The mantle, ink sac, ink, arm hooks and soft body debris associated with the shells in Late Triassic coleoid cephalopod Phragmoteuthis from the Austrian Alps

Fragmentarily preserved shells – mainly pro-ostraca, in several cases also phragmocones – occurring together with arm hooks and the ink sac of the Carnian (Late Triassic) coleoid cephalopod Phragmoteuthis bisinuata (Bronn) from Lunz (Austria) are examined with the scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectrometer. The pro-ostracum bears black, shiny, pitch-like sheets. The black sheets, the ink sac content and the arm hooks have a granular ultrastructure of 0.1–1 μm grain size. The arm hooks and black sheets are micro-laminated; each lamina consists of fibres. The ink consists of an agglomerate of grains. On the ventral (internal) side of the pro-ostracum, the black sheets occasionally bear agglomerates of homogeneous, ink-like material along with heterogeneous structures. The pro-ostracum has crystal-shaped units with lamello-columnar ultrastructure of the inner layer and plate ultrastructure of the outer layer. This resembles the Late Triassic Lunzoteuthis [Doguzhaeva, L.A., Mutvei, H., Summesberger, H., 2005a. A Late Triassic coleoid from the Austrian Alps: the pro-ostracum viewpoint. In: Kostak, M., Marek, J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Coleoid Cephalopods Through Time. Short Papers/Abstracts Vol. Prague, 26–29 September, 2005, pp. 55–59] and Early Jurassic Belemnotheutis [Doguzhaeva, L.A., Donovan, D.T., Mutvei, H., 2005b. The rostrum, conotheca and pro-ostracum in the Jurassic coleoid Belemnotheutis Pearce from Wiltshire, England. In: Kostak, M., Marek, J. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Coleoid Cephalopods Through Time. Short Papers/Abstracts Vol. Prague, 26–29 September, 2005, pp. 45–49]. The black sheets, the material on their inner surface, the ink and the arm hooks consist of carbon, occasionally with minor amounts of sulfur. The shell is of calcium carbonate.Based on their organic composition, position in the shell and lamello-fibrillar ultrastructure, the black sheets are considered to be remains of the mantle, sometimes with ink sac and soft body debris. The carbon composition and granular ultrastructure of arm hooks, ink, and soft tissue remains indicate that the non-mineralized structures are pseudomorphosed by carbon (carbonization), possibly due to C-accumulating bacteria.     

A new class of long-acting hormonal steroid preparation: synthesis of dimeric androgens coupled at C3-C3 and C-17-C3 and of an androgen-progestogen combination

3β-Hydroxy-4-androsten-17-one was prepared from 4-androsten-3, 17-dione according to the method of Klimstra and Colton (1) and dimerized by means of esterification with succinic acid. The reduction with lithium-tri-t-butoxyaluminium hydride gave a testosterone derivative coupled between C₃-C₃ which showed after a single Injection of 10 mg a protracted but relatively weak androgenic effect in castrated male rats. The direct esterification of testosterone hemisuccinate with 4-androsten-3β,17β-diol gave the testosterone derivative coupled between C₁₇-C₃ which showed a more even and more protracted time response curve than testosterone enanthate. The testosterone-ethynodiol succinate also coupled between C₁₇-C₃, showed an androgenic depot-effect similar to that of the dimeric C₁₇-C₃ testosterone derivative.     

Quantitation of strand breaks in human DNA using 32P-Alu hybridization: application to exponential and plateau-phase cells

A sensitive quantitation of DNA (0.2 to 10 ng) can be achieved using a 32P-labeled Alu probe to hybridize human DNA spotted onto nylon membrane. This allows the determination of radiation-induced single-strand breaks without the use of [3H]thymidine prelabeling of cells in culture. The sensitivity of this technique in HeLa cells is comparable to results obtained using the alkaline unwinding technique. The method is applicable to cells in both exponential and plateau phases of growth.     

Brutaufteilung und Habitatuntzung beim Cassinschn?pper (Muscicapa cassini)

Zusammenfassung Am Cassinschnäpper, einem Bewohner tropischer Flußlandschaften, konnte als besondere Strategie der Brutfürsorge eine Aufteilung der Jungen auf die Eltern beobachtet werden. Jeder Elter nimmt sich dabei eines der beiden Jungen an, wobei Elter und Junges sich individuell erkennen. Diese Aufteilung der Brut dürfte eine Anpassung an den Lebensraum sein, der durch geringe Beutedichte und geklumpte Verteilung der Jagdwarten charakterisiert ist. So wird wahrscheinlich eine bessere Versorgung jedes Jungen, eine Verkürzung der Fütterflüge und der Suchzeit der Jungen sowie eine bessere Lernmöglichkeit des Beutefangs für das einzelne Junge gewährleistet.

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Brood division and habitat usage in the Cassins's Grey Flycatcher (Musicapa cassini)

Summary Cassin's Grey Flycatcher, inhabitants of tropical forest rivers, were observed at a river near Limbe (Westcameroon). The parent birds fed one fledgling each and did not feed the other's young. The separation between the parents and their young was stable during the whole observation period. Parents seem to recognize their individual young and vice versa. The possible functions of brood division are discussed with respect to prey abundance and habitat usage.