Seasonal changes in daily metabolic patterns of tegu lizards (Tupinambis merianae) placed in the cold (17 degrees C) and dark

Oxygen consumption rate was measured continuously in young tegu lizards Tupinambis merianae exposed to 4 d at 25 degrees C followed by 7-10 d at 17 degrees C in constant dark at five different times of the year. Under these conditions, circadian rhythms in the rate of oxygen consumption persisted for anywhere from 1 d to the entire 2 wk in different individuals in all seasons except the winter. We also saw a progressive decline in standard oxygen consumption rate (at highly variable rates in different individuals) to a very low rate that was seasonally independent (ranging from 19.1 +/- 6.2 to 27.7 +/- 0.2 mL kg(-1) h(-1) across seasons). Although this degree of reduction appeared to take longer to invoke when starting from higher metabolic rates, tegu lizards reduced their metabolism to the low rates seen in winter dormancy at all times of the year when given sufficient time in the cold and dark. In the spring and summer, tegus reduced their standard metabolic rate (SMR) by 80%-90% over the experimental run, but only roughly 20%-30% of the total fall was due to the reduction in temperature; 70%-80% of the total fall occurred at constant temperature. By autumn, when the starting SMR on the first night at 25 degrees C was already reduced by 59%-81% (early and late autumn, respectively) from peak summer values, virtually all of the fall (63%-83%) in metabolism was due to the reduction in temperature. This suggests that the temperature-independent reduction of metabolism was already in place by autumn before the tegus had entered winter dormancy.

Phylogeny, Ecology, and Heart Position in Snakes

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Baroreflex control of heart rate in the broad-nosed caiman Caiman latirostris is temperature dependent

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The unequal influences of the left and right vagi on the control of the heart and pulmonary artery in the rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The Heart of the South American Rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Similarity of ground-dwelling anuran (Amphibia) composition among different vegetation physiognomies in a Mesophytic Semideciduous Forest from southeastern Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Minimal volume regulation after shrinkage of red blood cells from five species of reptiles

Red blood cells (RBCs) from most vertebrates restore volume upon hypertonic shrinkage and the mechanisms underlying this regulatory volume increase (RVI) have been studied extensively in these cells. Despite the phylogenetically interesting position of reptiles, very little is known about their red cell function. The present study demonstrates that oxygenated RBCs in all major groups of reptiles exhibit no or a very reduced RVI upon -25% calculated hyperosmotic shrinkage. Thus, RBCs from the snakes Crotalus durissus and Python regius, the turtle Trachemys scripta and the alligator Alligator mississippiensis showed no statistically significant RVI within 120 min after shrinkage, while the lizard Tupinambis merianae showed 22% volume recovery after 120 min. Amiloride (10(-4) M) and bumetanide (10(-5) M) had no effect on the RVI in T merianae, indicating no involvement of the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) or the Na(+)/K(+)/2Cl(-) co-transporter (NKCC) or insentive transporters. Deoxygenation of RBCs from A. mississippiensis and T merianae did not significantly affect RVI upon shrinkage. Deoxygenation per se of red blood cells from T merianae elicited a slow volume increase, but the mechanism was not characterized. It seems, therefore, that the RVI response based on NHE activation was lost among the early sauropsids that gave rise to modern reptiles and birds, while it was retained in mammals. An RVI response has then reappeared in birds, but based on activation of the NKCC. Alternatively, the absence of the RVI response may represent the most ancient condition, and could have evolved several times within vertebrates. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physiological importance of the coronary arterial blood supply to the rattlesnake heart

The reptilian heart consists of a thick inner spongy myocardium that derives its oxygen and nutrient supply directly from the blood within the ventricular cavity, which is surrounded by a thin outer compact layer supplied by coronary arteries. The functional importance of these coronary arteries remains unknown. In the present study we investigate the effects of permanent coronary artery occlusion in the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) on the ability to maintain heart rate and blood pressure at rest and during short term activity. We used colored silicone rubber (Microfil) to identify the coronary artery distribution and interarterial anastomoses. The coronary circulation was occluded and the snakes were then kept for 4 days at 30 degrees C. Microfil injections verified that virtually all coronary arteries had successfully been occluded, but also made visible an extensive coronary supply to the outer compact layer in untreated snakes. Electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure (P(sys)) and heart rate (f(H)) were measured at rest and during enforced activity at day 1 and 4. Four days after occlusion of the coronary circulation, the snakes could still maintain a P(sys) and f(H) of 5.2 +/- 0.2 kPa and 58.2 +/- 2.2 beats min(-1), respectively, during activity and the ECG was not affected. This was not different from sham-operated snakes. Thus, while the outer compact layer of the rattlesnake heart clearly has an extensive coronary supply, rattlesnakes sustain a high blood pressure and heart rate during activity without coronary artery blood supply.

Synchronization: Stability and duration time

We consider the problem of stability and duration of the synchronization process between self-excited oscillators, both in their regular and chaotic states. Making use of the properties of Hill equation describing the deviation between the slave and the master, we derive the stability conditions and expressions of the synchronization time. A fairly good agreement is obtained between the analytical and numerical results.

Whitham method for the Benjamin-Ono-Burgers equation and dispersive shocks

The Whitham modulation equations for the parameters of a periodic solution are derived using the generalized Lagrangian approach for the case of the damped Benjamin-Ono equation. The structure of the dispersive shock is considered in this method.

Stability of the trapped nonconservative Gross-Pitaevskii equation with attractive two-body interaction

The dynamics of a nonconservative Gross-Pitaevskii equation for trapped atomic systems with attractive two-body interaction is numerically investigated, considering wide variations of the nonconservative parameters, related to atomic feeding and dissipation. We study the possible limitations of the mean-field description for an atomic condensate with attractive two-body interaction, by defining the parameter regions, where stable or unstable formation can be found. The present study is useful and timely considering the possibility of large variations of attractive two-body scattering lengths, which may be feasible in recent experiments.

Gravitational rainbow of massive particles

Photon propagation is non-dispersive within the context of semiclassical general relativity. What about the remaining massless particles? It can be shown that at the tree level the scattering of massless particles of spin 0, 1/2, 1 or whatever by a static gravitational field generated by a localized source such as the Sun, treated as an external field, is non-dispersive as well. It is amazing, however, that massive particles, regardless of whether they have integral or half-integral spin, experience an energy-dependent gravitational deflection. Therefore, semiclassical general relativity and gravitational rainbows of massive particles can coexist without conflict. We address this issue in this essay.

Positronium atom scattering by H-2 in a coupled-channel framework

The scattering of ortho-positronium (Ps) by H-2 has been investigated using a three-Ps-state (Ps(1s,2s, 2p)H-2(X (1)Sigma(g)(+))) coupled-channel model and using the Born approximation for higher excitations and ionization of Ps and B (1)Sigma(u)(+) and b (3)Sigma(u)(+) excitations of H-2. We employ a recently proposed time-reversal-symmetric non-local electron-exchange model potential. We present a calculational scheme for solving the body-frame fixed-nuclei coupled-channel scattering equations for Ps-H-2, which simplifies the numerical solution technique considerably. Ps ionization is found to have the leading contribution to target-elastic and all target-inelastic processes. The total cross sections at low and medium energies are in good agreement with experiment.

Stabilization of a light bullet in a layered Kerr medium with sign-changing nonlinearity

Using the numerical solution of the nonlinear Schrodinger equation and a variational method, it is shown that (3+1)-dimensional spatiotemporal optical solitons, known as light bullets, can be stabilized in a layered Kerr medium with sign-changing nonlinearity along the propagation direction.

Short-time dynamics of percolation observables

We consider the critical short-time evolution of magnetic and droplet-percolation order parameters for the Ising model in two and three dimensions, through Monte Carlo simulations with the (local) heat-bath method. We find qualitatively different dynamic behaviors for the two types of order parameters. More precisely, we find that the percolation order parameter does not have a power-law behavior as encountered for the magnetization, but develops a scale (related to the relaxation time to equilibrium) in the Monte Carlo time. We argue that this difference is due to the difficulty in forming large clusters at the early stages of the evolution. Our results show that, although the descriptions in terms of magnetic and percolation order parameters may be equivalent in the equilibrium regime, greater care must be taken to interpret percolation observables at short times. In particular, this concerns the attempts to describe the dynamics of the deconfinement phase transition in QCD using cluster observables.