Phylogenetic relationships of Neotropical honeycreepers and the evolution of feeding morphology

Phylogenetic relationships among Neotropical honeycreepers were studied by using cytochrome b sequence data. Although honeycreepers were once placed in their own family (Coerebidae), these species did not form a monophyletic group in any of the phylogenies in this study. Thus, our results indicate that nectar-feeding evolved independently multiple times among these birds. The Neotropical honeycreepers are best considered disparate members of a larger radiation of tanagers and finches, in which bill size and shape, and associated feeding behaviors have changed frequently to fill a variety of niches. Our phylogenies also provide specific taxonomic recommendations on the placement of each honeycreeper genus. The use of the taxon Coerebidae is no longer warranted given the well-supported relationships between different honeycreeper species and a variety of tanagers and finches.     

Identification of human populations with a high incidence of cellular immunity against breast carcinoma

Summary Cell mediated immunity specifically directed against breast carcinoma, but not against osteogenic sarcoma or other carcinomas, was found to occur in the household contacts of patients with active breast carcinoma (primary and metastatic). Such immunity was not found in the normal population, nor in household contacts of patients with osteogenic sarcoma; it was also not found in household contacts of breast carcinoma patients who had been disease free for two or more years. Patients with breast carcinoma had cytotoxicity indexes (CI) comparable to the normal population, regardless of their clinical condition.     

Stability Enhancement for Peptide Analysis by Electrospray Using the Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

Electrospray ionization sources, used with triple quadrupole mass spectrometers from PE/Sciex (API III+), Micromass (Quattro II), and Finnigan (TSQ 7000), were modified with a 35-gauge stainless steel needle. The dimensions of the needle were 63 μm i.d. by 145 μm o.d. with variable length, depending on the specific instrument. This modification led to enhanced signal stability, improved signal/noise ratios, and lowered sample consumption for a wide range of peptides. Stable baselines were observed with flow rates in the range of 50 nL/min to 5 μL/min. An alternative design, based on a metal wire housed within a fused silica capillary, led to the most stable signals of all during infusion, but caused excessive peak broadening with capillary chromatography. The Finnigan interface was further modified with an external postcolumn addition tee, used in conjunction with capillary liquid chromatography columns of 30 and 50 μm internal diameter. The best results with the modified Finnigan interface were acquired using the 50-μm column at a flow rate of 150 to 200 nL/min.     

Effect of irradiation on female painted apple moth Teia anartoides (Lep., Lymantriidae) sterility and attractiveness to males

Abstract:  Live female painted apple moths are being used to monitor the distribution of this invasive species in Auckland as part of a major eradication effort, and the goal of this project was to develop a method to minimize the risk of unwanted live insect propagation from the trapping programme as a result of vandalism or 'eco-terrorism'. Female pupae were irradiated with a range of doses and their egg viability assessed, and also tested to determine the impact of irradiation on male moth catch in the field. Female painted apple moth pupae, irradiated at a range of doses from 100 to 500 Gy, were placed in cages in traps at 10 m spacings from non-irradiated females, near a central release site of irradiated males. Untreated control females alternated along orthogonal transects with irradiated females. The results indicated no significant effect of female irradiation on catch of males. There was no correlation between dose and catch, within the range of exposures tested. There was a very low hatch rate of eggs from females irradiated at all doses tested (100–500 Gy). These results suggest that irradiated females could be used in traps to reduce potential risks of deliberate spread of the unwanted organism by activists, without affecting the effectiveness of monitoring males.     

Linkage analysis in tetraploid potato and association of markers with quantitative resistance to late blight ( Phytophthora infestans )

We have constructed a partial linkage map in tetraploid potato which integrates simplex, duplex and double-simplex AFLP markers. The map consists of 231 maternal and 106 paternal markers with total map lengths of 990.9 cM and 484.6 cM. The longer of the two cumulative map lengths represents approximately 25% coverage of the genome. In tetraploids, much of the polymorphism between parental clones is masked by `dosage' which significantly reduces the number of individual markers that can be scored in a population. Consequently, the major advantage of using AFLPs – their high multiplex ratio – is reduced to the point where the use of alternative multi-allelic marker types would be significantly more efficient. The segregation data and map information have been used in a QTL analysis of late blight resistance, and a multi-allelic locus at the proximal end of chromosome VIII has been identified which contributes significantly to the expression of resistance. No late blight resistance genes or QTLs have previously been mapped to this location. Received: 1 October 1997 / Accepted: 18 March 1998     

Adventitious root initiation in hypocotyl and epicotyl cuttings of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) seedlings

The present paper reports results of experiments to develop a system for studying adventitious root initiation in cuttings derived from seedlings. Hypocotyl cuttings of 2-week-old eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) seedlings were treated for 5 min with 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 or 600 mg l^?1 (0, 0.54, 1.07, 1.61, 2.15, 2.69 or 3.22 mM) 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) to determine the effect on root initiation. The number of root primordia per cutting was correlated with NAA concentration and the square of NAA concentration. Thus, the number increased from less than one per cutting in the 0 NAA treatment to approximately 40 per cutting at 300 mg l-1 NAA, above which no substantial further increase was observed. The larger number of root primordia formed in response to increasing concentrations of NAA was due to the formation of primordia over a larger proportion of the hypocotyls. Histological analysis of the timing of root primordium formation in hypocotyl cuttings revealed three discernible stages. Progression through these stages was relatively synchronous among NAA-treated hypocotyl cuttings and within a given cutting, but variation was observed in the portion of different cuttings undergoing root formation. Control-treated hypocotyl cuttings formed root primordia at lower frequencies and more slowly than NAA-treated cuttings, with fewer primordia per cutting. Epicotyl cuttings from 11-week-old seedlings also formed adventitious roots, but more slowly than hypocotyl cuttings. NAA treatment of epicotyl cuttings caused more rapid root initiation and also affected the origin of adventitious roots in comparison with nontreated cuttings. NAA-treated epicotyl cuttings formed roots in a manner analogous to that of the hypocotyl cuttings, directly from preformed vascular tissue, while control-treated epicotyl cuttings first formed a wound or callus tissue and subsequently differentiated root primordia within that tissue. This system of inducing adventitious roots in pine stem cuttings lends itself to studying the molecular and biochemical steps that occur during root initiation and development.     

Nurse practitioners in primary care III. The southern Ontario randomized trial

A group of nurses who formerly had performed office functions received a special university-based educational program designed to prepare them to assume much of primary care management as nurse practitioners. The associated family physicians would shift their role to general supervision and attention to difficult clinical problems. To test this new form of practice, two complementary randomized trials have been conducted in south-central Ontario. The particular trial reported here was intended to assess the influence of the educational program on the changing roles of the professional personnel. The nurses of 14 family medical practices, with the physicians'' support and commitment to participation, applied for the new training. Seven applicants were randomly selected to receive the training and their corresponding practices became the experimental group, while the remaining nurses and practices were retained as controls. During the subsequent year of investigation important changes occurred in professional roles of the experimental group. Nurse practitioners spent more time in clinical activities than conventional office nurses. The shift was not at the expense of time devoted to clinical work by physicians. Doctors delegated more professional activities to nurse practitioners than to conventional nurses. Except for remuneration (affected by legal constraints) job satisfaction among experimental physicians and nurses remained high after one year of experience with the new method.     

Enhanced inflorescence development in bougainvillea "san diego red" by removal of young leaves and cytokinin treatments

Removal of young leaves and application of the cytokinin, N-benzyla-α-(tetrahydro-2H-pyran-2yl)-adenine promote inflorescence development in Bougainvillea “San Diego Red”. Defoliation greatly increased the amount of assimilate accumulated at the shoot tip 1 to 2 days after treatment. Cytokinin applications further increased the amount accumulated and this increase was apparent 4 days before morphological changes could be detected at the inflorescence axes. Short days promoted inflorescence development and also increased assimilate accumulation at the reproductive axes; thus, it is suggested that the role of short day induction in bougainvillea may be that of redirecting the flow of assimilates, perhaps by its influence on cytokinin synthesis and distribution.