Dietary intake of nickel and zinc by young children – Results from food duplicate portion measurements in comparison to data calculated from dietary records and available data on levels in food groups

The daily dietary intake of nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) by 42 young children, 21 boys and 21 girls, from 4 to 7 years of age, living in urban and rural areas of Germany and having different food consumption behaviour, was determined by the duplicate method with a 7-day sampling period. Dietary records were also kept by the children's parents for the 7-day sampling period. Individual reported food items were identified, assigned to food groups and, together with known Ni and Zn concentrations of foodstuffs, daily intake rates were calculated. The same method was used for calculations of the energy, fat, protein and carbohydrate intake rates.The levels in the food duplicates, determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, were in the range of 69–2000 μg Ni/kg_{dry weight} (geometric mean (GM): 348) and 7.1–43 mg Zn/kg_{dry weight} (GM: 17.5). Daily intake rates based on the 294 individual food duplicate analyses were 12–560 μg Ni/d (GM: 92.3) and 1.5–11 mg Zn/d (GM: 4.63). The results from the dietary records were 35–1050 μg Ni/d (GM: 123) and 1.7–15 mg Zn/d (GM: 5.35).The results of the daily intake rates from both methods showed a correlation with regard to Zn (r=0.56), but no correlation was found between either the Ni intake rates determined with both methods or between the Ni intake rates measured by the duplicate method and calculated intake rates from the dietary records of energy, fat, protein, carbohydrates or drinking water. In the case of nickel, the discrepancies between the methods lead one to suppose that the main factors influencing Ni intake by food are not directly caused by easily assessable food ingredients themselves. It is possible that other factors, such as contaminated drinking water or the transition of Ni from kettles or other household utensils made from stainless steel into the food, may be more relevant. In addition there are some foodstuffs with great variations in concentrations, often influenced by the growing area and environmental factors. Further, some food groups naturally high in Nickel like nuts, cocoa or teas might not have been kept sufficient within the records. In summary, the dietary record method gave sufficient results for Zn, but is insufficient for Ni.Based on the food duplicate analysis, children living in urban areas with consumption of food products from a family-owned garden or the surrounding area and/or products from domestic animals of the surrounding area had about one-third higher Ni levels in their food than children either living in an urban area or children consuming products exclusively from the supermarket. Only slight differences were found with regard to Zn.Compared to the recommendations of the German Society of Nutrition (DGE) (25–30 μg Ni/d and 5.0 mg Zn/d), the participants of the study had a clearly increased Ni and, in view of the geometric mean value, a nearly adequate Zn intake. Health risks are especially given with regard to the influence of nickel intake by food on dermatitis for nickel-sensitive individuals.     

Crossover Localisation Is Regulated by the Neddylation Posttranslational Regulatory Pathway

Crossovers (COs) are at the origin of genetic variability, occurring across successive generations, and they are also essential for the correct segregation of chromosomes during meiosis. Their number and position are precisely controlled, however the mechanisms underlying these controls are poorly understood. Neddylation/rubylation is a regulatory pathway of posttranslational protein modification that is required for numerous cellular processes in eukaryotes, but has not yet been linked to homologous recombination. In a screen for meiotic recombination-defective mutants, we identified several axr1 alleles, disrupting the gene encoding the E1 enzyme of the neddylation complex in Arabidopsis. Using genetic and cytological approaches we found that axr1 mutants are characterised by a shortage in bivalent formation correlated with strong synapsis defects. We determined that the bivalent shortage in axr1 is not due to a general decrease in CO formation but rather due to a mislocalisation of class I COs. In axr1, as in wild type, COs are still under the control of the ZMM group of proteins. However, in contrast to wild type, they tend to cluster together and no longer follow the obligatory CO rule. Lastly, we showed that this deregulation of CO localisation is likely to be mediated by the activity of a cullin 4 RING ligase, known to be involved in DNA damage sensing during somatic DNA repair and mouse spermatogenesis. In conclusion, we provide evidence that the neddylation/rubylation pathway of protein modification is a key regulator of meiotic recombination. We propose that rather than regulating the number of recombination events, this pathway regulates their localisation, through the activation of cullin 4 RING ligase complexes. Possible targets for these ligases are discussed.     

On the Relationship between the Indirectly Measured Attitude Towards Beer and Beer Consumption: The Role of Attitude Accessibility

Although some studies have demonstrated that the indirectly measured attitude towards alcohol is related to alcohol use, this relationship has not always been confirmed. In the current study, we attempted to shed light on this issue by investigating whether the predictive validity of an indirect attitude measure is dependent upon attitude accessibility. In a sample of 88 students, the picture-picture naming task, an adaptation of the affective priming paradigm, was used to measure the automatically activated attitude towards beer. Attitude accessibility was measured using a speeded evaluative categorization task. Behavioral measures were the amount of beer poured and drunk during a bogus taste test and the choice between a bottle of beer or water at the end of the experiment. In line with our hypothesis, the indirectly measured attitude towards beer predicted behavior during the taste test only when it was highly accessible. In contrast, this attitude was related to choice behavior irrespective of attitude accessibility. This study confirms that indirect attitude measures can be valuable predictors of alcohol-related behavior, but that it is sometimes necessary to take attitude accessibility into account.     

Zur Physiologie des Formen- und Bewegungssehens II

Zusammenfassung Eine Analyse der optischen Situation, in die man die Biene bei Sehschärfeprüfungen zu bringen pflegt, ergibt, daß die Auflösung einer Abbildung durch das eucone Appositionsauge in erster Linie von der Musterabhebung bestimmt ist. Bei einer Darbietung einzelner Figuren ist die Abhebung, bzw. ihr Verhältnis zur Abhebungsschwelle des Ommatidiums, der einzige begrenzende Faktor. Handelt es sich um die Auflösung äquidistanter Muster, so tritt als zweiter begrenzender Faktor die Winkelöffnung der Ommatidien hinzu, insofern, als nach Unterschreitung der Ommenwinkel durch die Streifenwinkel die Musterauflösung eine unvollkommene wird. In der unvollkommenen Auflösung erscheinen die Konturabstände vergröbert und die Abhebungen vermindert. Es bedarf also einer Erhöhung der Helligkeitsdifferenzen des Musters, um ein unvollkommen auflösbares Muster sichtbar zu machen. Liegt das Kriterium für das Auftreten einer Bildgliederung in einer gerichteten Bewegungsreaktion (als Folge einer Verschiebung des Prüfungsmusters), dann spielt der Öffnungswinkel insofern noch weiter eine begrenzende Rolle, als bei bestimmten Lagen der Abbildung auf dem Augenraster und bestimmten Verhältnissen von Streifenwinkel und Ommenwinkel (11 und 13) keine gerichteten Bewegungsphänomene auftreten können, und bei anderen Lagen und anderen Winkelverhältnissen mit sehr komplexen Bewegungserscheinungen zu rechnen ist, d. h. mit rückläufigen und unter Umständen widersprechenden Bewegungsrichtungen innerhalb der Abbildung. Da unter diesen Umständen nicht nur die Bewegungsrichtung, sondern auch die Bewegungsgeschwindigkeit stark verändert wird, tritt als weiterer die Reaktion begrenzender Faktor die Geschwindigkeit der Musterverschiebung oder die Flimmerschwelle auf. Die bisher veröffentlichten Ergebnisse von Sehschärfeprüfungen an der Biene sind geeignet, diese Überlegungen zu stützen; in sämtlichen Untersuchungen hat im Grenzfall unvollkommene Musterauflösung vorgelegen.     

Water relations in grapevine micro-cuttings grownin vitro

Dry mater, water content, water, osmotic and pressure potentials, content of saccharides and potassium were measured duringin vitro cultivation ofVitis rootstocks. Three cases were compared: a) the micro-cuttings with normal growth; b) micro-cuttings which stop their growth after 15 d of culture, and c) micro-cuttings reactivated by 6 d of continuous darkness. Major differences were observed in water content and osmotic potential. The stopping of growth was not a specific property of buds, but was probably due to restriction of translocation of saccharides and water in the shoot.     

Taxonomy,phylogeography and climate relations of the Western Palaearctic spurge hawkmoth (Lepidoptera,Sphingidae, Macroglossinae)

Hundsdoerfer, AK., Mende, MB., Kitching, IJ. & Cordellier, M. (2011). Taxonomy, phylogeography and climate relations of the Western Palaearctic spurge hawkmoth (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae, Macroglossinae). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 403–417. The primary aim of this study was to analyse mitochondrial genetic variability within the Hyles euphorbiae lineage in the Western Palaearctic, where observations of morphology have indicated much greater differentiation than is implied by the current taxonomy. The scope of the study is broadened further by including an analysis of the possible influences of climatic factors on lineage distributions. Mitochondrial sequences from three genes totalling an unambiguous alignment of 2284 bp were obtained for 356 individuals of the H. euphorbiae complex (HEC) s.s. Genetic admixture, network and climatic factor analyses were used to analyse the data. Unexpected mitochondrial variability was uncovered within the distribution range of H. euphorbiae in southern Europe, with two additional distinct clusters being found, both with rather patchy occurrences. The results of the genetic analysis presented here confirm a distinct H. cretica on Crete and the Dodecanese Islands and a distinct H. robertsi in Iran that hybridises with H. euphorbiae. Comparison of the molecular data with larval morphology shows only limited correlation of genetic clusters with pattern elements. The genetic network of the HEC s.s. shows strong incongruence with traditional taxonomy. Ecological niche modelling based on climate data revealed that the three best‐sampled clusters (H. tithymali, the well‐known H. euphorbiae lineage from Europe, and the previously unknown mitochondrial H. euphorbiae lineage that occurs mainly in Italy) could all occur in southern Italy and on the Mediterranean Islands. Biotic interactions appear to explain the observed ranges better than abiotic factors alone.     

The candidate gene approach in plant genetics: a review

The candidate gene (CG) approach has been applied in plant genetics in the past decade for the characterisation and cloning of Mendelian and quantitative trait loci (QTLs). It constitutes a complementary strategy to map-based cloning and insertional mutagenesis. The goal of this paper is to present an overview of CG analyses in plant genetics. CG analysis is based on the hypothesis that known-function genes (the candidate genes) could correspond to loci controlling traits of interest. CGs refer either to cloned genes presumed to affect a given trait (`functional CGs') or to genes suggested by their close proximity on linkage maps to loci controlling the trait (`positional CGs'). In plant genetics, the most common way to identify a CG is to look for map co-segregation between CGs and loci affecting the trait. Statistical association analyses between molecular polymorphisms of the CG and variation in the trait of interest have also been carried out in a few studies. The final validation of a CG will be provided through physiological analyses, genetic transformation and/or sexual complementation. Theoretical and practical applications of validated CGs in plant genetics and breeding are discussed.     

Zur Physiologie des Formen- und Bewegungssehens. III

Zusammenfassung Für die Biene sind Abhebung, Gliederung, verschiedene Verteilung der Konturen und mit Ortsveränderung verbundene Bewegung selbständige figurale Eigenschaften, die sich in reziproken Dressuren gegeneinander ausspielen lassen. Die Dressur auf eine mit Ortsveränderung bewegte Figur gegenüber einer identischen, ruhenden ist nicht gelungen, wohl aber die auf die ruhende gegenüber der bewegten. Dagegen gelingen reziproke Dressuren, wenn der eine Partner eine stark abgehobene geschlossene und der andere Partner eine schwächer abgehobene, gegliederte Figur ist, nahezu rein an mehreren Figurenpaaren, bei denen zum Teil eine primäre Überlegenheit des einen über den anderen Partner besteht. Ebenso gelingen reziproke Dressuren bei einem Figurenpaar, dessen Partner dem gleichen figuralen Typus C angehören und die gleiche Abhebung und ungefähr den gleichen Konturreichtum besitzen, bei einer drastisch verschiedenen Verteilung der Konturen. Diese Beobachtungen warnen davor, auf der Häufigkeit und dem Ausmaß des Reizwechsels eine Tropismenlehre aufbauen zu wollen, die nur Zwangsreaktionen kennt.