The RAINFOR database: monitoring forest biomass and dynamics

Problem: Data from over 100 permanent sample plots which have been studied for 10–20 years need a suitable system for storage which allows simple data manipulation and retrieval for analysis. Methods: A relational database linking tree records, taxonomic nomenclature and corresponding environmental data has been built in MS Access as part of the RAINFOR project. Conclusion: The database allows flexible and long‐term use of a large amount of data: more than 100 tree plots across Amazonia, incorporating over 80 000 records of individual trees and over 300 000 total records of tree diameter measurements from successive censuses. The database is designed to enable linkages to existing soil, floristic or plant‐trait databases. This database will be a useful tool for exploring the impact of environmental factors on forest structure and dynamics at local to continental scales, and long term changes in forest ecology. As an early example of its potential, we explore the impact of different methodological assumptions on estimates of tropical forest biomass and carbon storage.     

Protistan microbial observatory in the Cariaco Basin,Caribbean. I. Pyrosequencing vs Sanger insights into species richness

Microbial diversity and distribution are topics of intensive research. In two companion papers in this issue, we describe the results of the Cariaco Microbial Observatory (Caribbean Sea, Venezuela). The Basin contains the largest body of marine anoxic water, and presents an opportunity to study protistan communities across biogeochemical gradients. In the first paper, we survey 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence diversity using both Sanger- and pyrosequencing-based approaches, employing multiple PCR primers, and state-of-the-art statistical analyses to estimate microbial richness missed by the survey. Sampling the Basin at three stations, in two seasons, and at four depths with distinct biogeochemical regimes, we obtained the largest, and arguably the least biased collection of over 6000 nearly full-length protistan rRNA gene sequences from a given oceanographic regime to date, and over 80 000 pyrosequencing tags. These represent all major and many minor protistan taxa, at frequencies globally similar between the two sequence collections. This large data set provided, via the recently developed parametric modeling, the first statistically sound prediction of the total size of protistan richness in a large and varied environment, such as the Cariaco Basin: over 36 000 species, defined as almost full-length 18S rRNA gene sequence clusters sharing over 99% sequence homology. This richness is a small fraction of the grand total of known protists (over 100 000–500 000 species), suggesting a degree of protistan endemism.     

The effect of exogenous hormone treatment on spermiation and vitellogenesis in the grey mullet, Mugil cephalus L.

The effects of mammalian gonadotropins, methyltestosterone and partially purified salmon gonadotropin on spermiation and oocyte maturation were studied in adult grey mullet. Methyltestosterone was a potent spermiating agent in both prespawning and spawning trials. The most effective dose was 5 mg/100 g body weight. Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) was moderately effective at a dose rate of 20 IU/100 g body weight. Both hormones blocked resorption of milt in captive animals. The HCG, FSH/LH combination, Synahorin+mullet pituitary homogenate, and partially purified salmon gonadotropin were equally effective, at the doses used, in inducing oocyte maturation and preventing onset of atrophy before completion of vitellogenesis. Atrophy occurred in all experimental fish at mean oocyte diameter of 750 μ. The significance of this finding is discussed. (Oceanic Institute Contribution No. 98).     

Staining Neuroglia with Silver Diammino-Hydroxide after Sensitizing with Sodium Sulfite and Embedding in Paraffin

Pieces of brain are fixed in formalin ammonium bromide for about 4 days at room temperature, and given the following treatment: After washing, dehydrating and clearing, embed in paraffin, section and mount. Deparaffinize sections and pass through graded alcohols to water. Sensitize in 5% sodium sulfite for 2 hours, wash in distilled water and impregnate with silver diamminohydroxide solution 2-5 minutes at room temperature. Reduce in 2% formalin, wash in distilled water and tone in gold chloride. Fix in 5% hypo, counterstain with 1% picric acid, dehydrate and cover in balsam. Equally good results are obtained by impregnating with Hortega's strong silver carbonate. The microglia, oligodendroglia, fibrous and protoplasmic astrocytes in the cat, rabbit, newborn and adult human are successfully stained by this method.     

Choline Administration Elevates Brain Phosphorylcholine Concentrations

Abstract: The phosphorylcholine concentration of rat brain rises and falls in response to parallel changes in the concentration of circulating choline. A single oral dose of choline chloride (20 mmol/kg) elevated whole-brain concentrations of both choline and phosphorylcholine 5 h after administration; a greater proportion of exogenously administered choline was retained by the brain in its phosphorylated form than as the free arnine. Striatal phosphorylcholine concentrations were elevated within 2 h of choline administration and continued to be significantly greater than control values for up to 34 h after treatment. The response of striatal choline levels to exogenous choline was of shorter duration than that of phosphorylcholine and was correlated with a significant increase in striatal acetylcholine concentrations. The consumption of a choline-free diet for 7 days lowered both serum choline and striatal phosphorylcholine concentrations, but had no effect on striatal choline or acetylcholine. These results suggest that choline kinase is unsaturated by its substrate in vivo and may thus serve to modulate the response of brain choline concentrations to alterations in the supply of circulating choline.     

Genome-wide CRISPR Screens Reveal Host Factors Critical for SARS-CoV-2 Infection

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