Social implications of fission in wild Formosan macaques at Mount Longevity,Taiwan

Group fission in non-human primates has long been proposed to result from interactions between ecological and social factors. Several studies have documented possible causes for group fission, but its proximate causes and ultimate adaptive values are not yet fully understood. We have examined the existing hypotheses on fission from long-term demographic data of Formosan macaques inhabiting the lowland rainforest at Mt Longevity, Taiwan. Five cases of fission occurred in four social groups. We have recorded two types of fission: one involving the separation of a high-ranking adult male and multiple adult females, the other initiated by adult females from main groups. Five adult females immigrated and emigrated a few times between the main and branch groups (oscillation) in three fission events. Data presented in this study are consistent with the prediction that low-ranking females split from main groups when their fitness costs increase due to ecological pressure or population growth. However, their reproductive success may decrease after fission due to a high rate of intra-group competition. Nevertheless, it is beneficial for males to be involved in fission since this increases reproductive benefits by decreasing the sex ratio in small newly formed groups.     

Do male golden egg bugs carry eggs they have fertilized? A microsatellite analysis

In the golden egg bug, Phyllomorpha laciniata (Heteroptera,Coreidae), both males and females carry eggs on their back.Although females cannot carry their own eggs, males may carryeggs that they have fertilized. If males carry eggs they havefertilized, their behavior may be interpreted as paternal care.In this article, we provide genetic data for paternity assignmentof eggs carried by 40 males collected from the field. The malesand the eggs were typed by using four highly polymorphic microsatelliteDNA markers. Out of the 247 eggs typed, 87% were excluded fromthe father-offspring relationship based on single-locus (leastconservative exclusion) mismatches. Under the more conservative(exclusion by at least two single locus mismatches) method,78% of the eggs were nonpaternal. Relatedness estimates furthersupported our paternity analyses. The average relatedness ofthe eggs to the carrying males was low (b_em = -0.052 ±0.024 SE). Within the population, males were unrelated to eachother (b_mm = -0.004 ± 0.0002 SE), as were the eggs carriedby individual males (b_eggs = -0.004 ± 0.0001 SE). Thisfirst genetic study on the breeding system of the golden eggbugs did not find any support for the claim that egg carryingfunctioned as paternal care, nor did it support kin selectionas explanation for conspecific egg carrying.     

Black box of phage–bacterium interactions: exploring alternative phage infection strategies

The canonical lytic–lysogenic binary has been challenged in recent years, as more evidence has emerged on alternative bacteriophage infection strategies. These infection modes are little studied, and yet they appear to be more abundant and ubiquitous in nature than previously recognized, and can play a significant role in the ecology and evolution of their bacterial hosts. In this review, we discuss the extent, causes and consequences of alternative phage lifestyles, and clarify conceptual and terminological confusion to facilitate research progress. We propose distinct definitions for the terms ‘pseudolysogeny’ and ‘productive or non-productive chronic infection’, and distinguish them from the carrier state life cycle, which describes a population-level phenomenon. Our review also finds that phages may change their infection modes in response to environmental conditions or the physiological state of the host cell. We outline known molecular mechanisms underlying the alternative phage–host interactions, including specific genetic pathways and their considerable biotechnological potential. Moreover, we discuss potential implications of the alternative phage lifestyles for microbial biology and ecosystem functioning, as well as applied topics such as phage therapy.     

Diurnal Changes in Microscopic Structures of Mesophyll Cells of Norway Spruce, Picea abies(L.) Karst., and the Effects of Ozone and Drought

Microscopy has been used to diagnose the effects of air pollutantson conifers. As sampling may be slow, it is important to knowwhether the structure of needles changes during the day. Usinglight- and electron microscopy, diurnal changes in the structureof mesophyll cells of current year needles from 6-year-old Norwayspruce saplings were studied on one day in early autumn, 1995.Saplings had been grown in open-top chambers and exposed toozone and drought stress during the 1992–1995 growingseasons. In all treatments, the proportion of cells with smallcytoplasmic vacuoles and with large cytoplasmic lipid depositsdecreased during the day. Mitochondria increased in size fromearly morning to midday, after which time they shrank progressively.Ozone affected the shape of mitochondria: the proportion oftube-shaped mitochondria decreased from early morning in controlsaplings, whereas it increased in ozone-treated saplings. Starchaccumulated during the day, but to a lesser extent in drought-stressedsaplings than well-watered controls. Microbodies were smallerin drought-stressed saplings than in controls early in the morning,but their size then increased compared to that of the controls.Cellular and sub-cellular disorganization, probably due to sub-optimalfixation procedures, were detected in all treatments, especiallyin the morning, but these decreased later, particularly in well-wateredsaplings. Results show that microscopy is a sensitive and validtool for studying stress responses in plants. However, the timeof sample collection must be considered and documented to avoidmisleading conclusions due to actual diurnal changes and fixationproblems. Copyright 2001 Annals of Botany Company Diurnal changes, drought, light microscopy, mesophyll cells, needles, Norway spruce, Picea abies, ozone, transmission electron microscopy     

Entangled in the imagination: New middle-class apprehensions in an Indian theme park

By analysing a visit to Ramoji Film City, a theme park in Hyderabad, by a group of youths, this essay examines how transterritorial flows of imagery are socially contextualized by India's new middle classes. A theme park is a spatial arrangement thatincorporatesimaginary worlds and makes them available to experiencein a contextless ‘here-and-now’. As such, the theme parkis a stage where the fragileidentity of India's new middle classes is put on trial. Despite the appeal of the theme park for potential middle-class visitors, the visitors I followed appeared largely uninspired by the imagery of the far away and past in Film City, and they found it difficult to incorporate their visit to the theme park as a meaningful social practice. The case of Ramoji Film City shows how the social situatedness of the subject determines the significance of the imagination in the transnational world.     

Design and synthesis of novel 1-phenyl-3-(5-(pyrimidin-4-ylthio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol- 2-yl)urea derivatives with potent anti-CML activity throughout PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

In this investigation, a series of 1-phenyl-3-(5-(pyrimidin-4-ylthio)-1,3,4- thiadiazol-2-yl)urea receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors were synthesized by a simple and efficient structure-based design. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis of these compounds based on cellular assays led to the discovery of a number of compounds that showed potent activity against human chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cell line K562, but very weak or no cellular toxicity through monitoring the growth kinetics of K562 cell during a period of 72 h using the real-time live-cell imaging. Among these compounds, 1-(5-((6-((3-morpholinopropyl) amino)pyrimidin-4-yl)thio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)urea (7) exhibited the least cellular toxicity and better biological activity in cellular assays (K562, IC₅₀: 0.038 μM). Compound 7 also displayed very good induced-apoptosis effect for human CML cell line K562 and exerted its effect via a significantly reduced protein phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt signal pathway by Human phospho-kinase array analysis. In vitro results indicate that 1-phenyl-3-(5-(pyrimidin-4-ylthio)-1,3,4- thiadiazol-2-yl)urea derivatives are lead molecules for further development as treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and cancer.     

Female egg dumping and the effect of sex ratio on male egg carrying in a coreid bug

Phyllomorpha laciniata Vill (Heteroptera, Coreidae) is uniqueamong terrestrial insects in that females glue eggs on the backsof other conspecifics. Egg carrying byP. laciniatamales haspreviously been considered as paternal care. We explored femaleoviposition with respect to previous mating experience of femalesand tested whether sex ratio affects male egg-carrying. Thehypothesis that male egg-carrying is a form of paternal carepredicts that a male should always accept eggs after matingwith a female. However, if male egg-carrying is a form of postcopulatorymate guarding rather than paternal care, egg carrying shouldincrease in the presence of other males. When two couples wereplaced together, females laid eggs on the backs of all individualsenclosed, including the backs of other females. However, whena female was accompanied by 2 males, 22 out of 26 females ovipositedon their mating partner. Thus, sexual competition rather thanpaternity alone, affects a male's eagerness to carry eggs. However,even if males sometimes carry their own eggs, females lay eggson the backs of all conspecifics they can easily acquire. Thus,egg carrying in P. laciniata is partially voluntary and partiallythe result of female egg dumping