Review of the fauna of Rotatoria,Cladocera, and Copepoda of the basin of the Anadyr’ River

The zooplankton composition is studied in the thermokarst, glacial and meteorite lakes, channels, former riverbeds, and hollows in the basin of Anadyr’. We found 174 taxa: 78, Rotatoria, 55, Cladocera, and 41, Copepoda. The most diverse is the lake fauna: 51 taxa of Rotatoria, 48, Cladocera, and 37, Copepoda. The thermokarst Lake Maiorskoe hosts 68 taxa: 31, Rotatoria, 14, Cladocera, and 23, Copepoda, wheras the cold ultraoligotrophic Lake El’gygytgyn features only one species of Cyclop of the group scutifer Cyclops neymanae Strel., and Rotatoria and Cladocera are present as allochtonous forms. The Copepoda illustrate the relations of the Anadyr’ fauna with those of Europe, North America, and Japan.     

Revision of the lectotype ofFavreina salevensis (Paréjas) (Crustacea,Decapoda) and description of favreine form-species from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Scotland,Portugal, Yougoslavia and Pakistan

The lectotype ofFavreina salevensis (Paréjas) is re-examined and illustrated and the following new favreine form-species proposed:Favreina guinchoensis from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal,Favreina njegosensis andFavreina dinarica from the Neocomian of the Dinarids, andFavreina eiggensis from the Bathonian of the Inner Hebrides, Scotland.Favreina murciensis Cuvillier, Bassoulet & Fourcade is recorded from the Jurassic of Pakistan.     

Comparison of the directionality of the halogen,hydrogen, and lithium bonds between HOOOH and XF (X = Cl,Br, H,Li)

Detailed electrostatic potential (ESP) analyses were performed to compare the directionality of halogen bonds with those of hydrogen bonds and lithium bonds. To do this, the interactions of HOOOH with the molecules XF (X?=?Cl, Br, H, Li) were investigated. For each molecule, the percentage of the van der Waals (vdW) molecular surface that intersected with the ESP surface was used to roughly quantify the directionality of the halogen/hydrogen/lithium bond associated with the molecule. The size of the region of intersection was found to increase in the following order: ClF?<?BrF?<?HF?<?LiF. The maximum ESP in the region of intersection, V _{S, max}, was observed to become more positive according to the sequence ClF?<?BrF?<?HF?<?LiF. For ClF and BrF, the positive electrostatic potential was concentrated in a very small region of the vdW molecular surface. On the other hand, for HF and LiF, the positive electrostatic potential was more diffusely scattered across the vdW surface than for ClF and BrF. Also, the optimized geometries of the dipolymers HOOOH···?XF (X?=?Cl, Br, H, Li) indicated that halogen bonds are more directional than hydrogen bonds and lithium bonds, consistent with the results of ESP analyses.

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Graphical abstract Electrostatic potential (ESP) contour maps in the xz plane of ClF and BrF

     

Larval development and morphogenesis of the sea spider Pycnogonum litorale (Ström, 1762) and the tagmosis of the body of Pantopoda

Aspects of pantopod ontogeny have been known for a long time, but specific information is available for only a few species. Our account of the postembryonic development of Pycnogonum litorale is based on laboratory-reared individuals and SEM studies. We documented particularly all early developmental stages, with emphasis on morphogenetic changes of head structures and appendages. In P. litorale the protonymphal limbs, the chelicerae and two more uniramous legs, degenerate already during the larval phase; only the third one, the ovigers, reappears in male juveniles. Other Pantopoda vary in this aspect from retention of all three protonymphal appendages to their complete reduction, as in P. litorale. Accordingly, the two post-cheliceral larval appendages are separate legs in front of the walking legs in the adults, the ‘parapalps’ and the ‘ovigers’, but they do not occur in all pantopods. The scarcity of studies of the ontogeny of Pantopoda prevents us from a more conclusive picture, but our data are promising to state that additional such studies will increase the usability of ontogenetic data for a phylogenetic analysis of Pantopoda, the crown group of the Pycnogonida. We also discuss the phylogenetic implications of our data in the light of new information from Hox genes and developmental-biological data on body segmentation and tagmosis of the Chelicerata. These suggest the homology of chelicerae and antenn(ul)ae of other euarthropods. Accepting this, we conclude that the adult pycnogonid/pantopod head, the cephalosoma, corresponds to the euarthropod head and that the protonymph with three appendage-bearing segments may represent an even shorter, possibly phylogenetically older larval type than the euarthropod ‘head larva’ bearing four pairs of appendages. In further consequence, the fourth walking legs of Pycnogonida/Pantopoda should correspond to the first opisthosomal appendages, the chilaria, of euchelicerates. This implies that within Pycnogonida the post-prosomal region became compacted during evolution to a single leg-bearing segment plus a tubular end piece. Accordingly, neither the anterior nor the posterior functional boundaries of the walking-leg region correspond to the original tagma borders.     

The roles of the Chantransia phase of Lemanea (Lemaneaceae,Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) and of the ‘Mushroom’ phase of Himanthalia (Himanthaliaceae,Fucales, Phaeophyta)

Summary

The life cycle of the Batrachospermales (freshwater florideophyte red such as Batrachospermum, Lemanea) is a shortened variant of the ‘normal’ marine florideophyte life cycle. The perennial Chantransia diploid phase is microscopic and encrusting. Each winter it produces one or more semi-erect haploid gametophytes by vegetative meiosis. Gamete production and fertilization is followed by production of diploid carposporophytes; these produce diploid carpospores which disperse, and regenerate the Chantransia phase. The question of the extent to which the Chantransia phase contributes resources to the gametophyte was approached by physiological-hydrodynamic modelling. These computations suggest that the photosynthetic rates in situ on an area basis are 20 times greater for the gametophyte than the Chantransia phase; this agrees with the observed ratios of peak biomass. The conclusion is that the Chantransia phase has a negligible role in provisioning the growing gametophyte, and that the role of the Chantransia phase is to occupy space with living biomass throughout the year, including exposure at summer drawdown, and (perhaps) by dispersal via production of monospores. A similar conclusion is arrived at on the basis of biomass data for the role of the perennial ‘mushroom’ phase of the semelparous marine Fucalean brown alga Himanthalia elongata in relation to the short-lived but much larger reproductive receptacles.     

Checklist of the families Scathophagidae,Fanniidae and?Muscidae of Finland (Insecta,Diptera)

A revised checklist of the Scathophagidae, Fanniidae and Muscidae recorded from Finland is presented. Phaonia amicula Villeneuve, 1922 is noted from Finland for the first time.     

Comparison of Macular Integrity Assessment (MAIA ?), MP-3, and the Humphrey Field Analyzer in the Evaluation of the Relationship between the Structure and Function of the Macula

Purpose

This study was conducted in order to compare relationships between the macular visual field (VF) mean sensitivity measured by MAIA^TM (Macular Integrity Assessment), MP-3, or Humphry field analyzer (HFA) and the ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCA) thicknesses.

Methods

This cross-sectional study examined 73 glaucoma patients and 19 normal subjects. All subjects underwent measurements for GCA thickness by Cirrus HD-OCT and static threshold perimetry using MAIA^TM, MP-3, or HFA. VF and OCT in the retinal view were used to examine both the global relationship between the VF sensitivity and GCA thickness, and the superior hemiretina and inferior hemiretina. The relationship between the GCA thickness and macular sensitivity was examined by Spearman correlation analysis.

Results

For each instrument, statistically significant macular VF sensitivity (dB) and GCA thickness relationships were observed using the decibel scale (R = 0.547–0.687, all P < 0.001). The highest correlation for the global (R = 0.682) and the superior hemiretina (R = 0.594) GCA thickness-VF mean sensitivity was observed by the HFA. The highest correlation for the inferior hemiretina (R = 0.687) GCA thickness-VF mean sensitivity was observed by the MP-3. Among the three VF measurement instruments, however, no significant differences were found for the structure-function relationships.

Conclusions

All three VF measurement instruments found similar structure-function relationships in the central VF.     

Flexibility in the order of action and in the enzymology of the nuclease, polymerases, and ligase of vertebrate non-homologous DNA end joining： relevance to cancer, aging, and the immune system

Nonhomologous DNA end joining （NHEJ） is the primary pathway for repair of double-strand DNA breaks in human cells and in multicellular eukaryotes. The causes of double-strand breaks often fragment the DNA at the site of damage, resulting in the loss of information there. NHEJ does not restore the lost information and may resect additional nucleotides during the repair process. The ability to repair a wide range of overhang and damage configurations reflects the flexibility of the nuclease, polymerases, and ligase of NHEJ. The flexibility of the individual components also explains the large number of ways in which NHEJ can repair any given pair of DNA ends. The loss of information locally at sites of NHEJ repair may contribute to cancer and aging, but the action by NHEJ ensures that entire segments of chromosomes are not lost.     

Revision of the rhinoceros remains (Rhinocerotidae,Mammalia) from the late Pliocene of Etouaires (Auvergne,France) and the morphological distinction between the postcranial bones of Stephanorhinus elatus and S. etruscus

This work revises the rhinoceros remains from the well-known early Villafranchian locality of Étouaires (Auvergne, France), which have been collected on multiple occasions since the late 18th century. The species Stephanorhinus elatus and S. etruscus are present, both represented mainly by postcranial elements. To identify them, a detailed preliminary analysis of the morphological differences between the postcranial skeletons of the two species has been undertaken, using the material from Vialette (Haute-Loire, early Villafranchian) and Senèze (Haute-Loire, early late Villafranchian) as comparison for S. elatus and S. etruscus respectively, plus some specimens of S. etruscus from Upper Valdarno (Tuscany, middle Villafranchian). These localities have been chosen because they all yielded only one of the two species. The morphological distinction between the two species is not easy, since the interspecific variability often overlaps and includes polymorphic characters. However, a few diagnostic characters are described, and intra-specific variability has been investigated as much as possible with the fossil material under investigation.     

Chemotaxis of the unicellular green algaDunaliella salina and the ciliatedTetrahymena pyriformis—effects of glycine,lysine, and alanine,and their oligopeptides

Chemotactic properties of amino acids (L-alanine, glycine and L-lysine) and their oligopeptides (10^–6M) and binding sites to these ligands were investigated in two unicellular models, the heterotrophicTetrahymena pyriformis and the auxotrophicDunaliella salina. Chemotaxis ofDunaliella induced by simple amino acids and their derivatives demonstrated that binding sites (receptors) for food molecules are not only present in the membrane but are also able to induce their basic physiological response. InTetrahymena, substances with special molecular structure and properties (polar, hydrophilic character of the signal peptide chain)-5-L-Lys, 5-Glywere required for chemoattraction, other peptides tested, lacking the required structure, were repellent. Divergences in chemotaxis and binding assays of both species suggest that trends of functional and binding parameters do not run parallel at this level of evolution.     

Spatial heterogeneity of the Tucuruí Reservoir (State of Pará, Amazonia, Brazil) and the distribution of zooplanktonic species

With the purpose of analyzing the horizontal distribution of the zooplankton community of the Tucuruí Reservoir in the State of Pará, Brazil, collections were made at 16 stations during August 1988. The stations cover the regions called Caraipé (C), Ara?agi (B) and Arar?o (A), and represent the different compartments of this ecosystem in regard to the morphometry and the presence or absence of "flooded forest". Our findings showed the existence of three compartments with different limnological characteristics determined as a function of the system's morphometry, a factor that may have influenced the horizontal circulation of the reservoir's water and, consequently, led to physical, chemical and biological differences at each of the sampled stations. All the stations presented physical and chemical stratification and layers of total anoxia or reduced concentrations of oxygen dissolved at depths corresponding to the limit of the euphotic zone. With regard to the zooplankton, a differentiated distribution that was mainly quantitative was found among the compartments (density of organisms and proportion among the species) in the case of Cladocera and Copepoda, and basically qualitative in the case of Rotifera. On the other hand, the greatest densities of organisms for all the groups were recorded at the Caraipé stations. As for the spatial distribution, some species were more restricted or more abundant at given stations. Among the Cladocera, there was a greater abundance of Moina minuta, Bosmina hagmani and Bosminopsis deitersi at the Ara?agi stations, while C. cornuta intermedia, C. cornuta rigaudi and C. cornuta cornuta were more plentiful in the Caraipé and Diaphanosoma birgei in the Arar?o. Among the Rotifera, Trochosphaera aequatoriales and Lecane proiecta, Ascomorpha ecaudis, besides Polyartha cf vulgaris were restricted, respectively, to the Caraipé, Ara?agi and Arar?o stations, while the others, such as Keratella americana and Collotheca sp., were more broadly distributed. As regards Copepoda Calanoida, the dominating species was found to be Notodiaptomus maracaibenses, followed by Notodiaptomus henseni and Argyrodiaptomus azevedoi. The most abundant Cyclopoda species was Thermocyclops minutus, although Thermocyclops decipiens, Mesocyclops longisetus, Mesocyclops meridianus e Metacyclops sp. were also found.     

Phylogeny of the Alismatales (Monocotyledons) and the relationship of Acorus (Acorales?)

A phylogenetic analysis of the early branching lineages of the monocotyledons is performed using data from two plastid genes (rbcL and matK), five mitochondrial genes (atp1, ccmB, cob, mttB and nad5) and morphology. The complete matrix includes 93 terminals representing Acorus, the 14 families currently recognized within Alismatales, and numerous lineages of monocotyledons and other angiosperms. Total evidence analysis results in an almost completely resolved strict consensus tree, but all data partitions, genomic as well as morphological, are incongruent. The effects of RNA editing and potentially processed paralogous sequences are explored and discussed. Despite a decrease in incongruence length differences after exclusion of edited sites, the major data partitions remain significantly incongruent. The 14 families of Alismatales are all found to be monophyletic, but Acorus is found to be included in Alismatales rather than being the sister group to all other monocotyledons. The placement is strongly supported by the mitochondrial data, atp1 in particular, but it cannot be explained as an artifact caused by patterns of editing or by sampling of processed paralogues.     

Checklist of the families Lonchopteridae and Phoridae?of Finland (Insecta,Diptera)

A checklist of the Lonchopteridae and Phoridae recorded from Finland is presented.     

Dis-orienting Paraphilias? Disability, Desire, and the Question of (Bio)Ethics

In 1977 John Money published the first modern case histories of what he called ‘apotemnophilia’, literally meaning ‘amputation love’ [Money et al., The Journal of Sex Research, 13(2):115–12523, 1977], thus from its inception as a clinically authorized phenomenon, the desire for the amputation of a healthy limb or limbs was constituted as a sexual perversion conceptually related to other so-called paraphilias. This paper engages with sex-based accounts of amputation-related desires and practices, not in order to substantiate the paraphilic model, but rather, because the conception of these (no doubt) heterogeneous desires and practices as symptoms of a paraphilic condition (or conditions) highlights some interesting cultural assumptions about ‘disability’ and ‘normalcy’, their seemingly inherent (un)desirability, and their relation to sexuality. In critically interrogating the socio-political conditions that structure particular desires and practices such that they are lived as improper, distressing and/or disabling, the paper constitutes an exercise in what Margrit Shildrick [Beyond the body of bioethics: Challenging the conventions. In M. Shildrick and R. Mykitiuk (Eds.), Ethics of the body: Postconventional challenges (pp. 1–26). New York: MIT Press, 2005] refers to as “postconventional ethics”.     

Cloning,characterisation and expression of the α-tubulin genes of the leech,Hirudo medicinalis

We have isolated two α-tubulin cDNAs from the leech, Hirudo medicinalis. Both encode putative proteins of 451 amino-acids which differ from each other at only two positions. Southern blotting suggests that there are only two α-tubulin genes in the leech. The genes contain two introns and, because of the extremely high homology of the nucleotide sequence from the second intron to the end of the genes, we have inferred that a gene conversion event about 9.5 million years ago has homogenised the Hirudo α-tubulin sequences. Using in situ hybridisation to tissue sections, we have shown that the two genes are probably expressed in all neurons of the leech ganglia and that their spatial distribution remains unchanged during neuronal regeneration. The deduced amino-acid sequences of the leech α-tubulins show that they have greatest similarity to those from a platyhelminth, echiuran and mollusc with rather less to arthropod α-tubulins. The protein sequences of the leech α-tubulins have been compared with representatives of those from across all phyla to determine if any specific feature labels certain isotypes of tubulin for neuronal expression.     

Assay, purification, properties and mechanism of action of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase from the liver of the rat and Xenopus laevis

1. An improved radioassay for glutathione synthetase and gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase was developed. 2. Xenopus laevis liver gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase was purified 324-fold by saline-bicarbonate extraction, protamine sulphate precipitation, CM-cellulose and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, and gel filtration. 3. Rat liver gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase was purified 11400-fold by a procedure similar to that employed for the Xenopus laevis enzyme. 4. Rat liver gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase activity was inhibited by GSH and activated by glycine. These effects, which were not found in the enzyme from Xenopus laevis, may have a regulatory significance. 5. Isotope-exchange experiments revealed fundamental differences in the partial reactions catalysed by the rat and Xenopus laevis synthetases. The enzyme from Xenopus laevis appears to follow a Bi Bi Uni Uni Ping Pong mechanism, with glutamyl-enzyme as intermediate before the addition of cysteine and the release of gamma-glutamylcysteine. The results for the rat liver enzyme are consistent with a Tri Tri sequential mechanism.     

The photoreceptors and visual pigments of two species of Acipenseriformes, the shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus ) and the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula )

Scanning electron microscopy, microspectrophotometry, and spectrophotometry of digitonin extracts were employed to characterize the photoreceptors and visual pigments of two freshwater Acipenseriformes. The retinas of the shovelnose sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (Acipenseridae), and the paddlefish, Polyodon spathula (Polyodontidae) are dominated by large rods with long, broad outer segments. A second rod, rare and much narrower than the dominant rod, is present in Scaphirhynchus but not seen in Polyodon. The absorbance maximum of the visual pigment in the rods of Polyodon is near 540 nm; that of Scaphirhynchus near 534 nm. The retinas of both species contain substantial numbers of large, single cones, about 33% of the photoreceptors in Scaphirhynchus; 37% in Polyodon. Scaphirhynchus cone pigments have absorbance maxima near 610 nm, 521 nm and 470 nm, respectively. Polyodon cone pigments absorb maximally near 607 nm and 535 nm, respectively. All visual pigments are based on vitamin A₂. The data are compared to those from other Acipenseriformes and are discussed in terms of lifestyle and behavior. Accepted: 7 October 1998     

Information contained in the amino acid sequence of theα1(I)-chain of collagen and its consequences upon the formation of the triple helix,of fibrils and crosslinks

The molecule of type I collagen from skin consists of two alpha1(I)-chains and one alpha2-chain. The sequence of the entire alpha1-chain comprising 1052 residues is summarily presented and discussed. Apart from the 279 residues of alpha1(I)-CB8 whose sequence has been established for rat skin collagen, all sequences have been determined for calf skin collagen. In order to facilitate sequence analysis, the alpha1-chain was cleaved into defined fragments by cyanogen bromide or hydroxylamine or limited collagenase digestion. Most of the sequence was established by automated stepwise Edman degradation. The alpha1-chain contains two basically different types of sequences: the triple helical region of 1011 amino acid residues in which every third position is occupied by glycine and the N- and C-terminal regions not displaying this type of regularity. Both of these non-triple helical regions carry oxidizable lysine or hydroxylysine residues as functional sites for the intermolecular crosslink formation. Implications of the amino acid sequence for the stability of the triple helix and the fibril as well as for formation of crosslinks are discussed. Evaluation of the sequence in connection with electron microscopical investigations yielded the parameters of the axial arrangement of the molecules within the fibrils. Axial stagger of the molecules by a distance D = 670 angstrom = 233 amino acid residues results in maximal interaction of polar sequence regions of adjacent molecules and similarly of regions of hydrophobic residues. Ordered aggregation of molecules into fibrils is, therefore, regulated by electrostatic and electrophobic forces. Possible loci of intermolecular crosslinks between the alpha1-chains of adjacent molecules may be deduced from the dimensions of the axial aggregation of molecules.     

Anatomy and uses of the mature leaves of three species of Sabal (Arecaceae) of the Yucatan, México

This paper describes the leaf anatomy of Sabal mauritiiformis (Karst.) Griseb. & H. Wendl., Sabal mexicana Mart. and Sabal yapa Wright ex Becc., three of the four most representative species of the Yucatán Península, in Mexico. These species are locally used: in the roofing of traditional homes, as food (fruits and apical buds), and in the production of hats, brooms and handicrafts. Leaf samples were collected in secondary growth of lower montane rainforest in the state of Quintana Roo and in two home gardens in the state of Yucatán. Herbarium samples were obtained, and samples of blade and petiole were fixed in formaline-acetic acid-alcohol. Cross incisions were made on the blade and petiole, and were dyed with safranin and toluidine blue O. The results show that S. mauritiiformis and S. yapa are morphologically alike: both are tall, slim palm trees; the leaf in S. mauritiiformis is a shorter palm-like structure compared with the other two species. The shape of the main nerve, as seen in cross section, is rectangular in the three species. The hastula in the three species is acuminate and adaxial. The foliar anatomic structure is similar in the three species, although there are some differences. The adaxial an abaxial epidermis of the blade consist of one layer and, superficially, the anticlinal walls are straight; the stomata are intercostal, of the tetracytic type, present on both surfaces in S. mexicana and S. yapa and only on the abaxial surface on S. mauritiiformis. The hypodermis is one layer thick in S. yapa and in S. mexicana and two layers thick in S. mauritiiformis. In the three species the palisade parenchyma consists of several undefined strata as the cells are similar-in shape and size--to the cells in the spongy parenchyma, so there is no marked difference between these strata and the spongy parenchyma seems almost continuous. Both fibrous and vascular bundles are distributed between the hypodermis and the palisade parenchyma; the fiber bundles can be found towards the abaxial surface while the vascular and fiber bundles are located towards the adaxial surface. The fibers, in the three species, are elongated, with the pointed tips, undivided and unseptated. One to three wide vessels of metaxilem can be seen in the vascular bundles, those in S. yapa being the widest in diameter. The vascular bundles are surrounded by thick fiber sheaths which come in pairs. The anatomic structure of the petiole is similar to that of the blade, and is characterized by the many vascular and fiber bundles dispersed in the parenchymatous tissue, and which are very resistant. The histological structure of the blade and petiole reflects strength and flexibility, qualities which make these plants adequate in the construction of roofs for rural housing and other buildings.     

Checklist of the families Anisopodidae,Bibionidae, Canthyloscelididae,Mycetobiidae, Pachyneuridae and?Scatopsidae (Diptera) of Finland

A checklist of the families Anisopodidae, Bibionidae, Canthyloscelididae, Mycetobiidae, Pachyneuridae and Scatopsidae (Diptera) recorded from Finland. The Finnish species of these families were last listed in 1980. After that two species of Anisopodidae, four species of Bibionidae and six species of Scatopsidae have been added to the Finnish fauna and two species of Scatopsidae have been removed from the Finnish fauna.