Some tethered flight characteristics of a rose chafer beetle,Pachynoda sinuata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

• 1.1. The relationships between wingspan, body mass and wing-beat frequency for the beetle. Pachynoda sinuata, have been established.
• 2.2. Thrust and lift generated during tethered flight have been measured using a simple technique and the beetles' responses to the unnatural constraints are discussed.
• 3.3. The biophysical correlates of P. sinuata tethered flight are compared with similar relationships obtained from flying animals and machines.

     

Neuron-glia communicatory structures in crustaceans

• 1.1. Membrane modifications and junctional structures involved in neuron-glia exchange in crustaceans are reviewed, including some new observations on the crayfish Procambarus clarkii.
• 2.2. Neuron cell bodies and associated glia interact through trans-glial channels, modified neuronal endocytosis and gap-like junctions.
• 3.3. Tubular lattices, trans-glial channels, endocytosis and capitate projections give support to axo-glial relationships.
• 4.4. Unidentified neuron-glia membrane appositions have been also found in neuropile.

     

Variation in turtle myoglobins (subfamily emydinae: Testudines) examined by isoelectric focusing

• 1.1. Myoglobins from heart and skeletal muscle of turtles were analyzed by thin-layer isoelectric focusing.
• 2.2. Within the subfamily Emydinae, variation in the occurrence of two myoglobin electromorphs (pI 6.8 and 6.9) was detected.
• 3.3. Patterns of myoglobin polymorphism support dividing the Emydinae into two subfamilies and help resolve controversial theories on relationships of the genus Deirochelys.
• 4.4. Possible adaptive significance of the myoglobin variants (isoforms) remains to be determined.

     

Genetic diversity in horses inferred from distribution of hemotypes—I. Analysis of similarity among 14 populations of 10 breeds using generalized Mahalanobis distance (D2)

• 1.1. Ninety-one pairwise comparisons of 14 populations yielded highly significant T² values for inter-breed differences while four subpopulations of Thoroughbred horses were nearly identical.
• 2.2. Generalized Mahalanobis distance was carried out by comparing simultaneously all 14 populations with respect to 26 variables (phenotypes) contributing most to the discriminant function.
• 3.3. The number of variables could be reduced to 12 phenotypes in final comparisons.
• 4.4. In general the calculated distances agreed with known relationships between horse breeds.
• 5.5. However the obtained distances are thought to be biased due to the nature of selected phenotypes which do not always correspond to “breed-markers”.

     

Purification and characterization of hatching enzyme of the pike (Esox lucius)

• 1.1. A choriolytic enzyme was isolated from the hatching medium of the pike, Esox lucius.
• 2.2. The enzyme is defined as hatching enzyme.
• 3.3. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 24,000.
• 4.4. The enzyme is a glycoprotein containing 2% carbohydrate.
• 5.5. Its isoelectric point is 6.5.
• 6.6. The pH optimum is around pH 8.
• 7.7. The enzyme molecule contains two disulfide bonds but no free cysteine.
• 8.8. Inhibitor studies and metal analysis show that the enzyme is a zinc-metalloprotease.

     

Gonadal maturation and serum calcium levels in two teleosts,the hake and the killifish

• 1.1. The relationship between gonadal maturation and serum calcium levels was studied in hake, Merluccius gayi gayi, and killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus.
• 2.2. Sexually mature male and female hake were sampled in the field throughout the year. Serum calcium was higher in all sexually mature fish regardless of the season, indicating a gonadal effect on serum calcium levels.
• 3.3. Male killifish adapted to constant laboratory conditions showed no change in serum calcium at different stages of gonadal maturation. Castration also had no effect. However, clear relationships exist between testicular maturation and serum inorganic phosphate, percentage hematocrit and liver sizes.
• 4.4. Such species differences are discussed.

     

Characteristics of Crassostrea virginica crystalline style chitin digestion

• 1.1. Fundamental chitin digestion characteristics of Crassostrea virginica crystalline style were investigated.
• 2.2. Optimum temperature and pH were 34°C and 4.8. respectively.
• 3.3. The colloidal regenerated chitin (0.56mol/0.5 ml: GlcNAc equivalents) was saturating under all enzyme levels encountered.
• 4.4. There was no evidence of end product inhibition, even after 100 hr incubation.
• 5.5. Calculated K_m for the chitinase complex was 1.19mM when determined using a 30 min assay, but was only 0.70 mM when determined using a 4.6 hr assay.
• 6.6. Both K_m values are lower than reported for similar assays in other molluscs and for most bacteria.
• 7.7. Effect of substrate preparation on the kinetics are discussed.
• 8.8. Eight peaks of chitinase activity were resolved by DEAE-Fractogel ion exchange chromatography.

     

Breast,hips, and buttocks revisited: Honest fatness for honest fitness

This paper comments on: Low, B. S., Alexander, R. D., and Noonan, K.M. Human hips, breast, and buttocks: Is fat deceptive? Ethology and Sociobiology 8: 249-247, 1987. In it I argue that:

• 1.1. Sexual selection has probably not been the most important selection pressure on
• 2.female human body shape.
• 3.2. Male humans in different cultures find different aspects of the female body attractive
• 4.and therefore are unlikely to have exerted consistent directional sexual selection on
• 5.the female body.
• 6.3. Breast size is not correlated with lactation success.
• 7.4. Visible hip width is not correlated with parturition success.
• 8.5. Women would lower their fitness if they tried to deceive men about their internal
• 9.pelvic dimensions.
• 10.6. There are many alternative hypothesis to explain the existence of fat onwomen's
• 11.breast, hips, and buttocks.

     

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• Communication Intelligence Corporation
• Infinity Technologies

     

Purification and some properties of an atypical alkaline p-nitrophenylphosphate phosphatase activity from Halobacterium halobium

• 1.1. An alkaline p-nitrophenylphosphate phosphatase has been purified 440-fold from extracts of Hatobacterium halobium.
• 2.2. The enzyme has an apparent molecular weight of 24,000.
• 3.3. A K_m value for p-nitrophenylphosphate of 1.12mM has been found under optimal conditions.
• 4.4. The enzyme is selectively activated and stabilized by Mn²⁺.
• 5.5. It requires high salt concentrations for stability and maximum activity.
• 6.6. It displays an unusual restricted substrate specificity of 25 phosphate esters tested, only phosphotyrosine and casein were hydrolysed besides p-nitrophenylphosphate.

     

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• Entryport Corporation

     

Hydrolysis of glycol chitin by chitinolytic enzymes

• 1.1. The hydrolysis of glycol chitin preparations by several β-N-acetylglucosaminidases was monitored colorimetrically with the potassium ferriferrocyanide reagent.
• 2.2. Glycol chitin samples from crab and insect sources varied considerably in chemical composition and susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis.
• 3.3. Insect endochitinase preferred crab glycol chitin as substrate while hen's egg white lysozyme preferred commercial glycol chitin.
• 4.4. Insect glycol chitin was well hydrolyzed by both enzymes.
• 5.5. Insect exochitinase did not digest glycol chitin.

     

Amino acid composition and the protein form of procarboxypeptidase a purified from the pancreas of the sei whale Balaenoptera bolealis

• 1.1. Procarboxypeptidase (W-PCPA) was purified from the pancreas of the sei whale Balaenoptera bolealis.
• 2.2. W-PCPA was obtained as a homogeneous protein in polyacylamide gel disc electrophoresis.
• 3.3. W-PCPA has a molecular weight of 75,000.
• 4.4. Amino acid composition of W-PCPA was compared with that of bovine procarboxypeptidase as A S5 (PCPA-S5).
• 5.5. W-PCPA may be two subunits, and the aggregate form may resemble PCPA-S5.

     

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• Martin State Airport
• Bioscrypt
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• Department of Defense
• Boeing Corporation
• Bell ID, Gemplus
• Siemens
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Allozyme variation in a dimeric esterase of the oriental fruit fly,Dacus dorsalis (insecta: tephritidae), from peninsular malaysia

• 1.1. Seven natural populations of Dacus dorsalis were analyzed for a dimeric esterase by means of horizontal starch-gel electrophoresis.
• 2.2. The electrophoretic phenotypes were governed by nine codominant Est-D alleles.
• 3.3. The commonest allele in all seven population samples was Est-D¹⁰⁰ which encoded an electrophoretic band with intermediate mobility.
• 4.4. The distribution of EST-D phenotypes were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg expectations.
• 5.5. There was no geographic variation in the distribution of Est-D alleles.

     

Chemoreception in the shrimp,Palaemonetes pugio: The role of amino acids and betaine in elicitation of a feeding response by extracts

• 1.1. Substances of less than ca. 1000 molecular weight present in extracts of blue crab, oyster, sea urchin and mullet were the principal stimulants of a feeding response in the shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio.
• 2.2. Synthetic mixtures of amino acids and betaine, formulated on the basis of the composition of the extracts, were found to account for 60–100% of the activity of extracts of crab, oyster and sea urchin but for only ca. 30% of the activity of mullet extract.
• 3.3. When tested alone, betaine had only a modest stimulatory capacity; yet this substance made a very significant contribution to the activity of the mixtures.
• 4.4. Assays of betaine alone, or of certain mixtures of amino acids, yielded unusual “bell-shaped” dose-response relationships.

     

Seasonal changes of total lipids in the turtle Sternotherus odoratus

• 1.1. Seasonal variation in total lipids was examined in several body components of the turtle Sternotherus odoratus.
• 2.2. Carcass fat stores in both sexes were depleted during winter. Additionally, a decline in carcass lipids was associated with increases in gonadal mass.
• 3.3. Concentrations of liver lipids were maximal during August and minimal during winter.
• 4.4. Males showed little seasonal change in plasma lipid levels, whereas females had seasonal peaks temporally associated with ovarian development and carcass fat storage.
• 5.5. Ovarian concentrations of lipids were minimal after nesting and increased during fall.
• 6.6. Results suggest that S. odoratus uses stored fats both for reproduction and maintenance during winter.

     

Purification and properties of tetralysine endopeptidase from Escherichia coli AJ005

• 1.1. A new tetralysine endopeptidase from Escherichia coli AJ005 has been purified about 135-fold.
• 2.2. The peptidase seems to be specific to tetralysine among lysine homopolymers.
• 3.3. The optimal pH was about 7.5
• 4.4. The activity was inhibited by KCN but not inhibited by soybean trypsin inhibitor.
• 5.5. The apparent K_m value was 2.5 × 1O⁻³ M for tetralysine.

     

In brief

• Bioscrypt
• Saflink
• Dell
• Fujitsu Microelectronics America
• Identix
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• Acsys Biometrics
• US Government