The asynchronous timing of antler casting of Reeves’ muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi)

From 1973 until the present time, captive Reeves’ muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) have been observed in England. The dates of casting of both antlers have been recorded for 25 bucks, totalling 121 antler cycles. All casting dates were between 1 May and 17 July (63.64 % of the cycles occurred in May, 34.71 % in June, and only 1.65 % in July). Only 13.2 % of the antler cycles were synchronous. In 45.71 % of cases, the left antler was cast 1 day or more before the right one, whereas in 54.29 % of cases, the reverse was true. For 57.14 % of cases, the time between castings of the first and second antlers was up to 3 days, and for 32.38 % of the cases, the interval was 4 to 8 days, and in 10.48 %, the difference was 9 to 13 days. All bucks cast their antlers asynchronously at least in some of the antler cycles. No external factor, which would be responsible for this, was detected. Significant variation across season has been shown with no apparent trend. Although records on subsequent seasons were available for most of the bucks, there was a zero repeatability of the process.     

宁夏兽类新纪录——小麂 (Muntiacus reevesi Ogilby, 1839)

During the camera-trapping survey at Wanghuannan, Erlonghe and Hongxia Forest Farms in the Liupan Mountain National Nature Reserve in Guyuan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 49 independent detections of Reeve’s muntjac, Muntiacus reevesi were captured by eight infrared-triggered camera-traps with 274 photographs and 12 video clips from July, 2017 to August, 2018. The Reeve’s muntjac is an endemic species of China and mainly distributed in south China, such as Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Taiwan Provinces, and also distributed in Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces adjacent to Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. This species was for the first time recorded in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, so its distribution range has been expanded in China. This discovery has enriched the distribution information of Reeve’s muntjac. This discovery will also play an important role in the study of biodiversity and species integrity in the area of Liupan Mountain.     

Faecal pellets of Reeves’ muntjac,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Muntiacus reevesi</Emphasis>: defecation rate,decomposition period,size and weight

Captive muntjac fed on vegetation had a daily defecation rate of 7 to 8.2.pellet groups. Even in the cold month of February 97.6% of pellets decayed within 80 days but for 8 other months the range was 4 to 23 days. Emphasis is given to the need for site-specific information when decay rate is required to assess population size from dung counts. The morphology, dimensions, weight and group size of pellets are described as an aid to distinguish them from the faeces of other cervids.     

Lichen moths do not benefit from ‘element imitation’ masquerade in the absence of a matching background

Evolutionary Ecology - Predation places significant selection pressures on prey species and many have evolved incredible and diverse colour patterns in response. A fascinating example of such...     

Molecular mapping of a gene ‘ld(t)’ controlling cleistogamy in rice

Cleistogamy is the self-pollination within closed spikelets and is expected to be a useful genetic tool for prevention of possible gene transfer in transgenic crops, for maintenance of genetic purity in autogamous crops, and for increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Mapping of the gene ld(t), which is responsible for lack of lodicules inside spikelets and causes cleistogamy, was carried out using F₂ and F₃ populations derived from a cleistogamous (CL) mutant CL-SNU × Milyang 23 cross. A number of STS markers along chromosomes were developed and bulked segregant analysis was adopted for preliminary mapping. The results showed that the ld(t) was located at the end region of chromosome 1L, flanked by S01178b (an STS marker developed for the locus at 178 cM based on the rice genetic map reported by Japanese Rice Genome Project) at 0.8 cM and co-segregated with S01181a and S01181b (an STS marker developed for the locus at 181 cM).     

黑麂(Muntiacus crinifrons Sclater)的繁殖

黑麂是我国特有的鹿科动物。仅分布皖南、浙西及与之接壤的闽、赣部分地区,从北纬28°-31°,东径117°-120°的37个县的范围内(Sheng et,L,1980)。由于黑麂数量稀少,且栖居中山密林,活动隐蔽,因而以往对它的繁殖情况一无所知。为保护和利用这一特产动物资源,我们于1978年1月至1981年2月,对黑麂的繁殖进行研究。     

Anti-Semitism in Britain: continuity and the absence of a resurgence?

Abstract

It has become the orthodoxy in recent years to assume that anti-Semitism globally is not only rising but also taking a new form – it is a ‘new anti-Semitism’ or even a new phenomenon: Judeophobia. This article takes a different perspective. It initially covers approaches to anti-Semitism and how, especially in the light of the Holocaust, it has been viewed academically as no longer the fault of the Jews but as a natural and constant feature of history since antiquity. A critique is provided of the idea of a continuous history of anti-Semitism and of the metaphors used to describe it. There then follows a case study of anti-Semitism in Britain. The British case is valuable as it is seen as a key example of the ‘new anti-Semitism’, and one that is more striking given the alleged absence of previous hostility towards Jews in that country. By employing a comparative approach – both temporal and in relation to responses to other groups – change and continuity are charted through a study of racial violence. Such comparisons, it is argued, allow a more nuanced and balanced analysis of this issue, which has created much alarm and little sober reflection.     

Identification of differentially regulated proteins in a patient with Leber's Congenital Amaurosis – a proteomic study

Background  

To identify the pattern of protein expression in the retina from a patient with Leber's Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) secondary to a mutation in the AIPL1 gene. The retina from one eye of a patient with LCA and 7 control eyes were studied. The tissue was subjected to high resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, image analysis and mass spectrometry, in an effort to identify differentially regulated proteins.     

Identification of differentially regulated proteins in a patient with Leber's Congenital Amaurosis – a proteomic study

Background

Proteomics continues to play a critical role in post-genomic science as continued advances in mass spectrometry and analytical chemistry support the separation and identification of increasing numbers of peptides and proteins from their characteristic mass spectra. In order to facilitate the sharing of this data, various standard formats have been, and continue to be, developed. Still not fully mature however, these are not yet able to cope with the increasing number of quantitative proteomic technologies that are being developed.

Results

We propose an extension to the PRIDE and mzData XML schema to accommodate the concept of multiple samples per experiment, and in addition, capture the intensities of the iTRAQ ^TM reporter ions in the entry. A simple Java-client has been developed to capture and convert the raw data from common spectral file formats, which also uses a third-party open source tool for the generation of iTRAQ ^TM reported intensities from Mascot output, into a valid PRIDE XML entry.

Conclusion

We describe an extension to the PRIDE and mzData schemas to enable the capture of quantitative data. Currently this is limited to iTRAQ ^TM data but is readily extensible for other quantitative proteomic technologies. Furthermore, a software tool has been developed which enables conversion from various mass spectrum file formats and corresponding Mascot peptide identifications to PRIDE formatted XML. The tool represents a simple approach to preparing quantitative and qualitative data for submission to repositories such as PRIDE, which is necessary to facilitate data deposition and sharing in public domain database. The software is freely available from http://www.mcisb.org/software/PrideWizard.     

Hepatic vasopressin receptors (VPRs) exhibit species heterogeneity—absence of VPRs in sheep liver

1. We have studied the binding characteristics of the hepatic VPRs expressed by rat, cow, pig, sheep and human and have demonstrated species heterogeneity.2. These species differences are manifested as variation in the VPR capacity (rat > cow > pig > human > sheep), and in the affinity of these receptors for their natural ligand AVP (rat = human > pig = cow).3. A single class of VPRs, with high affinity for AVP, is present in rat, cow, human and pig liver. In contrast, ovine hepatocytes do not express a VPR.4. The affinity of the V_1a-selective antagonist d(CH₂)₅Tyr(Me)²AVP is highly dependent on the species utilised, such that rat > human > cow.     

Apparent “negative cooperativity” kinetics in the absence of a nonlinear Scatchard plot of thyrotropin-receptor interaction in a human thyroid adenoma

A human thyroid adenoma (benign nodule) was identified which exhibited a linear Scatchard plot of ¹²⁵I-TSH binding, characteristic of a single class of binding site with high affinity (K_d = 0.5±0.1 nM) and low binding capacity (0.8±0.2 pmol/mg protein). In contrast, Scatchard analysis of binding to adjacent normal thyroid was nonlinear, suggesting the presence of high and low-affinity binding sites with K_d's of 0.4±0.2 and of 27.9±11.0 nM and capacities of 0.7±0.3 and 1.8±1.0 pmol/mg protein, respectively. Dissociation of bound ¹²⁵I-TSH from membranes of both adenoma and normal tissue revealed identical enhancement of dissociation in the presence of excess native hormone, thought to be evidence for the “negative cooperativity” model of hormone-receptor interaction. Furthermore, adenylate cyclase from both tissues was equally responsive to TSH. Thus, a thyroid adenoma which contains TSH-responsive adenylate cyclase still exhibited enhanced dissociation by native hormone, even though Scatchard analysis yielded a single, non-cooperative class of binding sites. This suggests that enhanced dissociation of bound hormone does not provide a demonstration of negatively-cooperative site-site interaction. Furthermore, nonlinear Scatchard plots, typical of TSH binding in normal thyroid, represent two classes of binding sites, of which the high affinity type is responsible for stimulation of adenylate cyclase.     

Characterization of nine microsatellite loci for a globally vulnerable species, Reeves’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii)

Reeves’s Pheasant, Syrmaticus reevesii, is an endemic species of China. Due to habitat loss, poaching and human disturbance, its wild population has been decreased drastically and it is listed as a globally vulnerable species by IUCN/BirdLife/WPA (IUCN 2008). Here, we report nine new polymorphic microsatellite markers isolated from the Reeves’s Pheasant. The number of alleles per locus varies between four and fourteen, with expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.349–0.776 (n  = 90). These polymorphic loci provide a valuable tool for future population studies that relate to the conservation of this pheasant.     

“Naked” spinal cord on a non-segmented baton-like bony structure in the tail of the electric fish Eigenmannia virescens (Gymnotoidei)

Summary The caudal spinal cord of Eigenmannia virescens is not enclosed in a neural canal of the vertebral column. In fact, a segmented vertebral column with neural and ventral arches is lacking and replaced by a non-segmented baton-like bony structure on which the free spinal cord is located. The baton consists of calcified bone tissue with bone cells. Individual differences exist as far as the length of the rod is concerned. The electromotor neurons of this caudal part of the spinal cord are histochemically acetylcholinesterase-positive. The electrocytes which surround this part of the spinal cord show strong enzymatic actitivity on the posterior innervated face. However, there is also activity on the non-innervated lateral and anterior faces.     

我国西藏的菲氏麂(Muntiacus feae)

菲氏麂数量稀少,至今对它仍很少了解。Leonardo Fea于1887年3月27日在缅甸的丹那沙林(Tenasserin)山区采集到1头雄性菲氏麂后,Thomas和Doria于1889年首次作了极其简单的报道;1892年Thomas根据这件标本又作了较详细的描述。直至1977年,Grubb才对一直保存在意大利热亚那自然博物馆的头骨进行了详细报道。1914年,Gairdner在丹那沙地区又获得1张菲氏麂皮,那是被豹咬死后又被当地居民吃剩的残皮,这是第二次记录。第三次记录是Sokolov(1957)报道他于1956年7月15日,在我国云南省南部的金平县和屏边县附近得到的1张不完整的皮。     

Congenital blepharophimosis and ptosis in a mentally retarded girl: a new case of Ohdo syndrome?

A mentally retarded girl with congenital blepharophimosis, ptosis, abnormal teeth and other features consistent with Ohdo syndrome is reported.