Rapid change in energy status in fighting animals: causes and effects of strategic decisions

Energetic costs of fighting, such as high lactate or low glucose, have been shown in a range of species to correlate with the decisions made by each opponent, particularly the decision by one opponent, the 'loser', to end the fight by 'giving up'. Studies based on complete fights of differing duration, however, do not provide information on the changes in the physiological correlates of fighting that may take place during the course of the encounter, or how these changes may influence the capability and decisions of the contestants. We interrupted fights between hermit crabs, Pagurus bernhardus, at specific points, and related energy status to the preceding activities. Costs rose quickly with a rapid accumulation of lactic acid in attackers and declining muscular glycogen in defenders. Changes in physiological status appeared much earlier than the changes in behaviour that they may have caused. Furthermore, some physiological changes might have been an effect, rather than the cause, of fight decisions. (c) 2005 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of glycated insulin in diabetic animals using immunocytochemistry and radioimmunoassay

Glycated insulin was evaluated in plasma and biological tissues of diabetic animal models by immuno. cytochemistry (ICC) and a novel radioimmunoassay. Glycated insulin circulated at 0.10 +/-0.04 ng/ml and 2.20 +/-0.14 ng/ml in lean and diabetic obese (ob/ob) mice, corresponding to 12.5 and 9.8% total plasma insulin, respectively. The concentration of glycated insulin was elevated 22-fold in obese mice compared to controls (P10 and 83 +/-4 ng/g wt (P0.17 mug/g wt). ICC revealed fluorescent positively stained cells in pancreatic islets from hydrocortisone (HC)treated diabetic rats. Fasting of HC-treated rats, resulted in 3-fold and 15-fold reductions in plasma glycated insulin (P

FARM_2DRMP: A version of FARM for use with 2DRMP

To complete the 2DRMP package an asymptotic program, such as FARM, is needed. The original version of FARM is designed to construct the physical R-matrix, R, from surface amplitudes contained in the H-file. However, in 2DRMP, R has already been constructed for each scattering energy during propagation. Therefore, this modified version of FARM, known as as FARM_2DRMP, has been developed solely for use with 2DRMP.