The influence of social structure on brood survival and development in a socially polymorphic ant: insights from a cross-fostering experiment.

Animal societies vary in the number of breeders per group, which affects many socially and ecologically relevant traits. In several social insect species, including our study species Formica selysi, the presence of either one or multiple reproducing females per colony is generally associated with differences in a suite of traits such as the body size of individuals. However, the proximate mechanisms and ontogenetic processes generating such differences between social structures are poorly known. Here, we cross-fostered eggs originating from single-queen (= monogynous) or multiple-queen (= polygynous) colonies into experimental groups of workers from each social structure to investigate whether differences in offspring survival, development time and body size are shaped by the genotype and/or prefoster maternal effects present in the eggs, or by the social origin of the rearing workers. Eggs produced by polygynous queens were more likely to survive to adulthood than eggs from monogynous queens, regardless of the social origin of the rearing workers. However, brood from monogynous queens grew faster than brood from polygynous queens. The social origin of the rearing workers influenced the probability of brood survival, with workers from monogynous colonies rearing more brood to adulthood than workers from polygynous colonies. The social origin of eggs or rearing workers had no significant effect on the head size of the resulting workers in our standardized laboratory conditions. Overall, the social backgrounds of the parents and of the rearing workers appear to shape distinct survival and developmental traits of ant brood.

The permeability P-glycoprotein: a focus on enantioselectivity and brain distribution.

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: The permeability glycoprotein (P-gp) is an important protein transporter involved in the disposition of many drugs with different chemical structures, but few studies have examined a possible stereoselectivity in its activity. P-gp can have a major impact on the distribution of drugs in selected organs, including the brain. Polymorphisms of the ABCB1 gene, which encodes for P-gp, can influence the kinetics of several drugs. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: A search including publications from 1990 up to 2009 was performed on P-gp stereoselectivity and on the impact of ABCB1 polymorphisms on enantiomer brain distribution. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: Despite stereoselectivity not being expected because of the large variability of chemical structures of P-gp substrates, structure-activity relationships suggest different P-gp-binding sites for enantiomers. Enantioselectivity in the activity of P-gp has been demonstrated by in vitro studies and in animal models (preferential transport of one enantiomer or different inhibitory potencies towards P-gp activity between enantiomers). There is also in vivo evidence of an enantioselective drug transport at the human blood-brain barrier. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: The significant enantioselective activity of P-gp might be clinically relevant and must be taken into account in future studies.

Determinação da composição mineral de subprodutos agroindustriais utilizados na alimentação animal, pela técnica de ativação neutrônica

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar alguns subprodutos agroindustriais utilizados na alimentação animal e identificar os principais minerais presentes. Amostras de farelos de algodão, arroz, canola, soja e trigo; farinhas de peixe, carne e penas + vísceras; cascas de algodão, arroz, laranja; bagaços de tomate e de laranja foram coletadas em diferentes locais de produção. O método analítico empregado foi a análise por ativação com nêutrons seguida de espectrometria gama. Os níveis de minerais encontrados em todas as amostras, inclusive aqueles considerados tóxicos, tais como As, Cd e Hg, não excederam os limites máximos permitidos em dietas para animais domésticos. Os valores obtidos foram comparados com os comumente encontrados em forragens.

Catch-up growth strategies differ between body structures: interactions between age and structure-specific growth in wild nestling Alpine swifts

1. Little is known on the occurrence and magnitude of faster than normal (catch-up) growth in response to periods of undernutrition in the wild, and the extent to which different body structures compensate and over what timescales is poorly understood. 2. We investigated catch-up growth in nestling Alpine Swifts, Apus melba, by comparing nestling growth trajectories in response to a naturally occurring 1-week period of inclement weather and undernutrition with growth of nestlings reared in a good year. 3. In response to undernutrition, nestlings exhibited a hierarchy of tissues preservation and compensation, with body mass being restored quickly after the end of the period of undernutrition, acceleration of skeletal growth occurring later in development, and compensation in wing length occurring mostly due to a prolongation of growth and delayed fledging. 4. The effect of undernutrition and subsequent catch-up growth was age-dependent, with older nestlings being more resilient to undernutrition, and in turn having less need to compensate later in the development. 5. This shows that young in a free-living bird population can compensate in body mass and body size for a naturally occurring period of undernutrition, and that the timing and extent of compensation varies with age and between body structures.

From protein sequences to 3D-structures and beyond: the example of the UniProt knowledgebase.

With the dramatic increase in the volume of experimental results in every domain of life sciences, assembling pertinent data and combining information from different fields has become a challenge. Information is dispersed over numerous specialized databases and is presented in many different formats. Rapid access to experiment-based information about well-characterized proteins helps predict the function of uncharacterized proteins identified by large-scale sequencing. In this context, universal knowledgebases play essential roles in providing access to data from complementary types of experiments and serving as hubs with cross-references to many specialized databases. This review outlines how the value of experimental data is optimized by combining high-quality protein sequences with complementary experimental results, including information derived from protein 3D-structures, using as an example the UniProt knowledgebase (UniProtKB) and the tools and links provided on its website ( http://www.uniprot.org/ ). It also evokes precautions that are necessary for successful predictions and extrapolations.

Control Structures for Stabilizing Degrading Stream Channels Pottawattamie County, HR-236, 1987

Stream degradation due to steep stream gradients and large deposits of loess soil is a serious problem in western Iowa. One solution to this problem is to construct grade stabilization structures at critical points along the length of the stream. Iowa Highway Research Board project HR-236, "Pottawattamie County Evaluation of Control Structures for Stabilizing Degrading Stream Channels", was initiated in order to study the effectiveness of such structures in preventing stream degradation. This report describes the construction and 4-year performance of a gabion drop structure constructed along Keg Creek during the winter of 1982-83.

PRODUÇÃO ANIMAL EM PASTAGEM DE MILHETO SOB DIFERENTES NÍVEIS DE NITROGÊNIO

O experimento foi conduzido em área da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, RS, com o objetivo de verificar os efeitos de três níveis de adubação nitrogenada (0, 150 e 300 kg/ha de N) em pastagem de milheto (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) cv. Comum, sobre a produção animal. Foram utilizados novilhos de corte e avaliados o desempenho por animal, o número de animais.dia/ha e o ganho de peso vivo por área. O sistema de pastejo adotado foi o contínuo, com ajustes de carga para manter uma pressão de pastejo de 10%, caracterizando um resíduo médio de 3.168 kg de matéria seca/ha. As variáveis dependentes mostraram relação linear positiva com os níveis de adubação nitrogenada, o que denota o alto potencial do milheto.

Iowa Animal Industry News, 2014, Vol. 15, no. 1

Newsletter produced by Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship about the animal industry in Iowa. Previously titled Animal Industry News.

Structural investigations into the interaction of hemoglobin and part structures with bacterial endotoxins.

An understanding of details of the interaction mechanisms of bacterial endotoxins (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) with the oxygen transport protein hemoglobin is still lacking, despite its high biological relevance. Here, a biophysical investigation into the endotoxin:hemoglobin interaction is presented which comprises the use of various rough mutant LPS as well as free lipid A; in addition to the complete hemoglobin molecule from fetal sheep extract, also the partial structure alpha-chain and the heme-free sample are studied. The investigations comprise the determination of the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase behaviour of the acyl chains of LPS, the ultrastructure (type of aggregate structure and morphology) of the endotoxins, and the incorporation of the hemoglobins into artificial immune cell membranes and into LPS. Our data suggest a model for the interaction between Hb and LPS in which hemoglobins do not react strongly with the hydrophilic or with the hydrophobic moiety of LPS, but with the complete endotoxin aggregate. Hb is able to incorporate into LPS with the longitudinal direction parallel to the lipid A double-layer. Although this does not lead to a strong disturbance of the LPS acyl chain packing, the change of the curvature leads to a slightly conical molecular shape with a change of the three-dimensional arrangement from unilamellar into cubic LPS aggregates. Our previous results show that cubic LPS structures exhibit strong endotoxic activity. The property of Hb on the physical state of LPS described here may explain the observation of an increase in LPS-mediating endotoxicity due to the action of Hb.

Metric Short Course for the Office of Bridges and Structures, HR-378, 1995

This metric short course was developed in response to a request from the Office of Bridges and Structures to assist in the training of engineers in the use of metric units of measure which will be required in all highway designs and construction after September 30, 1996 (CFR Presidential Executive Order No. 12770). The course notes which are contained in this report, were developed for a half-day course. The course contains a brief review of metrication in the U.S., metric units, prefixes, symbols, basic conversions, etc. The unique part of the course is that it presents several typical bridge calculations (such as capacity of reinforced concrete compression members, strength of pile caps, etc.) worked two ways: inch-pound units throughout with end conversion to metric and initial hard conversion to metric with metric units throughout. Comparisons of partial results and final results (obtained by working the problems the two ways) are made for each of the example problems.