Inclusion Complexes of Quercetin with β-Cyclodextrins: Ultraviolet and Infrared Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Modeling

Biophysics - The methods of ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy and quantum chemical modeling have been used to evaluate the parameters of the formation of a supramolecular inclusion complex...     

Large and Ultrafast Optical Response of a One-Dimensional Plasmonic–Photonic Cavity

The resonant coupling of a localized surface plasmon mode and a cavity mode in a photonic crystal has been recently shown to strongly tailor the stationary optical response of gold nanoparticles. Here, we demonstrate that this can be further exploited for controlling light on an ultrashort time scale. The stationary and ultrafast optical responses of such a plasmonic–photonic cavity are investigated numerically. We show that the transient photo-induced change of the optical transmittance of a bare nanocomposite thin film can be amplified up to 60 times once resonantly coupled to the cavity mode in the hybrid device, despite the degradation of this mode due to absorption losses. In addition, different all-optical, ultrafast, efficient, and reversible photonic functions (increase or decrease of the signal intensity, transient spectral shift of the cavity mode) can be achieved depending on the spectral position of the transmitted mode tuned by varying the angle of incidence. The transient modification of the signal intensity is predicted to reach about 300 % after a subpicosecond rise time when the defect mode matches the plasmon resonance.     

Nanosecond Laser–Assisted Tuning of the Plasmon Band of Triangular-Shaped Ag Nanostructures and Development of a Broadband Visible-Near Infrared Light Absorber

Plasmonics - Most of the outstanding applications of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have arisen from their tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). In this report, we have systematically...     

Light and Electron Microscopic Studies of “Myogranules” in a Child with Hypotonia and Muscle Weakness

Examination by light and electron microscopy of more than 100 muscle biopsies revealed one very unusual case. A 4-year-old boy with non-progressive muscle weakness and hypotonia was found to have small particles, termed “myogranules”, in many muscle fibres from two gastrocnemius biopsies. Paraffin sections and thin sections of plastic-embedded muscle showed that the rod-shaped myogranules measured between 0.1 and 5 microns in length, and were usually orientated in the long axis of the fibre. Normal cross-striations could not be seen in areas occupied by myogranules, although adjacent parts of the same fibre were normal. Electron micrographs showed myofilaments running through the myogranules and a periodicity similar to sections of recrystallized muscle protein paramyosin. It is possible that this child has a disturbance of muscle proteins.     

Design and Theoretical Analyses of Tip–Insulator–Metal Structure with Bottom–Up Light Illumination: Formations of Elongated Symmetrical Plasmonic Hot Spot at Sub-10 nm Resolution

Ag tip–insulator–metal structure with bottom–up light illumination is proposed and theoretically analyzed. It shows that there is a strong plasmonic coupling between Ag tip and metallic surface. Different from oblique light illumination, this novel design possesses unique advantages of symmetrical hot spot profile and enlarged depth of focus at a sub-10-nm spatial resolution. Influences of tip size, insulator, and metallic layer thickness are studied. It is found that the metallic layer thickness greatly affects the plasmonic hot spot quality. Meanwhile, the thickness of photoresist plays a major role in controlling light spot size, indicating that much higher resolution can be achieved for the Ag tips with large curvature radius.     

Numerical simulation and deacidification of nanomagnetic enzyme conjugate in a liquid–solid magnetic fluidized bed

The conventional deacidification method is difficult to achieve a better refining effect due to the high acid value in the rice bran crude oil, and the enzymatic esterification deacidification method can effectively reduce the acid value without generating chemical waste. In this study, the free lipase was immobilized on a magnetic polymer carrier Fe₃O₄/SiOx-g-P (GMA: glycidyl methacrylate) to obtain a immobilized lipase with a particle size of 105.30 ± 1.1 nm and an enzyme activity of 6580 ± 9.6 PLU/g (PLU: enzyme activity unit). Based on the batch deacidification process parameters, a multi-stage magnetic fluidized bed continuous circulation deacidification system was designed, and then the motion law of nanomagnetic immobilized lipase particles in liquid–solid magnetic fluidized bed was simulated by computer. When the iterative step was 5 × 10⁻⁵ s, the open porosity of the porous plate was 35.0%, the rice bran oil flow rate was 3.0 mm/s, and the magnetic field strength was 25.0 mT, which was beneficial to the deacidification reaction of rice bran oil. Under the conditions of magnetic immobilized lipase dosage of 4.0%, the phytosterol dosage of 22.0%, the molecular sieve dosage of 10%, the esterification temperature of 78.0 °C and the FFA (free fatty acid) content in rice bran oil decreased to 1.5%, after 48 h of reaction. The conversion rate is 92.8%, which provides a theoretical basis for the subsequent guidance of magnetic fluidized bed enzymatic continuous deacidification.     

Formation of Nuclear Bodies of Arabidopsis CRY2 in Response to Blue Light Is Associated with Its Blue Light–Dependent Degradation

Arabidopsis thaliana cryptochrome 2 (CRY2) mediates photoperiodic promotion of floral initiation and blue light inhibition of hypocotyl elongation. It has been hypothesized that photoexcitation derepresses CRY2 by disengaging its C-terminal domain from the N-terminal PHR domain. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed activities of CRY2 fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) at either the N terminus (GFP-CRY2) or the C terminus (CRY2-GFP). While GFP-CRY2 exerts light-dependent biochemical and physiological activities similar to those of the endogenous CRY2, CRY2-GFP showed constitutive biochemical and physiological activities. CRY2-GFP is constitutively phosphorylated, it promotes deetiolation in both dark and light, and it activates floral initiation in both long-day and short-day photoperiods. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that photoexcited CRY2 disengages its C-terminal domain from the PHR domain to become active. Surprisingly, we found that CRY2-GFP, but not GFP-CRY2, formed distinct nuclear bodies in response to blue light. Compared with GFP-CRY2 or the endogenous CRY2, CRY2-GFP degradation was significantly retarded in response to blue light, suggesting that the nuclear bodies may result from accumulation of photoexcited CRY2-GFP waiting to be degraded. Consistent with this interpretation, we showed that both GFP-CRY2 and endogenous CRY2 formed nuclear bodies in the presence of the 26S-proteasome inhibitors that block blue light–dependent CRY2 degradation.     

Preparation,characterization and in vitro activity of a docetaxel–albumin conjugate

Docetaxel is one of the most effective anticancer drugs. However, the current formulation of docetaxel contains Tween 80 and ethanol as the solvent, which can cause severe side effects. Consequently, the development of new type of formulation of docetaxel with high efficiency and low side effects is a very important issue. In this study, we explored the covalent linking of docetaxel and albumin via one organic linker. 6-Maleimidocaproic acid was applied to link the C2′ hydroxyl group of docetaxel with the cysteine-34 of albumin to obtain 1:1 docetaxel–albumin conjugate. The synthesized conjugate can control the release of docetaxel in the bovine serum. Furthermore, in vitro cell cytotoxicity experiments indicated that the docetaxel–albumin conjugate have high activities for human prostate cancer cell line PC3 and human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. The present study provides a valuable strategy for further development of a new type of docetaxel–albumin prodrug.     

Cerebro-Oculo-Facio-Skeletal Syndrome with a Nucleotide Excision–Repair Defect and a Mutated XPD Gene, with Prenatal Diagnosis in a Triplet Pregnancy

Cerebro-oculo-facio-skeletal (COFS) syndrome is a recessively inherited rapidly progressive neurologic disorder leading to brain atrophy, with calcifications, cataracts, microcornea, optic atrophy, progressive joint contractures, and growth failure. Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a recessively inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by low to normal birth weight, growth failure, brain dysmyelination with calcium deposits, cutaneous photosensitivity, pigmentary retinopathy and/or cataracts, and sensorineural hearing loss. Cultured CS cells are hypersensitive to UV radiation, because of impaired nucleotide-excision repair (NER) of UV-induced damage in actively transcribed DNA, whereas global genome NER is unaffected. The abnormalities in CS are caused by mutated CSA or CSB genes. Another class of patients with CS symptoms have mutations in the XPB, XPD, or XPG genes, which result in UV hypersensitivity as well as defective global NER; such patients may concurrently have clinical features of another NER syndrome, xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). Clinically observed similarities between COFS syndrome and CS have been followed by discoveries of cases of COFS syndrome that are associated with mutations in the XPG and CSB genes. Here we report the first involvement of the XPD gene in a new case of UV-sensitive COFS syndrome, with heterozygous substitutions-a R616W null mutation (previously seen in patients in XP complementation group D) and a unique D681N mutation-demonstrating that a third gene can be involved in COFS syndrome. We propose that COFS syndrome be included within the already known spectrum of NER disorders: XP, CS, and trichothiodystrophy. We predict that future patients with COFS syndrome will be found to have mutations in the CSA or XPB genes, and we document successful use of DNA repair for prenatal diagnosis in triplet and singleton pregnancies at risk for COFS syndrome. This result strongly underlines the need for screening of patients with COFS syndrome, for either UV sensitivity or DNA-repair abnormalities.     

Infrared and Raman spectra and vibrational analyses calculated with Moeller–Plesset perturbation theory of second order of nitrosoethylene and its chloro-derivatives

The conformational and structural stabilities of nitrosoethylene CH₂=CH–N=O, chloronitrosoethylene CH₂=CCl–N=O, and Dichloronitrosoethylene CCl₂=CH–N=O were investigated by ab initio Moeller–Plesset perturbation theory of second order (MP2) calculations using the 6−311+G^** basis set to include electron correlation. From the calculations all three were predicted to exist predominantly in the planar trans structure (C=C and N=O bonds are trans to each other) with high trans-cis rotational barriers of about 9 kcal mol⁻¹ as a result of pronounced conjugation between C=C and N=O bonds. The vibrational frequencies were computed for the three molecules, and also the d ₁ and d ₂ deuterated variants for the parent molecule at the MP2 level. Normal coordinate analyses were carried out and the potential energy distributions (PED), among the symmetry coordinates of the normal modes of the molecule were computed. Complete vibrational assignments were made on the basis of normal coordinate analyses for the molecules. The two chlorinated derivatives of nitrosoethylene were also investigated in the same way. As expected, we then find high Raman and infrared intensities in all modes that contain a high content of chlorine movements because vibrations of C–Cl bonds lead to large changes in polarizability, as well as to a large change in dipole moment. However, modes involving double bonds also have quite large intensities. An appreciable number of modes in these molecules are more or less pure symmetry coordinates.     

Distribution and pollution evaluation of fluoride in a soil–water–plant system in Shihezi,Xinjiang, China

Fluoride (F) pollution is a serious environmental problem in some areas of China, but it has yet to be reported in a soil–water–plant system in Shihezi, Xinjiang. This study was undertaken to investigate the distribution and migration rule of F in soil, water, and plants, and to evaluate F pollution of soil. Results showed that the average concentration of total F (T-F) in the topsoil in the northwest, north, and southeast of Shihezi was higher than the national average T-F (478 mg/kg), while it was lower in southwest. The highest T-F contents of the soil profile were detected in the depth of 20 cm. The F content in groundwater in the northwest region was higher than the GB/T 14848–93 (1.0 mg/L), whereas the F contents in other water samples were within the standard. The F contents (1.75?2.81 mg/kg) in plant leaves were higher than the food limits (1.0 mg/kg). The obtained comprehensive pollution index of the soil was 1.86, which means a mild concentration of F in Shihezi. This research has reference value for the study of F pollution and comprehensive control in the northwest oasis with the typical arid and saline conditions.     

Microbiological,Epidemiological, and Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Cryptococcosis in Taiwan, 1997–2010

Background

Among members of Cryptococcus neoformans- Cryptococcus gattii species complex, C. neoformans is distributed worldwide whereas C. gattii is considered to be more prevalent in the subtropics and tropics including Taiwan. This nationwide study was undertaken to determine the distribution of genotypes, clinical characteristics and outcomes of 219 patients with proven cryptococcosis at 20 hospitals representative of all geographic areas in Taiwan during 1997–2010.

Methods and Findings

Of 219 isolates analyzed, C. neoformans accounted for 210 isolates (95.9%); nine isolates were C. gattii (4.1%). The predominant genotype was VNI (206 isolates). The other genotypes included VNII (4 isolates), VGI (3 isolates) and VGII (6 isolates). Antifungal minimal inhibition concentrations higher than epidemiologic cutoff values (ECVs) were found in nine VNI isolates (7 for amphotericin B). HIV infection was the most common underlying condition (54/219, 24.6%). Among HIV-negative patients, liver diseases (HBV carrier or cirrhosis) were common (30.2%) and 15.4% did not have any underlying condition. Meningoencephalitis was the most common presentation (58.9%), followed by pulmonary infection (19.6%) and “others” (predominantly cryptococcemia) (18.7%). The independent risk factors for 10-week mortality, by multivariate analysis, were cirrhosis of liver (P = 0.014) and CSF cryptococcal antigen titer ≥512 (P = 0.020). All except one of 54 HIV-infected patients were infected by VNI genotype (98.1%). Of the 13 isolates of genotypes other than VNI, 12 (92.3%) were isolated from HIV-negative patients. HIV-infected patients compared to HIV-negative patients were more likely to have meningoencephalitis and serum cryptococcal antigen ≥1∶512. Patients infected with C. gattii compared to C. neoformans were younger, more likely to have meningoencephalitis (100% vs. 57%), reside in Central Taiwan (56% vs. 31%), and higher 10-week crude mortality (44.4% vs. 22.2%).

Conclusions

Cryptococcus neoformans in Taiwan, more prevalent than C. gatii, has a predominant VNI genotype. Isolates with antifungal MIC higher than ECVs were rare.     

Production of phycocyanin—a pigment with applications in biology, biotechnology, foods and medicine

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is a blue pigment in cyanobacteria, rhodophytes and cryptophytes with fluorescent and antioxidative properties. C-PC is presently extracted from open pond cultures of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis although these cultures are not very productive and open for contaminating organisms. C-PC is considered a healthy ingredient in cyanobacterial-based foods and health foods while its colouring, fluorescent or antioxidant properties are utilised only to a minor extent. However, recent research and developments in C-PC synthesis and functionality have expanded the potential applications of C-PC in biotechnology, diagnostics, foods and medicine: The productivity of C-PC has been increased in heterotrophic, high cell density cultures of the rhodophyte Galdieria sulphuraria that are grown under well-controlled and axenic conditions. C-PC purification protocols based on various chromatographic principles or novel two-phase aqueous extraction methods have expanded in numbers and improved in performance. The functionality of C-PC as a fluorescent dye has been improved by chemical stabilisation of C-PC complexes, while protein engineering has also introduced increased stability and novel biospecific binding sites into C-PC fusion proteins. Finally, our understanding of the physiological functions of C-PC in humans has been improved by a mechanistic hypothesis that links the chemical properties of the phycocyanobilin chromophores of C-PC to the natural antioxidant, bilirubin, and may explain the observed health benefits of C-PC intake. This review outlines how C-PC is produced and utilised and discusses the novel C-PC synthesis procedures and applications.     

Role and Interrelationship of Gα Protein,Hydrogen Peroxide,and Nitric Oxide in Ultraviolet B-Induced Stomatal Closure in Arabidopsis Leaves

Heterotrimeric G proteins have been shown to transmit ultraviolet B (UV-B) signals in mammalian cells, but whether they also transmit UV-B signals in plant cells is not clear. In this paper, we report that 0.5 W m⁻² UV-B induces stomatal closure in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) by eliciting a cascade of intracellular signaling events including Gα protein, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and nitric oxide (NO). UV-B triggered a significant increase in H₂O₂ or NO levels associated with stomatal closure in the wild type, but these effects were abolished in the single and double mutants of AtrbohD and AtrbohF or in the Nia1 mutants, respectively. Furthermore, we found that UV-B-mediated H₂O₂ and NO generation are regulated by GPA1, the Gα-subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins. UV-B-dependent H₂O₂ and NO accumulation were nullified in gpa1 knockout mutants but enhanced by overexpression of a constitutively active form of GPA1 (cGα). In addition, exogenously applied H₂O₂ or NO rescued the defect in UV-B-mediated stomatal closure in gpa1 mutants, whereas cGα AtrbohD/AtrbohF and cGα nia1 constructs exhibited a similar response to AtrbohD/AtrbohF and Nia1, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated that Gα activation of NO production depends on H₂O₂. The mutants of AtrbohD and AtrbohF had impaired NO generation in response to UV-B, but UV-B-induced H₂O₂ accumulation was not impaired in Nia1. Moreover, exogenously applied NO rescued the defect in UV-B-mediated stomatal closure in the mutants of AtrbohD and AtrbohF. These findings establish a signaling pathway leading to UV-B-induced stomatal closure that involves GPA1-dependent activation of H₂O₂ production and subsequent Nia1-dependent NO accumulation.Heterotrimeric G proteins, composed of α-, β-, and γ-subunits, are a key intracellular signaling molecule in both mammalian and plant systems. Classically, upon signal reception by a receptor coupled to the heterotrimer, the Gα-subunit separates from the Gβγ dimer, and either Gα or the Gβγ dimer can act as a functional unit and induce downstream signaling (Oldham and Hamm, 2008). In contrast to mammalian cells, where multiple α, β, and γ genes exist, there is only one prototypical Gα (GPA1), one Gβ (AGB1), and two known Gγ (AGG1 and AGG2) genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana; Temple and Jones, 2007). Despite the comparative simplicity of players, G proteins have been shown to participate in multiple signaling pathways in Arabidopsis, including developmental processes, phytohormone responses, and responses to biotic and abiotic environmental signals such as pathogens, ozone, drought, and light (Assmann, 2005; Temple and Jones, 2007; Warpeha et al., 2007; Okamoto et al., 2009; Nilson and Assmann, 2010).Depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer results in increased levels of the sun’s UV-B radiation (280–315 nm) at the Earth’s surface. Although this influx of shortwave photons with high energy implies serious effects for all living organisms (Frohnmeyer and Staiger, 2003), UV-B is also a key environmental signal that initiates diverse responses in a range of organisms (Jansen and Bornman, 2012). Thus, understanding the mechanism of UV-B signal transduction in cells is very important. In recent years, significant progress has been made in identifying the molecular players and understanding the early mechanisms and functions of the UV-B perception and signaling pathway in plants. The perception of UV-B by UV RESISTANCE LOCUS8 (UVR8) followed by the interaction among UVR8, CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 (COP1), and ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5) has emerged as a primary mechanism of the UV-B response that is crucial for UV-B acclimation and tolerance (Rizzini et al., 2011; Christie et al., 2012; Heijde and Ulm, 2012; Jansen and Bornman, 2012). However, few of the molecular players involved in UV-B signal transduction are currently known. In mammalian cells, heterotrimeric G proteins have been shown to mediate various UV-B-induced cellular responses, such as secretion of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF), activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, cyclooxygenase2 expression, and apoptosis in human keratinocytes (Seo et al., 2004, 2007; Seo and Juhnn, 2010), suggesting that G proteins are important molecular players in UV-B signal transduction. However, at present, whether G proteins participate in the responses of plant cells to UV-B is not known.Stomata embedded in the epidermis of terrestrial plants are important for CO₂ absorption and water transpiration and are possible points of entry for pathogens. Thus, the regulation of stomatal apertures is extremely important for the survival of plants. Phenotypic analyses of Arabidopsis mutants lacking the Gα- or Gβ-subunit show that these G proteins are involved in stomatal movement regulated by abscisic acid (ABA; Wang et al., 2001; Pandey and Assmann, 2004; Liu et al., 2007; Fan et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2011), sphingosine-1-P (Coursol et al., 2003, 2005), phosphatidic acid (PA; Mishra et al., 2006), extracellular calmodulin (ExtCaM; Chen et al., 2004; Li et al., 2009), extracellular ATP (Hao et al., 2012), and the pathogen-associated molecular pattern flg22 (Zhang et al., 2008), suggesting that plant G proteins respond to various stimuli as key regulators of stomatal movement. On exposure to UV-B radiation, many plant species exhibit decreases in stomatal conductance and/or aperture under growth chamber, greenhouse, and field conditions (Musil and Wand, 1993; Nogués et al., 1999; Jansen and Noort, 2000). However, in some species, UV-B has been reported to induce either stomatal opening or stomatal closure, perhaps depending on the metabolic state of guard cells (Jansen and Noort, 2000). Furthermore, UV-B-inhibited photosynthesis is partially caused by stomatal limitation (He et al., 2004). Thus, understanding the mechanism of stomatal movement regulated by UV-B is extremely important for improving the resistance of plants to enhanced UV-B radiation, but, to date, it is poorly understood.Recently, compelling evidence emerged that hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and nitric oxide (NO) function as signaling molecules in plants, mediating a range of responses to environmental stress including UV-B radiation (Neill et al., 2002; Qiao and Fan, 2008; Wilson et al., 2008). Increasing evidence also points to the role for H₂O₂ and NO as essential components in guard cell signaling. For example, both H₂O₂ and NO have been implicated in ABA-, salicylic acid (SA)-, ethylene-, ExtCaM-, and darkness-induced stomatal closure. Furthermore, several main cellular players in stomatal movement, such as mitogen-activated protein kinases, protein phosphatases, cytoskeleton, and ion channels, have already been identified as likely targets downstream of H₂O₂ or NO (Neill et al., 2008; Wang and Song, 2008; Huang et al., 2009; Li et al., 2009; Wilkins et al., 2011; Yemets et al., 2011). G protein signaling to the membrane-bound H₂O₂ synthetic enzyme, NADPH oxidase, has been implicated in the development of disease resistance and the apoptotic hypersensitive response in rice (Oryza sativa; Suharsono et al., 2002). Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to the air pollutant ozone is also impaired in a mutant lacking the Gα subunit (Joo et al., 2005). The heterotrimeric G proteins also participate in ROS metabolism in plant cells (Wei et al., 2008; Zhao et al., 2010). During stomatal movement, G proteins mediate H₂O₂ production induced by ABA (Zhang et al., 2011), ExtCaM (Chen et al., 2004; Li et al., 2009), and extracellular ATP (Hao et al., 2012) as well as NO production induced by ExtCaM in guard cells (Li et al., 2009). In addition, phospholipase Dα and its product PA, which interact with GPA1 during ABA inhibition of stomatal opening (Mishra et al., 2006), also promote ABA-induced ROS production (Zhang et al., 2009). These observations suggest that G proteins may be key regulators of H₂O₂ and NO production in plant cells, including guard cells. With regard to the stomatal movement regulated by UV-B radiation, our previous studies showed that H₂O₂ and NO generation are required for UV-B-induced stomatal closure (He et al., 2005, 2011a, 2011b). However, whether the UV-B-induced production of H₂O₂ and NO in guard cells is also regulated by G proteins remains unknown.In this study, we use Arabidopsis mutants (e.g. GPA1 null mutants gpa1-1 and gpa1-2; Nia1-2, Nia2-1, and Nia1-2/Nia2-5, which are defective in NO production; and AtrbohD, AtrbohF, and AtrbohD/AtrbohF, which are defective in producing H₂O₂) and pharmacological reagents to show that the G protein is involved in the regulation of UV-B-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis via sequential elucidation of H₂O₂ and NO, two key regulators of UV-B regulation of stomatal movements. Our results establish a linear signaling cascade in which the Gα protein transmits UV-B signals to elicit H₂O₂, which then elicits NO in guard cells to regulate UV-B-dependent stomatal closure.     

Heterozygosity–behavior and heterozygosity–fitness correlations in a salamander with limited dispersal

Inbreeding and genetic drift can decrease genetic heterozygosity, and this low heterozygosity can depress fitness, resulting in heterozygosity–fitness correlations (HFCs). HFCs are typically small in magnitude, a result often attributed to power of the analyses. Animal behaviors often affect fitness and are often heritable to some degree. We hypothesized that heterozygosity influences behavior, which, in turn, potentially influences fitness. Specifically, in red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus, which have limited dispersal and the potential for inbreeding, we tested whether heterozygosity, as estimated from six microsatellite loci, affected home range size, juvenile growth, and survival. We found that salamanders with higher heterozygosity had larger home ranges and grew faster, which is indicative of reproductive success. However, we found no effects of heterozygosity on survival. We conclude that, because activity in P. cinereus is tightly linked to food uptake and mass gain, heterozygosity influences growth via effects on foraging behavior. Future research should investigate how the relationship between heterozygosity, behavior, and fitness may be affected or mediated by endocrine or immune systems.     

Evaluation of Status of Zinc, Copper, and Iron Levels in Biological Samples of Normal Children and Children with Night Blindness with Age Groups of 3–7 and 8–12 Years

The causes of night blindness in children are multifactorial, and particular consideration has been given to childhood nutritional deficiency, which is the most common problem found in underdeveloped countries. Such deficiency can result in physiological and pathological processes that in turn influence hair composition. This study was designed to compare the levels of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) in scalp hair, blood, and urine of both genders of children with night blindness with age range of 3–7 and 8–12 years, comparing them to sex- and age-matched controls. A microwave-assisted wet acid digestion procedure was developed as a sample pretreatment, for the determination of zinc, copper, and iron in biological samples of children with night blindness. The proposed method was validated by using conventional wet digestion and certified reference samples of hair, blood, and urine. The digests of all biological samples were analyzed for Cu, Fe, and Zn by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using an air/acetylene flame. The results indicated significantly lower levels of Fe, Cu, and Zn in the biological samples (blood and scalp hair) of male and female children with night blindness, compared with control subjects of both genders. These data present guidance to clinicians and other professionals investigating the deficiency of essential trace metals in biological samples (scalp hair and blood) of children with night blindness.     

A High-Performance Refractive Index Sensor Based on Hybrid Resonance Modes in a Square Nanocavity Coupled with Metal–Insulator–Metal Plasmonic Waveguide

Plasmonics - We present one of the simplest nanoscale systems for a high-performance refractive index (RI) sensor. We investigate analytically and numerically the transmission response of the...     

Dynamics of a Prey–Predator System with Herd Behaviour in Both and Strong Allee Effect in Prey

Biophysics - This paper mainly deals with the prey?predator dynamics where both the prey and predator exhibit herd behavior. Positivity, boundedness, some extinction criteria, stability of...