In vivo and in vitro effects of thyroidal hormones (MIT, DIT, T3, T4), propyl thiouracil (PTU), testosterone and cyproterone acetate were studied on the rate of tissue (liver, muscle, kidney and brain) respiration of adult male C. batrachus during winter and summer/rainy seasons. Monoiodotyrosine (MIT) and diiodothyrosine (DIT) increased the respiratory rate in a dose-dependent and temperature-...

Numerous attempts have been made to quantify ecological factors that affect the calling range of animal signals. The various processes leading signals to become distorted and embedded in background noise have been described in many habitats (ranging from forest to savannah) and the propagation path in these biomes has thereby been characterized. However, the impact of climatic factors on acoust...

Plastic film mulching (PM) has been widely used to improve maize (Zea mays L.) yields and water use efficiency (WUE) in Northeast China, but the effects of PM in a changing climate characterized by highly variable precipitation are not well understood. Six site-year field experiments were conducted in the dry and rainy years to investigate the effects of PM on maize growth, grain yield, and WUE...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect of seasonal variation on adult clinical laboratory parameters in Rwanda, Zambia, and Uganda and determine its implications for HIV prevention and other clinical trials. METHODS Volunteers in a cross-sectional study to establish laboratory reference intervals were asked to return for a seasonal visit after the local season had changed from dry to rainy or v...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Environmental factors including weather variables may play a significant role in the transmission of dengue. This study investigated the effect of seasonal variation on the abundance of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae and explored the impact of weather variability on dengue transmission in Sisaket, Thailand. METHODS The monthly mosquito larval surveys were carr...

A total of 2152 Actinobacteria strains were isolated from native Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah) soils located in Passos, Luminárias, and Arcos municipalities (Minas Gerais State, Brazil). The soils were characterised for chemical and microbiological analysis. The microbial analysis led to the identification of nine genera (Streptomyces, Arthrobacter, Rhodococcus, Amycolatopsis, Microbacterium, Fr...

The occurrence of rain before the real start of a rainy season often mislead farmers into thinking that rainy season has started and suggesting them to start planting immediately. In reality, rainy season has not started yet, causing the already-planted rice seed to experience dehydration. Therefore, a model that can predict the onset of rainy season is required, so that draught disaster can be...

This paper reports on the effect of strategic anthelmintic treatments and other determinants on faecal egg counts (FEC) of Trichostrongyles in N'Dama cattle of a west African village. Initially, 527 animals from 13 private N'Dama cattle herds were monitored in a longitudinal study from October 1989 to December 1994. Each herd was stratified by age and animals were sequentially allocated to two ...

Uptake of mercury (Hg) through fish consumption is one of the key aspects of the Hg cycle in the aquatic ecosystems. In tropical latitudes, biomonitoring of Hg in freshwater reservoirs is scarce. The objectives of the study were to determine Hg distribution in muscle, liver, and kidney of blue tilapia Oreochromis aureus from a dam located in a mining region of northwest Mexico, to define tempor...