Investigations into the site of action of taloximine: A new respiratory stimulant molecule

Résumé Une substance nouvelle, la taloximine, administrée par voie intraveineuse produit chez le chat à une dose de 20 mg/kg indemne une augmentation de l'effort respiratoire. On montre qu'à cette dose la taloximine accélère la fréquence des décharges enregistrées à partir de filaments multifibrillaires du nerf du corps carotidien.     

On factors involved in the mechanism of ‘Taste-blindness’

Zusammenfassung Der genetisch kontrollierte, hohe Geschmacksschwellenwert — Geschmacksblindheit — gegenüber Phenylthioharnstoff (PTC) und anderen bitteren, strukturell ähnlichen Anti-Schilddrüsensubstanzen, scheint durch die Qualität und Quantität des löslichen Speichel-Enzym-Systems Tyrosiniodinase bedingt zu sein.PTC-Geschmacksblinde sind «Alles-Esser», PTC-Schmecker hingegen weisen eine erhöhte kulinarische Selektivität auf. Diese Tatsache ist um so interessanter, als der Schwellenwert der beiden Gruppen gegenüber den klassischen Geschmacksqualitäten — süss, salzig, sauer und bitter — derselbe ist.     

Testing Hamilton's rule with competition between relatives

Hamilton's theory of kin selection suggests that individuals should show less aggression, and more altruism, towards closer kin. Recent theoretical work has, however, suggested that competition between relatives can counteract kin selection for altruism. Unfortunately, factors that tend to increase the average relatedness of interacting individuals--such as limited dispersal--also tend to increase the amount of competition between relatives. Therefore, in most natural systems, the conflicting influences of increased competition and increased relatedness are confounded, limiting attempts to test theory. Fig wasp taxa exhibit varying levels of aggression among non-dispersing males that show a range of average relatedness levels. Thus, across species, the effects of relatedness and competition between relatives can be separated. Here we report that--contrary to Hamilton's original prediction but in agreement with recent theory--the level of fighting between males shows no correlation with the estimated relatedness of interacting males, but is negatively correlated with future mating opportunities.     

Regulation of leukocyte migration by activation of the leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (LAM-1) selectin.

A central feature of host defence is the ability of leukocytes to enter tissues in response to immune or inflammatory stimuli. The leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (LAM-1) regulates the migration of human leukocytes by mediating the binding both of lymphocytes to high endothelial venules of peripheral lymph nodes and of neutrophils to endothelium at inflammatory sites. As lymphocytes and neutrophils express the same LAM-1 protein, it is not clear how lineage-specific differences in leukocyte migration are controlled. We now report that the affinity of LAM-1 for a carbohydrate-based ligand, PPME, is dramatically increased following lymphocyte and neutrophil activation by lineage-specific stimuli. In addition, activation of lymphocytes by physiological stimuli enhanced LAM-1-dependent binding to high endothelial venules. Thus, transient changes in LAM-1 affinity after leukocyte stimulation probably directly influence leukocyte migration.     

Increased CO2 uncouples growth from isoprene emission in an agriforest ecosystem

The emission of isoprene from the leaves of forest trees is a fundamental component of biosphere-atmosphere interactions, controlling many aspects of photochemistry in the lower atmosphere. As almost all commercial agriforest species emit high levels of isoprene, proliferation of agriforest plantations has significant potential to increase regional ozone pollution and enhance the lifetime of methane, an important determinant of global climate. Here we show that growth of an intact Populus deltoides plantation under increased CO2 (800 micromol x mol(-1) and 1,200 micromol x mol(-1)) reduced ecosystem isoprene production by 21% and 41%, while above-ground biomass accumulation was enhanced by 60% and 82%, respectively. Exposure to increased CO2 significantly reduced the cellular content of dimethylallyl diphosphate, the substrate for isoprene synthesis, in both leaves and leaf protoplasts. We identify intracellular metabolic competition for phosphoenolpyruvate as a possible control point in explaining the suppression of isoprene emission under increased CO2. Our results highlight the potential for uncoupling isoprene emission from biomass accumulation in an agriforest species, and show that negative air-quality effects of proliferating agriforests may be offset by increases in CO2.     

Single zircon LAM－ICPMS U－Pb dating of Guidong complex （SE China） and its petrogenetic significance

Because of the strong effects of the Caledonian and Indosinian orogenies and Yanshanian magmatism since early Paleozoic time, different types of granites and ore deposits occur widely in the Nanling region of SE China[1]. The Guidong complex is situated at the border between the South Jiangxi—North Guangdong post-Caledonian orogenic belt and the Hercynian-Indosinian belt, which is constrained by an E-W regional deep fault (Guidong-Da- dongshan deep fault) and therefore is elongated nea…     

Cooperation and conflict in quorum-sensing bacterial populations

It has been suggested that bacterial cells communicate by releasing and sensing small diffusible signal molecules in a process commonly known as quorum sensing (QS). It is generally assumed that QS is used to coordinate cooperative behaviours at the population level. However, evolutionary theory predicts that individuals who communicate and cooperate can be exploited. Here we examine the social evolution of QS experimentally in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and show that although QS can provide a benefit at the group level, exploitative individuals can avoid the cost of producing the QS signal or of performing the cooperative behaviour that is coordinated by QS, and can therefore spread. We also show that a solution to the problem of exploitation is kin selection, if interacting bacterial cells tend to be close relatives. These results show that the problem of exploitation, which has been the focus of considerable attention in animal communication, also arises in bacteria.     

Zircon U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotope study of intermediate-mafic sub-volcanic and intrusive rocks in the Lishui Basin in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River

Eight Mesozoic sub-volcanic and intrusive rocks in the Lishui Basin have been selected for zircon U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopic analysis. The Laohutou, Datongshan,Daweizhuang, Yeshanao, Yanwaqiao, Xibeishan, Changshantou and Jianshan porphyrites yield concordant early Cretaceous ages of 130.5 ± 1.6 Ma, 136.0 ± 3.4 Ma, 132.7 ±2.7 Ma, 127.0 ± 1.9 Ma, 129.4 ± 1.7 Ma, 133.2 ± 2.1 Ma,131.1 ± 2.3 Ma and 127.4 ± 1.8 Ma, respectively. Zircon eHf(t) values for these rocks range from-3.54 to-9.11, mostly between-3.54 and-5.93, suggesting sources similar to those for coeval igneous rocks in other volcanic basins along the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River. Considering the geochemical characteristics of coeval magmatic rocks in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River and its adjacent areas, this paper proposes a model of slab rollback to explain the Mesozoic magmatism in the east-central part of China continent. In the middle-late Jurassic to early Cretaceous(170–135 Ma), the Pacific plate started to subduct beneath the Eurasian continent, producing a compressive tectonic setting,and magmatism progressed from coast to the inland. The magmas of this period were derived mostly from partial melting of ancient crust. After *135 Ma, the subduction weakened, and the rollback of the subducted Pacific plate produced an extensional environment. This led to the formation of volcanic basins, the partial melting of enriched mantle sources and less ancient crust, and the intrusion of voluminous intermediate-mafic igneous rocks.