Application of microsatellite primers for the social wasp Polistes to another social wasp genus, Parapolybia, to estimate genetic relationships among nestmates

We tested 14 pairs of microsatellite primers that had been developed for the genus Polistes to assess their applicability for determining genetic structure in a colony of the genus Parapolybia. At least one of the 14 Polistes primer sets was useful for Parapolybia indica, and the locus identified by this primer set was highly polymorphic. Using this primer set, we estimated the average relatedness among female nestmates of Parapolybia indica to be 0.82 ± 0.05 (mean ± SE), indicating that in this species single mating is normal, although some cases of multiple mating was found.     

Incorporation of Radioiodine into the Developing Endostyle of the Larval Lamprey

Incorporation of radioiodine (¹³¹I⁻) into small larvae of the Japanese river lamprey, 14 days after fertilization, was studied by radioautography. A small amount of radioiodine was incorporated into the larvae and became located in the mid-dorsal region of endostylar cells. The incorporation of radioiodine was greatest in endostylar cells near the junction with the anlage of the endostyle duct. It is possible that these cells form the anlage of the endostyle duct, which enters the endostyle.     

WPA guidance on how to combat stigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists

In 2009 the WPA President established a Task Force that was to examine available evidence about the stigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists and to make recommendations about action that national psychiatric societies and psychiatrists as professionals could do to reduce or prevent the stigmatization of their discipline as well as to prevent its nefarious consequences. This paper presents a summary of the Task Force’s findings and recommendations. The Task Force reviewed the literature concerning the image of psychiatry and psychiatrists in the media and the opinions about psychiatry and psychiatrists of the general public, of students of medicine, of health professionals other than psychiatrists and of persons with mental illness and their families. It also reviewed the evidence about the interventions that have been undertaken to combat stigma and consequent discrimination and made a series of recommendations to the national psychiatric societies and to individual psychiatrists. The Task Force laid emphasis on the formulation of best practices of psychiatry and their application in health services and on the revision of curricula for the training of health personnel. It also recommended that national psychiatric societies establish links with other professional associations, with organizations of patients and their relatives and with the media in order to approach the problems of stigma on a broad front. The Task Force also underlined the role that psychiatrists can play in the prevention of stigmatization of psychiatry, stressing the need to develop a respectful relationship with patients, to strictly observe ethical rules in the practice of psychiatry and to maintain professional competence.     

Identification of genes regulated by dark adaptation and far‐red light illumination in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana*

Roots in the soil are illuminated by far‐red (FR) light passed through plant tissues in the daytime, and are in complete darkness at night. To evaluate whether gene expression of roots is affected by a dark‐FR light cycle, gene expression profiles were analysed for dark‐adapted versus light‐grown plants and for FR light‐illuminated versus dark‐adapted plants using the RIKEN Arabidopsis full‐length cDNA microarray (containing approximately 7000 independent, full‐length cDNA groups). Among candidate dark‐ and FR‐regulated genes, several were further analysed. Eleven dark‐inducible and five dark‐repressed genes were characterized. Almost all the dark‐inducible and –repressed genes were oppositely regulated by FR light illumination. The functions of dark‐ and FR‐responsive genes and the significance of FR light‐regulated gene expression in roots under ground are discussed.     

Characterization of eight polymorphic microsatellites in endangered willow Salix hukaoana

Salix hukaoana is an endangered riparian tree that is found and known only in several isolated sites in eastern Japan, and that has been suffering from the loss and fragmentation of its habitat. To investigate the genetic variation and structures of this willow in these sites, eight polymorphic microsatellites with three to eight alleles were characterized. Cross‐species amplification was successful for many of the loci using the congeners Salix sachalinensis and Chosenia arbutifolia. This set of microsatellites will be useful for the study of the spatial genetic structures of S. hukaoana and other coexisting willows suffering from habitat fragmentation in riparian forests.     

Differences in response to simulated herbivory between <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus crispula</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quercus dentata</Emphasis>

To evaluate the responses of Quercus crispula and Quercus dentata to herbivory, their leaves were subjected to simulated herbivory in early spring and examined for the subsequent changes in leaf traits and attacks by chewing herbivores in mid summer. In Quercus crispula, nitrogen content per area was higher in artificially damaged leaves than in control leaves. This species is assumed to increase the photosynthetic rate per area by increasing nitrogen content per area to compensate leaf area loss. In Quercus dentata, nitrogen content per area did not differ between artificially damaged and control leaves, while nitrogen content per mass was slightly lower in artificially damaged leaves. The difference in their responses can be attributable to the difference in the architecture of their leaves and/or the severeness of herbivory. The development of leaf area from early spring to mid summer was larger in artificially damaged leaves than in control leaves in both species, suggesting the compensatory response to leaf area loss. Leaf dry mass per unit area was also larger in artificially damaged leaves in both species, but the adaptive significance of this change is not clear. In spite of such changes in leaf traits, no difference was detected in the degree of damage by chewing herbivores between artificially damaged and controlled leaves in both species.     

Mean labor time of a leaf

The mean labor time of a leaf (hour/day^–1) is defined as the ratio of mean daily photosynthetic rate of a leaf (D_a; molm^–2day^–1) to the mean value of potential hourly photosynthetic rate (6060A_max mol m^–2h^–1) of the leaf. A model was proposed to estimate mean labor time of leaves. Mean labor time was obtained as the product of 24 (hours/day^–1) and the four effects, each of which reduces production of a leaf: diel change in light (Diel Effect), reduction in light during cloudy and rainy days (Cloudy Effect), shading on the focal leaves (Shading Effect), and midday and afternoon depression in photosynthesis (Depression Effect). These four effects were estimated for open grown saplings of alder (Alnus sieboldiana), by measuring instantaneous photosynthetic rate and photon flux density above each leaf. The potential daily photosynthetic rate calculated from diel light condition in a clear day was 46.5% of hypothetical daily photosynthetic rate where maximum instantaneous photosynthetic rate was assumed to last throughout the life of the leaf (Diel Effect). The average of the daily photosynthetic rate considering clear, cloudy and rainy days was 79.7% of the clear day (Cloudy Effect). The photosynthetic rate estimated from light condition on the leaf was 85.6% of that in the open site (Shading Effect). Midday depression reduced the daily photosynthetic rate to 72.1% of the potential daily photosynthetic rate (Depression Effect). The product of the four effects multiplied by 24h gave the estimate of mean labor time of leaves to be approximately 5.5 (h/day^–1).