Changes in the concentrations of serum IgG, IgA and IgM of sows throughout the reproductive cycle

The concentrations of IgG, IgM and IgA in sera collected from 3855 sows (3208 pregnant and 647 lactating) at a single time point were determined. This experimental design allowed changes in serum immunoglobulin over the reproductive cycle to be studied without bias from seasonal influence. The concentrations of the three immunoglobulins changed independently during the reproductive cycle. Serum levels of IgM and IgG began a progressive postpartal decline during the 14th–17th week of gestation. At the onset of lactation serum IgG levels progressively increased while IgM levels continued to decline, the latter reaching their lowest level during the third week of lactation. In contrast to IgM and IgG, serum IgA levels increased 35% during weeks 14–17 of gestation and continued to increase throughout lactation, reaching their highest serum levels in the third week of lactation; the serum IgA concentration at this time was twice that observed during the first 13 weeks of gestation. Results of these studies allowed the reproductive cycle to be classified into four phases on the basis of serum immunoglobulin concentrations: (1) weeks 1–4 of gestation; (2) weeks 5–13 of gestation; (3) weeks 14–17 of gestation and (4) lactation.     

Reduced chromosome association between the short arms of 5H homologues in Hordeum vulgare L. at metaphase I

Rod or ring bivalents at metaphase I (MI) reflect whether crossing-over has occurred on one or both pairs of chromosome arms, respectively, during meiotic prophase (pachytene). In cultivated barley ( Hordeum vulgare ) the highest frequencies of rod bivalents were found for satellite chromosomes (either 5H or 6H). To distinguish between chromosome 5H and 6H associations, a recombinant line derived from an H. vulgare × H. bulbosum hybrid with a hemizygous introgression from H. bulbosum on the short arm of chromosome 6H was probed with 45S rDNA and pSc119.2 using fluorescent in situ hybridization and compared with non-recombinant H. vulgare. The frequencies of rod bivalents, caused by failure of the short arms of 5H chromosomes (5HS) to associate during meiosis in the recombinant line, were similar to the frequencies of rod bivalents involving the satellite chromosomes in H. vulgare. Hence, rod bivalent formation in H. vulgare satellite chromosomes is probably based on reduced association of 5HS, corresponding to a low frequency of genetic recombination. 5HS is, therefore, more likely to show linkage disequilibrium than the other chromosome arms.     

Soil nitrogen mineralization not affected by grass species traits

Species N use traits was evaluated as a mechanism whereby Bromus inermis (Bromus), an established invasive, might alter soil N supply in a Northern mixed-grass prairie. We compared soils under stands of Bromus with those from three representative native grasses of different litter C/N: Andropogon gerardii (Andropogon), Nassella viridula (Nassella) and Pascopyrum smithii (Pascopyrum); in ascending order of litter quality. Net mineralization (per g soil N) measured in year-long laboratory incubations showed no differences in comparisons of Bromus with two of the three native grasses: Andropogon and Nassella. Higher mineralization in Pascopyrum stands relative to Bromus was consistent with its higher litter quality. However, an unusually high occurrence of an N-fixing legume in Pascopyrum stands, potentially favoring high mineralization rates, confounded any conclusions regarding the effects of plant N use on N mineralization. Instead of an initial flush of net mineralization, as would be expected in laboratory incubation, we observed an initial lag phase. This lag in net N mineralization coincided with high microbial activity (respiration) that suggests strong N limitation of the microbial biomass. Further support for the importance of immobilization initially came from modeling mineralization dynamics, which was explained better when we accounted for microbial growth in our model. The absence of strong differences in net mineralization beneath these grasses suggests that differences in plant N use alone were unlikely to influence soil N mineralization through substrate quality, particularly under strong N control of the microbial biomass.     

Verification of identities in global cacao germplasm collections

The ex situ conservation of cacao genetic resources is in the form of field genebanks. Misidentified trees though, represent a serious problem to (i) curators, who need to capture genetic diversity, and (ii) users of germplasm material, who must be certain of the identities of the accessions for proper evaluation of their results. The presence of mislabelled trees was assessed from data compiled in the International Cocoa Germplasm Database (ICGD) 2000 v4.1CD-ROM, which contains the published records of cacao accessions in global holdings. Circumstantial evidence revealed that many germplasm collections, especially those in Brazil (CEPEC), Colombia (ICA), Costa Rica (CATIE), Côte d'Ivoire, Mexico, Malaysia, Togo, Trinidad (ICG,T) and Venezuela (EEC) probably possessed misidentified material. The severity of the problem ranged from 15–44 % and is suggested as an area for immediate resolution. Based upon the morphological data provided by the ICGD CD-ROM, several accessions were highly suspect, including 'EET 19 [ECU]', 'EET 48 [ECU]', 'EET 162 [ECU]', 'ICS 1', 'ICS 6', 'ICS 43', 'ICS 89', 'ICS 100', 'IMC 67', 'PA 121 [PER]', 'POUND 7 [POU]', 'SCA 6', 'SPA 9 [COL]', 'UF 29', 'UF 613' and 'UF 667'. However, the identification of mislabelled trees should depend ultimately on molecular analysis. Hence, the use of voucher specimens for verification is forwarded and the concept of a public domain database for microsatellite analyses of germplasm holdings is raised.     

Immunoglobulin M and secretory immunoglobulin A: presence of a common polypeptide chain different from light chains

Unique polypeptide chains have been isolated from S-sulfonated light-chain fractions of human serum immunoglobulin M and colostral immunoglobulin A. Their electrophoretic mobilities, molecular weights, peptide maps, amino acid compositions, and antigenic determinants are very similar or perhaps identical but differ from those of light chains and secretory piece.     

Thermal Properties of Meteoritic Iron from -150{degrees} to 300{degrees} Celsius

Thermal diffusivity and specific heat have been measured by the flash method on a small specimen of meteoritic iron from the Canyon Diablo fall. Measurements have been made over the temperature range -150 degrees to 300 degrees C from which thermal conductivity values have been calculated.     

Interstellar cloud material: contribution to planetary atmospheres

A statistical analysis of the properties of dense interstellar clouds indicates that the solar system has encountered at least a dozen clouds of sufficient density to cause planets to accumulate nonnegligible amounts of some isotopes. The effect is most pronounced for neon. This mechanism could be responsible for much of the neon in Earth's atmosphere. For Mars, the predicted amount of neon added by cloud encounters greatly exceeds the present abundance.