Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) comprise around 1500 species, most of which forage on nectar from flowers in their adult stage, usually while hovering in front of the flower. The majority of species have a nocturnal lifestyle and are important nocturnal pollinators, but some species have turned to a diurnal lifestyle. Hawkmoths use visual and olfactory cues including CO 2 and humidity to det

Obesity is considered an important risk factor for several disorders, such as diabetes mellitus, systemic arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis, which are associated with inflammation and oxidative stress as a trigger factor. Passiflora edulis contains important bioactive compounds, such as phenolics, carotenoids, vitamin C, and polyamines in pulp, leaves, seeds, and bark. Aim:

The Carrot psyllid, Trioza apicalis Förster (Homoptera: Psylloidea: Triozidae) is one of the major insect pests of carrots (Daucus carota L.) in parts of northern and central Europe. Gas chromatography–single-sensillum recording (GC–SSR) previously confirmed several active compounds in a carrot leaf extract, but the most active compound remained unidentified. Mass fragmentation patterns observed

Resveratrol (RSV), polyphenol from grape, was studied to evaluate its effects on calorimetric parameters, energy metabolism, and antioxidants in the myocardium of diabetic rats. The animals were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8): C (control group): normal rats; C-RSV: normal rats receiving RSV; DM: diabetic rats; and DM-RSV: diabetics rats receiving RSV. Type 1 diabetes mellitus was induce

Under the Paris Agreement, nations have committed to preventing dangerous global warming. Scenarios for achieving net-zero emissions in the second half of this century depend on land (forests and bioenergy) to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Modelled levels of land-based mitigation could reduce the availability of productive agricultural land, and encroach on natural land, with potentially sign

Ecosystem services inherently involve people, whose values help define the benefits of nature's services. It is thus important for researchers to involve stakeholders in ecosystem services research. However, a simple and practicable framework to guide such engagement, and in particular to help researchers anticipate and consider key issues and challenges, has not been well explored. Here, we use e

The effects of the inhalation of Cymbopogon martinii essential oil (EO) and geraniol on Wistar rats were evaluated for biochemical parameters and hepatic oxidative stress. Wistar rats were divided into three groups n = 8: G1 was control group, treated with saline solution; G2 received geraniol; and G3 received C. martinii EO by inhalation during 30 days. No significant differences were observed in

AIM: To investigate the effects of fructose consumption on the antioxidant capacity in heart and kidney, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and evaluation of these variables after its removal.METHODS: Male Wistar rats (n = 36) were divided into control group (n = 12): standard chow + water or F group: standard chow + fructose in drinking water (30%) for 15 weeks. After, F group was divided to co

Caloric restriction, defined as a reduction in calorie intake below ad libitum, without malnutrition can have beneficial effects. In this study, we evaluated the impact of caloric restriction of 30 and 60% on calorimetric parameters and oxidative stress in cardiac tissue in rats. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 8): G1 = control; G2 = rats exposed to dietary restriction of 30%; and G3

The kidney is an important organ in the maintenance of body homeostasis. Dietary compounds, reactive metabolites, obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) can affect renal filtration and whole body homeostasis, increasing the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) development. Gamma oryzanol (γOz) is a compound with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity that has shown a positive action in the tre

A model for strategic communication management was developed in South Africa on the basis of the excellence study and relationship management theories. This normative, theoretical model has been applied as part of a project in non-profit organisations (NPOs), government institutions and small-to-medium sized companies. However, the operational reality of organisations’ communication practices has

Francois Bloemhof submitted his novel for teenagers, “Slinger-slinger” for the Sanlam competition for youth fiction in 1996. Eventually this prizewinner in the beginners’ category was published in 1997. The main theme of “Slinger-slinger” is the sexual awakening and identity of teenagers.A study was undertaken to obtain the opinions of teenage readers about the success of “Slinger-slinger” as a wh

Critical infrastructures provide society with services essential to its functioning, and extensive disruptions give rise to large societal consequences. Risk and vulnerability analyses of critical infrastructures generally focus narrowly on the infrastructure of interest and describe the consequences as nonsupplied commodities or the cost of unsupplied commodities; they rarely holistically conside

The Steyn and Puth (2000) model for strategic communication management has been applied by students and other project participants to non-profit organisations (NPOs), government institutions and small and medium enterprises in South Africa, but organisations’ communication practices have not been measured against the model. This paper reports on the strategic communication management practices of

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of the redox state via malondialdehyde (MDA) as a lipid peroxidation biomarker and hydrophilic antioxidant capacity (HAC) with dietary, anthropometric, demographic, socio-economic and clinical variables as well as the serum concentrations of vitamins in children aged 20-36 months. This cross-sectional study was conducted fr

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is a native Andean plant rich in phenolic compounds, and its effects on dysmetabolism and cardiomyopathy in diabetic rats was evaluated. The rats (10/group) were allocated as follows: C, controls; C + Y, controls treated with Yacon leaf extract (YLE); DM, diabetic controls; and DM + Y, diabetic rats treated with YLE. Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) was induced by the admini

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a disease in which inflammation is directly involved and can lead to impaired renal function.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of short term exposure to cafeteria diet on kidney tissue inflammation and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the rat plasma.METHODS: Male Wistar rats (10 weeks of age, weighing 350 g) were assigned to receive commercial chow diet (C; n =

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has a high prevalence around the world. Considering the components used to classify MetS, it is clear that it is closely related to obesity. These two conditions begin with an increase in abdominal adipose tissue, which is metabolically more active, containing a greater amount of resident macrophages compared to other fat deposits. Abdominal adiposity promotes inflammatio

The combustion engine, a well-known source of aerosols, has seen remarkable improvements regarding efficiency and emissions. A drawback of the conventional compression ignition (CI) engine is its requirement for a high cetane number fuel, i.e. diesel which contains long carbon chains forming particulate matter (PM) when combusted in the conventional diesel combustion (CDC) process. A previous stud

Many cities have set ambitious goals regarding the production of renewables within cities using advanced energy planning. The crux of those ambitious plans and goals is to put them into action using different legislative instruments, like a zoning plan. In this article, the experiences of an action research project with the aim to support local urban planners developing a zoning plan that creates