Getting the Measure of Bionics

In this issue of the Journal of Bionics Engineering we start something which is novel in academic publication but which is not at all uncommon in other serial publications. We present, in a series of seven chapters, a book on the interrelations between biology and engineering. It is not a handbook of bionics ( though that might follow) but a series of essays that will bridge the gap between biology and engineering. We hope you will find them entertaining and informative, and that they will reinforce and revise areas of your knowledge,no matter what your entry point into this subject.     

Morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of Morphidae

The morphological structure and optical properties of the wings of 14 species of Morphidae have been investigated. Most of the scales of the iridescent species of Morphidae （Lepidoptera） present a very particular structure. The ground scales, responsible for the major part of the optical properties, are covered by a very regular set of longitudinal ridges. The ridges themselves are constituted by a superposition of lamellae that act locally as a multilayered structure. This very specific morphology leads to both interferences and diffraction effects. The first one is responsible of the brilliant blue coloration of the males, while the second one diffracts this colored light at a very large angle. These two phenomena give to the butterfly a very effective long-range communication system. The morphological characteristics of the scales of the various species are presented in detail. Two types of optical measurement were performed on the iridescent wings of 14 different species of Morphidae： spectroscopic measurements under various incidences and gonioscopic measurements for a given incidence angle and wavelength. The first allows a determination of the index of refraction of the cuticular material. The second leads to the drawing of spatial diffraction maps. It shows that most of the reflected light is diffracted laterally over a very large angle （90° 〈 0 〈 120°, according to the different species） and that this repartition depends of the polarization of incident light. As predicted by previous calculations, the dissymmetric structure of the ridge is responsible for the separation of the polarization modes in the various diffraction orders.     

The Functional Role of the Hollow Region of the Butterfly Pyrameis atalanta （L.） Scale

Questions concerning the functional role of the hollow region of the butterfly Pyrameis atalanta （L.） scale are experimentally investigated. Attention was initially directed to this problem by observation of the complex microstrucmre of the butterfly scale as well as other studies indicating higher lift on butterfly wings covered with scale. The aerodynamic forces were measured for two oscillating scale models. Results indicated that the air cavity of an oscillating model of the Pyrameis atalanta （L.） scale increased the lift by a factor of 1.15 and reduced the damping coefficients by a factor of 1.38. The modification of the aerodynamic effects on the model of butterfly scale was due to an increase of the virtual air mass, which influenced the body. The hollow region of the scale increased the virtual air mass by a factor of 1.2. The virtual mass of the butterfly scale with the hollow region was represented as the sum of air mass of two imaginary geometrical figures： a circular cylinder around the scale and a right-angled parallelepiped within the hollow region. The interaction mechanism of the butterfly Pyrameis atalanta （L.） scale with a flow was described. This novel interaction mechanism explained most geometrical features of the airpermeable butterfly scale （inverted V-profile of the ridges, nozzle of the tip edge, hollow region, and openings of the upper lamina） and their arrangement.     

Applications - Some Influences of Engineering Ideas on Biology—— Being the fifth in a series of essays on the materials of nature

Ideas from engineering have helped the understanding of biological organisms for thousands of years. However, the mechanical aspects of biological materials and structures can, if properly interpreted and analysed, lead to a deeper understanding of the biology of organisms. Such an approach, although always current in some form, is nevertheless subject to the vagaries of fashion and the availability of analytical techniques. At present we are in a period of upturn. Areas of interest are deployable structures （applications in aerospace）, palaeontology （how little do we need to know in order to create a credible biosphere） and food science （we need a rational approach to the mechanics of food）.     

Biomimetics of Campaniform Sensilla： Measuring Strain from the Deformation of Holes

We present a bio-inspired strategy for designing embedded strain sensors in space structures. In insects, the campaniform sensillum is a hole extending through the cuticle arranged such that its shape changes in response to loads. The shape change is rotated through 90° by the suspension of a bell-shaped cap whose deflection is detected by a cell beneath the cuticle. It can be sensitive to displacements of the order of 1 nm. The essential morphology, a hole formed in a plate of fibrous composite mate- rial, was modelled by Skordos et al. who showed that global deformation of the plate （which can be flat, curved or a tube） induces higher local deformation of the hole due to its locally higher compliance. Further developments reported here show that this approach can be applied to groups of holes relative to their orientation. , The morphology of the sensillum in insects suggests that greater sensitivity can be achieved by arranging several holes in a regular pattern; that if the hole is oval it can be ＂aimed＂ to sense specific strain directions; and that either by controlling the shape of the hole or its relationship with other holes it can have a tuned response to dynamic strains. We investigate space applications in which novel bio-inspired strain sensors could successfully be used.     

Purification and characterization of cholecystokinin from the skin of salamander Tylototriton verrucosus

As a group of intestinal hormones and neurotransmitters, cholecystokinins(CCKs) regulate and affect pancreatic enzyme secretion, gastrointestinal motility, pain hypersensitivity, digestion and satiety, and generally contain a DYMGWMDFG sequence at the C-terminus. Many CCKs have been reported in mammals. However, only a few have been reported in amphibians, such as Hyla nigrovittata, Xenopus laevis, and Rana catesbeiana, with none reported in urodele amphibians like newts and salamanders. Here, a CCK called CCK-TV was identified and characterized from the skin of the salamander Tylototriton verrucosus. This CCK contained an amino acid sequence of DYMGWMDF-NH2 as seen in other CCKs. A c DNA encoding the CCK precursor containing 129 amino acid residues was cloned from the c DNA library of T. verrucosus skin. The CCK-TV had the potential to induce the contraction of smooth muscle strips isolated from porcine gallbladder, eliciting contraction at a concentration of 5.0x10-11 mol/L and inducing maximal contraction at a concentration of 2.0x10-6 mol/L. The EC50 was 13.6 nmol/L. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to identify the presence of a CCK in an urodele amphibian.     

Is the zooplankton of the tropics different？

The zooplankton, defined a the assemblage of animals and animal-like creatures that lives in the water column of small to big waterbodies, has primarily been studied in the temperate zone, so most "received" concepts about it derive from the temperate, not the tropical belt of this planet. In the present days of biodiversity     

A Lipidomic Study of the Effects of N-methyl-N＇-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine on Sphingomyelin Metabolism

Systems biology is a new and rapidly developing research area in which, by quantitatively describing the interaction among all the individual components of a cell, a systems-level understanding of a biological response can be achieved. Therefore, it requires high-throughput measurement technologies for biological molecules, such as genomic and proteomic approaches for DNA/RNA and protein, respectively.Recently, a new concept, lipidomics, which utilizes the mass spectrometry （MS） method for lipid analysis,has been proposed. Using this lipidomic approach, the effects of N-methyl-N＇-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） on sphingomyelin metabolism, a major class of sphingolipids, were evaluated. Sphingomyelin molecules were extracted from cells and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight MS. It was found that MNNG induced profound changes in sphingomyelin metabolism, including the appearance of some new sphingomyelin species and the disappearance of some others, and the concentrations of several sphingomyelin species also changed. This was accompanied by the redistribution of acid sphingomyelinase （ASM）, a key player in sphingomyelin metabolism. On the other hand, imipramine, an inhibitor of ASM,caused the accumulation of sphingomyelin. It also prevented some of the effects of MNNG, as well as the redistribution of ASM. Taken together, these data suggested that the lipidomic approach is highly effective for the systematic analysis of cellular lipids metabolism.     

The development of the region between the preexisting and nascent membranes during the first cleavage of Rana amurensis eggs

The region between the preexisting and nascentmembranes of a cleaving Rana egg is a dense protrusionregion of nearly 40μm wide at 180°stage.Later,thisregion differentiate,into an upper part,a strip withlong, branched and randomly distributed protrusionswhich are derived largely from the preexistingmembrane,and a lower part,a band with microvilli.During 4-and 8-cel1 stages,the strip is almost vanishedand microvilli in the band is shortened.The nascentmembrane is smooth at the 180°stage,then a rough areaappears below the smooth region and quickly expands.Wheat germ agglutinin which can bind to preexistingmembrane interrupts the development of the regionbetween the preexisting and nascent membranes.Detergent,Brij,having the property to increase the areaof nascent membrane,does not interrupt the developmentof the region between the preexisting and nascentmembranes.     

A Lipidomic Study of the Effects of N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine on Sphingomyelin Metabolism

Systems biology is a new and rapidly developing research area in which,by quantitativelydescribing the interaction among all the individual components of a cell,a systems-level understanding of abiological response can be achieved.Therefore,it requires high-throughput measurement technologies forbiological molecules,such as genomic and proteomic approaches for DNA/RNA and protein,respectively.Recently,a new concept,lipidomics,which utilizes the mass spectrometry(MS)method for lipid analysis,has been proposed.Using this lipidomic approach,the effects of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine(MNNG)on sphingomyelin metabolism,a major class of sphingolipids,were evaluated.Sphingomyelin moleculeswere extracted from cells and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight MS.Itwas found that MNNG induced profound changes in sphingomyelin metabolism,including the appearance ofsome new sphingomyelin species and the disappearance of some others,and the concentrations of severalsphmgomyelin species also changed.This was accompanied by the redistribution of acid sphingomyelinase(ASM),a key player in sphingomyelin metabolism.On the other hand,imipramine,an inhibitor of ASM,caused the accumulation of sphingomyelin.It also prevented some of the effects of MNNG,as well as theredistribution of ASM.Taken together,these data suggested that the lipidomic approach is highly effectivefor the systematic analysis of cellular lipids metabolism.     

Analysis of Grassland Vegetation of the Southwest Heilongjiang Steppe （China） Using the Power Law

In 1997, we conducted a vegetation survey in three semi-arid natural grasslands （steppes） with different livestock grazing intensities in Southwest Heilongjiang Province, China, The dominant grassland species was the grass Stipa baicalensis Roshev. Grasslands with light, intermediate, and heavy grazing intensities were located 10, 5, and 2 km from a village, respectively. Villagers use the steppe to raise cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. Each of the three grasslands was surveyed by placing 100 quadrats （50 cm×50 cm） along a 50 m line transect. Each quadrat was divided into four equal areas （25 cm×25 cm; S-quadrats） and all plant species occurring in each of these smaller areas were identified and recorded. These data were summarized into frequency distributions and the percentage of S-quadrats containing a given species and the variance of each species were estimated. The power law was applied to these estimates. The power law was used to evaluate the spatial heterogeneity and frequency of occurrence for each species in the grassland community. The lightly grazed grassland exhibited high spatial heterogeneity （caused by large plant size）, the highest species diversity, and a high occurrence of S. baicalensis. In contrast, the heavily grazed grassland exhibited high spatial heterogeneity （caused by patchy populations of small plant size）, low species diversity, and a low occurrence of S. baicalensis. We judged that the heavily grazed grassland was overgrazed and exclusion of livestock from the degraded areas is necessary for recovery.     

Key enzymes of the protocatechuate branch of the β-ketoadipate pathway for aromatic degradation in Corynebacterium glutamicum

The β-ketoadipate pathway, a primarily chromo-somally encoded catabolic route that plays a signifi-cant role in the degradation of aromatic compounds, is widely distributed in soil bacteria and fungi[1]. This pathway consists of two parallel branches of which the aromatic rings are cleaved by either protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase or catechol 1,2-dioxygenase. The two branches converge at β-ketoadipate enol-lactone in bacteria, and three additional steps complete the con-version of the latter…     

The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the cabbage butterfly,Artogeia melete （Lepidoptera： Pieridae）

The complete mitochondrial genome （mitogenome） of Artogeia melete was determined as being composed of 15,140 bp, including 13 protein-coding genes （PCGs）, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and one control region. The gene order of A. melete mitogenome is typical of Lepidoptera and differs from the insect ancestral type in the location of trnM. The A. melete mitogenome has a total of 119 bp of intergenic spacer sequences spread over 10 regions, ranging in sizes between 1 and 48 bp. The nucleotide composition of the A. melete mitogenome is also biased toward A ＋ T nucleotides （79.77%）, which is higher than that of Ochrogaster lunifer （77.84%）, but lower than nine other lepidopterans sequenced. The PCGs have typical mitochondrial start codons, except for coxl, which contains the unusual CGA. The coxl, cox2, nad2, and nad5 genes of the A. melete mitogenome have incomplete stop codons （T）. The A. melete A ＋ T-rich region contains some conserved structures that are similar to those found in other lepidopteran mitogenomes, including a structure combining the motif ‘ATAGA＇, a 19-bp poly（T） stretch, a microsatellite （AT）n element, and a 9-bp poly（A） upstream trnM. The A. melete mitogenome contains a duplicated 36-bp repeat element, which consists of a 26- bp core sequence flanked by 10-bp perfectly inverted repeats.     

Boldness is related to the development of the cephalic crest in the male of the river blenny Salariafluviatilis （Asso, 1801）

Boldness is defined as the tendency of an individual to take risks when exposed to novel objects or situations. The main aim of this work was to dilucidate if boldness was related to the development of the secondary sexual traits （SSTs） in the male of the fiver blenny Salariafluviatilis, a freshwater fish which takes care of eggs. As a second objective SSTs effect on pa rental status adoption was also be explored. Wild young fish were caught in the Segre River （Ebro basin） in November 2010. Fish were kept in five aquaria in groups of eight males and eight females with artificial nests. Boldness （boldness score and hesitancy） of males （initially with little SSTs development） was tested as the time required to exit a refuge when exposed to a new environ ment. Fish were mantained in the same aquaria for several months, and males＇ SSTs development and reproductive behaviour were monitored. Boldness score was negatively associated to cephalic crest development. Hesitancy was negatively related to male length and was also influenced by the interaction between male length and cephalic crest. Parental status acquisition was positively related to the male＇s length, marginally related to anal gland development, and nonrelated to cephalic crest. These re sults suggest an intrasexual role of the crest as an informative trait of boldness （honest signal） which might not necessarily be chosen by the females. It is also discussed that correlational selection could be responsible for linking boldness and growth rate in this species. Sexual selection, in addition to having directed the evolution of secondary sexual traits, might have favored certain personality traits （e.g. boldness） associated with the achievement of a larger body length .     

Two Na^＋ and Cl^- Hyperaccumulators of the Chenopodiaceae

The authors found five sodium (Na^ ) and chloride (Cl^-) hyperaccumulating halophytes in the Temperate Desert of Xinjiang, China and studied two of them (Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall. and Kalidium folium (Pall.) Moq.). K. folium and S. salsa had a NaCl content of 32.1% and 29.8%, respectively, on a dry weight basis. X-ray microanalysis of the Na in the vacuole, apoplasts and cytoplasm of the two plants indicated a ratio of 7.3:5.6:1.0 in K. folium and 7.3:6.6:1.0 in S. salsa. These data show that K. folium and S. salsa both have a high Na and Cl^- accumulating capacity, which is related to high activity of tonoplast H^ -ATPase and H^ -PPase.     

An expression profile of human α-lactalbumin in the milk of transgenic mouse

Five female transgenic mice were produced by microinjection using a construct made up of a 7.3-kb-5′ flanking region and a 2.0-kb coding region of human α-lactalbumin, as well as a 227-bp 3′-flanking region from bovine growth hormone gene. A founder female expressed human α-lactalbumin as much as 0.3 g per liter of its milk, approximately a 3-fold increase in the total α-lactalbumin concentration of the transgenic mouse milk. Compared with the normal mice, the expression profile of the hα-Lac transgene in the transgenics is different during the lactation, showing low level in the first 3 days and becoming increased from day 4, then gradually reaching and stabilizing at the highest level from day 13. In addition, the milk yielding volume in the transgenics tended to be higher than in normal mice, suggesting higher concentrations of α-lactalbumin might boost more milk output.     

Ecdysteroids： the overlooked sex steroids of insects？ Males： the black box

The paradigm, still around in textbooks, that ＇in insects sex is strictly genetic, thus that they do not have sex hormones＇, is mainly based on a wrong interpretation of the ＇gynandromorph argument＇. It is no longer tenable. Given the fact that vertebrates and invertebrates probably had a common, sexually reproducing ancestor, there is no reason to assume that only vertebrates need sex hormones. The major function of sex hormones is to inform the somatoplasm about developmental changes that take place in the gonads. In contrast to juvenile hormone and neuropeptides, ecdysteroids meet all criteria to act as sex hormones, which was probably their ancient role. Their much better documented role in moulting and metamorphosis was a secondary acquisition that enabled arthropods to cope with growth problems, imposed by a rigid cuticle. Female insects use 20-hydroxyecdysone （20E）, secreted by the follicle cells of the ovary, in a similar way as females of egg-laying vertebrates use estrogens. For a variety of reasons, the possibility that ecdysteroids, in particular ecdysone （E）, might also act as sex hormones in male insects, thus as the counterpart of testosterone of vertebrates, has been very much overlooked. Thanks to the recent discovery of the molecular basis of the haploid-diploid system of sex determination in the honeybee, the characterization of Halloween genes, proteomics, RNAi and so on, it now becomes possible to verify whether in insects, as with vertebrates, males are the endocrinologically default gender form.