A numerical taxonomic study of Actinobacillus, Pasteurella and Yersinia

A numerical taxonomic study of strains of Actinobacillus, Pasteurella and Yersinia, with some allied bacteria, showed 23 reasonably distinct groups. These fell into three major areas. Area A contained species of Actinobacillus and Pasteurella: A. suis, A. equuli, A. lignieresii, P. haemolytica biovar A, P. haemolytica biovar T, P. multocida, A. actinomycetemcomitans, 'P. bettii', 'A. seminis', P. ureae and P. aerogenes. Also included in A was a composite group of Pasteurella pneumotropica and P. gallinarum, together with unnamed groups referred to as 'BLG', 'Mair', 'Ross' and 'aer-2'. Area B contained species of Yersinia: Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis, Y. pestis and a group 'ent-b' similar to Y. enterocolitica. Area C contained non-fermenting strains: Y. philomiragia, Moraxella anatipestifer and a miscellaneous group 'past-b'. There were also a small number of unnamed single strains.     

Use of autonomous audio recordings for the rapid inventory of birds in the white‐sand forests of the Peruvian Amazon

White‐sand forests are patchily distributed ecosystems covering just 5% of Amazonia that host many specialist species of birds not found elsewhere, and these forests are threatened due to their small size and human exploitation of sand for construction projects. As a result, many species of birds that are white‐sand specialists are at risk of extinction, and immediate conservation action is paramount for their survival. Our objective was to evaluate current survey methods and determine the relative effect of the size of patches of these forests on the presence or absence of white‐sand specialists. Using point counts and autonomous recorders, we surveyed avian assemblages occupying patches of white‐sand forest in the Peruvian Amazon in April 2018. Overall, we detected 126 species, including 21 white‐sand forest specialists. We detected significantly more species of birds per survey point with autonomous recorders than point counts. We also found a negative relationship between avian species richness and distance from the edge of patches of white‐sand forest, but a significant, positive relationship when only counting white‐sand specialists. Although we detected more species with autonomous recorders, point counts were more effective for detecting canopy‐dwelling passerines. Therefore, we recommend that investigators conducting surveys for rare and patchily distributed species in the tropics use a mixed‐method approach that incorporates both autonomous recorders and visual observation. Finally, our results suggest that conserving large, continuous patches of white‐sand forest may increase the likelihood of survival of species of birds that are white‐sand specialists.     

Measuring ecological impact of water consumption by bioethanol using life cycle impact assessment

Purpose  

Though the development of biofuel has attracted numerous studies for quantifying potential water demand applying life cycle thinking, the impacts of biofuel water consumption still remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to quantify ecological impact associated with corn-based bioethanol water consumption in Minnesota in responding to different refinery expansion scenarios by applying a life cycle impact assessment method.     

In vitro assessment of three fibrolytic enzyme preparations as potential feed additives in equine diets

A series of in vitro experiments were conducted to assess three fibrolytic enzyme preparations as potential feed additives in equine diets. The three fibrolytic enzyme preparations were a concentrated cellulase (E1), an acid cellulase (E2) and a concentrated xylanase (E3). The enzymes were evaluated on their ability to modify the cell wall fraction of high-temperature dried lucerne (HTL) under various experimental conditions including differences in temperature, pH, incubation period, substrate levels and particle size to enable selection of the enzyme preparation most effective in the hydrolysis of lucerne. Results showed enzyme activities (as measured by reducing sugar assays) to be greatest at 50 °C, pH 5 and over an incubation period of greater than 20 h. E1 exhibited the greatest effect on total monosaccharide release from the HTL compared to E2 and E3. Moreover, dry matter (DM) and total non-starch polysaccharide (TNSP) losses were also greater in HTL treated with E1 compared to E2 and E3. Therefore, since the cell wall fraction of HTL contained substantial amounts of cellulose, the enzyme with the highest cellulase activity (Enzyme 1) was most effective in hydrolysing the cell walls of HTL. Consequently, it would appear that the application of exogenous fibrolytic enzyme preparations to forages requires the chemical characterisation of the target forage to enable selection of enzymes that are (a) most suitable to degrade the cell wall components of the candidate forage and (b) effective under field conditions.     

Plasticity of monkey triceps muscle fibers in microgravity conditions.

We examined the changes in functional properties of triceps brachii skinned fibers from monkeys flown aboard the BION 11 satellite for 14 days and after ground-based arm immobilization. The composition of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms allowed the identification of pure fibers containing type I (slow) or type IIa (fast) MHC isoforms or hybrid fibers coexpressing predominantly slow (hybrid slow; HS) or fast (hybrid fast) MHC isoforms. The ratio of HS fibers to the whole slow population was higher after flight (28%) than in the control population (7%), and the number of fast fibers was increased (up to 86% in flight vs. 12% in control). Diameters and maximal tensions of slow fibers were decreased after flight. The tension-pCa curves of slow and fast fibers were modified, with a decrease in pCa threshold and an increase in steepness. The proper effect of microgravity was distinguishable from that of immobilization, which induced less marked slow-to-fast transitions (only 59% of fast fibers) and changed the tension-pCa relationships.     

Cellular Thiol Production and Oxidation of Low-Density Lipoprotein

Compelling evidence suggests that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is oxidized by cells within the arterial intima and that, once oxidized, it is profoundly atherogenic. The precise mechanism(s) by which cells promote the oxidation of LDL in vivo are not known; in vitro, however, oxidation of LDL can be enhanced by a number of differing mechanisms, including reaction with free and protein-bound metal ions, thiols, reactive oxygen species, lipoxygenase, myeloperoxidase and peroxynitrite. This review is concerned with the mechanisms by which cells enhance the oxidation of LDL in the presence of transition metals; in particular, the regulation, pro- and anti-oxidant consequences, and mechanism of action of cellular thiol production are examined, and contrasted with thiol-independent oxidation of LDL in the presence of transition metals.     

Social behavior in a captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) group

A group of captive chimpanzees, consisting of one adult male and three mother/infant pairs, was systematically observed over a 15-month period. Over 200 hr of data were collected, using both sequential and time sampling techniques, and compared to the available data on wild chimps. Unlike many captive groups, most behavior patterns were remarkably similar, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to that of wild chimpanzees including: play, grooming, infant sexual development, tool use, food sharing, prosocial partner preferences, and aggressive displays.