scholarly journals Analysis of Insect Pests in an 18th-Century Historical Pharmacy: A Case Study in Ferrara

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 839
Author(s):  
Loren Anna Palazzo ◽  
Chiara Beatrice Vicentini ◽  
Maria Gabriella Marchetti ◽  
Marilena Leis ◽  
Milvia Chicca ◽  
...  

Historical pharmacies are valuable artistic, cultural, and scientific assets. In Italy, 482 historical pharmacies have been catalogued thus far, among which is the Navarra-Bragliani Pharmacy in Ferrara, whose wood furniture dates back to the 18th century. A study on insects causing biodeterioration was carried out for the first time on this valuable asset in order to monitor and preserve it. Insect samples were collected during surveys and examined by stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, using taxonomical keys for identification. The results revealed the presence of three species of Coleoptera—the first one specialised to attack wood materials, the second one polyphagous, and the third one feeding on materials of animal origin. The data obtained in this investigation may be useful for the preservation of the precious furnishing of the historical Navarra-Bragliani Pharmacy for performing similar studies on other ancient pharmacies aimed to protect these valuable cultural and scientific assets.

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5047 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-164
Author(s):  
ANDREY V. FROLOV ◽  
MARIA S. VISHNEVSKAYA ◽  
LILIA A. AKHMETOVA

The third instar larvae of Aphodius (Alocoderus) hydrochaeris (Fabricius, 1798) and A. (Bodilus) ictericus (Laicharting, 1781) are described based on scanning electron microscopy and COI sequences. COI barcode sequence for A. (A.) hydrohaeris is provided for the first time. Two haplotypes are discovered in A. (B.) ictericus.  


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4820 (3) ◽  
pp. 540-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARMINE PASINATTO ◽  
FERNANDO L. MANTELATTO ◽  
MARIANA TEROSSI

The first zoeae of Alpheus formosus Gibbes, 1850 and Alpheus malleator Dana, 1852 are described and illustrated for the first time, based on laboratory-hatched larvae from parental females sampled in Vitória Island, Ubatuba, Brazil. Both species shared many characters with other species of genus Alpheus Fabricius, 1798, but they also have some exclusive characters as 10 setae on the basis of the maxilla, first maxilliped with endopod 2-segmented and exopod 4-segmented, second maxilliped with exopod 4-segmented, presence of bud only of the first pereopod, presence of anal spine and simple dorsal setae on the pleon. The zoea I of both species, nevertheless, can be separated by segmentation in the exopod of the antenna (8 in A. formosus, 6 in A. malleator); segmentation in the endopod and exopod of the third maxilliped (5 in A. formosus and 4 in A. malleator); peduncle of antennule 3-segmented in A. formosus (unsegmented or 2-segmented in other species) and presence of a medial tubercle in the proximal segment in the exopod of the antenna of A. malleator (absent in A. formosus, not reported in all other species). In this study three new characters are proposed to be analyzed in zoea of the genus Alpheus: presence of anal spine in both species (absent in Alpheus saxidomus Holthuis, 1980, but not reported in other species) and for the first time reported, presence of a tubercle in the exopod of the antenna (present only in A. malleator) and presence of simple dorsal setae on the pleon (both species), here analyzed under light and scanning electron microscopy.


Author(s):  
Mamaeva S.N. ◽  
Vinokurov R.R. ◽  
Munkhalova Ya.A. ◽  
Dyakonova D.P. ◽  
Platonova V.A. ◽  
...  

Currently, due to the intensive development of high-tech science-intensive medical and research devices, more and more attention is paid to the development of diagnostics of rare and difficult to diagnose diseases. It is known that among numerous nephropathies, hematuria may be the only symptom of kidney and urinary tract diseases, which complicates their diagnosis and treatment. In order to develop new approaches for the diagnosis of nephropathies, the authors have been studying the morphology of red blood cells in the blood and urine of children and adults using a scanning electron microscope for several years. The paper presents the results of studies of children with various kidney diseases, including IgA-nephropathy, and chronic glomerulonephritis. Scanning electron microscopy was used for the first time to detect nanoparticles on the surface of red blood cells, the size of which is comparable to the size of viruses, which became the basis for one of the authors ' assumptions, namely, the possible transport of certain types of viruses by red blood cells. Thus, some kidney diseases could be considered virus-associated. This paper presents for the first time the results of determining the glomerular filtration rate of both kidneys separately in the study of separate kidney function and of the study of urine smears obtained during catheterization of the ureters in patients with hydronephrosis of one of the kidneys by scanning electron microscopy. As in previous studies, nanoparticles were found on the surface of red blood cells, which leads to the conclusion about the possible viral nature of the disease of the considered patient. In addition, smear images obtained using a microscope showed a significant difference in the elements of the right and left kidneys urine, which did not contradict the data on the study of glomerular filtration rate. According to the authors, the capabilities of the scanning electron microscope can be applied in fundamental research of kidney diseases at the cellular and molecular levels, forming new ideas about their origin, as well as on the basis of which new methods of non-invasive diagnostics can be built.


2020 ◽  
Vol 307 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mytnik Joanna ◽  
Davies L. Kevin ◽  
Narajczyk Magdalena ◽  
Łuszczek Dorota ◽  
Kubiak Joanna ◽  
...  

AbstractPolystachya is a large, pantropical orchid genus of 200 species, most of which occur as epiphytes in sub-saharan Africa. The three-lobed labellum of most Polystachya species possesses a fleshy callus and various types of trichomes and papillae. In this paper, we present the results of micromorphological studies on the labellum of 20 species, representing eight of the 13 sections in the genus, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our results show the scale of infrageneric diversity of trichomes and papillae relative to the sampled sections. They also demonstrate the taxonomic value of labellar micromorphology at the sectional level. The study revealed seven types of papillae and five types of trichomes (uni- and multi-cellular) in Polystachya, some of which, are described here for the first time. Clavate trichomes are the most common and are present in 60% of the species studied. Moniliform trichomes mainly occur in sect. Polystachya and are strongly characteristic of the section. Pseudopollen is formed by fragmentation of moniliform trichomes or the detachment of other trichomes as bicellular units. We provide, for the first time, evidence for the detachment of the terminal cells of capitate trichomes.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 968
Author(s):  
Paul Monchot ◽  
Loïc Coquelin ◽  
Khaled Guerroudj ◽  
Nicolas Feltin ◽  
Alexandra Delvallée ◽  
...  

The size characterization of particles present in the form of agglomerates in images measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) requires a powerful image segmentation tool in order to properly define the boundaries of each particle. In this work, we propose to use an algorithm from the deep statistical learning community, the Mask-RCNN, coupled with transfer learning to overcome the problem of generalization of the commonly used image processing methods such as watershed or active contour. Indeed, the adjustment of the parameters of these algorithms is almost systematically necessary and slows down the automation of the processing chain. The Mask-RCNN is adapted here to the case study and we present results obtained on titanium dioxide samples (non-spherical particles) with a level of performance evaluated by different metrics such as the DICE coefficient, which reaches an average value of 0.95 on the test images.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 679-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milan Gavrilović ◽  
Suzana Erić ◽  
Petar D. Marin ◽  
Núria Garcia-Jacas ◽  
Alfonso Susanna ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this work, weddellite and sylvite crystals are identified for the first time on the involucral bracts and petals of Xeranthemum annuum and Xeranthemum cylindraceum using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometric (SEM-EDS) analysis. Well-developed crystals of weddellite (CaC2O4·2H2O) occur in the form of a tetragonal bipyramid (hhl), rarely in combination of a bipyramid and tetragonal prism (h00). Indumentum of involucral bracts of X. cylindraceum consists of nonglandular and glandular trichomes. Sylvite (KCl) crystals are observed only on the petal surface of X. cylindraceum. The crystals of sylvite occur in the form of perfect cubes (hexahedrons), but some crystals are deformed, i.e., partially elongated. Taxonomic significance of investigated microcharacters as well as the use of SEM-EDS analysis in taxonomic studies of plants are discussed.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1199-1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. Caira

Hook terminology for the three-pronged hooks of Phoreiobothrium Linton, 1889 is reconciled with that for two-pronged hooks such that the two outermost prongs are considered homologous with the prongs of a two-pronged hook and the third inner prong is termed the basal prong. Scanning electron microscopy was performed on the scolex of Phoreiobothrium lasium Linton, 1889 and the solid nature of the bothridia was reconfirmed. Examination of material of all four species of Phoreiobothrium leads to the conclusion that each species possesses three-pronged hooks that are hollow and open to the outside via pores. The bothridia of each species are considered to be horizontally divided into two loculi, the posterior one being recessed and vertically subdivided. The diagnosis of the genus Phoreiobothrium is emended, and the four species allocated to it are redescribed. Phoreiobothrium is determined to be a monophyletic group on the basis of two synapomorphies and a key to the four species of the genus is presented.


1994 ◽  
Vol 40 (134) ◽  
pp. 195-197
Author(s):  
E. W. Wolff ◽  
A. P. Reid

AbstractA snow crystal has been successfully collected on to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) stub in central Greenland. It was preserved at liquid-nitrogen temperature for 5 months, prior to examination in the SEM. This is believed to be the first time a snow crystal has been observed directly in the SEM and offers some new experimental methods for understanding crystals and their chemistry.


1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Hawksworth

Generic concepts in the Testudinaceae (Ascomycotina, Loculoascomycetes) are reviewed with particular emphasis on the sculpturing of the ascospores which has been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the first time. A key to the nine genera accepted in the family is provided of which two are described as new: Ulospora for U. bilgramii comb.nov. (= Zopfia bilgramii D. Hawksw. et al.), the ascospores of which have three to six deep fissures in each cell, and Zopfiofoveola for Z. punctata comb.nov. (= Zopfia punctata D. Hawksw. & C. Booth), with distinctly and regularly foveolate ascospores. One further new combination is made: Rechingeriella boudieri comb.nov. (= Zopfia boudieri Arnaud). The positions of three additional genera referred to the family by earlier authors but which are excluded from it here are also briefly discussed.


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