hippocampal preparations and at different depths of hippocampal slices during the early post-natal peri...

Within the microenvironment of multiple sclerosis lesions, oligodendrocytes are subject to metabolic stress reflecting effects of focal ischemia and inflammation. Previous studies have shown that under optimal conditions in vitro, the respiratory activity of human adult brain-derived oligodendrocytes is lower and more predominantly glycolytic compared to oligodendrocytes differentiated in vitro...

Over the past decade, researchers have used variation in the chemical composition of fish otoliths (earstones) to address a number of ecological questions, such as stock assessment and assessing rates of movement of individuals among habitats or life-history stages. However, these methods have yet to be applied successfully to the study of larval connectivity, a major unanswered question in mar...

OBJECTIVES To determine whether the re-introduction of DDT in KwaZulu-Natal had any effects on malaria transmission in the province. DESIGN, SETTING AND SUBJECTS The 2000 malaria epidemic in KwaZulu-Natal has been attributed to pyrethroid-resistant anopheles mosquitoes in the area. Previous studies have shown that these mosquitoes are still susceptible to DDT. To determine whether DDT re-intr...

Nicotine may link cigarette smoking during pregnancy with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Pre-natal nicotine leads to diminished ventilatory responses to hypercarbia and reduced central chemoreception in mice at post-natal days 0-3. We studied how pre-natal nicotine exposure changes the cholinergic contribution to central respiratory chemoreception in neonatal isolated brainstem-spinal cor...

This study offers a detailed description of natal dispersal patterns in owl monkeys (Aotus azarai) and evaluates the extent and characteristics of sex-biased dispersal in this monogamous mammal. Owl monkeys are small, territorial primates that live in socially monogamous groups in the Argentinean Chaco. Between 1997 and 2007 we recorded the disappearance or dispersal of 102 individuals born in ...

Studies have revealed that Nigerians irrespective of social class have negative attitudes and practices towards children born with natal teeth and those who erupt teeth within the first 30 days of life. This has been associated with the strong cultural myths and beliefs that exist among the populace. Children with natal teeth and their families have been stigmatized and are believed to be curse...

ECT – Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, Brazil; PPGI/DCC-IM – Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Athos da Silveira Ramos, 274, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; DIMAp – Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, Brazil INESC-ID – Technical University of L...

1 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia (DBEZ), Laboratório do Oceano. Campus Universitário-Lagoa Nova, s/n, BR 101-Natal/RN –59072 970. 2 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Centro de Biociências, Departamento de Oceanografia e Limnologia (DOL), Laboratório de Biologia Pesqueira. Via Costeira, s/n, Mãe Luiza-Natal/RN 5...