Growth, Maturation, Induced Spawning, and Production of the First Generation of South American Catfish, Pseudoplatystoma sp., in North America

Growth, plasma steroids, and the appearance of gonads (histology and gonadosomatic index) were followed in South American catfish (surubim, Pseudoplatystoma sp.) raised in captivity in the aquaculture facility at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA, from 2003 until 2006. Broodstock growth showed a great individual variation and it did not seem sex dependent. The levels of 11‐ketotestosterone were high in males during the reproductive season. Three out of six females spawned after receiving two doses of carp pituitary extract (0.5 and 5 mg/kg) at 11‐h intervals. Fertilization was performed in only one female in February 2006. Egg size was 0.73 ± 0.06 mm in diameter at stripping. Two males released sperm, and it was used for fertilization. Sperm concentrations were 24 × 10⁹ and 15.5 × 10⁹ spermatozoa/mL in Male 1 and Male 2, respectively, and viability was confirmed after activation in 0.3% NaCl. Embryo survival at 9 h after fertilization was 44 and 23% for Male 1 and Male 2, respectively. Embryos hatched 15 h after fertilization. Larvae were 3.53 ± 0.09 mm in length at hatching and were successfully raised (72% survival after 2 wks) using live brine shrimp nauplii.     

The cadmium status of horses from central Europe depending on breed, sex, age and living area

The Cd status of animals is best reflected by kidneys and much worse by liver and hair. Breed (heavy- and warm-blooded horses) only took an insignificant effect on the Cd content of kidneys and liver. On the average, however, warm-blooded horses stored more Cd than heavy ones. Geldings from Cd-exposed living areas accumulated insignificantly more Cd in liver, kidneys and hair than mares. The influence of age on the Cd content of kidneys and liver of Cd-exposed horses was significant. The Cd exposure of a living area was very well reflected by kidneys and liver. On the average, horses from two areas with nonferrous metal smelting stored 1000 mg Cd/kg kidney dry matter and 100 to 200 mg Cd/kg liver dry matter. The highest Cd concentration of the kidneys of horses amounted to 2.6 and 2.3 g/kg dry matter, resp.     

Enhancement of attraction and trap catches of the old-house borer, Hylotrupes bajulus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), by combination of male sex pheromone and monoterpenes

Monoterpenoid compounds extracted from wood of Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L, synergized the attraction of the old-house borer, Hylotrupes bajulus (L), to the male pheromone (3R)-3-hydroxy-2-hexanone ((3R)-ketol) + 1-butanol. Glasshouse experiments using ground traps baited with extracts derived from Scots pine wood or the monoterpenes (+)-alpha-pinene, (-)-verbenone, (-)-trans-pinocarveol and (+)-terpinen-4-ol attracted significantly more H bajulus females, but caught fewer of them, than the synthetic pheromone mixture alone. Traps baited with higher concentrations of the monoterpene mixture attracted fewer females than those baited with lower dosages, whilst very high concentrations of the mixture (6-10 vials) caught no insects. However, a combination of (3R)-ketol + 1-butanol or (+/-)-3-ketol + 1-butanol with monoterpenes resulted in the capture of significantly more females than either the sex pheromone or the monoterpene mixture alone. Traps baited with a blend of the male's sex pheromone or the monoterpenes attracted significantly more, but caught fewer, males than females. Here again, a combination of the above blends enhanced the attraction of males significantly when compared with the attractancy of either of the compounds/mixtures used alone.     

The supply of wild ruminants with major and trace elements. 1. The cadmium content of winter grazing and the cadmium status of red deer, fallow deer, roes and moulons

The Cd-determination of 10 different winter grazings for wild ruminants in seven different biotopes showed significant differences of the habitats resulting from the previous Cd-emission of metallurgy smelting non-ferrous metals. The winter grazing of the Tharandt Forest and the Harz mountains contained significantly more Cd than that of the Lower Flaming hills, the western Erzgebirge and the northern agrarian areas. The bark and the tips of conifer twigs, twigs of oak and mountain ash, bilberry and heather plants, i. e. perennial plants resp. parts of plants proved to be particularly rich in Cd. On an average, wild ruminants consume more Cd than domesticated ruminants, which do not consume parts of perennial plants. The rumen contents of all wild ruminants contained, with 0.20 to 0.25 mg/kg dry matter more Cd than could be expected from the content of the grazing. In the Cd-contaminated areas the amount of Cd in the rumen contents too showed the Cd-load. The kidneys, livers and the covering hair of a total of 172 head red deer, roes and mouflons reflected the Cd-load and the dependence of the Cd-level on the age. The Cd-concentration ascertained in the organs of the wild ruminants was compared with that of sheep and cattle. The, on an average, higher Cd-load of the wild ruminants was confirmed. The kidneys of wild ruminants older than five years should, as a general principle, not be eaten and neither should the livers of animals from Cd-contaminated biotopes. The limb defects of mouflons from Cd-contaminated areas are discussed in connection with Cd-induced secondary Cu-deficiency resp. Mn- and Zn-deficiency. A reference is made to further works.     

Potato germplasm collecting expedition to Mexico in 1997: Taxonomy and new germplasm resources

Wild potato (Solanum sect.Petota) germplasm has been collected in Mexico on nine major expeditions, as determined by 20 collections or more from each expedition currently at the United States potato genebank, the National Research Support Program-6 (NRSP-6). These have resulted in 609 accessions with good collection data. In addition, NRSP-6 has germplasm of approximately 90 other Mexican collections that are unspecific regarding date or place of collection. This expedition was funded to collect those remaining collections with no or little germplasm:Solanum clarum,S. xedinense, S. hintonii, S. hjertingii var.physaloides, S. leptosepalum, S. lesteri, S. macropilosum, S. xmichoacanum, S. xsambucinum, andS. stenophyllidium. In addition, some species and species groups (species groups indicated in parentheses) have unresolved taxonomic problems that needed clarification by additional field collections. These are (S. agrimonifolium and S.oxycarpum), (S. brachycarpum, S. guerreroense, S. hougasii, andS. iopetalum - theS. brachycarpum complex), (S. fendleri, S. papita, S. stoloniferum - theS. stoloniferum complex),S. leptosepalum, andS. macropilosum. We conducted a wild potato germplasm collecting expedition in Mexico from August 22 to October 31, 1997. Our 103 collections, 71 as germplasm collections, provide the first germplasm samples forS. hjertingii var.physaloides,S. leptosepalum, andS. macropilosum. They provide additional germplasm of the rare speciesS. clarum, S. xedinense, S. lesteri, S. xmichoacanum, S. xsambucinum, andS. stenophyllidium. We additionally gathered germplasm and field data to help resolve taxonomic difficulties inS. agrimonifolium andS. oxycarpum, theS. brachycarpum complex, and theS. stoloniferum complex.     

Oncogenic CARD11 mutations in human diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the least curable (ABC) subtype of DLBCL, survival of the malignant cells is dependent on constitutive activation of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway. In normal B cells, antigen receptor-induced NF-kappaB activation requires CARD11, a cytoplasmic scaffolding protein. To determine whether CARD11 contributes to tumorigenesis, we sequenced the CARD11 gene in human DLBCL tumors. We detected missense mutations in 7 of 73 ABC DLBCL biopsies (9.6%), all within exons encoding the coiled-coil domain. Experimental introduction of CARD11 coiled-coil domain mutants into lymphoma cell lines resulted in constitutive NF-kappaB activation and enhanced NF-kappaB activity upon antigen receptor stimulation. These results demonstrate that CARD11 is a bona fide oncogenein DLBCL, providing a genetic rationale for the development of pharmacological inhibitors of the CARD11 pathway for DLBCL therapy.     

Yeast life-span extension by calorie restriction is independent of NAD fluctuation

Calorie restriction (CR) slows aging in numerous species. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this effect requires Sir2, a conserved NAD+-dependent deacetylase. We report that CR reduces nuclear NAD+ levels in vivo. Moreover, the activity of Sir2 and its human homologue SIRT1 are not affected by physiological alterations in the NAD+:NADH ratio. These data implicate alternate mechanisms of Sir2 regulation by CR.     

Charging effects on bonding and catalyzed oxidation of CO on Au8 clusters on MgO

Gold octamers (Au8) bound to oxygen-vacancy F-center defects on Mg(001) are the smallest clusters to catalyze the low-temperature oxidation of CO to CO2, whereas clusters deposited on close-to-perfect magnesia surfaces remain chemically inert. Charging of the supported clusters plays a key role in promoting their chemical activity. Infrared measurements of the stretch vibration of CO adsorbed on mass-selected gold octamers soft-landed on MgO(001) with coadsorbed O2 show a red shift on an F-center-rich surface with respect to the perfect surface. The experiments agree with quantum ab initio calculations that predict that a red shift of the C-O vibration should arise via electron back-donation to the CO antibonding orbital.     

A Module to Calculate Primary Particulate Matter Emissions and Abatement Measures in Europe

Primary particulate matter is emitted directly into the atmosphere from various anthropogenic and natural sources such as power plants (combustion of fossil fuels) or forest fires. Secondary particles are formed by transformation of SO₂, NO_x, NH₃, and VOC in the atmosphere. They both contribute to ambient particulate matter concentrations, which may have adverse effects on human health. Health hazards are caused by small particulate size, high number of especially fine (< 2.5 µm) and ultra-fine (< 0.1 µm) particles and/or their chemical composition. As part of an integrated assessment model developed at IIASA, a module on primary particulate matter (PM) emissions has been added to the existing SO₂, NO_x, NH₃ and VOC sections. The module considers so far primary emissions of total suspended particles (TSP), PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 from aggregated stationary and mobile sources. A primary PM emission database has been established. Country specific emission factors for stationary sources have been calculated within the module using the ash content of solid fuels.