The distribution of living benthic foraminifera on the continental slope and rise off southwest Norway

Surface sediment samples taken by ? corer from 45 stations on the Norwegian continental margin and in the Norway Basin have been investigated for their benthic foraminiferal content. Unlike previous studies, the living benthic foraminiferal fauna was differentiated from empty tests comprising the foraminiferal death assemblage. Factor analysis of both the living and dead faunal data reveals six living species assemblages and five corresponding dead assemblages. The additional living assemblage is characterized by the arenaceous speciesCribrostomoides subglobosum that dominates between 1400 and 2000 m water depth, but is rare in the dead faunal data.Trifarina angulosa and, to a lesser extent,Cibicides lobatulus characterize the shallowest foraminiferal assemblage from 200 to 600 m water depth, where it is associated with strong bottom currents and warm, saline Atlantic water of the North Atlantic Drift. On the slope between 600 and 1200 m water depth, theMelonis zaandami Species Assemblage dominates, particularly in areas characterized today by rapid sedimentation of terrigeneous material. Between 1000 and 1400 m depth, where the slope is covered by fine grained, organic-rich, terrigeneous mud, the living foraminiferal assemblage is characterized byCassidulina teretis andPullenia bulloides. Below 1400 m, three foraminiferal assemblages are found:C. subglobosum is found from 1400 to 2000 m,Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi andEpistominella exigua predominantly live from 2000 to 3000 m water depth, and below 3000 m,Oridorsalis umbonatus andTriloculina frigida dominate the fauna.All of theElphidium excavatum tests found in this study and theCassidulina reniforme tests found above 500 m water depth were found to be reworked.Analysis of the sediment grain-size distribution and the organic carbon content in surface samples from the deepest stations suggest that the abundance ofC. wuellerstorfi andE. exigua is positively correlated to relatively coarse (caused by planktic foraminifera) and organic-rich sediments, whereas high frequencies ofO. umbonatus andT. frigida coincide with low organic carbon content. We suggest thatC. wuellerstorfi is adapted to deep-sea environments with relatively high food supply, tolerating relatively low interstitial water oxygen content, whereasO. umbonatus may tolerate lower food supply prefering well-oxygenated interstitial waters.     

Detection of RNAase inhibitor from different species and organs

Human placental alkaline RNAase inhibitor was purified to homogeneity. Activity was measured after each purification step. The final identification of the purified protein was done by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by immunoblotting. Antibodies were prepared by immunization of rabbits with the highly purified inhibitor. The availability of the antiserum directed against the human inhibitor enabled the detection of RNAase inhibitor from various other organs and species. This procedure has the advantage over the usual activity test in that the inhibitor can be found even if its activity has been lost.     

Size-scaling of zooplankton foraging in Arctic charr

Prey capture rate (number of prey s⁻¹) and the mode of feeding of Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus were studied by performing foraging experiments with two sizes (1·1 and 1·8 mm) of Daphnia longispina prey. Arctic charr were particulate feeders at all densities tested. Adjusted for the effect of prey density, the capture rate showed a hump-shaped relationship with Arctic charr size for both sizes of D. longispina . Estimated attack rates ( a ) also tended to show a hump-shaped relationship with fish size. The estimated size-scaling exponent of the attack rate function, however, was relatively small, implying small changes in attack rate over fish sizes. Simultaneous estimations of a and handling time were used in combination with published data on fish metabolism and dry mass rations of prey to estimate maintenance resource density of prey as a function of Arctic charr mass. Maintenance resource densities increased monotonically with Arctic charr size, and rapidly as optimum fish size relative to attack rate on prey was passed.     

The susceptibility of Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill) to Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg (Platyhelminthes; Monogenea) under experimental conditions

The host specificity of Gyrodaclylus Solaris is examined experimentally with respect to its ability to infect the brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis . The parasite readily attached to and reproduced on parr of this host and infections grew for c. 20 days from first monitoring (c. 30 days from first infection) before declining. Parasites could persist on this host for up to 70 days before finally disappearing. The pattern of infection resembled that seen in many other gyrodactylid species on their normal hosts, and suggested the action of a host response, In this respect infections of G. salaris on parr of S. fontinalis , anadromous Salvelinus alpinus, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Thymallus thymallus and Baltic Salmo salar follow a normal pattern, while infections of Norwegian S. salar are unusual in a continued unchecked growth, until the host dies, under pooled laboratory conditions.     

Vitrification of mouse islets of Langerhans: comparison with a more conventional freezing method

The possibility of cryopreservation of islets of Langerhans by vitrification using a mixture of cryoprotectants was investigated and the results were compared with a more conventional freezing method using Me2SO as cryoprotectant. Isolated mouse islets were divided into three groups: (1) control islets cultured for 6 days, (2) islets which were cryopreserved by vitrification after 2 days of culture, and (3) islets frozen in 1.5 M Me2SO after 2 days of culture. After warming, islets from groups 2 and 3 were cultured for 4 days. The thus treated islets were investigated with respect to insulin secretion in the presence of 2.5 or 25 mM glucose, survival during postwarming culture, morphology, and capability to reverse streptozotocin-induced diabetes. The insulin secretion in islets from all groups could be stimulated by a factor 5 or more by an increase in the concentration of glucose from 2.5 to 25 mM. The secretion of insulin in the presence of 2.5 mM glucose was similar in all groups of islets. The secretion of insulin in the presence of 25 mM glucose was slightly but not significantly lower in the cryopreserved islets than in the control noncryopreserved islets. The survival of islets during postwarming culture was comparable after cryopreservation with both methods, and islets from both groups could lower serum glucose in streptozotocin diabetic mice. We conclude that islets cryopreserved by the vitrification method are functional in vitro and in vivo. This method is quick, simple, and cheap because the use of complicated freezing equipment is avoided.     

Synaptic changes in the terminals of rod photoreceptors of albino mice after partial visual cell loss induced by brief exposure to constant light

Summary Albino mice were exposed to constant light for 7 days and were then transferred to periodic light. After initial photic damage and partial cell loss, the remaining visual cells recovered and survived as a stable population. Regions of the outer nuclear layer containing 4–6 rows of nuclei were more affected than those containing 6–10 rows. Changes in the synaptic structures in the receptor terminals of these two regions were recorded after varying survival periods. Some of the rod terminals had multiple synaptic ribbons and larger numbers of horizontal cell processes and bipolar cell dendrites. The number of terminals with multiple ribbons increased during recovery in periodic light. Morphometry demonstrated that the perimeters of horizontal and bipolar cell processes within the rod terminals were significantly larger than those in age-matched control mice, especially 4 weeks after recovery; they remained significantly larger than controls after 2 and 3 months. We suggest that partial loss of rod cells within a group of cells that are synaptically related to a common bipolar or horizontal cell results in synaptic growth inside the terminals of the surviving cells.     

Algesia and local responses induced by neurokinin A and substance P in human skin and temporal muscle

Neurokinin A (NKA), substance P (SP) and the two peptides combined (SP + NKA) were injected intracutaneously on the forearm and into the temporal muscle of healthy volunteers. Pain intensity, cutaneous wheal and flare responses and tenderness of the temporal muscle were quantitated. SP but not NKA induced cutaneous pain. This relates the algesic effect of SP to the specific N-terminal amino acid sequence of the peptide, not shared by NKA. NKA, however, potentiated the algesic effect of SP as SP + NKA induced a significantly prolonged cutaneous pain sensation. Both peptides induced wheals, but only SP induced flare. These results confirm previous studies relating wheal formation to the identical C-terminal amino acid sequence of the two peptides and flare reaction to the N-terminal part of SP. Injections into the temporal muscle did not cause pain or tenderness.