Co-development,co-production and co-dissemination of scientific research: a case study to demonstrate mutual benefits

Inadequate and inequitable distribution of research capacity and resources limits both the opportunity for leadership and participation in science. It also results in biases of effort, poor and misinterpretation of global patterns and the availability of limited usable knowledge for current challenges. Increased participation in ocean research and decision-making is needed to account for many stressors and challenges. The current intergovernmental attention on the ocean (e.g. UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development) and the development of technologies that permit exploration and accelerate exploitation suggest that it is timely to focus on the ocean and its stewardship. Employing the principles of co-development, co-production and co-dissemination, this paper uses a case study of a deep reef project in Seychelles to illustrate some activities that can be employed to magnify research outcomes and legacy. We provide examples that range from ministerial briefings and planning meetings to joint fieldwork, grant allocation and co-authoring outputs. These activities helped us to align priorities, promote authentic interactions and focus on equitable science. Finally, reflecting on our experiences, we acknowledge the benefits brought by respectful and long-term partnerships, the variety of activities needed to develop these and challenges of maintaining them. In the future, we also want to include more opportunities for regional peer-to-peer learning and technology transfer.     

Dimensions of the intestine, diet and faecal water loss in some African antelope

Measurements of the intestine of 16 species of antelope were allometrically analysed. Moisture content of the digesta showed greatest interspecific variation in the spiral and distal colon. Small intestine length showed positive allometry, its circumference showed negative allometry, resulting in a surface area which was isometric or related to metabolic rate. Dimensions of the villi were non-allometric. Grazers had lower surface areas of the small intestine than intermediates/concentrate selectors owing to smaller circumferences. In the large intestine, the dimensions of the distal colon showed the greatest interspecific variation. Lengths of the large intestine showed positive allometry except for the caecum which was isometric. Circumferences and areas of the large intestine were isometric or related to metabolic rate. Species producing dry dung had larger lengths and areas of the large intestine but a smaller circumference of the proximal and spiral colon and also showed greater drying of digesta per unit area than those producing wetter dung. Grazers had smaller lengths, circumferences and areas of the large intestine than intermediates/concentrate selectors.     

Glutamine synthetase isoforms in Trientalis europaea: a biochemical and molecular approach

Ion-exchange chromatography of extracts from Trientalis europaea L. leaf tissue have been shown to contain two distinct isoforms of glutamine synthetase (GS). However, analysis by Western blotting has shown that the first peak to elute contains a mixture of large and small GS subunits, whilst the second peak is comprised entirely of a smaller subunit. This is contrary to the widespread assumptions concerning plant GS biochemistry. Isolation of intact chloroplasts and subsequent extraction of GS, followed by ion-exchange chromatography, has shown that the first peak to elute contains a large subunit, and the second chloroplastic peak is composed entirely of the small subunit. This smaller subunit may be present due to it being encoded by a separate chloroplastic GS gene, or it may be present as a product of post-translational modification. DNA sequencing has been used to try and determine which of these may be occurring. The three partial DNA sequences (505 nucleotides) we have obtained from T. europaea have been compared with 64 other sequences available on the NCBI database, which have mainly been obtained from crop species. Neighbour joining and parsimony analysis (1000 bootstrap) has shown support (_∼30%) for the separation of plant GS from all other phyla. Within the plant phylum, there is total support for the separation of chloroplastic and cytosolic GS (100%), whilst the cytosolic sequences divide further into monocot and dicot species (77% support by NJ). Further subgroups of plants from the same families is also suggested. This is consistent with previous work containing fewer, but longer (_∼1000 nucleotides) GS sequences. The addition of GS sequences obtained from wild plant species, such as T. europaea, to the large amount of information already available on the database, will permit a better understanding of the evolution of this important enzyme. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ultrastructure of Spermatozoa of the Yellow-rumped Elephant Shrew Rhynchocyon chrysopygus (Mammalia: Macroscelidea) and the Phylogeny of Elephant Shrews

The spermatozoa of the yellow-rumped elephant shrew Rhynchocyon chrysopygus have a spatulate head, tapering to a rounded proximal end with a marked narrowing at the equatorial segment. There is a short pointed subacrosome and about 24 gyres of mitochondria were found in the midpiece. The coarse fibres surrounding the axonome show enlargement of numbers 1, 5, 6 and 9. The spermatozoa of all genera of elephant shrews have now been described allowing comparisons among them. R. chrysopygus has the shortest spermatozoon and the fewest number of gyres. The pointed subacrosome is considered an ancestral feature and is shared with Macroscelides. The enlargement of coarse fibres 1, 5, 6 and 9 is found in several groups including members of the archonta and paenungulates, both postulated as being related to elephant shrews.     

Woody Debris Volume Depletion Through Decay: Implications for Biomass and Carbon Accounting

Woody debris decay rates have recently received much attention because of the need to quantify temporal changes in forest carbon stocks. Published decay rates, available for many species, are commonly used to characterize deadwood biomass and carbon depletion. However, decay rates are often derived from reductions in wood density through time, which when used to model biomass and carbon depletion are known to underestimate rate loss because they fail to account for volume reduction (changes in log shape) as decay progresses. We present a method for estimating changes in log volume through time and illustrate the method using a chronosequence approach. The method is based on the observation, confirmed herein, that decaying logs have a collapse ratio (cross-sectional height/width) that can serve as a surrogate for the volume remaining. Combining the resulting volume loss with concurrent changes in wood density from the same logs then allowed us to quantify biomass and carbon depletion for three study species. Results show that volume, density, and biomass follow distinct depletion curves during decomposition. Volume showed an initial lag period (log dimensions remained unchanged), even while wood density was being reduced. However, once volume depletion began, biomass loss (the product of density and volume depletion) occurred much more rapidly than density alone. At the temporal limit of our data, the proportion of the biomass remaining was roughly half that of the density remaining. Accounting for log volume depletion, as demonstrated in this study, provides a comprehensive characterization of deadwood decomposition, thereby improving biomass-loss and carbon-accounting models.     

Regenerative potential of human muscle stem cells in chronic inflammation

Introduction

Chronic inflammation is a profound systemic modification of the cellular microenvironment which could affect survival, repair and maintenance of muscle stem cells. The aim of this study was to define the role of chronic inflammation on the regenerative potential of satellite cells in human muscle.

Methods

As a model for chronic inflammation, 11 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were included together with 16 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) as controls. The mean age of both groups was 64 years, with more females in the RA group compared to the OA group. During elective knee replacement surgery, a muscle biopsy was taken from the distal musculus vastus medialis. Cell populations from four RA and eight OA patients were used for extensive phenotyping because these cell populations showed no spontaneous differentiation and myogenic purity greater than 75% after explantation.

Results

After mononuclear cell explantation, myogenic purity, viability, proliferation index, number of colonies, myogenic colonies, growth speed, maximum number of population doublings and fusion index were not different between RA and OA patients. Furthermore, the expression of proteins involved in replicative and stress-induced premature senescence and apoptosis, including p16, p21, p53, hTERT and cleaved caspase-3, was not different between RA and OA patients. Mean telomere length was shorter in the RA group compared to the OA group.

Conclusions

In the present study we found evidence that chronic inflammation in RA does not affect the in vitro regenerative potential of human satellite cells. Identification of mechanisms influencing muscle regeneration by modulation of its microenvironment may, therefore, be more appropriate.     

A review of bacterial methyl halide degradation: biochemistry,genetics and molecular ecology

Methyl halide-degrading bacteria are a diverse group of organisms that are found in both terrestrial and marine environments. They potentially play an important role in mitigating ozone depletion resulting from methyl chloride and methyl bromide emissions. The first step in the pathway(s) of methyl halide degradation involves a methyltransferase and, recently, the presence of this pathway has been studied in a number of bacteria. This paper reviews the biochemistry and genetics of methyl halide utilization in the aerobic bacteria Methylobacterium chloromethanicum CM4T, Hyphomicrobium chloromethanicum CM2T, Aminobacter strain IMB-1 and Aminobacter strain CC495. These bacteria are able to use methyl halides as a sole source of carbon and energy, are all members of the alpha-Proteobacteria and were isolated from a variety of polluted and pristine terrestrial environments. An understanding of the genetics of these bacteria identified a unique gene (cmuA) involved in the degradation of methyl halides, which codes for a protein (CmuA) with unique methyltransferase and corrinoid functions. This unique functional gene, cmuA, is being used to develop molecular ecology techniques to examine the diversity and distribution of methyl halide-utilizing bacteria in the environment and hopefully to understand their role in methyl halide degradation in different environments. These techniques will also enable the detection of potentially novel methyl halide-degrading bacteria.     

Evaluation of two progestogen-based estrous synchronization protocols in yearling heifers of Bos indicus × Bos taurus breeding

Yearling Bos indicus × Bos taurus heifers (n = 410) from three locations, were synchronized with either the Select Synch/CIDR+timed-AI (SSC+TAI) or 7-11+timed-AI (7-11+TAI) treatments. On Day 0 of the experiment, within each location, heifers were equally distributed to treatments by reproductive tract score (RTS; Scale 1-5: 1 = immature, 5 = estrous cycling) and body condition score. The 7-11+TAI treatment consisted of melengestrol acetate (0.5 mg/head/d) from Days 0 to 7, with PGF_2α (25 mg im) on Day 7, GnRH (100 μg im) on Day 11, and PGF_2α (25 mg im) on Day 18. The SSC+TAI heifers received the same carrier supplement (without MGA) from Days 0 to 7, and on Day 11 they were given 100 μg GnRH and an intravaginal CIDR (containing 1.38 g progesterone). The CIDR were removed on Day 18, concurrent with 25 mg PGF_2α im For both treatments, estrus was visually detected for 1 h twice daily (0700 and 1600 h) for 72 h after PGF_2α, with AI done 6 to 12 h after a detected estrus. Non-responders were timed-AI and received GnRH (100 μg im) 72 to 76 h post PGF_2α. The 7-11+TAI heifers had a greater (P < 0.05) estrous response (55.2 vs 41.9%), conception rate (47.0 vs 31.3%), and synchronized pregnancy rate (33.5 vs 24.8%) compared to SSC+TAI heifers, respectively. Heifers exhibiting estrus at 60 h (61.7%) had a greater (P < 0.05) conception rate compared to heifers that exhibited estrus at ≤ 36 (35.3%), 48 (31.6%), and 72 h (36.2%), which were similar (P > 0.05) to each other. As RTS increased from ≤ 2 to ≥ 3, estrous response, conception rate, synchronized pregnancy rate, and 30 d pregnancy rate all increased (P < 0.05), irrespective of synchronization treatment. In conclusion, the 7-11+TAI treatment yielded greater synchronized pregnancy rates compared to SSC+TAI treatment in yearling Bos indicus × Bos taurus heifers.