Physical and chemical variability in sugarcane fields infested with the red-striped soft scale insect,Pulvinaria Tenuivalvata (Newstead)

The red-striped soft scale insect Pulvinaria tenuivalvata (Newstead) (Hemiptera: Coccidae) started to infest sugarcane plants (Saccharum officinarum L.) in different districts in Egypt during the last decade. The percentage of infestation was recorded in El-Wakf area, Qena Governorate (Naghhamadi mill zone) Upper Egypt in some fields. There are three levels of infestation, low, intermediate and high. From these fields, samples were selected for physical and chemical studies. The results obtained show that the stalks of infested plants decreased in weight, the sugar content (glucose and sucrose) drastically reduced and as the percentage of infestation increased the percentage of glucose and sucrose content significantly decreased. The primary and secondary humidity and the cellulose content also increased in the healthy plants compared to the infested ones. All the physical character of the infested plants was significantly affected in comparison with the healthy ones.     

Two centuries of growth among Czech children and youth

The trend of increasing height can be interpreted as a reflection of the unfolding progress of civilization. Height changes among children and adolescents are good markers of this trend. We analyze the secular trend in the heights of children and adolescents in the Czech Republic on the basis of data from anthropological surveys. The earliest height data pertain to Czech youths who attended the Military Schools in Austria in 1800-1809. Data also exist for 1895 and continue in 1951 and at 10-year intervals thereafter. Growth curves were obtained for separate age groups by fitting mean values via third-order polynomial smoothing splines. Between 1951 and 2001, the mean heights of boys and girls aged 2.5 years increased by 2.7 and 3 cm, respectively. Since 1895, the mean height of 13-year-old boys has increased by 19.4 cm, and the mean height of girls has increased by 18.3 cm.     

Chemical and physical methods in dating human skeletal remains

Chemical and physical methods for dating skeletal remains were examined. Benzidine reaction, ultra-violet fluorescence, specific gravity and supersonic conductivity were carried out on 71 dated skeletal findings distributed over the span of the last 3,500 years. Results given by benzidine reaction and ultra-violet fluorescence basically coincide, and positive readings were obtained up to about 200–350 years. Values measured in specific gravity and supersonic conductivity testing show a parallel trend, pointing out a clear difference between samples of the three first centuries and the ones belonging to more ancient periods examined.     

The cost of reproduction in the glaucous-winged gull

Summary Experimental enlargement of brood size in the glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens) resulted in increased adult foraging time, decreased adult body weight at the end of the breeding season, and decreased over-winter adult survival. The decreased survival of breeding adults was associated with reduced body condition at the end of breeding (resulting from physiological costs of reproduction). Decreased survival was not due to an increased risk of injury or predation during the breeding season. Brood size did not directly affect the fecundity of surviving birds in the subsequent year. However, brood size may have an indirect effect on subsequent fecundity because the probability of mate loss increased among birds with large broods and the reproductive performance of birds with new mates was reduced. Based on estimates of life-time fitness calculated from fecundity and survivorship, birds with two- or three-chick broods (the normal brood size) have higher fitness than birds with one- or four-chick broods. However, the decreased fitness of birds with four-chick broods was slight, and probably not a sufficient explanation for the absence of natural four-chick broods in the glaucouswinged gull.     

Complete maps of IS1, IS2, IS3, IS4, IS5, IS30 and IS150 locations in Escherichia coli K12

Summary In this paper complete distribution maps are presented of the seven IS elements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 30 and 150. These maps were obtained during the construction of an almost complete restriction map of the Escherichia coli genome of K12 strain BHB2600. The positions of IS elements were correlated to this map. The distribution of integration sites of all IS types is nonrandom. Besides a large gap from 79 min to 96 min, there is a pronounced IS cluster at 6 min and another at 97 min, map locations that have low gene incidences on the classical map. One cluster coincides with a region of IS induced rearrangements. The IS distribution pattern was compared to patterns of strains W3110 and HB101.     

Pulsed field gel electrophoresis and physical mapping of large DNA fragments in the Tm-2a region of chromosome 9 in tomato

Summary A method has been developed which allows the isolation of very high molecular weight DNA (>2 million bp) from leaf protoplasts of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). The DNA isolated in this manner was digested in agarose with rare-cutting restriction enzymes and separated by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. The size range of the reslting fragments was determined by hybridization to a number of single copy clones and the suitability of these enzymes for the mapping of large DNA fragments was evaluated. Furthermore, five genetically tightly linked single copy clones have been used to begin the construction of a physical map in a region of the genome containing the Tm-2a gene which confers resistance to tobacco mosaic virus. Two of the five clones were found to be on the same 560 kb SalI fragment and therefore are no further apart than that distance. The remaining three markers are distributed over at least 3 million bp, so that the total minimum physical distance of that cluster is at least 4 million bp. The results are discussed with respect to correlations between recombination frequencies and physical distance as well as physical mapping large regions of a complex plant genome like tomato.     

Physical map of chloroplast DNA of aerial yam,Dioscorea bulbifera L.

Summary A physical map of chloroplast DNA (ctDNA) of aerial yam, Dioscorea bulbifera L. was constructed using three restriction endonucleases, PstI, SalI, and SmaI. In addition, a clone bank of the BamHI-digested fragments were generated, and the locations of most BamHI fragments on the map were also determined. The ctDNA of D. bulbifera was found to be a circular molecule with a total size of ca. 152 kb involving two inverted repeats of ca. 25.5 kb, and small and large single copy regions of ca. 18.5 and 83.4 kb, respectively. The genes for the large subunit of the ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL) and the ATP-synthase subunits and (atpB/atpE) were mapped.Contribution from the Plant Germ-plasm Institute and the Laboratory of Genetics (No. 504), Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Japan. The work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid (No. 60400005) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan     

Effects of age and physical performance capacity on distribution and composition of high-density lipoprotein subfractions in men

The influences of age and maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) on serum lipoproteins with special regard to the concentration, composition and distribution of high density lipoprotein (HDL) subfractions were investigated in 51 healthy males of different characteristics: younger than 35 years, untrained (n = 14, mean age 28.2 years, SD 6.0; VO2max, 47.9 ml.kg-1.min-1, SD 5.8) and trained (n = 11, mean age 27.9 years, SD 4.3; VO2max, 61.1 ml.kg-1.min-1, SD 5.1), older than 50 years untrained (n = 14, mean age 58.9 years, SD 5.9, VO2max, 29.3 ml.kg-1.min-1, SD 5.3) and trained (n = 12, mean age 59.3 years, SD 7.2, VO2max, 45.7 ml.kg-1.min-1, SD 7.7). The fasting-state serum concentrations of total cholesterol, tri-acylglycerol and lipoprotein-cholesterol were measured. The HDL-subfractions were separated by density (rho) gradient ultracentrifugation. Concentrations of cholesterol, cholesterylester, tri-acylglycerol, phospholipids, apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and A-II were measured in the subfractions HDL2b: rho = 1.063-1.100 g.ml-1; HDL2al: rho = 1.00-1.110 g.ml-1; HDL2a2: rho = 1.110-1.150 g.ml-1; HDL3: rho = 1.150-1.210 g.ml-1. Elderly untrained subjects showed increased serum concentrations of total-, very low- and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and elevated tri-acylglycerol levels. The HDL-cholesterol concentration was decreased, due to reduced concentrations of HDL2-subfractions. Significant changes in the composition of HDL2-subfractions were found in elderly untrained subjects. The HDL2-subfractions had more protein, a decreased apoA-I:A-II ratio and less phospholipids in comparison to HDL2-subfractions from younger untrained and trained, and elderly trained subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Dichogamy, Sex Allocation, and Mating System of Campanula microdonta and C. punctata

Dichogamy and sex allocation in several populations of Campanula microdonta and C. punctata were investigated with regard to their mating systems. Duration of the staminate phase differed among the populations: staminate phase was longer in self-compatible (SC) and largely outcrossing populations than in self-incompatible (SI) and outcrossing populations or in SC and largely inbreeding populations. Duration of the pistillate phase among the populations was less variable than duration of the staminate phase. Male reproductive effort decreased with increase of the estimated selfing rates. Male allocation (weight ratio of androecium to gynoecium or to total flower) may be used as an indicator of the breeding system. Within each population, small flowers allocate proportionately more resources to the androecium than to the gynoecium. Among populations, SC outcrossing populations tend to produce large ovaries, and SC inbreeding populations tend to produce small ovaries.     

Effects of training at simulated altitude on performance and muscle metabolic capacity in competitive road cyclists

Differences between the effects of training at sea level and at simulated altitude on performance and muscle structural and biochemical properties were investigated in 8 competitive cyclists who trained for 3-4 weeks, 4-5 sessions/week, each session consisting of cycling for 60-90 min continuously and 45-60 min intermittently. Four subjects, the altitude group (AG), trained in a hypobaric chamber (574 torr = 2300 m above sea level), and the other four at sea level (SLG). Before and after training work capacity was tested both at simulated altitude (574 torr) and at sea level, by an incremental cycle ergometer test until exhaustion. Work capacity was expressed as total amount of work performed. Venous blood samples were taken during the tests. Leg muscle biopsies were taken at rest before and after the training period. AG exhibited an increase of 33% in both sea level and altitude performance, while SLG increased 22% at sea level and 14% at altitude. Blood lactate concentration at a given submaximal load at altitude was significantly more reduced by training in AG than SLG. Muscle phosphofructokinase (PFK) activity decreased with training in AG but increased in SLG. All AG subjects showed increases in capillary density. In conclusion, work capacity at altitude was increased more by training at altitude than at sea level. Work capacity at sea level was at least as much improved by altitude as by sea level training. The improved work capacity by training at altitude was paralleled by decreased exercise blood lactate concentration, increased capillarization and decreased glycolytic capacity in leg muscle.