Moving calls: a vocal mechanism underlying quorum decisions in cohesive groups

Members of social groups need to coordinate their behaviour when choosing between alternative activities. Consensus decisions enable group members to maintain group cohesion and one way to reach consensus is to rely on quorums. A quorum response is where the probability of an activity change sharply increases with the number of individuals supporting the new activity. Here, we investigated how meerkats (Suricata suricatta) use vocalizations in the context of movement decisions. Moving calls emitted by meerkats increased the speed of the group, with a sharp increase in the probability of changing foraging patch when the number of group members joining the chorus increased from two up to three. These calls had no apparent effect on the group's movement direction. When dominant individuals were involved in the chorus, the group's reaction was not stronger than when only subordinates called. Groups only increased speed in response to playbacks of moving calls from one individual when other group members emitted moving calls as well. The voting mechanism linked to a quorum probably allows meerkat groups to change foraging patches cohesively with increased speed. Such vocal coordination may reflect an aggregation rule linking individual assessment of foraging patch quality to group travel route.     

Targeted Training of Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Aged and Parkinsonian Rats

Voice deficits are a common complication of both Parkinson disease (PD) and aging; they can significantly diminish quality of life by impacting communication abilities. ^{1, 2} Targeted training (speech/voice therapy) can improve specific voice deficits,^{3, 4} although the underlying mechanisms of behavioral interventions are not well understood. Systematic investigation of voice deficits and therapy should consider many factors that are difficult to control in humans, such as age, home environment, age post-onset of disease, severity of disease, and medications. The method presented here uses an animal model of vocalization that allows for systematic study of how underlying sensorimotor mechanisms change with targeted voice training. The ultrasonic recording and analysis procedures outlined in this protocol are applicable to any investigation of rodent ultrasonic vocalizations.The ultrasonic vocalizations of rodents are emerging as a valuable model to investigate the neural substrates of behavior.^5-8 Both rodent and human vocalizations carry semiotic value and are produced by modifying an egressive airflow with a laryngeal constriction.^{9, 10} Thus, rodent vocalizations may be a useful model to study voice deficits in a sensorimotor context. Further, rat models allow us to study the neurobiological underpinnings of recovery from deficits with targeted training.To model PD we use Long-Evans rats (Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.) and induce parkinsonism by a unilateral infusion of 7 μg of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the medial forebrain bundle which causes moderate to severe degeneration of presynaptic striatal neurons (for details see Ciucci, 2010).^{11, 12} For our aging model we use the Fischer 344/Brown Norway F1 (National Institute on Aging).Our primary method for eliciting vocalizations is to expose sexually-experienced male rats to sexually receptive female rats. When the male becomes interested in the female, the female is removed and the male continues to vocalize. By rewarding complex vocalizations with food or water, both the number of complex vocalizations and the rate of vocalizations can be increased (Figure 1).An ultrasonic microphone mounted above the male''s home cage records the vocalizations. Recording begins after the female rat is removed to isolate the male calls. Vocalizations can be viewed in real time for training or recorded and analyzed offline. By recording and acoustically analyzing vocalizations before and after vocal training, the effects of disease and restoration of normal function with training can be assessed. This model also allows us to relate the observed behavioral (vocal) improvements to changes in the brain and neuromuscular system.     

Optical resolution by crystallization from melt using enantiomer derivatives as resolving agents: nonlinear behavior of resolving agent mixtures

Substituted racemic 1-phenylethylamine derivatives were reacted in molten phase with chiral N-substituted 1-phenylethylamine dicarboxylic acid derivatives (4-9), and their mixtures (e.g., 4+6, 7+8, etc.) in different ratios, and the crystalline quasi-racemic diastereomers so formed were separated. Nonlinear behavior of the mixtures of resolving agents having related structure and considerable positive and negative chiral-chiral interactions were observed.     

一种基于多特征的大肠杆菌启动子判别算法

主要对从一段DNA序列中提取出信息以判别其中是否含有启动子的问题进行了研究。首先从固定长度的序歹4中提取成分特征和结构特征,然后将这些特征输入到一个非线性分类器中进行判别。测试结果显示,在正集＆非编码区负集中,平均错误率降低为13．4％;在正集＆编码区负集中,平均错误率降低到17．0％。表明该方法是非常有效的。     

Evaluation of different models to describe egg and pupal development of Xyleborus fornicatus Eichh, （Coleoptera： Scolytidae）, the shot-hole borer of tea in Sri Lanka

Development data of eggs and pupae ofXyleborusfornicatus Eichh. （Coleoptera： Scolytidae）, the shot-hole borer of tea in Sri Lanka, at constant temperatures were used to evaluate a linear and seven nonlinear models for insect development. Model evaluation was based on fit to data （residual sum of squares and coefficient of determination or coefficient of nonlinear regression）, number of measurable parameters, the biological value of the fitted coefficients and accuracy in the estimation of thresholds. Of the nonlinear models, the Lactin model fitted experimental data well and along with the linear model, can be used to describe the temperature-dependent development of this species.     

双光子显微镜在生物医学中的应用及其进展

光学显微镜的发展历史是一段不断提高显微镜的分辨率和对比度的历史。双光子显微镜是近30年来非线性显微镜的研究发展的代表。它在分辨率上与共聚焦显微镜相当,但在成像的层析穿透深度上有显著提高,并且大大减少了光毒性与光漂白。由于生物细胞组织中富有各种自家荧光源,因此双光子显微镜被广泛应用于皮肤组织甚至癌组织以及细胞的成像。基于共聚焦扫描显微镜的双光子显微镜可以很容易的与二次谐波显微镜组合,对皮肤组织中的重要成分胶原纤维进行成像。双光子显微镜还可以结合其他非线性光学现象对组织以及细胞进行成像,显示其强大的生命力。将来随着携带方便且廉价的双光子显微镜的出现,双光子显微镜有望在临床医学上发挥其有效的作用。     

Multimodal CARS microscopy determination of the impact of diet on macrophage infiltration and lipid accumulation on plaque formation in ApoE-deficient mice

We characterized several cellular and structural features of early stage Type II/III atherosclerotic plaques in an established model of atherosclerosis—the ApoE-deficient mouse—by using a multimodal, coregistered imaging system that integrates three nonlinear optical microscopy (NLOM) contrast mechanisms: coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), second harmonic generation (SHG), and two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF). Specifically, the infiltration of lipid-rich macrophages and the structural organization of collagen and elastin fibers were visualized by CARS, SHG, and TPEF, respectively, in thick tissue specimens without the use of exogenous labels or dyes. Label-free CARS imaging of macrophage accumulation was confirmed by histopathology using CD68 staining. A high-fat, high-cholesterol Western diet resulted in an approximate 2-fold increase in intimal plaque area, defined by CARS signals of lipid-rich macrophages. Additionally, analysis of collagen distribution within lipid-rich plaque regions revealed nearly a 4-fold decrease in the Western diet–fed mice, suggesting NLOM sensitivity to increased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and decreased smooth muscle cell (SMC) accumulation. These imaging results provide significant insight into the structure and composition of early stage Type II/III plaque during formation and allow for quantitative measurements of the impact of diet and other factors on critical plaque and arterial wall features.     

Molecular Mechanism of Polypeptide Translocation Catalyzed by the Escherichia coli ClpA Protein Translocase

The removal of damaged or unneeded proteins by ATP-dependent proteases is crucial for cell survival in all organisms. Integral components of ATP-dependent proteases are motor proteins that unfold stably folded proteins that have been targeted for removal. These protein unfoldases/polypeptide translocases use ATP to unfold the target proteins and translocate them into a proteolytic component. Despite the central role of these motor proteins in cell homeostasis, a number of important questions regarding the molecular mechanisms of enzyme catalyzed protein unfolding and translocation remain unanswered. Here, we demonstrate that Escherichia coli ClpA, in the absence of the proteolytic component ClpP, processively and directionally steps along the polypeptide backbone with a kinetic step size of ∼ 14 amino acids, independent of the concentration of ATP with a rate of ∼ 19 amino acids s⁻¹ at saturating concentrations of ATP. In contrast to earlier studies by others, we have developed single-turnover fluorescence stopped-flow methods that allow us to quantitatively examine the molecular mechanism of the motor component ClpA decoupled from the proteolytic component ClpP. For the first time, we reveal that in the absence of ClpP ClpA translocates polypeptides directionally, processively and in discrete steps similar to other motor proteins that translocate vectorially on a linear lattice, such as nucleic acid helicases and kinesin. We believe that the methods employed here will be generally applicable to the examination of other AAA?+ protein translocases involved in a variety of important biological functions where the substrate is not covalently modified; for example, membrane fusion, membrane transport, protein disaggregation, and protein refolding.     

Calling in wild silvery gibbons (Hylobates moloch) in Java (Indonesia): behavior, phylogeny, and conservation

Hardly any behavioral data are available for the silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch), an endangered primate that is endemic to the island of Java, Indonesia. We studied the singing behavior of the easternmost population of this species in the Dieng mountains, central Java, in 1998-1999. We aimed to document the timing of singing, quantify the amount of singing by the respective sexes, and explore the role of bioacoustics in density estimation. A total of 122 song bouts in at least 12 groups were monitored. No duet songs were heard. Most of the song bouts (91.5%) were female solo song bouts or female scream bouts. In contrast to an earlier study on the westernmost population of silvery gibbons, during which few if any male songs were heard, at least 8.5% of the song bouts in our study were male solo song bouts. They were significantly longer in duration than the female songs. All male song bouts uttered before dawn (0520 hr) were produced in a chorus fashion, with at least three individuals participating. Choruses occurred about once every 8.5 days, and lasted longer and occurred earlier than female solo song bouts. Most male songs (60%) started between 0355-0440 hr, when it was still dark. All female songs, in contrast, started after 0500 hr, and female singing activity peaked around 0600. Regular male singing, male chorusing, and regular predawn singing have not previously been reported for silvery gibbons. Similarly separated periods of male and female solo songs and the absence of duetting have been observed in Kloss's gibbons (H. klossii) on the Mentawai Islands, and may represent synapomorphies shared by both species. The pronounced individual-specific song characteristics of silvery gibbons allow accurate mapping of groups. The density of gibbons at our study site was established to be 1.9-3.7 groups/km2, corresponding to 6.7-13.1 individuals/km2. We reassess the suitability of gibbon songs as a means of estimating the density and size of gibbon populations, and discuss the proximate causes for the absence of duetting in silvery gibbons.