The pygmy hog is a unique genus: 19th century taxonomists got it right first time round

The pygmy hog, Sus salvanius, the smallest and rarest extant suid was first described as the only member of the genus Porcula. It is currently regarded as member of the genus Sus and a sister taxon of the domestic pig/Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa). Phylogenetic analyses of 2316 bp from three mtDNA loci (control-region, cytochrome b, 16S) by Bayesian inference and statistical testing of alternative phylogenetic hypotheses all support the original classification of the pygmy hog as a unique genus. Thus, we propose that the species name Porcula salvania should be resurrected. The reclassification will heighten awareness of the need for the future protection and survival of this unique species.     

Age dependent alterations in phospholipid composition of a saprophytic and a pathogenic strain of Nocardia

Nocardia polychromogenes (saprophytic) and Nocardia asteroides (pathogenic) showed characteristic patterns in changes of cellular lipids during growth. Total lipids and total phospholipids decreased with the age of the culture in the saprophytic strain, whereas in the pathogenic strain total lipids increased throughout the culture period and the total phospholipids decreased in the late stationary phase. The decrease in total phospholipids in saprophytic strain was reflected in the individual phosphatides. In the pathogenic strain, the phosphatidylinositomannoside content doubled in early stationary phase. Differences were observed in fatty acid composition of phosphatides at various stages of growth, but the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids remained unaltered.     

Characterization of shrinkage cracks in medium black clay soil of madhya pradesh

Summary In a field experiment, the pattern and size of shrinkage cracks were studied under three vegetative covers of wheat crop, grass and cultivated fallow. Both the pattern and size of cracking varied widely. Under wheat crop, the major cracks developed parallel to the rows particularly midway between the two rows of plants. The cracks were few in number and simple in nature. And so was the case under grass where the major cracks developed either in between or around the grass tussocks. However, under cultivated fallow development of too many cracks forming an intricate network showed no definite pattern of cracking. In a soil other than the cultivated fallow, the pattern of cracking appeared to be a function of positioning of the plants rather than of the soil itself.As far as the size of cracks is concerned, the widest and deepest cracks developed under wheat crop and narrowest and shallowest under cultivated fallow. Under grass, the width and depth of the cracks was observed to be intermediate between the two extremes of wheat and cultivated fallow. The size of cracks seemed to depend on the magnitude of water loss from the soil. re]19760713     

Effect of CO2 on short-term human lymphocyte culture in vitro

Summary There was no significant difference in the mitotic indices of the cultures maintained at different CO₂ concentrations, i.e. 0%, 5% and 10%. However, considerable variation was recorded among different individuals. Supported by National Cancer Institute Contract No. 1 CP 43251.     

Reciprocal regulation of Δ 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase and proline dehydrogenase genes controls proline levels during and after osmotic stress in plants

Plants generally accumulate free proline under osmotic stress conditions. Upon removal of the osmotic stress, the proline levels return to normal. In order to understand the mechanisms involved in regulating the levels of proline, we cloned and characterized a proline dehydrogenase (PDH) cDNA from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPDH). The 1745?bp cDNA contains a major open reading frame encoding a peptide of 499 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence has high homology with both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Drosophila melanogaster proline oxidases and contains a putative mitochondrial targeting sequence. When expressed in yeast, the AtPDH cDNA complemented a yeast put1 mutation and exhibited proline oxidase activity. We also determined the free proline contents and the Δ¹-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) and PDH mRNA levels under different osmotic stress and recovery conditions. The results demonstrated that the removal of free proline during the recovery from salinity or dehydration stress involves an induction of the PDH gene while the activity of P5CS declines. The reciprocal regulation of P5CS and PDH genes appears to be a key mechanism in the control of the levels of proline during and after osmotic stress. The PDH gene was also significantly induced by exogenously applied proline. The induction of PDH by proline, however, was inhibited by salt stress.