Geometric design improvements for femoral graft-artery junctions mitigating restenosis

The present study is based on the hypothesis that nonuniform hemodynamics, represented by large time-averaged wall shear stress gradients, trigger abnormal biological processes leading to rapid restenosis, i.e. excessive tissue overgrowth and renewed plaque formation, and hence early graft failure. It implies that this problem may be significantly mitigated by finding graft-artery bypass configurations for which the wall shear stress gradient is approximately zero and hence nearly uniform hemodynamics is achieved. These fluid flow and geometric design considerations are applied to four different end-to-side anastomoses for the distal end of a femoral artery bypass with an appropriate test input pulse and a typical 20–80 flow division. A validated finite-volume code has been used to compute the transient three-dimensional velocity vector fields, wall shear stress distributions and surface contours of the wall shear stress gradients. It is shown that large anastomotic flow areas, small continuously changing bifurcation angles, and smooth junction wall curvatures reduce local time-averaged wall shear stress gradients significantly and hence should mitigate restenosis.     

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF RHIZOSOLENIA FORMOSA (BACILLARIOPHYCEAE) IN THE CONTEXT OF OPEN-OCEAN VERTICAL MIGRATION1

Cultures of Rhizosolenia formosa H. Peragallo were studied to assess whether or not physiological and optical characteristics of this large diatom were consistent with the ability to migrate vertically in the open ocean. Time-course experiments examined changes in chemical composition and buoyancy of R. formosa during nitrate (N)–replete growth, N starvation, and recovery. Cells could maintain unbalanced growth for at least 53 h after depletion of ambient nitrate. Increases in C:N and carbohydrate: protein ratios observed during N starvation reversed within 24 h of reintroduction of nitrate to culture medium. Buoyancy was related to nutrition: Upon N depletion, the percentage of positively buoyant cells decreased to 4% from 11% but reverted to 9% within 12 h of nitrate readdition. Cells took up nitrate in the dark. Nitrogen-specific uptake rates averaged 0.48 d^?1; these rates were higher than N-specific growth rates (0. 15 d^?1), indicating the potential for luxury consumption of nitrate, which can be stored for later use. Measurements of photosynthesis vs. irradiance, chlorophyll-specific absorption (a_ph*(λ)), and pigment composition showed that cells may be adapted for growth under a wide range of irradiances. Values of a_ph*(λ) were lower for N-depleted cells than for N-replete cells, and N-depleted cells had higher ratios of total carotenoids to chlorophyll a. Aggregation of chloroplasts was more pronounced in N-depleted cells. These are possibly photoprotective mechanisms that would be an advantage to N-depleted cells in surface waters. Compounds that absorb in the ultraviolet region were detected in N-replete cells but were absent in N-depleted cultures. Overall, these results have important implications for migrations of Rhizosolenia in nature. Cells may survive fairly long periods in N-depleted surface waters and will continue to take up carbon; then they can resume nitrate uptake and revert to positive buoyancy upon returning to deep, N-rich water. Uncoupled uptake of carbon and nitrogen during migrations of Rhizosolenia is a form of new production that may result in the net removal of carbon from oceanic surface waters.     

EVOLUTIONARY POTENTIAL AND LOCAL GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION IN A PHENOTYPICALLY PLASTIC TRAIT OF A CYCLICAL PARTHENOGEN,DAPHNIA MAGNA

The frequent use of neutral markers to quantify genetic variation in natural populations emphasizes the role of stochastic events in explaining genetic differentiation between populations. Complementary studies on ecologically relevant traits are needed to assess the role of natural selection acting on adaptive variation in the development of local genetic differentiation. To test the hypothesis of local adaptation in the cyclical parthenogenetic species Daphnia magna, the phototactic behavior in the absence and presence of fish kairomone was assayed for 30 clones derived from resting eggs isolated from three habitats characterized by a different predation pressure by fish. Clones derived from populations in which fish are present were, on average, more negatively phototactic in and more responsive to the presence of fish kairomone than clones derived from a fishless habitat. In addition, the results show a high genetic diversity for the traits studied in all three gene pools investigated, indicating a high potential for microevolutionary changes in behavior of these Daphnia populations in the face of changes in predation pressure. The results of the present study indicate that working with large samples at the expense of having less precise estimates of genotypic values for specific genotypes may result in a loss of information with regard to the evolutionary potential of local populations.     

Spatial patterns and relationships between phytoplankton, zooplankton and water quality in the Saimaa lake system, Finland

The interactions between phytoplankton and zooplankton were studied in two large lakes in the Saimaa lake system, Finland. Both are subjected to substantial waste water loading, and exhibit a clear trophic gradient between the loaded and unloaded areas. The phytoplankton and zooplankton were compared in terms of composition, abundance and biomass at 34–39 stations located in different parts of the lakes. At least four mechanisms were thought to affect the composition of plankton communities: (1) the amount of nutrients (trophic gradient), (2) grazing of algae by herbivores, (3) the effect of the algal species composition on feeding by zooplankters (large, colonial algae in the more loaded parts of the lakes) and (4) the regeneration and reorganization of nutrients.     

Altitudinal zonation of montane Quercus forests along two transects in Chirripó National Park,Costa Rica

Abiotic and vegetation data were collected along two altitudinal transects through mature montane Quercus forests on the Pacific and Atlantic slopes of Costa Rica's Chirripó Massif. Between 2000 and 3200 m asl twenty-four 0.05 ha forest plots were selected at altitudinal intervals of 100 m, and eight soil profiles were described at intervals of 200 m. A TWINSPAN classification aided in the determination of eight zonal forest communities on the basis of their floristic composition. They are grouped in two sets of four: (i) the palm-rich lauraceous-fagaceous Lower Montane Mollinedia-Quercus Forests (2000–2600 m asl) and (ii) the bamboo-rich myrsinaceous-fagaceous Upper Montane Schefflera-Quercus Forests (2500–3200 m asl), respectively. Vegetation changes seem correlated with two major climatic gradients: (i) a temperature gradient (altitude), and (ii) a moisture gradient (wet Atlantic vs. moist Pacific slope). Most soils are Andepts, and residual, colluvial or derived from volcanic material. Humus layers are thicker on the wetter Atlantic slope. A total of 431 vascular plant species consisted of 86 pteridophytes, 1 gymnosperm, 296 dicots and 48 monocots. Species richness, canopy height and stem diameter decrease with increasing altitude, while the canopy surface becomes more flattend. A comparison with other studies shows that Chirripó's montane Quercus forests fit within the environmental ranges known from altitudinal zonations elsewhere in the Tropics.Abbreviations asl above sea level - dbh diameter at breast height - LM Lower Montane - Mt. Mountain - TWINSPAN two way indicator species analysis - UM Upper Montane - VU code referring to soil profiles as presented in Van Uffelen (1991) This paper is dedicated to the memory of Alwyn H. Gentry, an outstanding and inspiring tropical botanist who tragically died in a plane crash in the mountains of Ecuador on August 3 1993, when surveying possible boundaries for a new tropical cloud forest reserve.     

Seasonality and vertical structure of light-attracted insect communities in a dipterocarp forest in Sarawak

Nocturnal flying insects were collected monthly for 13 months using ultra violet light-traps set at various vertical levels in a weakly-seasonal, tropical lowland dipterocarp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia. Abundance, faunal composition, size distribution and guild structure of these samples were analyzed with respect to temperal and vertical distributions. The nocturnal flying insect community in the canopy level was highly dominated by fig wasps (84%) in individual number, and by scarabaeid beetles (28%) in weight. A principal component analysis on monthly catches detected non-random, seasonal trends of insect abundance. The first two principal trends were an alternation of wetter (September to January) and less wet seasons (February to August) and an alternation between the least wet (January to March) and the other seasons. Many insect groups were less abundant in the least wet season than the other seasons, whilst inverse patterns were found in Scarabaeidae and Tenebrionidae. Significantly positive and negative correlations between monthly catch and rainfall were detected only in ovule-feeders and in phloem-feeders, respectively. Delayed, significant negative correlations between monthly catch and 1–3 month preceding rainfall were more frequently detected in phytophages, phloem-feeders, seed-feeders, wood-borers and scavengers. The peak in abundance along vertical levels were found at the canopy level (35 m) for phloem-, ovule-, seed-, root-, fungal-feeders and nectar collectors, at an upper subcanopy level (25 m) for scavengers and aquatic predators, and at a middle subcanopy level (17 m) for ants. Catches at the emergent level (45 m) did not exceed those at the canopy level.     

不同种群密度羊草生态场梯度及其变化特征

通过对植物个体与种群生态场定位实验研究,提出了生态场梯度的概念,并给出了植物与羊草个体生态场梯度的模型,植物生态场的场梯度是,生态场中生态势沿任意方向的变化率。羊草个体生态场梯度同羊草种群密度相关。     

人胎胸腺细胞的异质性荧光及其与T淋巴细胞分化阶段关系的形态学研究

以７６９０－Ｘｕ荧光染色法结合ＷｕＴ３、ＷｕＴ４、ＷｕＴ８致敏红细胞花环实验观察经胸腺细胞分层液分离所得高密度亚群和低密度亚群人胎胸腺细胞的异质性荧光及其膜分化抗原ＣＤ３、ＣＤ４、ＣＤ８的表达。结果表明：不同胎龄胎儿胸腺细胞悬液呈现相似形态和相似分布特征的８种异质性荧光的细胞,其中,墨黑核细胞和桔红核细胞分布于两密度亚群,表型为ＣＤ３－ＣＤ４－ＣＤ８－;少数深蓝核和蓝核细胞分布于低密度亚群．表型为ＣＤ３＋,属成熟的胸腺细胞;大多数深蓝核和蓝核细胞、灰蓝核细胞、灰黄核细胞及部分淡桔黄核细胞分布于高密度亚群,表型为ＣＤ３－、ＣＤ４＋、ＣＤ８＋,为处于中间发育阶段的胸腺细胞。推测这些细胞胞核由深蓝、蓝、灰蓝、灰黄到淡桔黄的荧光光谱的偏移可能与中间发育阶段所发生的生物及理化变化有关。     

Vertical bars on male Xiphophorus multilineatus: a signal that deters rival males and attracts females

We examined the function of the vertical bar pattern on maleswordtails (Xiphophorus multilinneatus) as a signal in bothmale-male competition and female choice. This pattern had previouslybeen described as an aggressive signal because males intensifiedthe bars during male-male encounters in the laboratory. Ourfield observations supported this observation and also showedthat bars intensified when males courted females. The intensityof bars was correlated with access to females in the field.Within the size range of males that have bars, however, neitherbar number nor male size appeared to influence access to females.We used freeze-branding to remove the bars from males in thelaboratory so that we could control for characters correlatedwith bar intensity, and tested males and females separatelyso that we could separate the influence of these two componentsof sexual selection. We compared the responses of males andfemales to males that had their bars removed and control malesfreeze-branded between the bars. Test males responded more aggressivelyto males without bars as compared to control males. In addition,females showed a preference for control males over males thathad their bars removed. These results suggest that the barsmay function as a signal that deters rival males and attractsfemales.     

Role of sodium ions for sulfate transport and energy metabolism in Desulfovibrio salexigens

The sodium ion gradient and the membrane potential were found to be the driving forces of sulfate accumulation in the marine sulfate reducer Desulfovibrio salexigens. The protonmotive force of –158 mV, determined by means of radiolabelled membrane-permeant probes, consisted of a membrane potential of –140 mV and a pH gradient (inside alkaline) of 0.3 at neutral pH_out. The sodium ion gradient, as measured with silicone oil centrifugation and atomic absorption spectroscopy, was eightfold ([Na⁺]_out/[Na⁺]_in) at an external Na⁺ concentration of 320 mM. The resulting sodium ionmotive force was –194 mV and enabled D. salexigens to accumulate sulfate 20000-fold at low external sulfate concentrations (<0.1 M). Under these conditions high sulfate accumulation occurred electrogenically in symport with three sodium ions (assuming equilibrium with the sodium ion-motive force). With increasing external sulfate concentrations sulfate accumulation decreased sharply, and a second, low-accumulating system symported sulfate electroneutrally with two sodium ions. The sodium-ion gradient was built up by electrogenic Na⁺/H⁺ antiport. This was demonstrated by (i) measuring proton translocation upon sodium ion pulses, (ii) studying uptake of sodium salts in the presence or absence of the electrical membrane potential, and (iii) the inhibitory effect of the Na⁺/H⁺ antiport inhibitor propylbenzilylcholin-mustard HCl (PrBCM). With resting cells ATP synthesis was found after proton pulses (changing the pH by three units), but neither after pulses of 500 mM sodium ions, nor in the presence of the uncoupler tetrachorosalicylanilide (TCS). It is concluded that the energy metabolism of the marine strain D. salexigens is based primarily on the protonmotive force and a protontranslocating ATPase.Abbreviations MOPS morpholinopropanesulfonic acid - TCS tetrachlorosalicylanilide - PrBCM propylbenzilylcholin-mustard HCl - Tris tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane - TPP⁺ bromide tetraphenylphosphonium bromide