A technique for the capture of the warthog, Phacochoerus aethiopicus Pallas

Warthog were captured at holes in which they sleep at night, using a tunnel shaped net which was set at the entrance to occupied holes at dawn. Construction of the net and the manner in which it was set are described. The results of 125 successful captures involving 426 warthog are presented. Percentage of successful capture days was 72%, success per hole attempted was 68% with a mean (± one S.D.) of 3–4±2-0 warthog captured per hole. The largest single catch was of eleven warthog. Mortality due to capture was 1–2%. Times at which holes were blocked, times spent waiting for warthog to emerge and times taken to handle catches are also presented. The method proved to be safe and no injuries were incurred by members of the catching team which usually comprised twelve to fifteen men. The technique was used primarily to mark animals for later identification but was also used successfully as a management tool. No tranquillizing or immobilizing drugs were used on captured animals. Alternative techniques for catching warthog are discussed briefly.     

Data-dependent electron capture dissociation FT-ICR mass spectrometry for proteomic analyses

Electron capture dissociation (ECD) offers many benefits for the analysis of peptides and proteins, and consequently shows great potential for the field of proteomics. Recent developments have reduced the time scale required for ECD to milliseconds resulting in the technique's compatibility with on-line separation techniques, e.g., HPLC. Here, we demonstrate incorporation of ECD into a high-throughput data-dependent LC-MS/MS approach for the analysis of proteomic samples. The approach is applied to analysis of the protein Fc-ROR2 isolated from chondrocytes and is the first example of LC-ECD-MS/MS of such a sample. Protein sequence coverage was 29%. Within that coverage, fifteen peptides were isolated and subjected to ECD. In most cases, the sequence tag generated by ECD was over 70% (in terms of the number of peptide backbone cleavages). The ECD data were searched against the nonredundant human NCBI database using the SEQUEST algorithm. Protein ROR2 was assigned, as was IgG (Fc domain). The results demonstrate the suitability of ECD as an integral technique in high-throughput proteomic strategies.     

Prey capture attempts can be detected in Steller sea lions and other marine predators using accelerometers

We attached accelerometers to the head and jaw of a Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) to determine whether feeding attempts in a controlled setting could be quantified by acceleration features characteristic of head and jaw movements. Most of the 19 experimental feeding events that occurred during the 51 dives recorded resulted in specific acceleration patterns that were clearly distinguishable from swimming accelerations. The differential acceleration between the head-mounted and jaw-mounted accelerometers detected 84% of prey captures on the vertical axis and 89% on the horizontal axis. However, the jaw-mounted accelerometer alone proved to be equally effective at detecting prey capture attempts. Acceleration along the horizontal (surge)-axis appeared to be particularly efficient in detecting prey captures, and suggests that a single accelerometer placed under the jaw of a pinniped is a promising and easily implemented means of recording prey capture attempts.     

A simplified technique for collecting breath CO2 for isotope ratio mass spectrometry

A simplified technique of collecting breath CO2 for isotopic analysis has been developed. The subject breathes into a 3 1 bag from which a 50 ml aliquot is transferred to an evacuated, septum-capped tube (Vacutainer). The sample is later withdrawn and the CO2 is cryogenically purified. No isotope fractionation is observed in samples collected in this manner. Samples have been stored up to three months without any change in the isotope ratio.     

韭菜迟眼蕈蚊规模化饲养技术

【目的】韭菜迟眼蕈蚊Bradysia odoriphaga Yang et Zhang是为害韭菜等蔬菜的重要害虫,规模化饲养提供大量虫源是其他研究工作得以开展的基础。本研究旨在解决目前韭菜迟眼蕈蚊饲养规模小、材料和劳动力成本高等问题。【方法】本实验室利用土豆、花生、大豆为食物进行了规模化饲养韭菜迟眼蕈蚊的研究,测定了取食上述饲料的韭菜迟眼蕈蚊的成活率、繁殖力、羽化节律和性比。【结果】取食土豆、花生、大豆等食物的韭菜迟眼蕈蚊的成活率和繁殖力与取食人工饲料和韭菜的无显著差异,卵到成虫的发育历期为20~23 d,雌雄性比为0.8︰1~1.2︰1。在规模化饲养过程中,土豆、花生、大豆等饲料有发霉长菌现象,经分子鉴定,主要种类为雅致放射毛霉、巴克斯毛霉、黄曲霉和赭曲霉,均为腐生菌,不影响韭菜迟眼蕈蚊的存活和繁殖。【结论】该技术省工省时,成本低,特别适合实验室种群的维持和大量试虫的饲养。     

The response of lions and spotted hyaenas to sound playbacks as a technique for estimating population size

Overall, 217 lions (>1 year) Panthera leo (Linnaeus) and 2069 spotted hyaenas (>8 mo) Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben) responded to broadcast vocalizations, call‐ins, during six surveys in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
Carnivore response varied seasonally and was significantly higher and more uniform when migratory prey were absent. Variation in wildebeest abundance, by affecting food availability, was the only significant predictor of response. Variability in response with overall prey abundance was higher for lions than hyaenas. Lion response occurred within a radius of 2·5 km, was independent of age and sex but dropped virtually to zero whenever lions possessed a carcass at the time of broadcasting.
An independent total census recorded 547 lions (all ages) in the Reserve, 9·96% of which were nomads. This proportion increased by 7·94% following the influx of migrants and raised lion (>1 year) density from 0·292 to 0·320 lions/km². The call‐in estimate of 0·294±0·009 (95% c.l.) lions/km² practically equalled the total count. The high precision and low bias (−0·224%) of this estimate imply that call‐in surveys are reliable and may be employed to effectively monitor carnivore populations in the long term. Under simple random sampling, covering about 20% of an area would seem adequate to produce reliable density estimates.     

Serum profiling by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as a diagnostic tool for domoic acid toxicosis in California sea lions

Background

There are currently no reliable markers of acute domoic acid toxicosis (DAT) for California sea lions. We investigated whether patterns of serum peptides could diagnose acute DAT. Serum peptides were analyzed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry from 107 sea lions (acute DAT n = 34; non-DAT n = 73). Artificial neural networks (ANN) were trained using MALDI-TOF data. Individual peaks and neural networks were qualified using an independent test set (n = 20).

Results

No single peak was a good classifier of acute DAT, and ANN models were the best predictors of acute DAT. Performance measures for a single median ANN were: sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 60%; positive predictive value, 71%; negative predictive value, 100%. When 101 ANNs were combined and allowed to vote for the outcome, the performance measures were: sensitivity, 30%; specificity, 100%; positive predictive value, 100%; negative predictive value, 59%.

Conclusions

These results suggest that MALDI-TOF peptide profiling and neural networks can perform either as a highly sensitive (100% negative predictive value) or a highly specific (100% positive predictive value) diagnostic tool for acute DAT. This also suggests that machine learning directed by populations of predictive models offer the ability to modulate the predictive effort into a specific type of error.     

Microcolumn capture and digestion of proteins combined with mass spectrometry for protein identification

A procedure has been developed for protein identification using mass spectrometry (MS) that incorporates sample cleanup, preconcentration, and protein digestion in a single-stage system. The procedure involves the adsorption of a protein, or protein mixture, from solution onto a hydrophobic resin that is contained within a microcolumn. Sample loading is accomplished by flowing the protein solution through the microcolumn, where the protein adsorbs to the hydrophobic surface. The protein is digested while still bound to the hydrophobic surface by flowing a buffered trypsin solution through the column bed. The peptide fragments are subsequently eluted for detection by MALDI or ESI-MS. The procedure is demonstrated using dilute protein samples containing high concentrations of salt, urea, and modest amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate relative to protein. Peptide fragments are also detected by MS from a 500 nM bacteriorhodopsin solution digested in a microcolumn. In this case, a combined cyanogen bromide/trypsin digestion was performed in-column. The procedure is applied to the MALDI-MS/MS identification of proteins present in an individual fraction collected by ion exchange HPLC separation of E. coli total cell extract. An additional application is illustrated in the analysis of a human plasma fraction. A total of 14 proteins, which were present in the sample at sub-micromolar concentrations, were identified from ESI-MS/MS. The microcolumn digestion procedure represents the next step toward a system for fully automated protein analysis through capture and digestion of the adsorbed protein on hydrophobic surfaces.     

A mass spectrometric technique for detecting and identifying by-products in the synthesis of peptides

The utility of a new mass spectrometric technique for detecting and identifying peptide by-products produced in the synthesis of peptides is demonstrated. The technique involves three sequential steps: (1) practically nondestructive 252Cf plasma desorption mass spectrometric analysis of monolayer amounts of the peptide(s) of interest bound to a thin layer of nitrocellulose; (2) enzyme-catalyzed microscale chemical reaction of the surface-bound peptide(s) to produce structurally informative hydrolysis products; (3) plasma desorption mass spectrometric analysis of these hydrolysis products. The first step determines the presence and the molecular weights of unwanted by-products resulting from errors or incomplete reactions during synthesis. The subsequent two steps provide information on the precise location in the peptides where errors have occurred. In the present paper, the technique is applied to an investigation of unwanted peptide by-products associated with the use of tryptophan during stepwise solid-phase peptide synthesis. Synthetic preparations of melittin and [Bpa-8]dynorphin A (1-17) were each found to contain a major impurity with molecular weight 28 Da higher than that of the desired product. The impurity in the melittin preparation, in which the final deprotection step involved the high-low HF procedure, was shown to result from incomplete removal of the formyl group from Trp-19. On the other hand, the impurity in the [Bpa-8]dynorphin A (1-17) preparation, where the removal of the formyl group from Trp-14 was carried out using piperidine, was shown to result from migration of the formyl group to Lys-11 or Lys-13.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

First evidence for adoption in California sea lions

Demographic parameters such as birth and death rates determine the persistence of populations. Understanding the mechanisms that influence these rates is essential to developing effective management strategies. Alloparental behavior, or the care of non-filial young, has been documented in many species and has been shown to influence offspring survival. However, the role of alloparental behavior in maintaining population viability has not been previously studied. Here, we provide the first evidence for adoption in California sea lions and show that adoption potentially works to maintain a high survival rate of young and may ultimately contribute to population persistence. Alloparental behavior should have a positive effect on the population growth rate when the sum of the effects on fitness for the alloparent and beneficiary is positive.     

Lectin capture strategies combined with mass spectrometry for the discovery of serum glycoprotein biomarkers

The application of mass spectrometry to identify disease biomarkers in clinical fluids like serum using high throughput protein expression profiling continues to evolve as technology development, clinical study design, and bioinformatics improve. Previous protein expression profiling studies have offered needed insight into issues of technical reproducibility, instrument calibration, sample preparation, study design, and supervised bioinformatic data analysis. In this overview, new strategies to increase the utility of protein expression profiling for clinical biomarker assay development are discussed with an emphasis on utilizing differential lectin-based glycoprotein capture and targeted immunoassays. The carbohydrate binding specificities of different lectins offer a biological affinity approach that complements existing mass spectrometer capabilities and retains automated throughput options. Specific examples using serum samples from prostate cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma subjects are provided along with suggested experimental strategies for integration of lectin-based methods into clinical fluid expression profiling strategies. Our example workflow incorporates the necessity of early validation in biomarker discovery using an immunoaffinity-based targeted analytical approach that integrates well with upstream discovery technologies.     

Electron capture dissociation mass spectrometry in characterization of post-translational modifications

Electron capture dissociation (ECD) represents a significant advance in tandem mass spectrometry for the identification and characterization of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of polypeptides. In comparison with the conventional fragmentation techniques, such as collisionally induced dissociation and infrared multi-photon dissociation, ECD provides more extensive sequence fragments, while allowing the labile modifications to remain intact during backbone fragmentation. This unique attribute offers ECD as an attractive alternative for detection and localization of PTMs. The success and rapid adoption of ECD recently led to the culmination of The 1st International Uppsala Symposium on Electron Capture Dissociation of Biomolecules and Related Phenomena (October 19-22, 2003, Stockholm, Sweden). Herein, we present a general overview of the ECD technique as well as selected applications in characterization of post-translationally modified polypeptides.     

A new technique for measuring kinetic and mass transfer parameters in flocs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Yeast flocs are very fragile and cause problems when manipulations are needed. A new equipment for measuring kinetic and mass transfer parameters was developed and tested: the specific O uptake rate, q, was calculated for a highly flocculent strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its validation was confirmed by comparing the obtained kinetic parameters with data reported in literature.     

A form-function analysis of photon capture for seaweeds

A large material of planktonic and semiplanktonic micro-crustaceans from various type of waters in south and central Sweden was computerized. The more frequent species were listed according to pH-preference and relation to humic content measured as mg Pt/l. Species indicating oligotrophy have their optima just below the neutral point, eurytopic ones around this level, while the eutrophic species Daphnia cucullata and D. magna were closely correlated with higher pH-levels. No really extreme pH-preference was observed. There is no link between trophic indication and the ranking list for humic content. Most planktic species occur at lower humic contents and semiplankters at higher.