Can hair traps sample wild boar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sus scrofa</Emphasis>) randomly for the purpose of non-invasive population estimation?

Reliable estimation of population size remains a major challenge in wildlife ecology and management. Lately, genotyping of non-invasively obtained tissue samples integrated in a modified capture–recapture approach provides new perspectives. Faeces, moulted feathers, or hairs can be easily sampled in the field. However, an important assumption is homogeneity of sampling across the population. In this pilot study, we tested the suitability of baited barbed wire hair sampling stations (‘hair traps’) for homogeneous genetic sampling for population estimation. A video system based on a new network internet protocol was used to observe the behaviour of wild boar visiting baited hair traps for gaining information about potential heterogeneities in the individual sampling probability. Within 92 monitoring nights at two sampling stations, 216 wild boar visits were recorded and 142 hair samples containing 2,124 single hairs were collected. Video analysis revealed distinct differences in the behaviour of wild boar with respect to the sampling station which are most likely to result in heterogeneous individual sampling probabilities. Adult and subadult animals differed in their behaviour dependent on their group status. This result indicates that hair sampling with baited hair traps is not suitable for representative non-invasive sampling of free ranging wild boar populations.     

A methodological approach for non-invasive sampling for population size estimates in wild boars (Sus scrofa)

Composite microsatellite genotypes were determined at five loci from 35 tissue-sampled wild boars and used as reference genotypes to estimate both allelic drop-out rate and false allele rate in comparison to genotypes from scats and hair strands of the same animals. These rates allow to assess the genotyping reliability when only non-invasively collected material is available. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification from scats was often corrupted by inhibitors and worked poorly, whereas genotyping success in hair samples was high. Body region of hair origin had no influence on PCR suitability, whereas the type of hair had. We recommend the use of bristles. PCR conditions were optimized for single-hair (bristle) genotyping.     

Discrimination Between Paraffin-Embedded and Frozen Skin Sections Using Synchrotron Infrared Microspectroscopy

The difference between paraffin-embedded and frozen skin sections is always questionable. Ten patients of early stage mycosis fungoides, ten patients with psoriasis and ten normal controls were included in this study. Aim of this study is to differentiate between paraffin-embedded and frozen skin sections in inflammatory and malignant dermatoses using synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy (SIRM). It was found that epidermal beta sheets in paraffin-embedded sections were higher in a highly significant manner than frozen sections (P < 0.001). Also, epidermal nucleic acids in paraffin-embedded sections were lower in a highly significant manner than frozen sections (P < 0.001). However, when various skin diseases were compared with the control. It was found that the difference between paraffin-embedded and frozen skin sections were almost similar. In conclusion SIRM is a unique promising diagnostic technique and it seems that frozen processing preserve skin tissue more, this was represented by less apoptosis (beta sheets) and more nucleic acids than paraffin processing. However, there are still many advantages of both approaches over the other depending on the goal of the study.     

Histone kinase activities in normal and transformed mouse cells

Crude extracts from replicating normal and transformed cells were assayed for protein kinase activities specific for different sites in purified Hl histone in vitro. Extracts from normal cells favored the NH2-terminal region while extracts from transformed cells favored the COOH-terminal region. Analysis of phosphopeptides demonstrated that histone kinases from both normal and transformed cells catalyzed the phosphorylation of a number of sites in common, and these were typical of sites phosphorylated in replicating cells. The preference for the NH2-terminal region by extracts from normal cells was due to the extensive phosphorylation of a site previously shown to be phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. This activity was very low in transformed cells.     

Impact of pyrethroid-impregnated curtains on Phlebotomus papatasi sandflies indoors at Khartoum, Sudan

Laboratory and field investigations were made in an endemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Khartoum State, Sudan, to evaluate the effects of permethrin-impregnated curtains on the human-biting activity, nocturnal activity and resting behaviour of the vector sandfly Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) indoors. Laboratory bioassays showed that curtains impregnated with 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 g/m2 permethrin all gave 100% mortality within 24h of exposure of P. papatasi for 3 min. Under natural field conditions, the biting activity indoors and the resting density of P. papatasi were significantly reduced (P<0.001 and P=0.036, respectively) in rooms provided with permethrin-impregnated curtains as compared to control rooms left without curtains or fitted with unimpregnated curtains. No significant difference was found between the numbers of nocturnally active P. papatasi collected in rooms provided with impregnated curtains and rooms left without curtains or provided with unimpregnated curtains (P=0.377). Evidently P. papatasi was not repelled by these doses of permethrin on curtains, but the survival rate of sandflies collected from test rooms provided with permethrin-impregnated curtains was significantly reduced (P=0.036). We conclude that use of permethrin-impregnated curtains may provide a good control method for P. papatasi and other endophilic and/or endophagic sandfly vectors of leishmaniasis.     

The naturally occurring silent invertase structural gene suc2 zero contains an amber stop codon that is occasionally read through

Summary The yeast invertase structural gene SUC2 has two naturally occurring alleles, the active one and a silent allele called suc2°. Strains carrying suc2° are unable to ferment sucrose and do not show detectable invertase activity. We have isolated suc2° and found an amber codon at position 232 of 532 amino acids. However, transformants carrying suc2° on a multicopy plasmid were able to ferment sucrose and showed detectable invertase activity. Full-length invertase was found in gels stained for active invertase and in immunoblots. Therefore we concluded that the amber codon is occasionally read as an amino acid. The calculated frequency of read-through is about 4% of all translation events.