Adult Developmental Stages Research Articles

In target areas where human mosquito-borne diseases are diagnosed, the inclusion of the pre-adult mosquito aquatic niches parameters will improve the integrated mosquito control program.

In human communities inhabiting areas–such as West Bengal- India–where perpetuate the pre-imago & adult developmental stages of mosquitoes; many infectious diseases are still diagnosed such as Dengue, Malaria and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. The control of the aquatic developmental stages is one of the easiest way to prevent the emergence of adults—the blood feeding adult females being thus prevented to sample their blood meal and to lay their eggs in the aquatic milieu where develop the aquatic pre-imaginal developmental stages. Moreover, reducing the adult population size also the probability of for the blood feeding adult female mosquitoes to act as hosts and vectors of the arboviruses such as dengue virus & Japanese encephalitis virus as well as of Plasmodium. Several environmental factors including water quality parameters are responsible for the selection of oviposition sites by the female mosquitoes. In our study, larval densities of three important mosquitoes (Aedes/A. albopictus, Anopheles/An. stephensi and Culex/C. vishnui) were measured and water qualities of their habitat i.e. pH, Specific Conductance, Dissolved Oxygen, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Total alkalinity (Talk), Hardness, Nitrate nitrogen and Ammonia nitrogen were analyzed in 2017 and 2018 in many districts of West Bengal where humans beings are suffering from arboviruses and /or malaria. Whereas we have found positive correlation of density of C. vishnui and A. albopictus with the water factors except Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Talk, for An. stephensi all these factors except pH, COD and Talk have positive correlation. Hardness of the water shows positive correlation with the density of An. stephensi and C. vishnui but negative correlation with density of A. albopictus. Contour plot analysis demonstrates that occurrence of each mosquito species lies in between specific range of water factors. Inter- correlation analysis revealed that mosquitoes were negatively correlated with each other. A positive correlation of the water quality parameters and larval density, over two successive years, was also noticed. In conclusion, the increasing level of pollution due to industrial and other irresponsible waste management system which changes the water quality parameters may also influence mosquito population.

Activity of Combinations of Antioxidants and Anthelmintic Drugs against the Adult Stage of Schistosoma mansoni.

Schistosomiasis remains a major neglected tropical disease. The treatment and control of schistosomiasis rely on a single drug, praziquantel (PZQ). Despite its efficacy, treatment with PZQ presents some major drawbacks including an inability of the chemotherapy to reverse disease-induced fibrosis and the prospect of the emergence of drug resistance. Here, we investigated a novel therapeutic approach with antioxidant biomolecules in combination with PZQ against the adult developmental stage of Schistosoma mansoni and oviposition in vitro, given that this therapeutic approach achieved synergistic/additive activity against larval schistosomes. The antioxidants curcumin and oxadiazole per se exhibited antischistosomal activity against adult worms leading to severe morphological alterations and death. Additionally, the antioxidant flavone combined with vandetanib or imatinib improved antischistosomal activity against adult forms. By contrast, however, these antioxidant-anthelmintic combinations were not as effective against adults in comparison to larval schistosomes. Nevertheless, the antioxidants alone or combined with drugs inhibited oviposition.

Abstract 222: The Estrogen-related Receptor (ERR) Drives Cardiac Myocyte Maturation in Cooperation With GATA4

During transition from fetal to adult developmental stages, the heart undergoes robust mitochondrial biogenesis in parallel with growth and structural maturation. Recently we identified a role for ERRα/γ in this broad program of postnatal cardiac maturation. We sought to delineate the mechanisms whereby ERRs coordinate transcriptional regulation of both metabolic and structural genes in the maturation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes (hiPSC-CMs). CRISPR-based gene deletion studies demonstrated that ERRα/γ is necessary for activation of genes involved in mitochondrial and structural maturation during hiPSC-CM differentiation including mitochondrial function, ion transport, Ca 2+ handling, and the adult sarcomere. Whole-genome RNA-sequencing and ChIP-sequencing (ChIP-seq) studies indicated that ERRγ directly regulates both metabolic and structural genes by remodeling H3K27ac depositions in related enhancer regions. Integration of the ERRγ ChIP-seq data with published hiPSC-CM datasets demonstrated that approximately 50% of super-enhancer regions overlapped ERRγ peaks, suggesting ERR is involved in the maintenance and function of cardiac super-enhancer regions. Corresponding motif analyses and intersection analyses with published GATA4 ChIP-seq datasets suggested that ERRγ cooperates with GATA4 on many structural, but not metabolic targets. Specifically, binding sites for both factors are often co-localized around cardiac contractile, ion channel, and Ca 2+ handling genes, including TNNI3, MYBPC3, MYH7, TTN, KCNQ1, and RYR2 . In contrast, ERRγ sites on target genes involved in mitochondrial maturation such as ATP5B, COX4I1, CPT1B , and FABP3 lacked GATA4 sites. Experiments using luciferase reporters demonstrated functional cooperation between ERRγ and GATA4 that depends on the known ERR coactivator, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1alpha (PGC-1α). We conclude that the ERR cooperates with GATA4 to drive cardiac structural gene transcription during cardiac differentiation, whereas ERR regulates genes involved in energy metabolism independent of GATA4. Activation of ERR signaling could prove to be an effective tool to drive hiPSC-CM maturation.

Single-Cell Mapping of Progressive Fetal-to-Adult Transition in Human Naïve T Cells

Whereas the human fetal immune system is poised to generate immune tolerance and suppress inflammation in utero, an adult-like immune system emerges to orchestrate anti-pathogen immune responses in post-natal life. It has been posited that cells of the adult immune system arise as a discrete ontological “layer” of hematopoietic stem-progenitor cells (HSPCs) and their progeny; evidence supporting this model in humans has, however, been inconclusive. Here, we combine bulk and single-cell transcriptional profiling of lymphoid, myeloid, and HSPCs from fetal, perinatal, and adult developmental stages to demonstrate that the fetal-to-adult transition occurs progressively along a continuum of maturity — with a substantial degree of interindividual variation at the time of birth — rather than via a transition between discrete waves. These findings have important implications in the design of strategies for prophylaxis against infection in the newborn, and for the use of umbilical cord blood (UCB) in the setting of transplantation.

Sox genes in Agasicles hygrophila (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) are involved in ovarian development and oogenesis

The alligator weed flea beetle, Agasicles hygrophila is a monophagous natural enemy of the invasive alligator weed Alternanthera philoxeroides. Oogenesis plays a vital role in the process of individual development and population continuation of oviparous insects. Sox is an ancient and ubiquitous metazoan gene family that plays a key regulatory role in various physiological processes, including oogenesis, which is closely related to fecundity. In this study, two Sox genes AhDichaete and AhSox3 were cloned and characterized, and then the expression profiles of AhDichaete and AhSox3 were qualified by a quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The result showed that these two Sox genes were expressed significantly higher in ovary, especially in the adult developmental stage. Furthermore, the functions of AhDichaete and AhSox3 in A. hygrophila females were studied using RNA interference (RNAi). Fewer offsprings were produced when AhDichaete and AhSox3 RNAi females mated with wild-type males. Moreover, dsAhSox3 injection reduced the hatching rate of eggs but injection with dsAhDichaete did not. Further study of the reproductive system of AhDichaete and AhSox3 RNAi females showed that yolk protein deposition reduction in the ovarioles, then the expression of vitellogenin gene AhVg2 in ovaries was decreased. These results indicate that AhDichaete and AhSox3 play an important regulatory role in the process of ovarian development and oogenesis by affecting yolk synthesis in the ovary of A. hygrophila.

Sensitivity analysis, calibration and validation of a phenology model for Pityogenes chalcographus (CHAPY)

The purpose of the study was to develop, calibrate and validate a comprehensive phenological model for the spatiotemporal simulation of the seasonal development of the six-toothed spruce bark beetle, Pityogenes chalcographus (CHAPY). The validation dataset was acquired through monitoring of the bark beetle's phenology at eight sites in Slovenia in 2017 and 2018, along with air and bark temperature measurements. The predictions were made using air temperature from the INCA system (Integrated Nowcasting through Comprehensive Analysis), which is used to calculate the effective bark temperature for beetle development. Since the biology of P. chalcographus is poorly studied, a sensitivity analysis was used to pinpoint the most important model parameters. The first order (main) effect was the highest for the lower developmental threshold (DTL), while the second order (interaction, total) effect was the highest for the optimum temperature (TO). DTL was calibrated with an iterative procedure, and the best result with the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) was achieved at 7.4°C. Effective temperatures in the range between TO and the upper developmental threshold were calculated with a nonlinear function whose parameters were appropriately calibrated. The spring date threshold when the model calculation starts was calibrated with an iterative procedure and set at 9th March, which had the minimum MAE. The onset of Norway spruce infestation in spring was estimated using a lower threshold of 15.6°C for flight activity and a mean thermal sum of 216.5 degree-days (dd) from 9th March onward. The observed mean thermal sum required for total development of filial beetles was 652.8 ± 22.7°C, while the predicted mean thermal sum was 635.4 ± 31.4°C. Re-emergence of parental beetles occurred when 52.7% of the minimum thermal sum for total development was reached. The relative duration of the egg, larval and combination of the pupal and teneral adult developmental stages was 9.4%, 58.2% and 32.4%, respectively. Mass swarming concluded in the end of August when daylength was lower than 13.6 h, which was determined with the independent dataset of 1,017 pheromone traps. The diapause initiation at a daylength < 13.6 h is included in the model as an assumption. Successful hibernation of established broods is predicted by assessing the developmental stage of initiated generations at the 31st December. For validation, we compared the timing of phenological events in the field with predicted events using both 30-minute recorded data at study sites in the field and hourly data from the INCA. The time of spring swarming was estimated with a MAE of 5.6 days. The onset of infestation was predicted with a MAE of 6.0 days. The predicted onset of emergence of filial beetles was estimated with a MAE of 2.1 days. Additionally, CHAPY simulates the number of generations. CHAPY was successfully incorporated into two publicly available web applications. Development of the model revealed several knowledge gaps in P. chalcographus phenology, thus providing opportunities for further research of the second most damaging bark beetle of Norway spruce in Central Europe and for further improvement of the CHAPY model. Potential applications of the model for monitoring and management of P. chalcographus are discussed.

Single-Cell Mapping of Progressive Fetal-to-Adult Transition in Human Hematopoiesis

Whereas the human fetal immune system is poised to generate immune tolerance and suppress inflammation in utero, an adult-like immune system emerges to orchestrate anti-pathogen immune responses in post-natal life. It has been posited that cells of the adult immune system arise as a discrete ontological “layer” of hematopoietic stem-progenitor cells (HSPCs) and their progeny; evidence supporting this model in humans has, however, been inconclusive. Here, we combine bulk and single-cell transcriptional profiling of lymphoid, myeloid, and HSPCs from fetal, perinatal, and adult developmental stages to demonstrate that the fetal-to-adult transition occurs progressively along a continuum of maturity — with a substantial degree of interindividual variation at the time of birth — rather than via a transition between discrete waves. These findings have important implications in the design of strategies for prophylaxis against infection in the newborn, and for the use of umbilical cord blood (UCB) in the setting of transplantation.

CircRNA Profiling Reveals an Abundant circFUT10 that Promotes Adipocyte Proliferation and Inhibits Adipocyte Differentiation via Sponging let-7

Adipose development is regulated by a series of complex processes, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including circular RNAs (circRNAs), play important roles in regulating proliferation and differentiation of adipocytes. In this study, we profiled circRNA expression in cattle fat tissue during calf and adult developmental stages and detected 14,274 circRNA candidates. Some circRNAs are differentially expressed between two developmental stages. We characterized circFUT10, named for its host gene FUT10, a highly expressed and abundant circRNA. Luciferase screening, an RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blotting assays indicated that circFUT10 directly binds let-7c/let-e, and PPARGC1B (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1-β) is identified as a target of let-7c. Flow cytometry, EdU (5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine) incorporation, a CCK-8 (cell counting kit-8) assay, oil red O staining, and western blotting assays demonstrated that circFUT10 promotes adipocyte proliferation and inhibits cell differentiation by sponging let-7c. The results demonstrate that circFUT10 binding of let-7c promotes cell proliferation and inhibits cell differentiation by targeting PPARGC1B in cattle adipocytes.

Altered Erythro-Myeloid Progenitor Cells Are Highly Expanded in Intensively Regenerating Hematopoiesis.

Regeneration of severely damaged adult tissues is currently only partially understood. Hematopoietic tissue provides a unique opportunity to study tissue regeneration due to its well established steady-state structure and function, easy accessibility, well established research methods, and the well-defined embryonic, fetal, and adult stages of development. Embryonic/fetal liver hematopoiesis and adult hematopoiesis recovering from damage share the need to expand populations of progenitors and stem cells in parallel with increasing production of mature blood cells. In the present study, we analyzed adult hematopoiesis in mice subjected to a submyeloablative dose (6 Gy) of gamma radiation and targeted the period of regeneration characterized by massive production of mature blood cells along with ongoing expansion of immature hematopoietic cells. We uncovered significantly expanded populations of developmentally advanced erythroid and myeloid progenitors with significantly altered immunophenotype. Their population expansion does not require erythropoietin stimulation but requires the SCF/c-Kit receptor signaling. Regenerating hematopoiesis significantly differs from the expanding hematopoiesis in the fetal liver but we find some similarities between the regenerating hematopoiesis and the early embryonic definitive hematopoiesis. These are in (1) the concomitant population expansion of myeloid progenitors and increasing production of myeloid blood cells (2) performing these tasks despite the severely reduced transplantation capacity of the hematopoietic tissues, and (3) the expression of CD16/32 in most progenitors. Our data thus provide a novel insight into tissue regeneration by suggesting that cells other than stem cells and multipotent progenitors can be of fundamental importance for the rapid recovery of tissue function.

Investigating the Antiparasitic Potential of the Marine Sesquiterpene Avarone, Its Reduced form Avarol, and the Novel Semisynthetic Thiazinoquinone Analogue Thiazoavarone.

The chemical analysis of the sponge Dysidea avara afforded the known sesquiterpene quinone avarone, along with its reduced form avarol. To further explore the role of the thiazinoquinone scaffold as an antiplasmodial, antileishmanial and antischistosomal agent, we converted the quinone avarone into the thiazinoquinone derivative thiazoavarone. The semisynthetic compound, as well as the natural metabolites avarone and avarol, were pharmacologically investigated in order to assess their antiparasitic properties against sexual and asexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum, larval and adult developmental stages of Schistosoma mansoni (eggs included), and also against promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania tropica. Furthermore, in depth computational studies including density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed. A toxic semiquinone radical species which can be produced starting both from quinone- and hydroquinone-based compounds could mediate the anti-parasitic effects of the tested compounds.

Bio-Pesticide Control of the Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) in Egypt by using Two Entomopathogenic Fungi (Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae)

The current study examined the potential use of entomopathogenic fungi to control infestation of Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Examination of 514 dogs admitted to veterinary clinics in Egypt revealed that 67.5% were infested with R. sanguineus. Two hundred and sixty adult ticks were collected. Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae were then tested for their effect on these ticks. The in vitro effect of different concentrations of B. bassiana on engorged females, unfed females, fed males, eggs, larvae, and nymphs was strong for all three concentrations of B. bassiana compared with controls (P&lt;0.05) and white fungal colonies grew on the surface of the ticks. The B1 of B. bassiana (108 conidia/ ml) was the most pathogenic on adult and developmental stages of ticks. The impact of different concentrations of M. anisopliae on adult and developmental stages in comparison with controls was similar, with the growth of green hyphae around eggs and adult ticks which prevented hatching and resulted in tick death. The M2 suspension (107 conidia/ml) had the most potent effect on adult ticks and developmental stages. The efficacy of this suspension was higher than that of the B1 concentration of B. bassiana (98 and 100% respectively). Therefore, 107conidia/ml of M. anisopliae seems to be the most effective fungus to use as bio-pesticide to control different developmental stages of R. sanguineus and may be a reasonable alternative to chemical treatment.

Expression Analysis of Odorant-Binding Protein Genes and Chemosensory Protein Genes in Anomala corpulenta Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Anomala corpulenta is an insect pest that is widely distributed in China, and it can cause large economic losses in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. It is difficult to control because most of the lifecycle is underground. Trapping adults would be an environmentally sustainable way to reduce damage caused by this insect. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are considered to be important chemodetection proteins. In this study, we investigate the expression of odorant-binding protein genes and chemosensory protein genes in different tissues of the adult and other developmental stages. The antenna had the highest expression levels for OBPs and CSPs of all tissues, except for OBP7 which was most highly expressed in the head without antenna. Besides the antenna, the head without antenna had the next highest expression levels for all OBP and CSP genes. The expression of OBP2, OBP3, OBP14, and CSP in the adult was higher than in other stages, while, OBP7 was lower than in other stages. Before estimating the expression of OBPs and CSPs, seven candidate reference genes were tested for stability among the tissues of adult and other development stages. GAPDH was the best reference gene in different tissues of the adult, and RPL13a was the best reference gene in different development stages. Our results provide a foundation for further research on the molecular aspects of chemical communication of this insect.

Phylogenetic Perspectives on Catarrhine Talo-Crural Joint Phenotypic Plasticity.

Previous investigations of the primate talo-crural joint (TCJ; specifically on the talus and distal tibia) have demonstrated that substrate preference significantly influences morphology, but this association is not necessarily found in subadults. This has been interpreted as the result of a plastic, behaviorally induced response of bone due to substrate use. In this investigation, we use geometric morphometric and phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate ontogenetic phenotypic plasticity in the catarrhine TCJ. Osteological specimens from four African hominoid and four cercopithecid species, divided into subadult and adult developmental stages based on molar eruption, formed the study group. We tested for phylogenetic signal in the shape of both the talar and tibial articular surfaces, at both developmental stages. We then used phylomorphospaces to examine the evolution of shape differences at each developmental stage for each element, and to determine if substrate usage is associated with shape in this phylogenetic context. A significant phylogenetic signal was found for both articular surfaces in subadults, but not adults. In phylomorphospace, both talar and tibial articular morphologies show an association with substrate preference in adults, but not in subadults. Our results provide confirmation of the significant effect of habitual substrate usage and the consequences of bone remodeling during ontogeny on the shape and presentation of the TCJ. These results also suggest caution when using adult talo-tibial shapes to evaluate phylogenetic relationships as TCJ morphology can be considered as a palimpsest, with substrate usage overwriting phylogenetic information in adult specimens. Anat Rec, 302:1977-1984, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.

Assessment of short-term mortality of granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) triggered by different microwave irradiation powers

The insecticidal efficacy of microwave irradiation against the at 12, 24, 48 and 72 h following exposure to microwave irradiations (100, 300 W) and the progeny production was assessed 45 days later. Linearly increasing irradiation power range (100, 200 and 300 W) was set up for determining mortality tendency. An increase of insect mortality caused by higher irradiation period and times elapsed after treatment has become evident commencing from 12 h after the treatment, which has significantly decreased at later elapsed time after treatment. The irradiation periods inducing the highest mortality at the examined powers were at 10 min and at 100 W power (72 h: 64.93%) and at 4.5 min. and at 300 W power (12 h: 87.01). In addition, a complete suppression of progeny production was achieved by 4.5 min treatment at 300 W power. Lognormal-type mortality process was caused by the linearly increased irradiation range. The properly chosen microwave irradiation can be used for management of Sitophilus granarius larval and adult developmental stages. This treatment could provide an effective and friendly environmental treatment technique in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

Ability emotional intelligence in young people and older adults with and without depressive symptoms, considering gender and educational level.

BackgroundThere is little research on differences in Emotional Intelligence (EI) ability at different stages of adult development. The few published studies tend not to use older adult samples. Previous studies on EI ability and age have shown contradictory results. Our main objective was to evaluate results in EI ability across different stages of adult development, taking into account gender, depressive symptoms, and educational level.MethodsWe interviewed 166 participants (108 women), 66 of whom were aged 18–30 years, 53 aged 31–60 years, and 40 aged 61–76 years. All were either working or enrolled in colleges at the time of the study. The assessment tools used were the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), a test that assesses performance-based EI, and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, a tool to evaluate depressive symptoms.ResultsYoung people, women, and participants with a higher educational level achieved higher scores on the MSCEIT. Additionally, depressive symptomatology was only partially associated with the MSCEIT (i.e., with the using emotions branch). However, a subsequent joint analysis of the independent effects of variables age, gender, educational level, and depressive symptomatology and their interactions on MSCEIT total suggests that only educational level and depressive symptomatology were associated with EI ability, with the direct relationship between age and gender with MSCEIT disappearing. Additionally, our study indicated an interaction effect between age and depressive symptoms, showing that participants in age cohorts 18–30 and 31–60 and without depressive symptoms have a higher EI ability.DiscussionOur study suggests that the direct effects of age and gender on EI ability across adult development, using a wide age range, can change or disappear when effects of educational level and depressive symptomatology, and their interactions, are controlled for. Our results also suggest that EI ability is a protective factor against depression in some age cohorts. This novel aspect of our study does not appear in the previous literature. However, prospective studies are needed to verify these findings and examine whether other psychological variables could determine the relations between age, gender and EI ability across adult development.

Short communication: An overview of the trematodes fauna of pool frog Pelophylax lessonae (Camerano, 1882) in the Volga Basin, Russia: 1. Adult stages

Abstract. Chikhlyaev IV, Ruchin AB, Fayzulin AI. 2018. Short communication: An overview of the trematodes fauna of pool frog Pelophylax lessonae (Camerano, 1882) in the Volga Basin, Russia: 1. Adult stages. Nusantara Bioscience 10: 256-262. The paper presents data on fauna of trematodes of a pool frog Pelophylax lessonae (Camerano, 1882) from 13 regions of the Volga basin (Russia). It consolidates data from different authors over the past 80 years, supplemented by our own research results. There are authentically known findings of 19 trematodes species at an adult stage of development. Three species of trematodes make the basis of helminth fauna: Pneumonoeces variegatus, Opisthioglyphe ranae and Diplodiscus subclavatus. By all species of helminths the following data are provided: taxonomic position, localization, area of detection, biology, definitive hosts, geographic distribution and the degree host-specificity.

Identification and Expression Patterns of Three Vitellogenin Genes and Their Roles in Reproduction of the Alligatorweed Flea Beetle Agasicles hygrophila (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).

The alligatorweed flea beetle Agasicles hygrophila is an insect used for biological control of the aquatic weed Alternanthera philoxeroides (alligatorweed). Because these insects are oviparous, synthesis, and transportation of yolk proteins is integral to reproduction. Vitellin, the chief protein constituent in egg yolk, is mainly synthesized in the fat body and its synthesis is regulated by the transcript levels of Vitellogenin (Vg). In our study, we first cloned and characterized three Vg genes from A. hygrophila and quantified the expression levels of these Vgs in different tissues and developmental stages by RT-qPCR. Analysis of the full-length cDNA sequences of the three A. hygrophila Vg genes revealed that the open reading frames of AhVg1, AhVg2, and AhVg3 were 5175, 5346, and 5385 bp, encoding 1724, 1781, and 1794 amino acids, respectively. RT-qPCR analysis revealed that these three AhVgs have similar expression patterns; expression in the fat body was significantly higher than that in other tissues, and the highest expression was observed in the adult developmental stage. RNA interference was used to explore the functions of the AhVgs. A. hygrophila female adults injected with dsRNA targeting the AhVg genes showed decreased AhVg gene expression. Down regulation of all three AhVgs significantly affected ovary development, reduced egg laying capacity, and reduced the egg hatch rate compared with the control groups. Our findings provide the basis for further study of the functions of Vg genes in other insect species.

A study of the role of vision in the foraging behaviour of the pyrrhocorid bug Antilochus conquebertii (Insecta; Hemiptera; Pyrrhocoridae).

Our study aims to describe (1) external morphology of the compound eye of Antilochus conquebertii, (2) postembryonic changes involving the eye's shape and size and (3) behaviour of the animal with respect to the organization of the compound eye. With each moult of the insect, the structural units of the compound eye increase in size as well as the number, resulting in an overall increase in eye size. The resolution of the adult eye is better than the young one. The adult possesses UV and polarization sensitivity in its eye. Parallel to the changes of the eye the behaviour of the adult animal changes, rendering it increasingly nocturnal and less active in under illuminated conditions. The current study describes the eye and its functional relationship with the behaviour of the animal at the nymphal and adult developmental stage.

Evolution of the visual sensory system in the deep-sea fishes from the Sargasso Sea

Evolution of the visual sensory system in the deep-sea fishes from the Sargasso Sea

To investigate the relationship between psychological factors and stress in two different developmental stages in adults: A cross sectional study

Background: Stress can cause significant impact on social and occupational participation. This study aimed to investigate association between psychological factors (six factors of psychological well-being [PSW] and self-reported mindfulness) and perceived stress. Further, the study aimed to compare the relationship of psychological factors and stress between Erick Erickson's two adult developmental stages, i.e., intimacy versus isolation (19–40 years) and generativity versus stagnation (40–65 years). Objectives: To measure PSW (six factors), mindfulness, and perceived stress in people from the two developmental stages, to study the correlation between psychological factors (the six factors of PSW and mindfulness) and stress in each group, and to compare the relation between psychological factors and stress in these two developmental stages. Study Design: A cross-sectional study design was chosen for the research. Methods: Males and females belonging to intimacy versus isolation (19–40 years) and generativity versus stagnation (40–65 years) stages of Erick Erikson's classification of development were included in the study. Written informed consent was taken from all the participants. Paper-based version of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), mindful attention awareness scale (MAAS), and Ryff's PSW scale were administered. The scores obtained on PSS, MAAS, and Ryff's PSW were compared. Results: Individuals belonging to the intimacy vs. isolation stage (19-40 years) and generativity vs. stagnation (40-65 years) stage of development showed a significant correlation between psychological factors and stress, with a significant correlation (P = 0.010, 95% CI: 187.600-169.080) in the intimacy vs. isolation stage and (P = 0.005, 95% CI: 165.004-155.136) in the generativity vs. stagnation stage. Conclusions: Individuals in the generativity versus stagnation (40–65 years) stage are more stressful than those in intimacy versus isolation stage (19–40 years) stage. Thus, practicing mindfulness and being mindful helps us to deal with stress better.