Catalysis by heteropentalenes of electron transfer to oxygen from ferredoxin-NADP oxidoreductase reduced by NADPH

A range of heteropentalene and bipyridinium compounds have been tested as catalysts of electron transfer to oxygen from spinach ferredoxin-NADP⁺ oxidoreductase reduced by NADPH. For a particular class of compound, the rate of oxygen reduction increased with increasing midpoint potential of the compound under conditions in which reduction of the compound was rate-limiting. Compounds with similar midpoint potentials from different structural classes showed marked differences in rate, attributed to specificity in the interaction with ferredoxin-NADP⁺ oxidoreductase.     

Responses to a stranger mother-son pair in the wild chimpanzee: A case report

A stranger mother-son pair of the chimpanzee was observed twice interacting with conspecifics of a neighbouring unit-group: first, when the mother and son accidentally encountered them within the core area of the former; second, when the mother and son temporarily immigrated for about one week. On both occasions, the mother and son were severely attacked by adult males of the neighbouring unit-group, and would have been killed had it not been for human intervention. The main target of the aggression was not the infant, but the mother. Some adult males intervened and prevented other males and females from attacking the mother-son pair. Moreover, most adult males displayed an ambivalent attitude since they showed aggression towards them on one occasion, but groomed, reassured and played on another. The reasons for the variable responses of adult males to a stranger female are discussed in terms of possible differences in their mating strategies.     

Effects of proteinase K on the energy transfer between phycobiliproteins in phycobilisomes

Spectral changes in fluorescence of phycobilisomes (PBS) of A. variabilis treated with proteinase K were studied at room and liquid nitrogen temperature. In control PBS, the relative yield of 77 K fluorescence of F686 was very high, and those of F655 and F666 were low. In PBS treated with proteinase K for less than 1 h, F686 decreased, and F655 and F666 increased. In PBS treated with proteinase K for 2 h, F655 was the main peak of fluorescence emission, F686 was the second peak, the fluorescence emission peak of F666 disappeared. In PBS treated with proteinase K for more than 8 h, F655 showed only one fluorescence emission peak.We suggested that phycobiliporteins in the PBS of A. variabilis constitute an energy transfer chain, shown as follows:{fx91-1}The linkages between APC and APC-B, C-PC and APC, and C-PC and APC-B had different sensitivity towards proteinase K.     

Embryo transfer in two-year-old donor mares

Embryos were collected from two-year-old donor mares and transferred surgically during 1983 and 1984. The overall embryo recovery rate from two-year-old donors was 36.3%. Over both years, 71.4% of the donors ($\text{30}\text{42}$) provided at least one embryo. There was a trend both years for slightly higher embryo recovery rates prior to August 1 (47.7%), as compared to after August 1 (31.1%). Pregnancy rates in recipient mares after surgical embryo transfer were not affected by month of the breeding season. However, there was a trend for improved pregnancy rates when embryos were transferred after August 1 (87.5%), as compared to before August 1 (70.0%). There was a 8.3% incidence of fetal loss between Days 15 and 35 of gestation in recipients. The incidence of fetal loss between Days 35 and 60 of gestation was 2.7%. Based on these data, the chance of obtaining a pregnancy from a two-year-old mare is 28.2% (36.3% recovery × 77.7% pregnancy rate). Thus embryo transfer may prove to be a beneficial tool for obtaining foals from two-year-old donor mares.     

Intra uterine survival and growth of Wistar and Wistar x Brown Norway rat embryos

Embryos of the Wistar strain and its F(1) cross (Wistar females mated with Brown Norway males) of rats were transferred nonsurgically to 48 Wistar, 17 F(1) cross and 20 Wistar-Imamichi recipients. The two types of embryos were transferred together to each recipient to compare the viability of the embryos. Pregnancy rate was 78.8% (67 85 ). The survival rate of fetuses to term was 11.5% (20 174 ) and 25.1% (42 168 ) for the Wistar and F(1) embryos, respectively. Placental weight differed significantly (P<0.05) between embryo types and among recipient types while fetus weight differed (P<0.01) only among recipient types, with a significant interaction between recipient and embryo types (P<0.01). It was concluded that the F(1) embryos (Wistar x Brown Norway) were twice as viable as Wistar embryos under the conditions provided.     

Successful transfer of embryos recovered from a cow with chronic cervicitis of mixed aerobic and anaerobic bacterial aetiology a case report

An imported 13-year-old Simmentaler cow was presented with severe purulent cervicitis and endometritis from which Corynebacterium pyogenes , Fusobacterium necrophorum , Bacteroides melaninogenicus and an untyped Clostridium perfringens were isolated. The endometritis responded to treatment but the cervix did not and remained fibrous, continuously patent and purulent. Natural pregnancy was considered unlikely and the cow was prepared as an embryo transfer donor. Eight embryos were recovered and six transferred, resulting in five confirmed pregnancies and four live births.     

Loading and translocation of assimilate in the fine veins of sunflower leaves

Abstract The time course of loading and transport of assimilate in sunflower leaves was examined by pulse labelling with ¹⁴CO₂, followed by freeze drying or freeze substitution, and dry autoradiography at both low and high resolution. The five classes of veins, V1-V5 (V5 being smallest), show a division of function: V5 and V4 are engaged in loading and short distance transport; V3 to V1, in long distance translocation. The first high concentration of ¹⁴C is found in two or three phloem parenchyma cells (intermediary cells) of V5 and V4 veins. The sieve elements of V5 and V4 veins do not show comparable concentrations of ¹⁴C at any time. Recently assimilated ¹⁴C is transported by the intermediary cells for distances of about 0.5 mm to the V3 veins. In V3 to V1 veins translocation is in the sieve tubes. Transport in V5 and V4 veins is in two directions, that in V3 to V1, in one direction towards the petiole. The high concentration of ¹⁴C formed in the intermediary cells does not increase further as the assimilate moves to the sieve tubes of the V3 veins, and so is probably the origin of the gradient that drives translocation.     

花背蟾蜍(Bufo raddei Strauch)眼形态发生过程中角膜上皮表面结构的扫描电镜观察

扫描电镜观察表明,花背蟾蜍眼形态发生过程中角膜上皮细胞表面形态结构的变化,大致可分三个阶段。1.从神经管期至肌肉感应期预定角膜上皮表面无明显变化;2.在心跳期和鳃血循环期预定角膜上皮表面出现较多的细胞缢束和其下细胞表面的下陷;3.在以后各期,角膜上皮中纤毛细胞的纤毛逐渐退化消失,在右鳃盖封闭期纤毛细胞全部消失。上述变化与视网膜及其中光感受器的发育分化密切相关,纤毛的退化和消失更精确地反映了这种依赖关系,似可作为角??膜上皮分化的一个形态指标。