The influence of straining maneuvers on the pressor response during isometric exercise

Experiments were performed to determine to what extent increments in esophageal and abdominal pressure would have on arterial blood pressure during fatiguing isometric exercise. Arterial blood pressure was measured during handgrip and leg isometric exercise performed with both a free and occluded circulation to active muscles. Handgrip contractions were exerted at 33 and 70% MVC (maximum voluntary contraction) by 4 volunteers in a sitting position and calf muscle contractions at 50 and 70% MVC with the subjects in a kneeling position. Esophageal pressure measured at the peak of inspirations did not change during either handgrip or leg contractions but peak expiratory pressures increased progressively during both handgrip and leg contractions as fatigue occurred. These increments were independent of the tensions of the isometric contractions exerted. Intra-abdominal pressures measured at the peak of either inspiration or expiration did not change during inspiration with handgrip contractions but increased during expiration. During leg exercise, intraabdominal pressures increased during both inspiration and expiration, reaching peak levels at fatigue. The arterial blood pressure also reached peak levels at fatigue, independent of circulatory occlusion and tension exerted, averaging 18.5-20 kPa (140-150 mm Hg) for both handgrip and leg contractions. While blood pressure returned to resting levels following exercise with a free circulation, it declined by only 2.7-3.8 kPa after leg and handgrip exercise, respectively, during circulatory occlusion. These results indicate that straining maneuvers contribute 3.5 to 7.8 kPa to the change in blood pressure depending on body position.     

Notes on the distribution of phytoplankton in some Kenya waters

The distribution of the major plankton algae in a number of Kenya waters is described. The lakes and dams are shown to fall into ecological groups related to figures for the pH, conductivity and alkalinity of their waters and characterised by the dominance of certain types of alga. The composition of the phytoplankton collected at approximately monthly intervals from Sasumua and Ruiru reservoirs is described. Plankton periodicity is demonstrated for both waters and is shown to be related to rainfall. The periodicity of plankton in Lake Naivasha is noted.     

Presence and Analysis of Plasmids in Human and Animal Associated Arcobacter Species

In this study, we report the screening of four Arcobacter species for the presence of small and large plasmids. Plasmids were present in 9.9% of the 273 examined strains. One Arcobacter cryaerophilus and four Arcobacter butzleri plasmids were selected for further sequencing. The size of three small plasmids isolated from A. butzleri and the one from A. cryaerophilus strains ranged between 4.8 and 5.1 kb, and the size of the large plasmid, isolated from A. butzleri, was 27.4 kbp. The G+C content of all plasmids ranged between 25.4% and 26.2%. A total of 95% of the large plasmid sequence represents coding information, which contrasts to the 20 to 30% for the small plasmids. Some of the open reading frames showed a high homology to putative conserved domains found in other related organisms, such as replication, mobilization and genes involved in type IV secretion system. The large plasmid carried 35 coding sequences, including seven genes in a contiguous region of 11.6 kbp that encodes an orthologous type IV secretion system found in the Wolinella succinogenes genome, Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni plasmids, which makes this plasmid interesting for further exploration.     

Infraspecific variation in Cerastium alpinum s. lat. (Caryophyllaceae) in Central Norway

Within Cerastium alpinum s. lat., several taxa have been circumscribed. Three infraspecific taxa are currently recognized in Nordic literature, but the opinions have varied about their taxonomic levels and relations to each other. Populations of these three taxa — alpinum, glabratum and lanatum — were investigated in Central Norway to elucidate taxonomic relationships on a regional scale. Morphometric analyses (PCA ordination) based on two data sets; one with 61 characters, and one without the 35 indumentum characters, gave different results. The former partly support the use of a higher rank for glabratum , but this analysis may put too much weight on indumentum characters. The reduced data set gave a more continuous transition between the three taxa, with no special status for glabratum. Crossing experiments between the taxa indicated full cross compatibility as far as relative seed set was concerned. Finally, vegetation analysis (DCA ordination) indicated that the three taxa have somewhat different ecological demands. This suggests that they, in spite of hybridization abilities, normally are maintained as separate entities due to habitat differences. A delimitation of three infraspecific taxa at the same level within C. alpinum s. lat. is thus supported by this study. Whether these taxa should be treated as subspecies or varieties strongly depends upon the definitions of these categories. Viewed in a wide geographical context, however, the arguments for subspecific rank are strengthened.     

The effect of grass maturing and root decay on N2O production in soil

The N₂O flux from the surface of grass-covered pots was only significant following grass maturing. Removal of the above-ground plant material resulted in an immediate and long-lasting increase in N₂O production in the soil. The results suggest that easily available organic matter from the roots stimulates the denitrification when the plants are damaged. Grass cutting might therefore result in a marked nitrogen loss through denitrification. The quantitative effect was equal in soil with and without succinate added. The size of the anaerobic zone around the roots is therefore sufficient to allow for denitrification activity mediated by increased organic matter availability because of plant cutting.     

Light- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry of peptidergic neurons innervating thoracico-abdominal neurohaemal areas in the blowfly

Summary Ventral thoracic neurosecretory cells (VTNCs) of the blowflies, Calliphora erythrocephala and C. vomitoria, innervating thoracic neuropil and the dorsal neural sheath of the thoracico-abdominal ganglion have been shown to be immunoreactive to a variety of mammalian peptide antisera. In the neural sheath the VTNC terminals form an extensive neurohaemal network that is especially dense over the abdominal ganglia. The same areas are invaded by separate, ut overlapping serotonin-immunoreactive (5-HT-IR) projections derived from neuronal cell bodies in the suboesophageal ganglion. Immunocytochemical studies with different antisera, applied to adjacent sections at the lightmicroscopic level, combined with extensive cross-absorption tests, suggest that the perikarya of the VTNCs contain co-localized peptides related to gastrin/cholecystokinin (CCK), bovine pancreatic polypeptide (PP), Met- and Leuenkephalin and Met-enk-Arg⁶-Phe⁷ (Met-enk-RF). Electron-microscopic immunogold-labeling shows that some of the terminals in the dorsal sheath react with several of the individual peptide antisera, whilst others with similar cytology are non-immunoreactive. In the same region, separate terminals with different cytological characteristics contain 5-HT-IR. Both 5-HT-IR and peptidergic terminals are localized outside the cellular perineurium beneath the acellular permeable sheath adjacent to the haemocoel. Hence, we propose that various bioactive substances may be released from thoracic neurosecretory neurons into the circulating haemolymph to act on peripheral targets. The same neurons may also interact by synaptic or modulatory action in the CNS in different neuropil regions of the thoracic ganglion.     

The effect of non-algal turbidity on the relationship of Secchi depth to chlorophyll a

Data from four reservoirs representative of different trophic states and with different apparent optical properties were analyzed to determine the relationship of Secchi depth to algal biomass as measured by chlorophyll a. In the eutrophic reservoir Secchi depth was determined partially by the chlorophyll a content (r² = 0.31) but only when chlorophyll a data from bloom conditions are included. In the two mesotrophic reservoirs, Secchi depth was entirely determined by non-algal turbidity. In the oligotrophic reservoir, Secchi depth was determined neither by chlorophyll a nor non-algal turbidity and was probably determined by dissolved color. When data from the four reservoirs were pooled (N = 205), 53% of the variation in Secchi depth was explained by: SD = 2.55–0.52 ln (Turbidity) + 0.005 (Chlorophyll a). It is apparent that attempts to estimate algal biomass for trophic state classification or other management practices from Secchi depth data are inappropriate even where moderate amounts of non-algal turbidity are present.     

Acclimation Processes in the Light-Harvesting System of the Cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans following a Light Shift from White to Red Light

Cyanobacteria acclimate to changes in light by adjusting the amounts of different cellular compounds, for example the light-harvesting macromolecular complex. Described are the acclimatization responses in the light-harvesting system of the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans following a shift from high intensity, white light to low intensity, red light.

The phycocyanin and chlorophyll content and the relative amount of the two linker peptides (33 and 30 kilodaltons) in the phycobilisome were studied. Both the phycocyanin and chlorophyll content per cell increased after the shift, although the phycocyanin increased relatively more. The increase in phycocyanin was biphasic in nature, a fast initial phase and a slower second phase, while the chlorophyll increase was completed in one phase. The phycocyanin and chlorophyll responses to red light were immediate and were completed within 30 and 80 hours for chlorophyll and phycocyanin, respectively. An immediate response was also seen for the two phycobilisome linker peptides. The amount of both of them increased after the shift, although the 33 kilodalton linker peptide increased faster than the 30 kilodalton linker peptide. The increase of the content of the two linker peptides stopped when the phycocyanin increase shifted from the first to the second phase. We believe that the first phase of phycocyanin increase was due mainly to an increase in the phycobilisome size while the second phase was caused only by an increase in the amount of phycobilisomes. The termination of chlorophyll accumulation, which indicates that no further reaction center chlorophyll antennae were formed, occurred parallel to the onset of the second phase of phycocyanin accumulation.