Transcriptome analysis of the endometrium from Chinese Erhualian sows that differ in calcium ion concentration and litter size

Embryonic survival rate, an important factor in the fecundity of sows, is affected by endometrium‐secreting histotroph. A higher concentration of calcium ion has been observed in the uterus of highly prolific Erhualian sows (EH) compared with those of less prolific (EL) sows. This suggests that EH sows have better establishment and maintenance of pregnancies, thus increasing embryonic survival rate during the peri‐implantation period. To understand the mechanisms of how the endometrium‐secreting histotroph affects embryonic survival rate during the Erhualian peri‐implantation period, the expression patterns of endometrial mRNA in the EH and EL sows on day 12 of gestation were analyzed using RNA sequencing technology. A total of 164 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified (P_adj < 0.05, |log₂(FC)| ≥ 1), including 46 upregulated and 118 downregulated genes in EH compared to EL. Gene Ontology enrichment indicated that a subset of DEGs was involved in calcium ion binding and cell adhesion. Solute carrier family 8 member A3 and solute carrier family 24 member 4, identified as upregulated genes (P_adj < 0.05) in EH, were considered key candidate genes expressed in the endometrium affecting embryonic survival rate during the peri‐implantation period. The results improve understanding of the genetic mechanism underlying the variation in litter size of Erhualian pigs during the peri‐implantation period.     

Effects of various LED light spectra on circadian rhythm during starvation in the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

In aquaculture, feeding is essential for the maintenance of metabolic processes and homoeostasis of fish. However, fasting acts as a stressor. In this study, we investigated the effect of circadian rhythm under various LED wavelengths [blue (460 nm), green (520 nm) and red (630 nm)] and two light intensities (0.3 and 0.6 W m^?2) over a 9-days period in the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). We analysed clock genes like period 2 (Per 2) and cryptochrome 1 (Cry 1), and serotonin and arylalkylamine-N-acetyltransferase 2 (AANAT 2), which control circadian rhythms. Per 2, Cry 1, serotonin and AANAT 2 were significantly decreased during the starvation period compared to the normal feeding group. Nevertheless, their levels increased in the groups exposed to green- and blue LED light during the experimental period. These results confirmed that green and blue wavelengths are effective in maintaining the circadian rhythm in olive flounder.     

Assessing the performance of pea and lentil at different seeding densities as trap crops for the management of wireworms in spring wheat

Wireworms, the larvae of click beetles (Elateridae), are difficult to manage due to their habitats and behaviour. Wireworms pose a major threat to the wheat crop in the north‐western USA. Seed treatment with neonicotinoids, biological control management and some cultural controls are recommended to manage these pests. Trap cropping is an emerging way to manage wireworms. In strawberry and potato crops, trap cropping has been found effective at attracting wireworms away from the principal crop. An earlier study in the Golden Triangle area of Montana found that pea and lentil could be effective trap crops for managing wireworms in spring wheat. In the present study, experiments were conducted at two locations. The effectiveness of peas and lentils as trap crops with wheat at different seeding densities was assessed [pea at 0, 4, 8, 16 seeds/sq.ft. or 0, 43, 86, 172 seeds/sq.m.; lentil at 0, 6, 12, 18 OR 0, 65, 130, 194 seeds/sq.m.; both with wheat at 0, 11, 22, or 28 seeds/sq.ft. or 0, 120, 230, 300 seeds/sq.m.] in a randomized design where all three crops were intercropped. Both trap crops were found to be effective in protecting wheat at standard seeding rates of 8 seeds/sq.ft. for pea and 12 seeds/sq.ft. for lentils. At these seeding rates, higher numbers of wireworms were found to be attracted to the trap crop, resulting in higher yield (7%–10%) of the associated spring wheat plant stands at 22 seeds/sq.ft. To develop an effective trap crop strategy, the pea–wheat and lentil–wheat spatial patterns that are possible need to be assessed in further field trials. Proper design and evaluation of the cost–benefit ratio of pea and lentil as trap crops are likely to produce good results for wheat crops in Montana.     

Life table characteristics of Macrolophus caliginosus preying upon Tetranychus urticae

The life table characteristics of the polyphagous mirid Macrolophus caliginosus Wagner (Heteroptera: Miridae) preying on various stages of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) with tomato as host plant were described at 22 °C. The following average parameters were obtained: Female longevity: 28.7 days; fecundity: 0.7 eggs/female/day; egg mortality: 2.6%; pre-oviposition period: 5.5 days; oviposition period: 18.1 days; post-oviposition period: 3.2 days; juvenile development time: 26.8 days; juvenile mortality: 34.9%; and sex ratio (/(+): 0.46. Life table parameters were estimated as net reproduction rate (R ₀): 6.15; intrinsic rate of increase (r _m): 0.031 day^–1; finite rate of increase (): 1.032; mean generation time (T _c): 58.17 days; and doubling time (T ₂) 22.2 days. The parameters obtained were in accordance with those reported for M. caliginosus fed on another mite species (T. turkestani Ugarov & Nikolski (Acari: Tetranychidae)). However, compared to the performance of M. caliginosus fed on common glasshouse insect pests, a diet consisting of only mites appeared to be inferior. However, being a voracious predator, M. caliginosus may be a valuable addition to existing methods of mite control.     

Phase locking in integrate-and-fire models with refractory periods and modulation

It is known [8, 11, 16, 26] that phase locking can entrain frequency information when the leaky integrate-and-fire (IF) model of a neuron is forced by a periodic function. We show that this is still the case when the IF model is made more biologically realistic. We incorporate into our model spike dependent threshold modulation and refractory periods. Consecutive firing times from this model and their respective interspike intervals are related by an annulus map. We prove a general theorem concerning orientation reversing annulus twist homeomorphisms, which shows that our map admits a unique rotation number. This implies, in particular, that chaotic behaviour is not possible in our model and phase locking is predicted.This research was partially supported by NSF EIA-BITS grant 426411This research was partially supported by the Summer Undergraduate Research Program sponsored by IGERT grant NSF-DGE 9972824 and the Undergraduate Scholars Program at MSU-BozemanAcknowledgement The authors would like to thank Marcy Barge for discussions of prime ends and Sherry Heis for formatting the diagrams.     

Plant tempering of Predynastic pisé at Adaïma in Upper Egypt: building material and taphonomy

Macroscopic plant remains found in pisé material (clay or mud used in building), used as lining in pits at the Upper Egyptian Predynastic site of Adaïma were investigated. Comparison with assemblages from the sediment fills of these pits and with assemblages from other contexts in the same site demonstrated the taphonomical importance of pisé as a building material for the formation of the sites archaeological sediment. In particular, the influence of the pisé plant temper on the composition of plant assemblages in the sediment fills of the pits was brought to the fore. The choice of specific plant materials for their use as temper in pisé or mud bricks is shown, in particular that of barley (Hordeum vulgare) threshing remains. The importance of cereal processing by-products as construction material is also assessed in a wider economic context and compared with later Egyptian mud brick plant contents.     

The cultivation of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Castanea sativa</Emphasis> (Mill.) in Europe,from its origin to its diffusion on a continental scale

The history of Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut) cultivation since medieval times has been well described on the basis of the very rich documentation available. Far fewer attempts have been made to give a historical synthesis of the events that led to the cultivation of sweet chestnut in much earlier times. In this article we attempt to reconstruct this part of the European history of chestnut cultivation and its early diffusion by use of different sources of information, such as pollen studies, archaeology, history and literature. Using this multidisciplinary approach, we have tried to identify the roles of the Greek and Roman civilizations in the dissemination of chestnut cultivation on a European scale. In particular, we show that use of the chestnut for food was not the primary driving force behind the introduction of the tree into Europe by the Romans. Apart from the Insubrian Region in the north of the Italian peninsula, no other centre of chestnut cultivation existed in Europe during the Roman period. The Romans may have introduced the idea of systematically cultivating and using chestnut. In certain cases they introduced the species itself; however no evidence of systematic planting of chestnut exists. The greatest interest in the management of chestnut for fruit production most probably developed after the Roman period and can be associated with the socio-economic structures of medieval times. It was then that self-sufficient cultures based on the cultivation of chestnut as a source of subsistence were formed.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

Distribution of N-cadherin in human cerebral cortex during prenatal development

An important subgroup of adhesion molecules is the superfamily of cadherins, which takes part in cell recognition and differentiation during development. To our knowledge only one study describing N-cadherin expression in developing human brain has been performed so far. Our aim is to identify N-cadherin expression to establish a relationship between its expression and function in human cerebral cortex during prenatal development. In the present study, localization and intensity of N-cadherin was investigated in developing cerebral cortex. Fetuses from spontaneous abortions (n=13) were obtained from first, second, and third trimesters. Western blot analysis revealed three bands and the third trimester samples showed the strongest bands for N-cadherin. Cell processes, axon bundles, and some of the developing neurons revealed immunoreactivity for N-cadherin throughout pregnancy. The immunoreactivity increased in the developing neocortex and expanded from the ventricular layer toward the marginal zone as development progressed. Moreover, the immunoreactivity was strong in vascular endothelium during all three trimesters. We conclude that N-cadherin is dynamically related to the organization of cerebral cortex layers during prenatal development. The dynamic expression pattern implicates N-cadherin as a potential regulator of cell migration, axon extension and fasciculation, the establishment of synaptic contacts, and neurovascular angiogenesis in the developing human cerebral cortex.     

Genetic variation of the bud and leaf phenology of seventeen poplar clones in a short rotation coppice culture

Abstract: Leaf phenology of 17 poplar ( Populus spp.) clones, encompassing spring phenology, length of growth period and end-of-year phenology, was examined over several years of different rotations. The 17 poplar clones differed in their latitude of origin (45°30'N to 51°N) and were studied on a short rotation experimental field plantation, situated in Boom (province of Antwerpen, Belgium; 51°05'N, 04°22'E). A similar, clear pattern of bud burst was observed during the different years of study for all clones. Clones Columbia River, Fritzi Pauley, Trichobel (Populus trichocarpa) and Balsam Spire (Populus trichocarpa × Populus balsamifera) from 45°30'N to 49°N reached bud burst (expressed as day of the year or degree day sums) almost every year earlier than clones Wolterson (Populus nigra), Gaver, Gibecq and Primo (Populus deltoides × Populus nigra) (50°N to 51°N). This observation could not be generalised to end-of-season phenology, for which a yearly returning pattern for all clones was lacking. Late bud burst and early leaf fall of some clones (Beaupré, Boelare, IBW1, IBW2, IBW3) was brought about by increasing rust incidence during the years of observation. For these clones, the variability in leaf phenology was reflected in high coefficients of variation among years. The patterns of genetic variation in leaf phenology have implications for short rotation intensive culture forestry and management of natural populations. Moreover, the variation in phenology reported here is relevant with regard to the genetic mapping of poplar.     

Interpersonal violence between 18th century Native Americans and Europeans in Ohio

During the winter of 1778-1779, a garrison of 176 individuals lived within the walls of a Revolutionary era stronghold named Ft. Laurens on the banks of the Tuscarawas River, near the present-day town of Bolivar, Ohio. At least 21 individuals were buried in the fort's cemetery during its occupation, 13 of whom were supposedly killed and scalped by Native Americans while gathering firewood and foraging horses. The purpose of this study is to build on previous work by Sciulli and Gramly ([1989] Am J. Phys. Anthropol. 80:11-24) by adding a more detailed analysis of the traumatic lesions, in order to better understand what happened to the victims. Lesions were analyzed based on type, location, and dimensions, as well as their overall pattern on the skeleton. Results indicate that multiple blows to the cranium were common. Out of 12 observable crania, the order of blows could be determined in only one case. Eleven of 12 of the observable crania from ambush victims and four of the seven nonambush victims exhibited lesions consistent with scalping. Evidence of postcranial trauma was noted on four individuals: one was an ambush victim, and the other three were killed at other times. No evidence of gunshot wounds was found.