A mobile cage facilitates periodic social contact and exercise for singly caged adult Vervet monkeys

Abstract: A mobile exercise cage that expands the quantity and improves the quality of the space available to singly caged adult Vervet monkey males is described. It was easily fitted into an existing caging system and the addition of a resident consort female made it possible for the males to mate and have regular social contact.     

Diffusion of Fe(II) from an iron propagation cage and its effect on tissue iron and pigments of macroalgae on the cage

Iron propagation cages were settled on sand and/or rock beds in coastal areas of Hokkaido. The cage was oxidized by dissolved oxygen and the released Fe(II) diffused into the seawater around the cage. Fe(II) concentrations in the range of 10–50 nM were detected within a 20-m distance around the cage. For comparison, in the Japan Sea, the total iron concentration is less than 2 nM.Laminaria japonica was grown in an indoor semi-continuous culture system. The critical Fe level for maintaining maximum growth, and the subsistence Fe level for survival were measured. The concentrations obtained were 14–21 and 8 g Fe g^–1 tissue, respectively. Iron found inL. japonica growing on rocks and/or rock beds in the Japan Sea was close to the subsistence level. However, the Fe level inL. japonica on the cage in the Japan Sea was considerably higher. The concentrations of chlorophyll-a and fucoxanthin collected from the cage were significantly higher for sporophytes, demonstrating that iron is a very important element for the growth of seaweeds.     

Interconvertible Kinetic States of t-Butylbicycloorthobenzoate Binding Sites of the γ-Aminobutyric AcidA Ionophores

The kinetics of t-[³H]butylbicycloorthobenzoate (TBOB) binding to the convulsant sites of the γ-aminobutyric acid_A (GABA_A) receptor-ionophore complex were examined in synaptosomal membrane preparations of rat brain. On and off rates of TBOB binding were accelerated by 1 μM GABA and decelerated by 1 μM bicuculline methochloride, a GABA_A antagonist. The presence of GABA and bicuculline methochloride created rapid and slow phases of dissociation, respectively. The three groups of rate constants distinguished for the dissociation of 4 nM and 30 nM [³H]TBOB represent multiaffinity states of the convulsant sites depending on the presence of GABA or bicuculline methochloride. Apparent association rate constants do not obey the equation k_app=k_off±k_on [TBOB] without assuming interconvertibility of the kinetic states during binding. Avermectin B_1a (AVM B_1a), a chloride channel opening agent, accelerated the association and dissociation of TBOB and resulted in a biphasic effect on TBOB binding, i.e., enhancement at low concentrations (EC₅₀, 7.8 nM) followed by displacement at high concentrations (IC₅₀ 6.3 μM) of AVM B_1a. AVM B_1a resulted in similar biphasic effects on t- [³⁵S]butylbicyclophosphorothionate binding. DIDS, an isothiocyanatostilbene derivative with irreversible anion channel blocking effect, selectively inhibited basal [³H]TBOB binding (IC₅₀ 125 μM DIDS) leaving the enhancement by AVM B_1a unaffected.     

Nucleotide sequence of the Streptococcus faecalis plasmid gene encoding the 3'5"-aminoglycoside phosphotransferase type III

We have cloned in Escherichia coli and sequenced a 1489-bp DNA fragment conferring resistance to kanamycin and originating from the streptococcal plasmid pJH1. The resistance gene was located by analysis of the initiation and termination codons in an open reading frame (ORF) of 792 bp. The deduced gene product, a 3'5'-aminoglycoside phosphotransferase of type III, has an Mr of 29,200. Comparison of its amino acid sequence with those of type I (Oka et al., 1981) and type II (Beck et al., 1982) 3' phosphotransferase, from transposable elements Tn903 and Tn5, respectively, indicated a statistically significant structural relationship between these enzymes from phylogenetically remote bacterial genera. The degree of homology observed indicate that phosphotransferase type III and type I genes have diverged from a common ancestor and that the phosphotransferase type II gene has emerged more recently from the type I evolutionary pathway.     

Flight behaviour of the cabbage seedpod weevil

The influence of host odour, windspeed, position of the sun, and temperature on flight behaviour of the cabbage seedpod weevil (Ceutorhynchus assimilis Paykull) were studied. This weevil showed a positive anemotaxis (upwind flight) inside the odour plume of a host crop (Brassica napus L.). Outside the odour plume the weevil showed a pronounced phototaxis at windspeeds below 1.5 m/s. At higher windspeeds, the seedpod weevils flew downwind. The cabbage seedpod weevil flies most readily at low windspeeds (less than 0.5 m/s) and at temperatures above 22 °C.     

象山港网箱养殖对近海沉积物细菌群落的影响

微生物在有机物质分解、能量转移等生物地化循环中起着重要作用,研究养殖活动对沉积物中微生物多样性的影响对正确评价近海生态系统结构和功能具有重要意义.结合沉积物的理化分析(T、pH、Eh和SO2-),通过T-RFLP(末端限制性片段长度多态性)分析了象山港网箱养殖对近海不同深度沉积物中细菌群落结构和多样性的影响,构建了对照区0-5 cm沉积物样品的细菌16S rRNA基因克隆文库,并进行了系统发育分析.结果表明,近海网箱养殖活动不但使象山港沉积物Eh、pH值等理化性质有所改变,而且使细菌的群落结构也发生了变化,变形细菌纲细菌的相对丰度降低,细菌群落的多样性和均匀度也显著降低,致使近海沉积物细菌群落由多样性高的稳定结构向多样性降低的不稳定结构转变.     

Cognitive flexibility deficits in a mouse model for the absence of full‐length dystrophin

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive muscle‐wasting disorder, caused by mutations in the DMD gene and the resulting lack of dystrophin. The DMD gene has seven promoters, giving rise to multiple full‐length and shorter isoforms. Besides the expression of dystrophin in muscles, the majority of dystrophin isoforms is expressed in brain and dystrophinopathy can lead to cognitive deficits, including intellectual impairments and deficits in executive function. In contrast to the muscle pathology, the impact of the lack of dystrophin on the brain is not very well studied. Here, we study the behavioral consequences of a lack of full‐length dystrophin isoforms in mdx mice, particularly with regard to domains of executive functions and anxiety. We observed a deficit in cognitive flexibility in mdx mice in the absence of motor dysfunction or general learning impairments using two independent behavioral tests. In addition, increased anxiety was observed, but its expression depended on the context. Overall, these results suggest that the absence of full‐length dystrophin in mice has specific behavioral effects that compare well to deficits observed in DMD patients.     

An effective method for ecosystem‐scale manipulation of bird abundance and species richness

Manipulation experiments are a cornerstone of ecological research, but can be logistically challenging to execute—particularly when they are intended to isolate the ecological role of large, vagile species, like birds. Despite indirect evidence that birds are influential in many ecosystems, large‐scale, multi‐year bird manipulation experiments are rare. When these studies are conducted, they are typically realized with caged or netted exclosures, an approach that can be expensive, risky for wildlife, and difficult to maintain. In cases where caged exclosures are not appropriate, alternate approaches are needed to allow rigorous empirical studies on the ecological role of birds. Here, we present and validate a method for experimentally increasing the abundance and richness of birds at the scale of entire aquatic ecosystems. Unlike bird exclusion, this approach is experimentally tractable, appealing to land managers, and possible to deploy over large spatial scales. We tested the efficacy of our approach for increasing bird abundance and species richness at 16 central California ponds. Based on bird visitation data obtained by summer camera trapping, our approach significantly increased bird species richness and abundance at manipulated ponds compared to control ponds. Attractant treatments mitigated the negative effects of a major drought on bird species richness and generated a near doubling of bird abundance in the presence of attractants. Treatments had no effect on most mammal species, with the exception of ground squirrels, which increased in abundance in the presence of attractants. These results suggest that attractants are effective in increasing bird abundance and richness. We encourage researchers to consider this approach for experimentally isolating the ecological role of birds in aquatic and open terrestrial ecosystems, especially in cases where cost or logistical constraints preclude the use of caged or netted exclosures.     

The mouse ortholog of EFHC1 implicated in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is an axonemal protein widely conserved among organisms with motile cilia and flagella

The gene product of EFHC1 recently implicated in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) was found to be a homolog of Chlamydomonas axonemal protein Rib72, whose homologs are present in a wide variety of organisms that have motile cilia and flagella. Western blot analyses and immunofluorescence localization of the mouse ortholog mRib72-1/Efhc1 indicated that it is indeed abundantly present in sperm flagella and tracheal cilia but only in a small amount in the brain. It is not present in immotile primary cilia. These observations raise the possibility that malfunction of motile cilia is involved in the development of JME.     

Structure and stability of neutral polyoxometalate cages: (Mo2O6) m (m=1–13)

The structure and stability of neutral polyoxometalate cages (Mo2O6)m (m=1-13) have been computed systematically. These neutral cages can be viewed topologically as polyhedra containing triangles (f3) and squares (f4). The relative stability of these polyhedra is associated with the location and separation of the f3. The initial stable isomers were preselected by the number of shared triangle edges (N33), and the predicted stability was validated further at the GGA-PW91/DND level of density function theory with the fine quality of mesh size. For large clusters, the square neighbor signature (P4444), which is similar to the hexagon neighbor rule for fullerene, becomes more applicable. The calculated disproportionation energies indicate that Mo6O18 (O(h), Lindqvist), Mo12O36 (O(h), alpha Keggin), Mo18O54 (D(3h), Wells-Dawson) and Mo24O72 (O(h)) cages have enhanced stability. [structure in text]. Mo6O18 (O(h)), Mo12O36 (O(h)), Mo18O54 (D(3h)) and Mo(24)O72 (O(h)) are the most stable neutral polyoxometalate cages on the basis of the structural and energetic criteria. They can therefore be considered as the inorganic fullerenes.