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Parassi mullet (Mugil incilis) is an ecologically and economically important species that supports small-scale artisanal fisheries. However, scarce knowledge of its reproductive biology limits the development of management and conservation strategies. This research describes key milt and sperm characteristics, including milt volume, sperm concentration, motility, and ultrastructural features. Males produced an average of 40.0 +/- 20 & micro;L of milt, with sperm concentrations between 6.00 and 20.37 & times; 109 spermatozoa mL-1. Sperm motility varied between 10% and 80%, with a mean duration of 14.13 +/- 4.49 min. Mature spermatozoa measured 33.79 +/- 0.67 & micro;m and exhibited a subspherical head without an acrosome, a short midpiece, and a cylindrical flagellum. The nucleus contains electron-dense heterogeneous chromatin. The centriolar complex was positioned outside the nuclear fossa consistent with Type II spermiogenesis. The flagellum comprises a main piece and tapering end piece. The axoneme had 9 + 0 arrangement at the basal body region and the typical 9 + 2 configuration along its length. These results provide the first detailed description of sperm morphology in parassi mullet and contribute to an understanding of its reproductive biology, supporting future applications in taxonomy, toxicology, conservation and aquaculture programs.
Debates on the ethical status of disembodied neural organoids (DNOs) focus on whether, and when, precautionary principles should apply given the uncertain possibility of organoid consciousness. Some advocate applying precautionary principles to DNOs despite uncertainty; others deem such measures premature given current simplicity but foresee their future necessity; while more skeptical views hold that genuinely conscious DNOs remain too remote to warrant present ethical concern. By contrast, Croxford and Bayne [1] defend a more radical skepticism, as they claim that there is little reason to ascribe consciousness not only to current DNOs, but to DNOs as such. They ground this view on a constraint-based approach composed of an Embodiment Constraint (EC) and a Representational Constraint. EC is presented as enjoying broad cross-theoretical support among externalists and internalists, and thus undermining the grounds for a precautionary ethical concern regarding DNOs. We examine EC and argue that, as stated, fails to meet the authors’ own requirement of representing a broad consensus among externalists and internalists.
We study the propagation of massive scalar fields in the background of asymptotically flat regular black holes supported by a phantom scalar field with a scalar charge A. This parameter regularizes the geometry by removing the central singularity. Focusing on wave dynamics, we analyze scalar perturbations, quasinormal modes, and greybody factors, emphasizing the role of the regularization parameter on the effective potential and the decay properties of the modes. Using WKB methods beyond the eikonal limit, we show that the presence of scalar hair modifies both the oscillation frequencies and damping rates of quasinormal modes. In particular, we demonstrate the occurrence of an anomalous decay rate for massive scalar perturbations, and, above a critical field mass, the longest-lived modes correspond to lower angular momentum, in contrast with the massless case. We derive analytical expressions for the critical mass and study its dependence on the scalar charge and overtone number. Furthermore, we apply the Horowitz-Hubeny method to compute the quasinormal frequencies and show that the results obtained from the WKB and Horowitz-Hubeny approaches exhibit excellent agreement in the regime where both methods are valid. In addition, we compute reflection and transmission coefficients and analyze the corresponding greybody factors, clarifying how regularity effects imprint themselves on black-hole scattering properties. Our results show that regular black holes with scalar hair exhibit distinctive dynamical signatures that can be probed through quasinormal ringing and wave propagation.
Heavy metal contamination in soil impairs plant growth and disrupts cellular functions. Brassica rapa L. exhibits phytoremediation potential owing to its strong metal tolerance and accumulation capacity. This study evaluated the effects of boron (B) and zinc (Zn), applied alone or together at 10–25 mg kg−1, on growth, biochemical traits, and heavy-metal stress tolerance in B. rapa L. The result established B + Zn > B > Zn. Co-application of B and Zn at 15–20 mg kg−1 significantly enhanced growth and tolerance to metal-induced stress compared with individual treatments (p < 0.05). At 20 mg kg−1 B + Zn, key biochemical markers, including chlorophyll, sugar, phenolic, carotenoid, protein, and proline levels, were significantly higher compared with individual treatments. Elemental analysis and PCA showed that the optimal 15–20 mg kg−1 B + Zn dose promoted the uptake of essential elements such as Fe and Mn. Simultaneously, reduced toxic metals accumulation (Cd and Pb). Conversely, the 25 mg kg−1 treatment clustered with elevated toxic metals, with Cd showing the highest accumulation, followed by Cr and Pb. The weak linear correlation (R2 < 0.1) observed across parameters indicates that these physiological benefits arise from complex, non-linear regulation. These findings underscore the critical role of precise micronutrient synergy in enhancing heavy-metal tolerance mechanisms in crops, and they are vital for optimizing phytoremediation and ensuring food safety in metal-contaminated agroecosystems.
Fires may facilitate the invasion of exotic rodents, with effects that propagate to upper trophic levels. In the Patagonian region, native predators facing habitat disturbances can change their prey consumption towards exotic prey species, but this predator trophic behavior has not been documented in areas affected by fires. In this study, we assessed the importance of exotic rodents in the diet of chilla foxes (Lycalopex griseus) and barn owls (Tyto furcata) living in an agricultural-forest landscape of northern Patagonia affected by a fire. In this landscape, the scats and pellets of chilla foxes and barn owls, respectively, were surveyed and used to analyze changes in the diet of these predators before and after the fire. The dietary breadth of these predators exhibited a temporal fire-induced decline. The exotic black rat (Rattus rattus) was the only prey whose consumption by barn owls and chilla foxes increased after the fire. After the fire, barn owls and chilla foxes reduced their relative consumption of native rodents and other prey when compared to the consumption of black rats. Our results indicate fires modify the dietary composition of native predators, from a diet based on native rodents to another dominated by exotic rodents. Black rats can compensate the loss of prey native to northern Patagonia, with barn owls and chilla foxes adjusting their diets to exotic prey availability after fires. However, the conservation implications of fires on native predators require a long-term evaluation.
