Testosterone and its effects on courtship in golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus): seasonal, sex, and age differences

Male golden-collared manakins gather on leks and perform an acrobatic display to attract females. In temperate breeding species, testosterone (T) activation of courtship displays has been well studied. Few studies have examined T activation of displays in tropical species; even fewer have explored the activational role of T in elaborate courtship displays such as in the manakin. In some tropical species, including manakins, territorial aggression or song behavior are uncoupled from T. We have previously shown that T activates display behavior in manakin males when endogenous T levels are low in the non-courtship season. To understand how T functions in breeding birds, we examined T levels in a large group of manakins sampled during the courtship and non-courtship season. In addition, during the courtship season, we gave T implants to adult males, juvenile males, and females. We found that T levels were low during the non-courtship season and comparatively higher on average during the courtship season. However, T levels were low in many adult males during the courtship season, especially when compared to temperate breeding species. Regardless of initial endogenous T levels during the courtship season, T implants did not increase the display frequency of adult males. T-treated females and juvenile males did display under similar conditions. Our data suggest that the effects of T on manakin display vary with season, sex, and age and that high T is not necessary for display.     

Calcium and dairy product modulation of lipid utilization and energy expenditure

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of dietary calcium or dairy product intake on total energy expenditure (TEE), fat oxidation, and thermic effect of a meal (TEM) during a weight loss trial. Methods and Procedures: The intervention included a prescribed 500‐kcal deficit diet in a randomized placebo‐controlled calcium or dairy product intervention employing twenty‐four 18 to 31‐year‐old (22.2 ± 3.1 years, mean ± s.d.) overweight women (75.5 ± 9.6 kg). TEM and fat oxidation were measured using respiratory gas exchange after a meal challenge, and TEE was measured by doubly labeled water. Fat mass (FM) and lean mass (fat‐free mass (FFM)) were measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Subjects were randomized into one of these three intervention groups: (i) placebo (<800 mg/day calcium intake); (ii) 900 mg/day calcium supplement; (iii) three servings of dairy products/day to achieve an additional 900 mg/day. Results: There were no group effects observed in change in TEE; however, a group effect was observed for fat oxidation after adjusting for FFM (P = 0.02). The treatment effect was due to an increase in fat oxidation in the calcium‐supplemented group of 1.5 ± 0.6 g/h, P = 0.02. Baseline 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) was positively correlated with TEM (R = 0.31, P = 0.004), and trended toward a correlation with fat oxidation (P = 0.06), independent of group assignment. Finally, the change in log parathyroid hormone (PTH) was positively correlated with the change in trunk FM (R = 0.27, P = 0.03). Discussion: These results support that calcium intake increases fat oxidation, but does not change TEE and that adequate vitamin D status may enhance TEM and fat oxidation.     

PDGF enhances store-operated Ca2+ entry by upregulating STIM1/Orai1 via activation of Akt/mTOR in human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and its receptor are known to be substantially elevated in lung tissues and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMC) isolated from patients and animals with pulmonary arterial hypertension. PDGF has been shown to phosphorylate and activate Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in PASMC. In this study, we investigated the role of PDGF-mediated activation of Akt signaling in the regulation of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration and cell proliferation. PDGF activated the Akt/mTOR pathway and, subsequently, enhanced store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) and cell proliferation in human PASMC. Inhibition of Akt attenuated the increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration due to both SOCE and PASMC proliferation. This effect correlated with a significant downregulation of stromal interacting molecule (STIM) and Orai, proposed molecular correlates for SOCE in many cell types. The data from this study present a novel pathway for the regulation of Ca(2+) signaling and PASMC proliferation involving activation of Akt in response to upregulated expression of PDGF. Targeting this pathway may lead to the development of a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.     

A synthesis of methane emissions from 71 northern,temperate, and subtropical wetlands

Wetlands are the largest natural source of atmospheric methane. Here, we assess controls on methane flux using a database of approximately 19 000 instantaneous measurements from 71 wetland sites located across subtropical, temperate, and northern high latitude regions. Our analyses confirm general controls on wetland methane emissions from soil temperature, water table, and vegetation, but also show that these relationships are modified depending on wetland type (bog, fen, or swamp), region (subarctic to temperate), and disturbance. Fen methane flux was more sensitive to vegetation and less sensitive to temperature than bog or swamp fluxes. The optimal water table for methane flux was consistently below the peat surface in bogs, close to the peat surface in poor fens, and above the peat surface in rich fens. However, the largest flux in bogs occurred when dry 30‐day averaged antecedent conditions were followed by wet conditions, while in fens and swamps, the largest flux occurred when both 30‐day averaged antecedent and current conditions were wet. Drained wetlands exhibited distinct characteristics, e.g. the absence of large flux following wet and warm conditions, suggesting that the same functional relationships between methane flux and environmental conditions cannot be used across pristine and disturbed wetlands. Together, our results suggest that water table and temperature are dominant controls on methane flux in pristine bogs and swamps, while other processes, such as vascular transport in pristine fens, have the potential to partially override the effect of these controls in other wetland types. Because wetland types vary in methane emissions and have distinct controls, these ecosystems need to be considered separately to yield reliable estimates of global wetland methane release.     

Ecology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus in the Coastal and Estuarine Waters of Louisiana,Maryland, Mississippi,and Washington (United States)

Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus, which are native to estuaries globally, are agents of seafood-borne or wound infections, both potentially fatal. Like all vibrios autochthonous to coastal regions, their abundance varies with changes in environmental parameters. Sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and chlorophyll have been shown to be predictors of zooplankton and thus factors linked to vibrio populations. The contribution of salinity, conductivity, turbidity, and dissolved organic carbon to the incidence and distribution of Vibrio spp. has also been reported. Here, a multicoastal, 21-month study was conducted to determine relationships between environmental parameters and V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus populations in water, oysters, and sediment in three coastal areas of the United States. Because ecologically unique sites were included in the study, it was possible to analyze individual parameters over wide ranges. Molecular methods were used to detect genes for thermolabile hemolysin (tlh), thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh), and tdh-related hemolysin (trh) as indicators of V. parahaemolyticus and the hemolysin gene vvhA for V. vulnificus. SST and suspended particulate matter were found to be strong predictors of total and potentially pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus. Other predictors included chlorophyll a, salinity, and dissolved organic carbon. For the ecologically unique sites included in the study, SST was confirmed as an effective predictor of annual variation in vibrio abundance, with other parameters explaining a portion of the variation not attributable to SST.     

Yield and Woody Biomass Traits of Novel Shrub Willow Hybrids at Two Contrasting Sites

Shrub willow has great potential as a dedicated bioenergy crop, but commercialization and adoption by growers and end-users will depend upon the identification and selection of high-yielding cultivars with biomass chemistry and quality amenable to conversion to biofuels and bioenergy. In this study, critical traits for biomass production were evaluated among new genotypes of shrub willow produced through hybrid breeding. This study assessed the variation in yield, pest and disease resistance, biomass composition, and wood density in shrub willow, as well as the impact of genotypic and environmental factors on these particular phenotypes. Analysis of clonal genotypes established on two contrasting sites in New York State, Tully and Belleville, showed statistical differences by site for all of the traits. The greatest yield was observed at Belleville, NY, for two cultivars, ‘Fish Creek’ (41 Mg?ha^?1) and ‘Onondaga’ (40 Mg?ha^?1). Yields of Salix eriocephala genotypes were lowest, and they displayed susceptibility to rust and beetle damage. Variation in cellulose content in the stem biomass was controlled by environmental factors, with the majority of the genotypes displaying greater cellulose content at Belleville compared with Tully. In contrast, wood density was significantly greater at Tully than Belleville, and cellulose content was correlated with wood density. There were no significant correlations between biomass yield and density or any of the composition traits. These trials demonstrate that new genotypes produce improved yield and pest and disease resistance, with diverse compositional traits that can be matched with conversion technologies.     

Catecholase activity associated with copper-S100B

This study addresses the spectroscopic properties and reactivity associated with the copper-loaded form of S100B isolated from bovine brain. Copper(II)-S100B displays EPR features typical of a type II copper center and is shown here to exhibit catecholase activity, the two-electron oxidation of catechols. The steady-state kinetics associated with the oxidation of several catecholamines has been probed in order to further characterize this activity. The evidence provided indicates that the catecholase chemistry is copper initiated. Superoxide dismutase has no effect on the rates of catecholamine oxidation catalyzed by Cu-S100B, establishing that superoxide is not produced during this reaction, ruling out an autoxidative mechanism. Addition of catalase to the Cu-S100B reaction with catechols reduces the amount of oxygen consumed by 50%, demonstrating that peroxide is released during this reaction. The release of peroxide is mechanistically distinct from the type III dinuclear copper proteins, catechol oxidase and tyrosinase.     

The STE4 and STE18 genes of yeast encode potential beta and gamma subunits of the mating factor receptor-coupled G protein

The STE4 and STE18 genes are required for haploid yeast cell mating. Sequencing of the cloned genes revealed that the STE4 polypeptide shows extensive homology to the beta subunits of mammalian G proteins, while the STE18 polypeptide shows weak similarity to the gamma subunit of transducin. Null mutations in either gene can suppress the haploid-specific cell-cycle arrest caused by mutations in the SCG1 gene (previously shown to encode a protein with similarity to the alpha subunit of G proteins). We propose that the products of the STE4 and STE18 genes comprise the beta and gamma subunits of a G protein complex coupled to the mating pheromone receptors. The genetic data suggest pheromone-receptor binding leads to the dissociation of the alpha subunit from beta gamma (as shown for mammalian G proteins), and the free beta gamma element initiates the pheromone response.     

Initiating Events in Direct Cardiomyocyte Reprogramming

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