Anatomy and muscle activity of the dorsal fins in bamboo sharks and spiny dogfish during turning maneuvers

Stability and procured instability characterize two opposing types of swimming, steady and maneuvering, respectively. Fins can be used to manipulate flow to adjust stability during swimming maneuvers either actively using muscle control or passively by structural control. The function of the dorsal fins during turning maneuvering in two shark species with different swimming modes is investigated here using musculoskeletal anatomy and muscle function. White‐spotted bamboo sharks are a benthic species that inhabits complex reef habitats and thus have high requirements for maneuverability. Spiny dogfish occupy a variety of coastal and continental shelf habitats and spend relatively more time cruising in open water. These species differ in dorsal fin morphology and fin position along the body. Bamboo sharks have a larger second dorsal fin area and proportionally more muscle insertion into both dorsal fins. The basal and radial pterygiophores are plate‐like structures in spiny dogfish and are nearly indistinguishable from one another. In contrast, bamboo sharks lack basal pterygiophores, while the radial pterygiophores form two rows of elongated rectangular elements that articulate with one another. The dorsal fin muscles are composed of a large muscle mass that extends over the ceratotrichia overlying the radials in spiny dogfish. However, in bamboo sharks, the muscle mass is divided into multiple distinct muscles that insert onto the ceratotrichia. During turning maneuvers, the dorsal fin muscles are active in both species with no differences in onset between fin sides. Spiny dogfish have longer burst durations on the outer fin side, which is consistent with opposing resistance to the medium. In bamboo sharks, bilateral activation of the dorsal in muscles could also be stiffening the fin throughout the turn. Thus, dogfish sharks passively stiffen the dorsal fin structurally and functionally, while bamboo sharks have more flexible dorsal fins, which result from a steady swimming trade off. J. Morphol. 274:1288–1298, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Water Balance in Cucumis Plants, Measured by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, I

In this paper we demonstrate the study of plant water balanceby the non-invasive measurement of tissue water content andwater flow using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Sapvelocity and flux were measured independently in the presenceof an excess of stationary tissue water. The instrumentationdescribed allows automated and unattended measurement of flow-and water content-variables in a well-defined region of theplant over periods of several days, with a time resolution betweensuccessive measurements of c. 5 s. Using this apparatus theeffect of changes in light intensity (day/night rhythm) andrelative humidity on stem tissue water content as well as onthe velocity and flux of xylem sap in the stem were investigatedin a cucumber plant. The results are in agreement with predictionsfrom a simple model for plant water balance, which is basedon water potential, flow rate and resistance to flow. As longas only transpiration is varied, flow rate and water content(or potential) are affected in opposite ways as demonstratedin this paper. In contrast, the model predicts that changesin uptake (resulting from changes in, for example, root resistance)will induce changes in water content and flow in the same direction.An experimental verification of this prediction is given ina subsequent paper, where, in addition, the NMR results arecompared to those obtained with a dendrometer. Key words: Water balance model, Cucumis sativus L., flow, water content, NMR, water balance measurement     

Serine/threonine protein phosphatases in Dictyostelium discoideum: no evidence for type I activity.

Extracts from Dictyostelium discoideum contain type 2A and 2C serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatases with properties very similar to those from mammals according to their sensitivity to okadaic acid and to their dependence for divalent cations. In contrast, no type 1 protein phosphatase is found at any time of development, neither in the cytosolic nor in the particulate fraction, using glycogen phosphorylase a, casein, histone or the non-proteinous 4-Methylumbelliferyl phosphate as substrates. Both type 2A and 2C protein phosphatase activities remain constant throughout the development cycle.     

TASTE GROUP THRESHOLDS AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF SPANISH WINE VINEGARS

Wine vinegar is a product obtained from wine acidification which contains at least 5% by wt. of acetic acid, in general without any additives or colorings.
Aspects studied in this work include: the determination of the taste group thresholds (geometric mean of the individual best-estimate thresholds "BET") of two different acids (citric and acetic acids) in aqueous solution and spanish vinegars produced from table and sherry wines. The results obtained suggest that wine vinegar can be considered something more than just an acidulant agent.
In order to evaluate differences among wine vinegars, discriminant tests for twenty-five spanish vinegars (sherry, table and flavored vinegars) were applied. Six of the twelve attributes freely chosen by assessors allowed grouping of the spanish wine vinegars according to their sensory aspects.     

Developmental regulation of hexosamine biosynthesis by protein phosphatases 2A and 2C in Blastocladiella emersonii.

Extracts of the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii were found to contain protein phosphatases type 1, type 2A, and type 2C with properties analogous to those found in mammalian tissues. The activities of all three protein phosphatases are developmentally regulated, increasing during sporulation, with maximum level in zoospores. Protein phosphatases 2A and 2C, present in zoospore extracts, catalyze the dephosphorylation of L-glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (EC 2.6.1.16, amidotransferase), a key regulatory enzyme in hexosamine biosynthesis. The protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid induces encystment and inhibits germ tube formation but does not affect the synthesis of the chitinous cell wall. These results strongly suggest that phosphatase 2C is responsible for the dephosphorylation of amidotransferase in vivo. This dephosphorylation is inhibited by uridine-5'-diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine, the end product of hexosamine synthesis and the substrate for chitin synthesis. This result demonstrates a dual role of uridine-5'-diphospho-N-acetylglucosamine by inhibiting the activity of the phosphorylated form of amidotransferase and by preventing its dephosphorylation by protein phosphatases.     

Gravitational sedimentation can solve the problem of cellular récycling of yeast in continuous alcoholic fermentation

Adjustments in the geometry of the separation zone of an inclined parallel plate sedimenter, previously developed, permitted an extensive increase in the volumetric clarification rate of broth containing yeast (S. cerevisiae). The prototype, having an internal capacity of 1340 ml, was fed with fermentation broth containing 18.8% v/v cells, while 16.4 ml/min of clarified broth containing 0.3% v/v cells was removed in the overflow. The underflow, containing 23.8% v/v cells, was recycled to the fermenter at a rate of 60.6 ml/min. These results demonstrated the viability of using exclusively gravitational sedimentation for cellular recycling in continuous alcoholic fermentation. Without a doubt, this system represents the simplest technological alternative among those thus far proposed for continuous alcoholic fermentation. The low cost of installation, maintenance and operation permitted projection of its application for any scale of production.List of Symbols A Cross sectional area of the sedimentation zone - b Distance between two parallel plates, height of the triangle or diameter of the circle (for rectangular, triangular or circular cross sections of the sedimentation zone, respectively) - b Mean distance travelled by the cells during sedimentation within the sedimentation zone with each cross sectional geometry - B _f Biomass content of the fermentation broth - B _o Biomass content of the overflow - B _u Biomass content of the underflow - Eff. Sedimentation efficiency - f Factor corresponding to the clarification velocity obtained with a certain cross sectional geometry relative to that obtained with the rectangular sedimentation zone geometry - g Gravitational acceleration - H Length of the plates - Q _a Clarification rate - Q _f Feed rate - Q _o Overflow rate - Q _u Underflow rate - rect Indicates a rectangular cross section - S Total sedimentation area (horizontal projection of the internal contour of the sedimentation zone - tr Indicates a triangular cross section - _s Linear settling velocity of one cell in the broth - _v Linear clarification velocity of the broth in a vertical sedimenter = _s - Linear clarification velocity of the broth in an inclined sedimenter of slope - Slope of the sedimentation zone relative to the horizontal - Porosity factor = 1 — (volume fraction of cells) - _cell Cell density - _m Density of the medium - _broth Broth viscosity     

Arginine deprivation in KB cells: I. Effect on cell cycle progress

When exponentially growing KB cells were deprived of arginine, cell multiplication ceased after 12 h but viability was maintained throughout the experimental period (42-48 h). Although tritiated thymidine ([(3)H]TdR) incorporation into acid-insoluble material declined to 5 percent of the initial rate, the fraction of cells engaged in DNA synthesis, determined by autoradiography, remained constant throughout the starvation period and approximately equal to the synthesizing fraction in exponentially growing controls (40 percent). Continous [(3)H]TdR-labeling indicated that 80 percent of the arginine-starved cells incorporated (3)H at some time during a 48-h deprivation period. Thus, some cells ceased DNA synthesis, whereas some initially nonsynthesizing cells initiated DNA synthesis during starvation. Flow microfluorometric profiles of distribution of cellular DNA contents at the end of the starvation period indicated that essentially no cells had a 4c or G2 complement. If arginine was restored after 30 h of starvation, cultures resumed active, largely asynchronous division after a 16-h lag. Autoradiographs of metaphase figures from cultures continuously labeled with [(3)H]TdR after restoration indicated that all cells in the culture underwent DNA synthesis before dividing. It was concluded that the majority of cells in arginine-starved cultures are arrested in neither a normal G1 nor G2. It is proposed that for an exponential culture, i.e. from most positions in the cell cycle, inhibition of cell growth after arginine with withdrawal centers on the ability of cells to complete replication of their DNA.