Temperament in Rhesus,Long‐Tailed,and Pigtailed Macaques Varies by Species and Sex

Temperament differs among individuals both within and between species. Evidence suggests that differences in temperament of group members may parallel differences in social behavior among groups or between species. Here, we compared temperament between three closely related species of monkey—rhesus (Macaca mulatta), long‐tailed (M. fascicularis), and pigtailed (M. nemestrina) macaques—using cage‐front behavioral observations of individually housed monkeys at a National Primate Research Center. Frequencies of 12 behaviors in 899 subjects were analyzed using a principal components analysis to identify temperament components. The analysis identified four components, which we interpreted as Sociability toward humans, Cautiousness, Aggressiveness, and Fearfulness. Species and sexes differed in their average scores on these components, even after controlling for differences in age and early‐life experiences. Our results suggest that rhesus macaques are especially aggressive and unsociable toward humans, long‐tailed macaques are more cautious and fearful, and pigtailed macaques are more sociable toward humans and less aggressive than the other species. Pigtailed males were notably more sociable than any other group. The differences observed are consistent with reported variation in these species’ social behaviors, as rhesus macaques generally engage in more social aggression and pigtailed macaques engage in more male–male affiliative behaviors. Differences in predation risks are among the socioecological factors that might make these species‐typical behaviors adaptive. Our results suggest that adaptive species‐level social differences may be encoded in individual‐level temperaments, which are manifested even outside of a social context. Am. J. Primatol. 75:303‐313, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Differences in specificity and catalytic efficiency between allozymes of esterase-4 from Drosophila mojavensis

A more than 10-fold difference in the specificity and catalytic efficiency for 1-naphthyl esters was measured between two allozymes of esterase-4 from Drosophila mojavensis. This difference is mainly caused by a difference in the affinity for the 1-naphthyl esters. The amino acid compositions of the allozymes are not significantly different, which means that the difference in primary structure is small. Small differences in primary structure generally do not result in such a large increase in catalytic efficiency and such a large shift in substrate specificity as was found in the present study.      

Population Genetics of the Washington National Primate Research Center's (WaNPRC) Captive Pigtailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina) Population

Pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) provide an important model for biomedical research on human disease and for studying the evolution of primate behavior. The genetic structure of captive populations of pigtailed macaques is not as well described as that of captive rhesus (M. mulatta) or cynomolgus (M. fascicularis) macaques. The Washington National Primate Research Center houses the largest captive colony of pigtailed macaques located in several different housing facilities. Based on genotypes of 18 microsatellite (short tandem repeat [STR]) loci, these pigtailed macaques are more genetically diverse than captive rhesus macaques and exhibit relatively low levels of inbreeding. Colony genetic management facilitates the maintenance of genetic variability without compromising production goals of a breeding facility. The periodic introduction of new founders from specific sources to separate housing facilities at different times influenced the colony's genetic structure over time and space markedly but did not alter its genetic diversity significantly. Changes in genetic structure over time were predominantly due to the inclusion of animals from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in the original colony and after 2005. Strategies to equalize founder representation in the colony have maximized the representation of the founders’ genomes in the extant population. Were exchange of animals among the facilities increased, further differentiation could be avoided. The use of highly differentiated animals may confound interpretations of phenotypic differences due to the inflation of the genetic contribution to phenotypic variance of heritable traits. Am. J. Primatol. 74:1017‐1027, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Neural coding in antennal olfactory cells of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.)

Spike trains from individual antennal olfactory cells of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) obtained during steady-state conditions (spontaneous as well as during stimulation with 1-octen-3-ol) and dynamic stimulation with repetitive pulses of 1-octen-3-ol were investigated by studying the spike frequency and the temporal structure of the trains. In general, stimulation changes the intensity of the spike activity but leaves the underlying stochastic structure unaffected. This structure turns out to be a renewal process. The only independently varying parameter in this process is the mean interspike interval length, suggesting that olfactory cells of tsetse flies may transmit information via a frequency coding. In spike records with high firing rates, however, the stationary records had significant negative first- order serial correlation coefficients and were non-renewal. Some cells in this study were capable of precisely encoding the onset of the odour pulses at frequencies up to at least 3 Hz. Cells with a rapid return to pre-stimulus activity at the end of stimulation responded more adequately to pulsed stimuli than cells with a long increased spike frequency. While short-firing cells process information via a frequency code, long-firing cells responded with two distinctive phases: a phasic, non-renewal response and a tonic, renewal response which may function as a memory of previous stimulations.      

Anti-leucocyte antibodies and embryonic mortality in embryo transferred cows

Cows carrying unrelated transferred embryos (ET) produced anti-leucocyte serum antibodies (aLA) more often than cows carrying their own embryos. Cows carrying the ET showed a higher frequency of cytotoxic reactions against leucocytes from 40-60 randomly chosen cows than individuals carrying their own embryos. The percentage of animals with aLA was higher in cows carrying their second or third transferred embryo than in those with their first transferred embryo. There was no change in the frequency of cytotoxic reactions with repeated pregnancies from transferred embryos. There was no difference in the toxicity of aLA in normal pregnant cows and those carrying transferred embryos. Embryonic mortality (EM) of 35, 73 and 88% was noted during pregnancies from the first, second and third successful ET, respectively. Mortality of 48% occurred in the first pregnancy following an unsuccessful ET. Embryonic mortality of 31% occurred in cows simultaneously carrying their own and a transferred embryo. A direct relationship between the presence of aLA and EM in recipients was not proved. Other fertility problems may lead to EM in cows subjected to repeated transfer of foreign embryos.     

A STUDY OF BIOETHICAL KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTIONS IN KOREA

This study assessed the knowledge and perception of human biological materials (HBM) and biorepositories among three study groups in South Korea. The relationship between the knowledge and the perception among different groups was also examined by using factor and regression analyses. In a self‐reporting survey of 440 respondents, the expert group was found more likely to be knowledgeable and positively perceived than the others. Four factors emerged: Sale and Consent, Flexible Use, Self‐Confidence, and Korean Bioethics and Biosafety Action restriction perception. The results indicate that those who are well aware of the existence of biobanks were more positively inclined to receive the Sale and Consent perception. As a result of the need for high quality HBMs and the use of appropriate sampling procedures for every aspect of the collection and use process, the biorepository community should pay attention to ethical, legal, and policy issues.     

溴化马来松香的合成、表征及其阻燃性的研究

本文以马来松香与液溴加成,合成了溴化马来松香;研究了反应温度、原料的摩尔比、反应时间等因素对反应过程及产物性能的影响.用FT-IR、1H NMR和TG对溴化马来松香进行了表征.结果表明,当反应温度为-2～6℃,反应时间5～6 h,反应物的当量配比约为1.2时,收率可达87.9%.溴化马来松香具有较好的阻燃性,同时也拓宽了松香的应用范围,提高了松香的附加值.     

SURVIVAL OF AN UNIRRADIATED SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM MARKER STRAIN INOCULATED IN POULTRY FEEDS AFTER IRRADIATION

The present study was designed to compare unirradiated Salmonella typhimurium survival during storage after inoculation in either irradiated or unirradiated poultry feed. The effects of irradiation (5 kGy) on the indigenous feed microflora and on the survival of marker strain of S. typhimurium contaminated after irradiation treatment were determined during 56 days of storage of either soybean meal (SBM) or meat and bone meal (MBM) based feeds. The initial aerobic bacterial populations were reduced more than 90% in both SBM (4.96 to 4.08 ± 0.03 log₁₀ CPU/g feed) and MBM (5.12 to 3.90 ± 0.03) by irradiation. Irradiation treatment reduced the average fungal counts during 56 days of storage in both SBM (4.24 to 2.74 ± 0.03) and MBM (4.38 to 2.15 ± 0.03) containing feeds. However, unirradiated S. typhimurium populations inoculated after irradiation of the feed were not different in either irradiated or nonirradiated SBM and MBM based feeds. Therefore, the differences in fungal versus bacterial sensitivity among the feed types and storage times suggests that gamma irradiation can alter the makeup of indigenous microbial populations in feed but this does not appear to have a discernible influence on subsequent survival of unirradiated S. typhimurium added as a dry inoculum after irradiation.