Pollen,ovules, and pollination in pea: Success,failure, and resilience in heat

Field pea (Pisum sativum), a major grain legume crop, is autogamous and adapted to temperate climates. The objectives of this study were to investigate effects of high temperature stress on stamen chemical composition, anther dehiscence, pollen viability, pollen interactions with pistil and ovules, and ovule growth and viability. Two cultivars (“CDC Golden” and “CDC Sage”) were exposed to 24/18°C (day/night) continually or to 35/18°C for 4 or 7 days. Heat stress altered stamen chemical composition, with lipid composition of “CDC Sage” being more stable compared with “CDC Golden.” Heat stress reduced pollen viability and the proportion of ovules that received a pollen tube. After 4 days at 35°C, pollen viability in flower buds decreased in “CDC Golden,” but not in “CDC Sage.” After 7 days, partial to full failure of anthers to dehisce resulted in subnormal pollen loads on stigmas. Although growth (ovule size) of fertilized ovules was stimulated by 35°C, heat stress tended to decrease ovule viability. Pollen appears susceptible to stress, but not many grains are needed for successful fertilization. Ovule fertilization and embryos are less susceptible to heat, but further research is warranted to link the exact degree of resilience to stress intensity.     

Copper,Iron, Manganese,Zinc, Cobalt,Arsenic, Cadmium,Chrome, and Lead Concentrations in Liver and Muscle in Iranian Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Biological Trace Element Research - Obesity is a major public health problem worldwide and a risk factor for certain diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and depression....     

Magnesium,calcium, copper,and zinc in meals

Meals of 12 diets were prepared from conventional foods with precautions against contamination by metallic elements because of epidemiologic associations between ischemic heart disease and the metabolism of magnesium, calcium, copper, and zinc. Magnesium, calcium, copper, and zinc were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry with satisfactory accuracy and precision. The mean daily amount of copper in the diets was less than the apparent adult requirement. Mean amounts of magnesium and zinc were close to apparent requirements; however, adults consuming amounts less than one standard deviation below these means may be depleting body stores and be at risk of pathology. Magnesium and copper were highly correlated (r=0.849,P=0.0001) in meals. This and other significant correlations probably will prevent the relationships of these elements to ischemic heart disease from being elucidated by epidemiology. Metabolic experiments will be necessary to differentiate among several hypotheses.     

Love, careers, and heights in France, 2001

Short men are less likely to be married or live in a permanent relationship than their taller counterparts. This pattern is not due to their social status. While blue-collar workers are shorter on average than managers, the effects of height on finding a mate are similar in the two social groups. Being tall is also economically advantageous for men. With identical educational attainment levels, tall men have better careers than short men as they are given greater supervisory responsibilities. In making a commitment, some women might take height into account as an anticipated indicator of future resources of the household. Choice of partner is also influenced by social norms--i.e., partners should be physically well-matched--which is more difficult for shorter men.     

Seasonal variation in the diet of juvenile lake sturgeon,Acipenser fulvescens,Rafinesque, 1817, in the Winnipeg River,Manitoba, Canada

The lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, is a threatened species across most of its range. To understand any potential shifts in diet across season or habitat, stomach contents were examined from juvenile lake sturgeon caught in the Winnipeg River, Manitoba, Canada. This information will aid in assessment of environmental impacts and conservation initiatives for this threatened species. From 2006 to 2008 gut contents were collected from juvenile lake sturgeon using a non‐lethal gastric lavage methodology. Juvenile lake sturgeon were sampled from four discrete deep water habitat types (13.7–27.4 m depths), during the months of May, June, July and October. In total, 13 066 prey items belonging to 14 prey groups were collected from 345 juvenile lake sturgeon (251–835 mm TL). Overall, juvenile lake sturgeon consumed a low diversity of organisms; insect larvae from three invertebrate orders, Trichoptera, Diptera and Ephemeroptera, accounted for 97.4% of the total numeric abundance of prey items recovered. A relationship between size of juvenile lake sturgeon and prey quantity or type was not observed. Diet of juvenile lake sturgeon varied in relation to season, with Diptera (77.6%) being the most abundant prey in May, Trichoptera the most abundant in June (n = 3,056, 60.4%) and July (n = 2,055, 52.6%). During October, 96% of stomachs examined were empty. In terms of habitat type, the standardized abundance of invertebrate prey items was highest in deep water habitats characterized by medium water velocity (depths > 13.7 m) and coarse substrate (particle sizes > 0.063 mm) in May and June when compared to deep water habitats characterized by low water velocity (<0.2 m.s^?1) and fine substrate (particle sizes < 0.063 mm). However, in July, the opposite was observed and prey abundance in juvenile lake sturgeon stomachs decreased with increasing particle size. Results suggest a high degree of dietary overlap among juvenile lake sturgeon from multiple size/age classes occupying deep‐water habitats of the Winnipeg River.     

Distribution of N,P, K,Ca, Mg,S, Zn,Fe, Mn and Cu in groundnut

Summary Concentration of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S in summer groundnut crop was higher than in kharif while Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu contents were higher in summer crop. Kernel's N, P and Zn; Leaflet's Ca and Mn; Stem's K and Fe; Root's S and Cu and Petiole's Mg contents were highest. Shell's N, P, K, Mg, S, Zn and Cu; Kernel's Ca, Fe and Mn contents were the least. N, P, K, S, Zn and Cu concentrations decreased linearly as the crop grew. Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn concentrations did not display any distinct pattern. Ca concentration was positively correlated with pod yield in both the seasons.     

Research Data in Core Journals in Biology,Chemistry, Mathematics,and Physics

This study takes a stratified random sample of articles published in 2014 from the top 10 journals in the disciplines of biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics, as ranked by impact factor. Sampled articles were examined for their reporting of original data or reuse of prior data, and were coded for whether the data was publicly shared or otherwise made available to readers. Other characteristics such as the sharing of software code used for analysis and use of data citation and DOIs for data were examined. The study finds that data sharing practices are still relatively rare in these disciplines’ top journals, but that the disciplines have markedly different practices. Biology top journals share original data at the highest rate, and physics top journals share at the lowest rate. Overall, the study finds that within the top journals, only 13% of articles with original data published in 2014 make the data available to others.     

Frequency of Discrimination,Harassment, and Violence in Lesbian,Gay Men,and Bisexual in Italy

Background

This cross-sectional study assessed the frequency of discrimination, harassment, and violence and the associated factors among a random sample of 1000 lesbian, gay men, and bisexual women and men recruited from randomly selected public venues in Italy.

Methods

A face-to-face interview sought information about: socio-demographics, frequency of discrimination, verbal harassment, and physical and sexual violence because of their sexual orientation, and their fear of suffering each types of victimization.

Results

In the whole sample, 28.3% and 11.9% self-reported at least one episode of victimization because of the sexual orientation in their lifetime and in the last year. Those unmarried, compared to the others, and with a college degree or higher, compared to less educated respondents, were more likely to have experienced an episode of victimization in their lifetime. Lesbians, compared to bisexual, had almost twice the odds of experiencing an episode of victimization. The most commonly reported experiences across the lifetime were verbal harassment, discrimination, and physical or sexual violence. Among those who had experienced one episode of victimization in their lifetime, 42.1% self-reported one episode in the last year. Perceived fear of suffering violence because of their sexual orientation, measured on a 10-point Likert scale with a higher score indicative of greater fear, ranges from 5.7 for verbal harassment to 6.4 for discrimination. Participants were more likely to have fear of suffering victimization because of their sexual orientation if they were female (compared to male), lesbian and gay men (compared to bisexual women and men), unmarried (compared to the others), and if they have already suffered an episode of victimization (compared to those who have not suffered an episode).

Conclusions

The study provides important insights into the violence experiences of lesbian, gay men, and bisexual women and men and the results may serve for improving policy initiatives to reduce such episodes.     

Correlations of calcium accumulations in arteries, veins, cartilages, ligaments, and bones in single humans

To show the relationships of calcium accumulation in the thoracic aorta to the other tissues, calcium contents were determined with a microwave-induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometer on arteries, veins, cartilages, ligaments, and bones. These tissues were resected from 18 individuals, consisting of 11 men and 7 women who died in the age range 59–91 yr. As thoracic and abdominal aortas are routinely used for radiographic examination of arterial calcification, they appear to be standard tissues of the calcium accumulation. The calcium accumulations were determined in the femoral artery, the superior and inferior venae cavae, the internal jugular vein, cartilages of the articular disk of the temporomandibular joint and the intervertebral disk, both the ligaments of the anterior cruciate ligament and the ligamentum capitis femoris, and the calcaneus, in contrast with the thoracic aorta. As calcium increased in the thoracic aorta, it increased in the femoral artery, the articular disk of the temporomandibular joint, the intervertebral disk, both ligaments of the anterior cruciate ligament, and the ligamentum capitis femoris, but it did not increase in veins, such as the superior and inferior venae cavae and the internal jugular vein. In contrast, it decreased in the calcaneus.     

Diet,intestinal morphology,and nitrogen assimilation efficiency in the damselfish,Stegastes lividus,in Guam

Synopsis Analysis of stomach contents of Stegastes lividus revealed a shift from omnivory in juveniles to herbivory in adults. Red algae, primarily Polysiphonia spp., Gelidiopsis intricata and Ceramium spp., formed the bulk of the diet in all size classes. Foraminifera and small crustaceans were of particular importance in the diet of juveniles. Net nitrogen assimilation efficiency of field-fed S. lividus was approximately 61%, and did not vary with fish size. The net assimilation efficiencies of fish fed on Enteromorpha in the laboratory ranged from size-class means of 36–79% for nitrogen and from 29–72% for total organic material, and increased from juveniles to adults. Apparently, juveniles compensate for a lower efficiency in assimilating plant food by including a higher percentage of animal material in their natural diets. The ratios of intestine length to standard length (IL/SL) and to intestine diameter (IL/ID) increased rapidly in juveniles and leveled off in adults. The retention time for ingested food items may only be about one-half as long in juveniles as in adults. The combination of observed IL/ID ratios and estimated retention times proved most valuable in the interpretation of ontogenetic changes in feeding habits and assimilation efficiency.     

Seroepidemiology of human parechovirus types 1, 3, and 6 in Yamagata,Japan, in 2014

To clarify the seroepidemiology of human parechovirus type 1 (HPeV1), 3 and 6, neutralizing antibodies (NT Abs) were measured in 214 serum specimens collected in 2014 in Yamagata, Japan. The seroprevalence against HPeV1 was 100% in all age groups, while that against HPeV3 and HPeV6 was 79.4% and 66.8%, respectively, overall. The geometric mean titers of NT Abs against HPeV1, 3 and 6 were 755.2, 255.0 and 55.9, respectively, overall. Our findings indicate that HPeV1 is the most prevalent HPeV circulating in Yamagata, followed by HPeV3 and HPeV6.     

Metabolism of chrysene, 5-methylchrysene, 6-methylchrysene and 5,6-dimethylchrysene in rat liver cytosol, in vitro, and in rat subcutaneous tissue, in vivo

The polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon chrysene undergoes a bioalkylation substitution reaction in vitro, in rat liver cytosol preparations, and in vivo, in rat dorsal subcutaneous tissue to yield 6-methylchrysene as a metabolite. In addition, both 5-methyl- and 6-methylchrysene were found to undergo a dealkylation reaction in these tissues to yield chrysene as well as both a biooxidation reaction to yield the corresponding hydroxyalkyl substituted chrysene and a bioalkylation reaction to give a dimethyl substituted chrysene. 5-Methylchrysene enzymatically cyclized to the 4,5-methylenechrysene derivative, an analog of benzo[a]pyrene in these tissues. 5,6-Dimethylchrysene was metabolized to monomethyl chrysenes, chrysene, and the hydroxyalkyl substituted chrysenes. The results suggest that chemical or biochemical substitution of a methyl group at the center of highest biochemical reactivity may be a necessary step in the metabolic activation and carcinogenicity of these compounds and their methylene bridged metabolites.