Hormone accumulation in song regions of the canary brain

[³H]Testosterone (T) was injected into male and female canaries (Serinus canarius), a species in which females are able to sing but do so more rarely and more simply than males. Autoradiographic analysis revealed that males and females have equal proportions of cells labeled by T or its metabolites in four song control nuclei: the high vocal center (HVC), the lateral portion of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (IMAN), the robust nucleus of the archistriatum (RA), and the hypoglossal motor nucleus (nXII). Labeled cells were also observed in both sexes in the medial portion of MAN, and in hypothalamic nuclei. In both sexes, labeled cells in HVC, IMAN, RA, and nXII were larger than unlabeled cells. There were no sex differences in the size of either labeled or unlabeled cells in these song nuclei. The density of labeled cells per unit volume of tissue did not differ between the sexes in any song nucleus analyzed. However, because males have larger HVC and RA than females, males have a greater total number of hormone-sensitive cells in these regions than do females. Comparison of these results with measures of hormone accumulation in zebra finches and tropical duetting wrens suggests that the complexity of song that a bird can produce is correlated with the total number of hormone-sensitive cells in song nuclei. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Abnormal phosphocreatine metabolism in perfused diabetic hearts. A 31P nuclear-magnetic-resonance study.

31P n.m.r. analysis of control and diabetic hearts perfused for 1 h with a glucose buffer showed constant and normal levels of phosphocreatine and ATP. Supplementing the buffer with 0.5, 1.2 or 2.0 mM-palmitic acid had little or no effect on high-energy-phosphate levels in control hearts. In contrast, increases in palmitate concentration produced significant decreases in ATP in diabetic hearts, despite normal and constant levels of phosphocreatine. This 31P n.m.r. study suggests a defect in phosphocreatine metabolism in the perfused diabetic heart that might be related to creatine kinase kinetics.     

A combined radioimmunoassay for the measurement of unconjugated and sulfoconjugated pregnenolone, 17 hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, and estrone applied to fetal and maternal ovine plasma

This report describes a radioimmunoassay (RIA) method for the combined measurement of four steroid sulfoconjugates and their four unconjugated counterparts in maternal and fetal ovine plasma: pregnenolone (delta 5P), 17-hydroxypregnenolone (17 delta 5P), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and estrone (E1). In the procedure a preliminary ether extraction is utilized to isolate the unconjugated steroids followed by salting out, ethyl acetate extraction, and mineral acid solvolysis of the remaining sulfated steroids. The hydrolyzed sulfoconjugates are then separated chromatographically and measured in a manner identical to their unconjugated counterparts. The combined measurement of these eight steroids in single samples of fetal and maternal ovine plasma has not been reported previously and plasma concentrations of these steroids were heretofore unknown. Since no previous data was available for comparison, rigorous specificity evaluation of this RIA system was required prior to its use for physiologic studies and the reporting of concentrations in this species.     

The Science of Humanics: Multidisciplinary Renaissance of General Anthropology

Discussions of the scope and proper definition of anthropology make it worthwhile to outline why and how anthropology can be treated as a natural (and exact) science. The paper describes its multidisciplinary components and how the deterministic properties of biological individuality and the probabilistic constraints of the cultural dimensions can be brought together. Such a synthesis enables us to treat values within a biological framework and suggests the old term "humanics" for the multidisciplinary nexus . [anthropological biology, humanics, multidisciplinary synthesis, interaction measurement, behavioral biology]     

The deoxygenation kinetic properties of human fetal hemoglobin: effect of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate

The deoxygenation kinetics of isolated adult and fetal hemoglobin are measured. The results demonstrate that significant functional differences exist between the two tetrameric hemoglobins. It is pointed out that these functional differences closely parallel the differences in similar properties of beta and gamma chains. It is also shown that 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) has no significant effect on the deoxygenation rate of fetal hemoglobin. This result appears to be consistent with the reported weaker binding of 2,3-DPG to the oxygen linked groups of fetal hemoglobin.     

Assessing the spatial variability of density dependence in waterfowl populations

Population models commonly assume that the demographic parameters are spatially invariant, but there is considerable evidence that population growth rate (r) and the strength of density dependence (β) can vary over a species' range. To address this issue we developed a spatially explicit Gompertz population model based on the spatially varying coefficients approach to assess the spatial variation in population drivers. The model was fit to spatially stratified time series population estimates of the mallard Anas platyrhynchos in western North America. We included precipitation during the previous year and spring maximum temperature in the current year as environmental factors in the density dependent population model. Because density dependent models can give biased estimates for time series of abundance data, we fit a naïve model without informative priors and a model where we constrained the mean and variance of r to biologically realistic values that were derived via a comparative demography approach. In the naïve model, r and β were not separately identifiable and their values were overestimated, leading to unrealistic population growth. The naïve model also implied spatial variation in population r and the return time to equilibrium [1?(– β)] across the survey area. In contrast, in the informative model, r and the return time to equilibrium did not vary markedly among populations and were generally equal across populations. The effects of the climatic factors were similar across models. Population growth rates in the Prairie‐pothole region were positively correlated with precipitation, while in Alaska rates were positively correlated with spring temperature. Although it has been argued in the past that adding ecological realism could help avoid the pitfalls associated with density dependent models, our results demonstrate that imposing constraints on the population parameters is still the best course of action.     

Orchid Fleck Virus Infecting Orchids in Paraguay: First Report and Use of Degenerate Primers for its Detection

The presence of Orchid fleck virus (OFV) in Paraguay was confirmed in orchid plants collected during a survey carried out in 2013. Leaves displayed ringspot and fleck symptoms, and in infected tissues, non‐enveloped, short, rodlike viral particles were observed. Partial OFV N and L genes were amplified using specific and degenerate primers, respectively; the nucleotide sequences demonstrated high identities (98%) with other OFV isolates. Degenerate primers for the L gene were designed considering conserved regions within all of the available OFV sequences and those from the closely related isolates citrus leprosis virus nuclear type (CiLV‐N) and citrus necrotic spot virus. Degenerate primers were also successfully used for the detection of CiLV‐N from infected citrus samples.