Growth and its relationship to fledging success of African black oystercatcher Haematopus moquini chicks

We investigated the growth of African black oystercatcher Haematopus moquini chicks on Robben Island, South Africa, over three austral summers, 2001-2004. Using a robust regression analysis to determine the growth parameters of chicks of known and unknown age we found that oystercatchers from our study population had a Gompertz growth rate coefficient that was 2% less than predicted for body mass based on the equation for waders. Leg growth lagged initially, then increased and slowed again as the chicks became older, whereas wing growth was slow initially but increased with age. Chicks with small growth rate coefficients for body mass exhibited retarded growth of all body measures except wing length. This enabled these chicks to fledge in a shorter period of time than their slow growth would otherwise allow. The growth rate of body mass was observed to vary greatly between chicks. Fast-growing African black oystercatchers had a shorter pre-fledging period; were larger at fledging and were more likely to fledge successfully. African black oystercatchers display sibling rivalry, and once a dominance relationship is established, the larger chick remains so during the pre-fledging period. Larger siblings fledged earlier and at a heavier mass than the smaller siblings and this may improve their chances of survival. Neither hatching date nor brood size influenced the growth rate coefficients.     

Roles of the main olfactory and vomeronasal systems in the detection of androstenone in inbred strains of mice

We investigated the role of the main olfactory and accessory olfactory systems (MOS and AOS respectively) in the detection of androstenone. We used the following experimental approaches: behavioral, surgical removal of the vomeronasal organ (VNX) followed by histochemical verification and Fos immunohistochemistry. Using a Y-maze paradigm we estimated sensitivity of NZB/B1NJ and CBA/J mice to androstenone. CBA mice were 2,000-fold more sensitive to androstenone than NZB mice. VNX caused a 4- to 16-fold decre...     

Multilocus sequence types of Finnish bovine <Emphasis Type="Italic">Campylobacter jejuni</Emphasis> isolates and their attribution to human infections

Background  

Campylobacter jejuni is the most common bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide. Due to the sporadic nature of infection, sources often remain unknown. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) has been successfully applied to population genetics of Campylobacter jejuni and mathematical modelling can be applied to the sequence data. Here, we analysed the population structure of a total of 250 Finnish C. jejuni isolates from bovines, poultry meat and humans collected in 2003 using a combination of Bayesian clustering (BAPS software) and phylogenetic analysis.     

The cold-shock response in mammalian cells: investigating the HeLa cell cold-shock proteome

In recent years there have been a number of reports that suggest the sub-physiological (<37 °C) temperature in vitro culturing of mammalian cells can result in enhanced heterologous protein production. Despite these reports, the mechanisms by which mammalian cells respond to such conditions are largely unknown. We therefore set out to use a model in vitro culture HeLa cell system to begin investigating the cold-shock response in mammalian cell systems. Sub-physiological temperature cultivation resulted in reduced growth and proliferation and a lower total cell protein content. Proteomic analysis confirmed that HeLa cells actively respond to sub-physiological temperature by up-regulating a number of proteins and immunoblot analysis confirmed that specific proteins are indeed up-regulated in a time and temperature dependent manner. Additional work is likely to improve our understanding of the cold-shock response in mammalian cells and identify candidate target proteins for cell engineering to further enhance heterologous protein production at sub-physiological temperatures.     

The Chinese Neolithic: Recent Trends in Research

Early food production, featuring at least two and probably three separate suites of plants, occurred in at least six different regions in China. Gradually, the earliest stages of village life and plant-animal domestication are becoming clearer, and Chinese archeologists are attempting to reconstruct the societal context of these developments. Late Neolithic sites, shedding light on the indigenous evolution to state-level societies, are now being published, and the ethnohistoric links between archeological cultures and major ethnic groups are being considered. The volume of excavation and publication makes China one of the most exciting areas of Neolithic research at the present time. A discussion of major contributions and topics of debate follows.     

30 Days Wild: Development and Evaluation of a Large-Scale Nature Engagement Campaign to Improve Well-Being

There is a need to increase people’s engagement with and connection to nature, both for human well-being and the conservation of nature itself. In order to suggest ways for people to engage with nature and create a wider social context to normalise nature engagement, The Wildlife Trusts developed a mass engagement campaign, 30 Days Wild. The campaign asked people to engage with nature every day for a month. 12,400 people signed up for 30 Days Wild via an online sign-up with an estimated 18,500 taking part overall, resulting in an estimated 300,000 engagements with nature by participants. Samples of those taking part were found to have sustained increases in happiness, health, connection to nature and pro-nature behaviours. With the improvement in health being predicted by the improvement in happiness, this relationship was mediated by the change in connection to nature.