Distribution of newly synthesized DT-diaphorase in rat liver

The distribution, synthesis transport, and glycosylation of rat-liver DT-diaphorase has been investigated. The enzyme could be isolated using specific antibodies, mainly from the soluble supernatant but also from microsomal vesicles, Golgi membrane, and mitochondria. 40% of the microsomal enzyme was located in the lumen or on the interior side of the membrane, the rest remaining as an integral non-extractable part of the membrane. Synthesis of DT-diaphorase takes place on both free and bound ribosomes, although it was found to be transported in a sequential manner from the rough to the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and also subsequently to the mitochondria. The rough and smooth microsomal DT-diaphorase contains covalently bound carbohydrate, but no sugar moiety could be detected bound to the cytoplasmic form of the enzyme.     

Using a Lethality Index to Assess Susceptibility of Tribolium confusum and Oryzaephilus surinamensis to Insecticides

We evaluated knockdown caused by four insecticides: alpha-cypermethrin, chlorfenapyr, pirimiphos-methyl and fipronil against adults of Tribolium confusum Jacquelin Duval, the confused flour beetle and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), the sawtoothed grain beetle. Bioassays were conducted on concrete and metal surfaces. Adults of the tested species were exposed on both surfaces treated with the above insecticides at two doses (low and high). Knockdown assessment was done after 15, 30 and 60 min of adult exposure in the treated surfaces. Also, after 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 d of exposure, a lethality index was calculated with an equation resulting to values from 0 to 100, where 100 indicated complete mortality and 0 complete survival. We also developed a lethality index by ranking each adult on each surface from 0 to 4, 0: adults moved normally, 1: adults were knocked down, but were able to walk for short intervals, 2: adults were knocked down and unable to walk, but with visible movement of antennae etc., 3: adults were knocked down, with very minimal movement of the tarsi and the antennae and 4: adults were dead (no movement). Knockdown of adults immediately after exposure (15–60 min) was higher for pirimiphos-methyl followed by alpha-cypermethrin, for both dose rates tested and species, but only on the metal surface. The lethality index was nearly 100 for all insecticides after 5d of exposure for O. surinamensis, while for T. confusum the adult lethality index was considerably lower for alpha-cypermethrin, suggesting that that recovery from knockdown occurred. Chlorfenapyr was the only insecticide that was more effective on concrete than on metal, while the reverse was noted for the other three insecticides. These results show that knockdown has different levels, which can be used as indicators of insect mortality or recovery.     

Birth seasonality,photoperiod, and social change in the Central Canadian Arctic

Birth seasonally at high latitudes is a complex phenomenon which is undoubtedly affected by a subtle interaction between environmental rhythmicity (most notably in photoperiod and temperature) and cultural adaption. There is intriguing evidence that human gonadotrophic activity (and hence fertility) may be affected by seasonal fluctuations in light intensity and duration. Nevertheless, cultural factors are important insofar as they mediate between environmental rhythmicity and human fertility/birth patterns. This article examines the distribution of births over several decades in an Inuit community located 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Several shifts in birth seasonality are noted, the most significant of which is a dramatic shift from pronounced seasonality in the 1970s to non-seasonality in the 1980s. Longitudinal ethnographic fieldwork has allowed an examination of social and economic changes accounting for the rather sudden disappearance of birth seasonality. These include increasing reliance upon wage employment and social assistance, decreased dependence upon subsistence hunting and trapping, changing attitudes on the part of young people entering their prime reproductive years, and the introduction of television, radio, and southern-style recreational activities.     

Effect of simultaneous application of heat and pressure on the survival of bacterial spores

C.G. MALLIDIS AND D. DRIZOU. 1991. The effect of simultaneous application of moderate hydrostatic pressure (10–300 atm) and heat on the survival of the Bacillus stearothermophilus spores in a flow-through system was investigated. A high heterogeneity of the sensitization of spores to heat by pressure was found. A higher degree of reduction of heat resistance was observed at the low than at the high temperatures tested. The simultaneous application of moderate pressure and heat can not be applied for the preservation of liquid foods due to the extreme heterogeneity of spore sensitization to heat by pressure.