A new, transportable ergometer for the measurement of musculotendinous stiffness during wrist flexion.

We present here a new, dedicated mechanical device for monitoring quick-release movements of the wrist. The ergometer was designed to easily assess musculotendinous properties during wrist flexion. Maximal voluntary contractions (MVC) and quick-release (QR) movements during wrist flexion were performed on 14 subjects. A validation of the ergometer, using a test-retest methodology, was performed to assess its reliability and sensitivity. The device has been technically and biomechanically validated in a range of situations, including inertia measurement (mean inertia was found 0.0119+/-0.0012 N m s(2) rad(-1)) and appearance of the unloading reflex. Our results indicate that the device provides highly reliable, sensitive evaluation of wrist muscle stiffness (intraclass correlation coefficient for inertia, maximal voluntary contraction and stiffness index were 0.873, 0.994 and 0.930, respectively). Its portability facilitates measurement of the influence of repetitive, occupational activity on the musculotendinous complex of the wrist flexors.     

Synthesis of 6(α,β)-aminocholestanols as ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitors

Δ⁷-5-Desaturase catalyses one of the last steps in ergosterol biosynthesis in fungi. Moreover Δ⁵-unsaturation is necessary for the sparking function. Synthesis of three pairs of C-6 epimeric cholestanol derivatives are described as potential growth inhibitors. Preliminary results suggest that 6β-aminocholestanol is a potent antifungal agent.     

Simple and efficient cell disruption of extremely small quantities of mycelium of phytopathogenic mycotoxin-producing moulds for quantitative extraction of genomic DNA

DNA was efficiently and quantitatively isolated from extremely small quantities of mycelia (0.1–10 mg) of different phytopathogenic moulds by grinding freeze-dried mycelia with glass beads and then using a commercial DNA extraction kit. The efficiency of disruption of the mycelia and the quantitative DNA extraction was proved by microscopy and the quantification of isolated DNA by real time PCR. Presented at the 27^th Mykotoxin-Workshop, Dortmund, Germany, June 13–15, 2005 Financial support: German Research Foundation (DFG grant Pr 708/2). J.M. thanks the Cusanuswerk for a doctoral scholarship     

Trapping Elusive Cats: Using Intensive Camera Trapping to Estimate the Density of a Rare African Felid

Camera trapping studies have become increasingly popular to produce population estimates of individually recognisable mammals. Yet, monitoring techniques for rare species which occur at extremely low densities are lacking. Additionally, species which have unpredictable movements may make obtaining reliable population estimates challenging due to low detectability. Our study explores the effectiveness of intensive camera trapping for estimating cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) numbers. Using both a more traditional, systematic grid approach and pre-determined, targeted sites for camera placement, the cheetah population of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana was sampled between December 2012 and October 2013. Placement of cameras in a regular grid pattern yielded very few (n = 9) cheetah images and these were insufficient to estimate cheetah density. However, pre-selected cheetah scent-marking posts provided 53 images of seven adult cheetahs (0.61 ± 0.18 cheetahs/100km²). While increasing the length of the camera trapping survey from 90 to 130 days increased the total number of cheetah images obtained (from 53 to 200), no new individuals were recorded and the estimated population density remained stable. Thus, our study demonstrates that targeted camera placement (irrespective of survey duration) is necessary for reliably assessing cheetah densities where populations are naturally very low or dominated by transient individuals. Significantly our approach can easily be applied to other rare predator species.     

Can Newts Cope with the Heat? Disparate Thermoregulatory Strategies of Two Sympatric Species in Water

Many ectotherms effectively reduce their exposure to low or high environmental temperatures using behavioral thermoregulation. In terrestrial ectotherms, thermoregulatory strategies range from accurate thermoregulation to thermoconformity according to the costs and limits of thermoregulation, while in aquatic taxa the quantification of behavioral thermoregulation have received limited attention. We examined thermoregulation in two sympatric newt species, Ichthyosaura alpestris and Lissotriton vulgaris, exposed to elevated water temperatures under semi-natural conditions. According to a recent theory, we predicted that species for which elevated water temperatures pose a lower thermal quality habitat, would thermoregulate more effectively than species in thermally benign conditions. In the laboratory thermal gradient, L. vulgaris maintained higher body temperatures than I. alpestris. Semi-natural thermal conditions provided better thermal quality of habitat for L. vulgaris than for I. alpestris. Thermoregulatory indices indicated that I. alpestris actively thermoregulated its body temperature, whereas L. vulgaris remained passive to the thermal heterogeneity of aquatic environment. In the face of elevated water temperatures, sympatric newt species employed disparate thermoregulatory strategies according to the species-specific quality of the thermal habitat. Both strategies reduced newt exposure to suboptimal water temperatures with the same accuracy but with or without the costs of thermoregulation. The quantification of behavioral thermoregulation proves to be an important conceptual and methodological tool for thermal ecology studies not only in terrestrial but also in aquatic ectotherms.     

1H, 13C and 15N resonance assignment of phage T4 endoribonuclease RegB

RegB is involved in the control of the phage T4 life cycle. It inactivates the phage early mRNAs when their translation is no more required. We determined its structure and identified residues involved in substrate binding. For this, all backbone and 90% of side-chain resonance frequencies were assigned.     

The Distribution of Coumarins and Furanocoumarins in Citrus Species Closely Matches Citrus Phylogeny and Reflects the Organization of Biosynthetic Pathways

Citrus plants are able to produce defense compounds such as coumarins and furanocoumarins to cope with herbivorous insects and pathogens. In humans, these chemical compounds are strong photosensitizers and can interact with medications, leading to the “grapefruit juice effect”. Removing coumarins and furanocoumarins from food and cosmetics imply additional costs and might alter product quality. Thus, the selection of Citrus cultivars displaying low coumarin and furanocoumarin contents constitutes a valuable alternative. In this study, we performed ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analyses to determine the contents of these compounds within the peel and the pulp of 61 Citrus species representative of the genetic diversity all Citrus. Generally, Citrus peel contains larger diversity and higher concentrations of coumarin/furanocoumarin than the pulp of the same fruits. According to the chemotypes found in the peel, Citrus species can be separated into 4 groups that correspond to the 4 ancestral taxa (pummelos, mandarins, citrons and papedas) and extended with their respective secondary species descendants. Three of the 4 ancestral taxa (pummelos, citrons and papedas) synthesize high amounts of these compounds, whereas mandarins appear practically devoid of them. Additionally, all ancestral taxa and their hybrids are logically organized according to the coumarin and furanocoumarin pathways described in the literature. This organization allows hypotheses to be drawn regarding the biosynthetic origin of compounds for which the biogenesis remains unresolved. Determining coumarin and furanocoumarin contents is also helpful for hypothesizing the origin of Citrus species for which the phylogeny is presently not firmly established. Finally, this work also notes favorable hybridization schemes that will lead to low coumarin and furanocoumarin contents, and we propose to select mandarins and Ichang papeda as Citrus varieties for use in creating species devoid of these toxic compounds in future breeding programs.