Extreme endurance flights by landbirds crossing the Pacific Ocean: ecological corridor rather than barrier?

Mountain ranges, deserts, ice fields and oceans generally act as barriers to the movement of land-dependent animals, often profoundly shaping migration routes. We used satellite telemetry to track the southward flights of bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica baueri), shorebirds whose breeding and non-breeding areas are separated by the vast central Pacific Ocean. Seven females with surgically implanted transmitters flew non-stop 8,117-11,680 km (10153+/-1043 s.d.) directly across the Pacific Ocean; two males with external transmitters flew non-stop along the same corridor for 7,008-7,390 km. Flight duration ranged from 6.0 to 9.4 days (7.8+/-1.3 s.d.) for birds with implants and 5.0 to 6.6 days for birds with externally attached transmitters. These extraordinary non-stop flights establish new extremes for avian flight performance, have profound implications for understanding the physiological capabilities of vertebrates and how birds navigate, and challenge current physiological paradigms on topics such as sleep, dehydration and phenotypic flexibility. Predicted changes in climatic systems may affect survival rates if weather conditions at their departure hub or along the migration corridor should change. We propose that this transoceanic route may function as an ecological corridor rather than a barrier, providing a wind-assisted passage relatively free of pathogens and predators.     

Susceptibility of two Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep to experimental infection with Anaplasma ovis.

In North America, the role of wild ruminants in the epidemiology of anaplasmosis has not been clearly defined. Such information is particularly meager in regard to bighorn sheep. We report the susceptibility of two Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) to experimental infection with a well characterized field isolate of Anaplasma ovis obtained from domestic sheep in Idaho. Both bighorn sheep developed infection resulting in severe clinical disease, with relatively high parasitemias, icterus and anemia. One animal required tetracycline therapy and responded well to treatment, while the other recovered uneventfully without treatment. Both bighorn sheep were spleen-intact, a condition that in A. ovis-exposed domestic sheep typically is associated with mild infection. The results indicate that bighorn sheep may be adversely affected if exposed to the organism in nature.     

Growth and Tuberization of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) under Continuous Light

The growth and tuberization of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) maintained for 6 weeks under four different regimes of continuous irradiance were compared to plants given 12 hours light and 12 hours dark. Treatments included: (a) continuous photosynthetic photon flux of 200 micromoles per square meter per second cool-white fluorescent (CWF); (b) continuous 400 micromoles per square meter per second CWF; (c) 12 hours 400 micromoles per square meter per second CWF plus 12 hours dim CWF at 5 micromoles per square meter per second; (d) 12 hours micromoles per square meter per second CWF plus 12 hours dim incandescent (INC) at 5 micromoles per square meter per second and a control treatment of 12 hours light at 400 micromoles per square meter per second CWF and 12 hours dark. The study included five cultivars ranging from early- to late-season types: `Norland,' `Superior,' `Norchip,' `Russet Burbank,' and `Kennebec.' Tuber development progressed well under continuous irradiation at 400 micromoles per square meter per second and under 12 hours irradiance and 12 hours dark, while tuber development was suppressed in all other light treatments. Continuous irradiation at 200 or 400 micromoles per square meter per second resulted in severe stunting and leaf malformation on `Superior' and `Kennebec' plants, but little or no injury and vigorous shoot growth in the other cultivars. No injury or stunting were apparent under 12-dim light or 12-dark treatments. Plants given 12 hours dim INC showed significantly greater stem elongation but less total biomass than plants in other treatments. The continuous light encouraged shoot growth over tuber growth but this trend was overridden by providing a high irradiance level. The variation among cultivars for tolerance to continuous lighting indicates that potato may be a useful species for photoinhibition studies.     

Stomatal Response and Leaf Injury of Pisum sativum L. with SO(2) and O(3) Exposures : II. INFLUENCE OF MOISTURE STRESS AND TIME OF EXPOSURE

Stomatal response during exposure to SO₂ and O₃ and subsequent leaf injury were examined in plants of Pisum sativum L. `Alsweet' grown in a peat-vermiculite medium in controlled environment chambers. Plants developing under moisture stress, induced by drying the medium to 50% of field capacity, exhibited greater stomatal closure during exposures and less than one-fourth the necrosis compared to plants developing in a medium maintained at field capacity. Plants under moisture stress had only a slightly more negative plant water potential (−4.0 bars) than at field capacity (−3.4 bars). Plants exposed to pollutants for 2 hours near the beginning or end of a 16-hour light period had greater stomatal closure during exposures and less leaf necrosis than plants exposed during the middle of the light period.     

Properties of microtubule sliding disintegration in isolated tetrahymena cilia

Properties of the sliding disintegration response of demembranated tetrahymena cilia have been studied by measuring the spectrophotomeric response or turbidity of cilia suspensions at a wavelength of 350 nm relative to changes in the dynein substrate (MgATP(2-)) concentration. The maximum decrease in turbidity occurs in 20 muM ATP, and 90 percent of the decrease occurs in approximately 5.9 s. At lower ATP concentrations (1-20 muM), both the velocity and magnitude of the turbidity decreases are proportional to ATP concentration. The velocity data for 20 muM ATP permit construction of a reaction velocity curve suggesting that changes in turbidity are directly proportional to the extent and velocity of disintegration. At ATP concentrations more than 20 muM (50muM to 5mM), both velocity and magnitude of the turbidimetric response are reduced by approximately 50 percent. This apparent inhibition results in a biphasic response curve that may be related to activation of residual shear resistance or regulatory components at the higher ATP concentrations. The inhibitory effects of elevated ATP can be eliminated by mild trypsin proteolysis, whereupon the reaction goes to completion at any ATP concentration. The turbidimetric responses of the axoneme-substrate suspensions are consistent with the extent and type of axoneme disintegration revealed by electron microscope examination of the various suspensions, suggesting that the turbidimetric assay may prove to be a reliable means for assessing the state of axoneme integrity.     

LEAF HISTOGENESIS IN LACTUCA SATIVA WITH EMPHASIS UPON LATICIFER ONTOGENY

The leaf primordia of Lactuca sativa ‘Meikoningen’ develop from a subapical initial in the second layer of the tunica on the side of a fiat shoot apex. Subsequent growth of the subsurface lamina is initiated by submarginal initials which divide anticlinally to produce an adaxial layer and ***a biseriate abaxiallayer, and periclinally to produce a middle layer from which procambium differentiates. The protoderm is derived from the first tunica layer by continuous anticlinal divisions. The activity of the subapical and submarginal initials is completed when the leaf is 0.3 mm in length and 4.0 mm in width, respectively. Continued growth of the leaf to 130-150 mm results from intercalary cell division and enlargement. The mature venation is visibly delineated when the leaf is 25-30 mm in length. Laticifer and phloem cells are initiated by the same mother cells in the ***procambium. The former become non-septate laticifers by resorption of cross walls. They mature concurrently with the phloem and before the xylem.     

Key factors influencing ADME properties of therapeutic proteins: A need for ADME characterization in drug discovery and development

Protein therapeutics represent a diverse array of biologics including antibodies, fusion proteins, and therapeutic replacement enzymes. Since their inception, they have revolutionized the treatment of a wide range of diseases including respiratory, vascular, autoimmune, inflammatory, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cancer. While in vivo pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and efficacy studies are routinely carried out for protein therapeutics, studies that identify key factors governing their absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties have not been fully investigated. Thorough characterization and in-depth study of their ADME properties are critical in order to support drug discovery and development processes for the production of safer and more effective biotherapeutics. In this review, we discuss the main factors affecting the ADME characteristics of these large macromolecular therapies. We also give an overview of the current tools, technologies, and approaches available to investigate key factors that influence the ADME of recombinant biotherapeutic drugs, and demonstrate how ADME studies will facilitate their future development.     

Injury, Stomatal Conductance, and Abscisic Acid Levels of Pea Plants following Ozone plus Sulfur Dioxide Exposures at Different Times of the Day

Pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Alsweet) plants were exposed to mixtures of ozone plus sulfur dioxide at different times of the day. Injury, evaluated either as necrosis or chlorophyll, was greatest at midday when stomatal conductance was greatest. Abscisic acid levels were similar over the day, and showed no relation to stomatal conductance.