Phylogenetic position and morphology of thecae and cysts of Scrippsiella (Dinophyceae) species in the East China Sea

Resting cysts of the marine phytoplanktonic dinoflagellate Scrippsiella spp. are encountered in coastal habitats and shallow seas all over the world. Identification of Scrippsiella species requires information on cyst morphology because the plate pattern of the flagellated cell is conserved. Cysts from sediments of the East China Sea were identified based on traits from both the cysts and the thecal patterns of germinated cells. Calcareous cysts belonged predominantly to S. trochoidea (F. Stein) A. R. Loebl., S. rotunda J. Lewis, and S. precaria Montresor et Zingone. The former two species also produced smooth and noncalcified cysts in the field. A new species, S. donghaienis H. Gu sp. nov, was obtained from six noncalcified cysts with organic spines. These cysts are spherical, full of pale white and greenish granules with a mesoepicystal archeopyle. The vegetative cells consist of a conical epitheca and a round hypotheca with a plate formula of po, x, 4', 3a, 7 '', 6c (5c + t), 6 s, 5''', 2'''' and are morphologically indistinguishable from S. trochoidea. Results of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence comparisons revealed that S. donghaienis was distinct from the S. trochoidea complex and appeared nested within the Calciodinellum/Calcigonellum clade. Culture experiments showed that the presence of a red body in the cyst and the shape of the archeopyle were constant within cell lines from one generation to the next, while the morphological features of the cyst wall, such as calcification and spine shape, appeared to be phenotypically plastic.

Distribution and abundance of Pale-bellied Brent Geese and Wigeon on Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

Strangford Lough, County Down holds internationally important numbers of wintering Pale-bellied Brent Geese Branta bernicla hrota with peak counts of up to 16 000. In the past, the Lough was also important for overwintering Wigeon Anas penelope with peak counts up to 20 000 in the early 1970s. However, this population has declined drastically with winter peaks at fewer than 2000 since the mid-1980s. As the overall flyway numbers of Wigeon have not fallen over this period, it has been suggested that the reasons for the decline are intrinsic to Strangford Lough. Wigeon did not decline uniformly throughout Strangford Lough. The greatest fall in numbers occurred on the northern mudflats suggesting a decline in carrying capacity. Factors responsible for this decline may include the reduction of Eelgrass Zostera spp. which is the main food of both species, and increases in human activity near and on the foreshore, especially in the case of Wigeon. Indirect interspecific interactions between Brent Geese and Wigeon are discussed as they may have been significant in reducing the numbers of Wigeon in the system.

Quality of food consumed by over wintering pale-bellied Brent geese Branta bernicla hrota and wigeon Anas penelope

The seasonal selection of food by pale-bellied Brent geese and wigeon on Strangford Lough was analysed with respect to nutritive quality. Both species selected food plants to maximise nutrition. In wigeon, food selection may also have been affected by the intolerance of this species to disturbance, forcing many individuals to feed in secondary habitats. Minerals do not seem to affect food selection, with most plant species in the diet providing a sufficiently balanced complement of nutrients. It is concluded that interspecific differences in food selection and reaction to human disturbance may have contributed to the decline in numbers of wigeon in Strangford Lough while numbers of Brent geese have been maintained. Some implications are discussed and recommendations for management are proposed.

An ultrastructural study of carcinoid tumor of the iris

An iris tumor developed in a 37-year-old woman who had had a bronchial carcinoid tumor resected nine years previously. The iris tumor was locally excised with a modified trabeculectomy approach. Histologic studies showed it to be a metastatic carcinoid tumor. Electron microscopy demonstrated typical dark and pale carcinoid cells with neurosecretory granules, basal bodies, and apical microvilli. The cisternae of the granular endoplasmic reticulum were disposed in a series of concentric rings encapsulating a central core of mitochondria. This unusual type of subcellular organization and specialization is probably a reflection of the slow-growing and highly differentiated nature of the iris tumor.

The Kremlin's Scholar. A Memoir of Soviet Politics under Stalin and Khrushchev

The memoirs are dominated by two grand figures of Soviet history, Stalin and Khrushchev. The account of Stalin is riddled with ambiguities. There is an undoubted personal admiration for Stalin, his intellectual and political capacity (Stalin allegedly read 300 pages per day), his simplicity in daily life seen in "an old tunic, patched-up socks, almost constant isolation" (p. 190). At the same time, Shepilov acknowledged the paranoid aspects of Stalin's personality, especially towards the end of his life. Stalin's mechanisms of power are illustrated by Shepilov's account of work on a new book on political economy. Stalin personally chose key people for important tasks and controlled them at key junctures to ensure the desired outcome. In this light, Shepilov's claims that the Great Purges of the late 1930s could have been outside of Stalin's immediate control seem implausible, to say the least (p. 41).

All Stalin's deficiencies, however, pale in comparison with those of Khrushchev, the bête noire of Shepilov's memoirs. There is plenty of criticism of Khrushchev's policies, particularly in agriculture and foreign affairs. What comes across most pungently is, however, Shepilov's disdain of Khrushchev's personality and leadership style. In this respect, the book is unashamedly biased and remarkable for its omissions as much as for its revelations.

MC1R-dependent, melanin-based colour polymorphism is associated with cell-mediated response in the Eleonora's falcon.

Colour polymorphism in vertebrates is usually under genetic control and may be associated with variation in physiological traits. The melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r) has been involved repeatedly in melanin-based pigmentation but it was thought to have few other physiological effects. However, recent pharmacological studies suggest that MC1R could regulate the aspects of immunity. We investigated whether variation at Mc1r underpins plumage colouration in the Eleonora's falcon. We also examined whether nestlings of the different morphs differed in their inflammatory response induced by phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Variation in colouration was due to a deletion of four amino acids at the Mc1r gene. Cellular immune response was morph specific. In males, but not in females, dark nestling mounted a lower PHA response than pale ones. Although correlative, our results raise the neglected possibility that MC1R has pleiotropic effects, suggesting a potential role of immune capacity and pathogen pressure on the maintenance of colour polymorphism in this species.

Taxonomy, biogeography and phylogeny of Cretaceous frog crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) from the Neotropics

Le but du présent travail est d’apporter la preuve paléontologique mettant en évidence que le clade Raninoida était bien établi dans le Néotropique durant la période Crétacée, où il était représenté par les plus anciennes familles ou par quelques–uns des plus anciens membres des plus anciennes familles. Je décris des taxa raninoïdiens ou similaires, incluant Archaeochimaeridae n. fam. et Archaeochimaera macrophthalma n. gen. n. sp., du Cénomanien supérieur (~95 Ma.) de Colombie (Chapitre 3), Planocarcinus n. gen., Planocarcinus olssoni (Rathbun, 1937) n. comb. et Notopocorystes kerri n. sp., de l’Aptien supérieur (~115 Ma.) de Colombie (Luque et al., accepté) (Chapitre 2). Ces taxa nouveaux, plus la présence de Cenomanocarcinus vanstraeleni Stenzel, 1945, dans l’Albien supérieur de Colombie (Vega et al., 2010), et d’Araripecarcinus ferreirai Martins–Neto, 1987, dans l’Albien du Brésil (Luque et al., en cours) (Chapitre 4), représentent certains des plus anciens signalements de quatre des sept familles raninoïdiennes, au moins, connues à ce jour. La nouvelle famile Archaeochimaeridae se présente comme le groupe frère du clade Raninidae + clade Symethidae. Cependant, la combinaison unique de caractères primitifs, dérivés et homoplasiques est inégalable chez les Raninoida, et, en fait, chez les autres sections de crabes podotrèmes. Alors que les taxa raninoïdiens du Crétacé sont bien connus aux latitudes élevées, les signalements en Amérique du Sud tropicale sont rares et épars, avec pour résultat de considérables distorsions pour traiter des importantes questions biogéographiques et phylogénétiques. Sur la base de données taxonomiques, paléobiogéographiques et cladistiques, une ré–appréciation des toute premières distributions spatio–temporelle des “crabes grenouilles” est proposée, avec pour objet de contribuer à une plus large compréhension de la diversité, phylogénie et évolution des premiers brachyoures au cours des âges.

Effect of magnesium sulphate and L-tryptophan and genotype on the feed intake, behaviour and meat quality of pigs

Sixty-nine entire male pigs with different halothane genotype (homozygous halothane positive – nn-, n=36; and homozygous halothane negative – NN-, n=33) were fed with a supplementation of magnesium sulphate (Mg) and/or L-tryptophan (Trp) in the diet for 5 days before slaughter. Animals were housed individually and were submitted to stressful ante mortem conditions (mixed in the lorry according to treatments and transported 1h on rough roads). Individual feed intake was recorded during the 5-day treatment. At the abattoir, pig behaviour was assessed in the raceway to the stunning system and during the stunning period by exposure to CO2. Muscle pH, colour, water holding capacity, texture and cathepsin activities were determined to assess meat quality. The number of pigs with an individual feed intake lower than 2kg/day was significantly different among diets (P<0.05; Control: 8.7%; Mg&Trp: 43.5%; Trp: 17.4%) and they were considered to have inadequate supplement intake. During the ante mortem period, 15.2% of pigs included in the experiment died, and this percentage decreased to 8.7% in those pigs with a feed intake > 2kg/day, all of them from the stress-sensitive pigs (nn). In general, no differences were observed in the behaviour of pigs along the corridor leading to the stunning system and inside the CO2 stunning system. During the stunning procedure, Trp diet showed shorter periods of muscular excitation than control and Mg&Trp diets. The combination of a stressful ante mortem treatment and Mg&Trp supplementation led to carcasses with high incidence of severe skin lesions. Different meat quality results were found when considering all pigs or considering only those with adequate supplement intake. In this later case, Trp increased pH45 (6.15) vs Control diet (5.96) in the Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle (P<0.05) and pH at 24h (Trp: 5.59 vs C: 5.47) led to a higher incidence of dark, firm and dry (DFD) traits in SM muscle (P<0.05). Genotype affected negatively all the meat quality traits. Seventy-five percent of LT and 60.0% of the SM muscles from nn pigs were classified as pale, soft and exudative (PSE), while none of the NN pigs showed these traits (P<0.0001). No significant differences were found between genotypes on the incidence of DFD meat. Due to the negative effects observed in the Mg&Trp group in feed intake and carcass quality, the utilization of a mixture of magnesium sulphate and tryptophan is not recommended

Pilot study of the short-term physico-chemical stability of atenolol tablets stored in a multi-compartment compliance aid

Study objectives: There is a possibility that lower air, moisture and light protection could impact on physico-chemical stability of medicines inside multi-compartment compliance aids (MCCAs), although this has not yet been proved. The objectives of the study were to examine the physico-chemical stability of atenolol tablets stored in a compliance aid at room temperature, and at elevated temperature and humidity to simulate practice conditions. Methods: Atenolol 100 mg tablets in 28-chamber, plastic compliance aids with transparent lids were stored for four weeks at room temperature and at 40°C with 75% relative humidity. Tablets were also stored at room temperature in original packaging and Petri dishes. Physical tests were conducted to standards as laid down in the British Pharmacopoeia 2005, and dissolution to those of the United States Pharmacopoeia volume 24. Chemical stability was assessed by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Results: Tablets at room temperature in original packaging, in compliance aids and Petri dishes remained the same in appearance and passed physico-chemical tests. Tablets exposed to 40°C with 75% relative humidity in compliance aids passed tests for uniformity of weight, friability and chemical stability but became pale and moist, softer (82 newtons ± 4; p< 0.0001) than tablets in the original packaging (118 newtons ± 6), more friable (0.14% loss of mass) compared with other tablets (0.005%), and failed the tests for disintegration (>15 minutes) and dissolution (only 15% atenolol released at 30 minutes). Conclusion: Although chemical stability was unaffected, storage in compliance aids at 40°C with 75% relative humidity softened atenolol tablets, prolonged disintegration time and hindered dissolution which could significantly reduce bioavailability. This formulation could be suitable for storage in compliance aids at 25°C, but not in hotter, humid weather.

Studies on the genus Paecilomyces in China V. Taifanglania gen. nov for some monophialidic species

A rare monophialidic fungus, Taifanglania hechuanensis gen. & sp. nov., was isolated from soil oil the banks of Jialin River, Hechuan, Chongqing City during a survey of soil-borne filamentous fungi from different phytogeographical areas in China. It is described and illustrated in this paper. A further eight monophialidic species of Paecilomyces are transferred to the genus. Diagnosis features of the new genus are white, grey, straw yellow or brown to black colonies on Czapek agar. Conidiophores are always absent or simple. Phialides are solitary, consisting of a cylindrical or ellipsoidal swollen basal portion, tapering into a thin neck, directly arising on vegetative hyphae or prophialides, sometimes consisting of a whorl of 2 to 3 phialides oil simple conidiophores. Conidia arc one-celled, hyaline, smooth-walled, subglobose, ellipsoidal or fusiform, having or no the connective between conidia and being thermotolerant. The new species is characterized by pale yellow to grey-yellow colonies, solitary phialides with ail ellipsoidal or fusiform basal portion that arise directly from the vegetative hyphae, big conidia (3.1-)3.9-8.7 x ( 1.7-)2.1-4.7(-5.1) mu m with the connective, and thermotolerant growth. A molecular study based oil the nucleotidic sequences of the SSU rDNA and ITS regions support the status of T. hechuanensis as a new species and Taifanglania as a new genus.

Steric stabilisation of the P_P bond in a bulky tetraorganodiphosphine: synthesis, characterisation and X-ray structure determination of tetrakis(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)diphosphine

We report the synthesis and characterisation of tetrakis(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)diphosphine. Synthesis is effected by the treatment of PCl3 with an excess of 2,4,6-triisopropylphenyllithium (or the equivalent Grignard reagent) in 70% yield. While under normal circumstances the triarylphosphine would be expected, excessive bulk prevents this, and the resulting diphosphine is, unusually, stable to PP cleavage by further organolithium moieties. The compound is stable, both thermally (m.p. 185°C) and to air and water in the solid state, although conversion to the equivalent diorganophosphinate ester is effected by boiling ethanolic solutions in air. Crystallisation from hexane/ethanol afforded pale yellow crystals of X-ray quality. The molecule is characterised by m.p., IR, NMR, elemental analysis (C, H, P) and MS. The X-ray structure shows an antiperiplanar conformation with a PP separation of 2.2461(16) Å. Comparisons are made with other diphosphines, the title compound being only the fourth simple diphosphine to be structurally characterised.

The influence of geographic origin and food type on the susceptibility of Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) to Piper guineense (Schum and Thonn)

The tolerance of Callosobruchus maculatus from different geographical locations reared on two cowpea varieties, pale brown Ife Brown (IFBV) and dark brown IAR48 (IAR48V), to seed powder of Piper guineense (Schum and Thonn) was investigated. C. maculatus populations were collected from nine different locations across Osun state in the South Western part of Nigeria. The main and interactive effects of cowpea variety, population origin and dose on C. maculatus tolerance to P. guineense were explored. It was observed that bruchids that emerged from IAR48V had greater tolerance of P. guineense than bruchids reared on IFBV. There were significant effects (P < 0.001) of cowpea variety, population and dose, and significant interactions among these factors (except variety � dose, P > 0.05) on the response of bruchids to P. guineense. When reared on IAR48V, bruchid populations from the North-Eastern part of the state show greater tolerance to P. guineense than their counterparts from the SoutheWest. This study underscores the importance of knowledge of the origin of the population and the cowpea variety on which C. maculatus developed when managing bruchids damage using P. guineense

A new species of Lauromacromia (Odonata: Corduliidae) from Southeastern Brazil, with a cladistic analysis of the genus and comments on Neotropical dragonfly biogeography

Lauromacromia melanica sp. nov. from Conceicao da Barra municipality, Espirito Santo State, Brazil, is described and illustrated based on two males (both in MNRJ n degrees 135). The new species is similar to L. picinguaba differing from it mainly by the absence of pale spots on S3-6 and by the ellipsoid shape of metepisternal pale stripe. A key for males of all species of the genus is provided. A cladistic analysis encompassing 43 external morphological male characters carried out in two distinct procedures, the first with all characters unordered and the second with two or three state characters ordered. The unordered analysis generated only one most-parsimonious tree (66 steps of length, CI = 0.69, RI = 0.62). The hypothesis of monophyly of Lauromacromia is supported and includes three groups, one formed by the Atlantic Forest species (L. melanica sp. nov. + L. picinguaba), and another by the Cerrado species (L. flaviae + (L. bedei + L. luismoojeni)), and L. dubitalis, positioned in polytomy with these two groups. The ordered analysis also generated only one most-parsimonious tree (68 steps of length, CI = 0.70, RI = 0.67), which maintained the monophyly of Lauromacromia but L. dubitalis positioned basally as sister-group to the Atlantic Forest + Cerrado species groups. The geographic distribution of Lauromacromia is updated with a new record of L. luismoojeni based on one adult male (Brazil: Mato Grosso do Sul State) and probable first Brazilian records for L. dubitalis (Amazonas and Para States) based on two larvae. A vicariance hypothesis is proposed to explain spatial evolution of Lauromacromia, and based on current biogeographical classifications we consider Gomphomacromia and Rialla apart from Neotropical biota. Some aspects of biology and ecology of Lauromacromia are also discussed.

Infection by Trypanosoma vivax in goats and sheep in the Brazilian semiarid region: From acute disease outbreak to chronic cryptic infection

A study was undertaken to investigate the role of Trypanosoma vivax in sheep and goat mortality and abortions in the Brazilian semiarid region, where outbreaks Had been previously reported in bovines. For this purpose, 177 goats and 248 sheep (20% of herds) were randomly sampled on four farms in the State of Paraiba in May and October 2008. The animals were screened for trypanosomes by the buffy coat technique (BCT) and PCR. Infected animals, similar to 25% in both surveys, manifested apathy, pale mucous membranes, enlarged lymph nodes, weakness, weight loss, opacity of the cornea, blindness and abortion. However, the animals with acute and severe disease showing the highest levels of parasitemia and fever, which many times resulted in death, were only detected in the first survey. These severely diseased animals exhibited progressive weight loss and had the smallest packed cell volume (PCV) values. During survey 2, done in October 2008 on the same farms, only animals with low parasitemia and normal temperatures, PCV values and body weights were detected. Therefore, animals that spontaneously recovered from acute infection developed chronic and asymptomatic disease. This finding demonstrated for the first time that sheep and goats, which are the most important livestock in the semiarid region of Brazil, may be severely injured by T. vivax infection and also play a role as asymptomatic carriers and important sources of T. vivax to ruminants in general. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Bendadaite, a new iron arsenate mineral of the arthurite group

Bendadaite, ideally Fe(2+)Fe(2)(3+)(AsO(4))(2)(OH)(2 center dot).4H(2)O, is a new member of the arthurite group It was found as a weathering product of arsenopyrite on a single hand specimen from the phosphate pegmatite Bendada. central Portugal (type locality) Co-type locality is the granite pegmatite of La via do Almerindo (Almerindo mine), Linopolis, Divmo das Laranjeiras county, Minas Gerais, Brazil Further localities are the Vein Negra mine, Copiapo province, Chile, mid-East, Bou Azzer district, Morocco, and Para Inferida yard, Fenugu Sibirt mine, Gonnosfanadiga, Medio Campidano Province, Sardinia. Italy Type bendadaite occurs as blackish green to dark brownish tufts (<0 1 mm long) and flattened radiating aggregates. in intimate association with an intermediate member of the scorodite-mansfieldite series It is monoclinic. space group P2(l/c). with a = 10 239(3) angstrom. b = 9 713(2) angstrom, c = 5 552(2) angstrom. beta = 94 11(2)degrees. = 550 7(2) angstrom(3). Z = 2 Electron-microprobe analysis yielded (wt %). CaO 0 04, MnO 0 03. CuO 006, ZnO 004. Fe(2)O(3) (total) 43 92, Al(2)O(3) 115. SnO(2) 0 10, As(2)O(5) 43 27. P(2)O(5) 1 86, SO(3) 0.03 The empirical formula is (Fe(0 52)(2+)Fe(0 32)(3+)rectangle(0 16))(Sigma 1 00)(Fe(1 89)(3+)Al(0 11))(Sigma 2 00)(As(1 87)P(0 13))(Sigma 2 00)O(8)(OH)(2 00) 4H(2)O based. CM 2(As,P) and assuming ideal 80, 2(OH), 4H2O and complete occupancy of the ferric on site by Fe(3+) and Al Optically, bendadaite is biaxial, positive, 2V(est) = 85+/-4 degrees, 2V(eale) = 88 degrees, with alpha 1 734(3). 13 1 759(3), 7 1 787(4) Pleochrosim is medium strong X pale reddish brown. Y yellowish brown, Z dark yellowish brown. absorption Z > V > X, optical dispersion weak, r > v. Optical axis plane Is parallel to (010), with X approximately parallel to a and Z nearly parallel to c Bendadaite has vitreous to sub-adamantine luster, is translucent and non-fluorescent It is brittle, shows irregular fracture and a good cleavage parallel to 1010} 3 15 0 10 g/cm(3), 3 193 g/cm3 (for the empirical formula) The five strongest powder diffraction lines [d in angstrom (I)(hkl] are 10 22 (10)(100), 7 036 (8)(110), 4 250 (5)(11 I), 2 865 (4)(311), 4 833 (3)(020,011) The d spacings are very similar to those of its Zn analogue, ojelaite The crystal structure of bendadaite was solved and refined using a crystal from the co-type locality with the composition (Fe(0 95)(2+)rectangle(0 05))(Sigma 1 00)(Fe(1 80)(3+)Al(0 20))Sigma(2 00)(As(1 48)P(0 52))(Sigma 2 00)O(8)) (OH)(2) 4H(2)O (R = 16%) and confirms an arthurite-type atomic arrangement