Champagne wine polyphenols protect primary cortical neurons against peroxynitrite-induced injury

White wines are generally low in polyphenol content as compared to red wines. However, Champagne wines have been shown to contain relatively high amounts of phenolic acids that may exert protective cellular actions in vivo. In this study, we have investigated the potential neuroprotective effects of Champagne wine extracts, and individual phenolics present in these extracts, against peroxynitrite-induced injury. Organic and aqueous Champagne wine extracts exhibited potent neuroprotective activity against peroxynitrite-induced injury at low concentrations (0.1 microg/mL). This protection appeared to be in part due to the cellular actions of individual components found in the organic extracts, notably tyrosol, caffeic acid, and gallic acid. These phenolics were observed to exert potent neuroprotection at concentrations between 0.1 and 10 microM. Together, these data suggest that polyphenols present in Champagne wine may induce a neuroprotective effect against oxidative neuronal injury.     

Challenges for Multilevel Stakeholder Engagement in Public Trust Resource Governance

The trend in wildlife management over the last two decades has been to develop locally based approaches for responsiveness to local conditions, but some state wildlife agencies are finding the amount of staff time required to service this approach prohibitive. Although local engagement strategies have been lauded as assuring that public trust obligations of state government to citizens are met, we can expect that states with a local focus as their operational level of stakeholder engagement may opt to change their approach to reflect their resource limitations. We argue for comprehensive regional level effort to understand stakeholders augmented with local engagement processes where needed to deal with special circumstances in smaller areas within a region. Such an approach can be anticipated to have implications for stakeholder engagement and human dimensions research needs, which we discuss in the context of public trust resource administration and good governance of wildlife resources.     

Green roof vegetation type affects germination and initial survival of colonizing woody species

Green roofs provide a number of valuable ecosystem services compared to conventional roofs, but may require yearly maintenance. Trees and other woody plants that persist on the roof may damage or overload shallow-substrate green roofs and their removal is a standard maintenance procedure. The germination potential of colonizing species may differ depending on the vegetation surrounding them. The aim of this study was to determine whether the germination of colonizing tree species (Picea glauca and Ulmus glabra) will vary depending on which plant species form the established vegetation seeds land in. To determine germination success, survival, and seed capture ability of the plant canopy, tree seeds were added either directly to the growing medium or atop the plant canopy, in replicated monocultures of 14 species native to Nova Scotia. When seeds were added directly to the soil, no significant difference was detected between the monocultures for germination success or survival for U. glabra or P. glauca. However, when the seeds were added atop the plant canopy, percent germination of U. glabra was significantly higher in Carex argyrantha green roof modules. Overall, sod forming graminoids showed higher germination of U. glabra. The number of seeds reaching the soil was typically lower in vegetation with a denser canopy. This study demonstrates that some vegetation repels colonizing tree species by reducing ground contact. Although these effects differed according to tree species, non-vegetated substrates enhanced seedling persistence. Additionally, the majority of tree seeds that germinated failed to survive a single growing-season on shallow-substrate green roofs.     

Evidence from tag recapture experiments that fish learn to avoid fishing gear

We found evidence that tagging induced trap shyness in snapper (Pagrus auratus), i.e., tagged fish had a reduced probability of recapture by the method by which they had originally been caught. Tagging experiments in 1985 and 1994 involving single release over a short period and single recapture were conducted on a closed population (SNA 1: East Northland-Hauraki Gulf-Bay of Plenty). Initial capture was by trawling and by line fishing, while recapture over an extended period included other methods. A test for trap shyness that removed the possible effects of spatial and fish size heterogeneity gave a significant result for both years. The data suggested that the trap shyness effect might have been smaller for trawl-released fish than for line-released fish. However, we estimated a single trap shyness factor (0.71). There was also some evidence for attenuation of trap shyness over time.     

Distribution and plant community associations of the understory bamboo <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fargesia qinlingensis</Emphasis> in the Foping National Nature Reserve,China

• Introduction  

Fargesia qinlingensis is the primary food source for the endangered giant panda during the summer months in the Qinling Mountains, but little is known about its spatial distribution and plant community associations.     

A cytokinin perception mutant colonized by Rhizobium in the absence of nodule organogenesis

In legumes, Nod-factor signaling by rhizobia initiates the development of the nitrogen-fixing nodule symbiosis, but the direct cell division stimulus that brings about nodule primordia inception in the root cortex remains obscure. We showed that Lotus japonicus plants homozygous for a mutation in the HYPERINFECTED 1 (HIT1) locus exhibit abundant infection-thread formation but fail to initiate timely cortical cell divisions in response to rhizobial signaling. We demonstrated that the corresponding gene encodes a cytokinin receptor that is required for the activation of the nodule inception regulator Nin and nodule organogenesis.     

Attenuation of low-frequency sound in freshwater

Lake Superior was chosen as an experimental site to compare sound absorption of freshwater with the results of absorption measurements in seawater. The relaxation-like absorption at 1 kilohertz occurring in seawater is also present in freshwater. A relaxation related to the structural characteristics rather than to the salt content of water may be responsible for the anomalous absorption.