Latency of Botrytis cinerea Pers.: Fr. and Biochemical Studies During Growth and Ripening of Two Grape Berry Cultivars, Respectively Susceptible and Resistant to Grey Mould

Latency and development of Botrytis cinerea were assessed under field conditions and after artificial inoculation of two grape varieties, Gamay (susceptible) and Gamaret (resistant). When the percentage of latent Botrytis was the same for both varieties, severity of visible grey mould remained very low in Gamaret berries, while Gamay clusters were destroyed by the disease to a high percentage. Some biochemical parameters were measured in berries, such as constitutive and induced anti‐fungal compounds, polymeric proanthocyanidins and lipid peroxidation products as markers of senescence. Differences were observed in polymeric proanthocyanidins (PPRA) of Gamaret compared with those of Gamay. Concentration and mean degree of polymerization (mDP) of PPRA were always higher in the berries of the resistant variety. The inhibitory effect of Gamaret PPRA on enzyme activity remained until harvest whereas Gamay PPRA lost their inhibitory activity at the beginning of véraison. Based on these results, resistance to B. cinerea seems to be linked to the maintainance of the fungus in its latent form in berries, mainly due to the ability of Gamaret PPRA to inhibit macerating fungal enzyme activities.     

Effect of lysophosphatidylcholine on the NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity associated with the plasma membranes of corn roots

Plasma membranes from corn roots (Zea mays L.) were isolated by aqueous two-phase partitioning. A fraction enriched in a vanadate-sensitive ATPase showed characteristics of a plasma membrane ATPase. The sidedness of these vesicles was 89% right-side-out, as evaluated by the ATPase latency. A NADH-ferricyanide reductase was associated with these plasma membrane vesicles. The rate of ferricyanide reduction was 1.3 μmol · min⁻¹·mg⁻¹ protein and was strongly enhanced by the addition of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). The effect of this detergent on membrane solubilization and reductase activity was particularly studied. This type of detergent treatment revealed two pH optima (7.0 and 5.0) for the reductase activity, which exhibited biphasic kinetics in the absence or presence of the detergent. These data suggest that two or more reductases could be involved. In addition, membrane vesicle solubilization and determination of ATPase and reductase latency were simultanously studied. From these experiments, it is postulated that the reductase, which exhibits an optimum pH at 7.0 and is slightly stimulated by LPC, could be located on the external side of the plasmalemma. In contrast, the reductase at pH 5.0 strongly stimulated by the detergent treatment, is probably located on the internal side of the membrane, such as the catalytic site of ATPase. Finally, a possible direct action of LPC on the enzymes, is discussed.     

Characteristics of microwave evoked body movements in mice

Microwave evoked body movements were studied in mice. A resonant cavity was used to provide head and neck exposure of the mouse to pulsed and gated continuous wave (CW) 1.25 GHz microwaves. No difference in response to pulsed and gated CW stimuli of equal average power was found. The incidence of the microwave evoked body movements increased proportionally with specific absorption (dose) when the whole-body average specific absorption rate was at a constant level (7300 W/kg). Under a constant average specific absorption rate, the response incidence reached a plateau at 0.9 kJ/kg. For doses higher than 0.9 kJ/kg, response incidence was proportional to the specific absorption rate and reached a plateau at 900 W/kg. Body movements could be evoked by a single microwave pulse. The lowest whole-body specific absorption (SA) tested was 0.18 kJ/kg, and the corresponding brain SA was 0.29 kJ/kg. Bulk heating potentials of these SAs were less than 0.1 °C. For doses higher than 0.9 kJ/kg, the response incidence was also proportional to subcutaneous temperature increment and subcutaneous heating rate. The extrapolated absolute thresholds (0% incidence) were 1.21 °C temperature increment and 0.24 °C/s heating rate. Due to high subcutaneous heating rates, these microwaves must be perceived by the mouse as an intense thermal sensation but not a pain sensation because the temperature increment was well below the threshold for thermal pain. Results of the present study should be considered in promulgation of personnel protection guideline against high peak power but low average power microwaves. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

强噪声暴露后听觉脑干电反应及皮层电反应的变化

为了观察噪声作用豚鼠后,在暂时性或移和永久性阈移期间,听觉末梢和听觉各级中枢电反庆的变化规律,我们进行了６２ｄ的测定。听神经电反应振幅减小２９％（Ｐ＜０．０５）,耳蜗核电反应振幅减小２８％（Ｐ＜０．０５）,上橄榄核电反应反而增加２１％（Ｐ＜０．０５）,中脑下丘的电反应振幅进而增大３７％（Ｐ＜０．０５）,听觉皮层电反应振幅却意外地增加１３１％（Ｐ＜０．００１）。这说明强噪声（１２５ｄＢ １５０ｍｉｎ     

Prevalence of Human Herpesvirus 6 Variants A and B in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from 13 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and 13 healthy controls were analyzed for the presence of human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) DNA by variant-specific polymerase chain reaction and dot blot hybridization. HHV-6 DNA was detected in 7 of 13 (53%) patients, and of those 7 patients, 4 were positive for HHV-6 variant A DNA and 3 were for variant B. No HHV-6 DNA was detected in the controls. Serum antibody titers to the late antigen and antibody prevalence to the early antigen of HHV-6 were significantly higher in the patient group. These results suggest active replication of HHV-6 in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.     

Pathogenesis of SIVmac251 after atraumatic inoculation of the rectal mucosa in rhesus monkeys

Intrarectal inoculation of rhesus monkeys with low doses of SIV_mac led to a prolonged clinical and virological latency that was not observed for high intrarectal doses or for intravenous inoculation. Animals infected intrarectally with low virus doses remained negative for serum antibody responses to SIV for at least one year even though they readily transferred SIV to naive recipients via transfusion of whole blood.     

Visual performance of the toad (Bufo bufo) at low light levels: retinal ganglion cell responses and prey-catching accuracy

The accuracy of toad snapping towards moving worm dummies under various levels of dim illumination (from absolute threshold to moonlight) was videorecorded and related to spike responses of retinal ganglion cells exposed to equivalent stimuli. Some toads (at ca. 16 °C) successfully snapped at dummies that produced only one photoisomerization per 50 rods per second in the retina, in good agreement with thresholds of sensitive retinal ganglion cells. One factor underlying such high sensitivity is extensive temporal summation by the ganglion cells. This, however, is inevitably accompanied by very long response latencies (around 3 s near threshold), whereby the information reaching the brain shows the dummy in a position where it was several seconds earlier. Indeed, as the light was dimmed, snaps were displaced successively further to the rear of the dummy, finally missing it. The results in weak but clearly supra-threshold illumination indicate that snaps were aimed at the advancing head as seen by the brain, but landed further backwards in proportion to the retinal latency. Near absolute threshold, however, accuracy was too good, suggesting that the animal had recourse to a neural representation of the regularly moving dummies to correct for the slowness of vision.     

家兔三叉神经终止核对颏舌肌肌电活动的调制作用

本工作在35只氨基甲酸乙酯麻醉、自主呼吸的家兔上观察了刺激三叉神经终止核(NTV)对颏舌肌肌电活动的影响。结果发现,电刺激NTV和NTV内微量注射谷氨酸钠都能使颏舌肌出现明显的易化效应。电刺激NTV背侧与腹侧时,颏舌肌肌电反应的潜伏期分别为5.9±0.7ms和3.0±0.4ms,电刺激舌下神经核时颏舌肌反应的潜伏期为2.2±0.2ms。结果提示三叉神经终止核的兴奋可加强颏舌肌的活动从而减小上呼吸道阻力。     

Effects of caffeine on mating behavior and sperm precedence in Tribolium castaneum

Biogenic amines such as dopamine are physiologically neuroactive substances that affect behavioral and physiological traits in invertebrates, and it has long been known that these substances affect mating behavior in insects. Caffeine is a dopamine activator and thus enhances dopamine receptor activity. However, the effects of caffeine intake on insect mating behavior have been largely unexplored. Therefore, we examined the effect of caffeine on mating behavior in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Caffeine, which activates dopamine, affected the mating behavior of T. castaneum males. Males who orally ingested caffeine courted faster than males who did not, resulting in faster mounting of females and less time to a male's external aedeagus protrusion. However, the present results showed no difference in sperm precedence measured as a P2 value between males fed caffeine and males not fed caffeine. We discuss the effects of caffeine on insect mating and the possibility that caffeine consumption may cause males to mate with more females in the laboratory.