PROGRESS OF HABITUATION OF WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS AND THEIR REACTION TO OBSERVERS IN MOUKALABA-DOUDOU NATIONAL PARK, GABON

We have conducted habituation of western lowland gorillas since May 2003 during a long-term socio-ecological survey on primates in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park (Moukalaba N.P.) in Gabon. After a training program to increase the skills of trackers to search for gorillas in tropical forest, we identifi ed one group named ‘Group Gentil' (GG). Since October 2005, we have focused our efforts on habituating this group and carrying out all-day follows that have resulted in the identifi cation of most adult and subadult individuals in GG. Here, we describe the habituation process of GG and the major problems we faced in habituation. First, we had to employ inexperienced trackers and modify our methods according to the gorillas' responses. Subsequently we continued to employ the same trackers and formed two teams consisting of researchers and trackers to search for gorillas on a daily basis. The skills of our trackers in performing constant and reliable follows of GG have gradually increased. Furthermore, our persistent follows seemed to have a less disruptive effect on their ranging patterns. Once all-day follows were achieved, GG came to tolerate our presence. Juveniles approached us with curiosity when the silverback male remained nearby. Males were habituated more quickly than females, as observed in other habitats. However, distinct differences were found in the responses to human observers between the silverbacks and females. Unlike mountain gorillas and eastern lowland gorillas, female western gorillas at Moukalaba showed aggressive responses to our approaches and occasionally attacked us with threatening vocalizations. Such female aggressiveness resembled that observed at Mondika in the process of habituation. However, while the silverback male usually ignored female aggression at Mondika, the silverback frequently rushed onto aggressive females to stop them at Moukalaba. Based on these similarities and differences in the habituation process at Moukalaba, we propose recommendations for achieving successful habituation

カゾクセイ アミロイド ポリニューロパチー FAP ノ イデンシ シンダン ガイドライン サクセイ ニ ムケテ

We conducted research into literature on living donor liver transplantation and genetic diagnosis taking into consideration our present clinical situation at the Familial Amyloidotic Polyneuropathy (FAP) group at the Kumamoto University Hospital. Based on this research, we drafted genetic diagnosis guidelines (self-regulations)

Improvement of acquisition and analysis methods in multi-electrode array experiments with iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes

AbstractIntroductionMulti-electrode array (MEA) systems and human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived cardiomyocytes are frequently used to characterize the electrophysiological effects of drug candidates for the prediction of QT prolongation and proarrhythmic potential. However, the optimal experimental conditions for obtaining reliable experimental data, such as high-pass filter (HPF) frequency and cell plating density, remain to be determined.MethodsExtracellular field potentials (FPs) were recorded from iPS cell-derived cardiomyocyte sheets by using the MED64 and MEA2100 multi-electrode array systems. Effects of HPF frequency (0.1 or 1Hz) on FP duration (FPD) were assessed in the presence and absence of moxifloxacin, terfenadine, and aspirin. The influence of cell density on FP characteristics recorded through a 0.1-Hz HPF was examined. The relationship between FP and action potential (AP) was elucidated by simultaneous recording of FP and AP using a membrane potential dye.ResultsMany of the FP waveforms recorded through a 1-Hz HPF were markedly deformed and appeared differentiated compared with those recorded through a 0.1-Hz HPF. The concentration–response curves for FPD in the presence of terfenadine reached a steady state at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.3μM when a 0.1-Hz HPF was used. In contrast, FPD decreased at a concentration of 0.3μM with a characteristic bell-shaped concentration–response curve when a 1-Hz HPF was used. The amplitude of the first and second peaks in the FP waveform increased with increasing cell plating density. The second peak of the FP waveform roughly coincided with AP signal at 50% repolarization, and the negative deflection at the second peak of the FP waveform in the presence of E-4031 corresponded to early afterdepolarization and triggered activity.DiscussionFP can be used to assess the QT prolongation and proarrhythmic potential of drug candidates; however, experimental conditions such as HPF frequency are important for obtaining reliable data

Diet Composition and Feeding Ecology of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in a Lowland Tropical Forest in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon

Characterizing the diet of wild chimpanzees is fundamental to understanding ecological variation, flexibility, and adaptation within and among populations. Here, we describe the diet composition of central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, southwestern Gabon. The chimpanzee diet in this area has not previously been described. Based on a macroanalysis of 809 fecal samples and 1,119 minutes of direct observation of their foraging, we showed that they consume fewer insects and more vertebrate prey than those in other study sites. No evidence for the consumption of termites or driver ants was found. Fruits of Ficus spp. was the most frequently identified plant food and appeared in the diet of Moukalaba chimpanzees throughout the year. Chimpanzees at Moukalaba, like at other study sites, exhibit a preference for a small number of fruit species, including Ficus spp., among the foods available at any given period or area while flexibly changing the foods they eat in response to seasonal changes in fruit quantity in the habitat

FRUIT PHENOLOGY OF THE GREAT APE HABITAT IN THE MOUKALABA-DOUDOU NATIONAL PARK, GABON

Fruit phenology of the Moukalaba-Doudou National Park (MDNP), Gabon is monitored as basic information on the fluctuation of food production for great ape populations. During the period from January 2003 to February 2007, we conducted a census on fallen fruits by the line transect method twice a month, in the process counting fallen fruit clusters and identifying fallen fruit species. We recorded 117 fallen fruit species during the study period. The majority of fruits came from trees. The number of fallen fruit clusters obtained in each census session correlated with the number of fallen fruit species found in the sessions. There was a marked seasonal pattern to fruit production, whereas the number of fallen fruit clusters as well as the number of species tended to be larger in the rainy season than in the dry season. Of the 31 major fallen fruit species, 15 species showed a fruiting peak in the rainy season, and five species peaked in the dry season, while 11 species showed no difference in fruiting abundance between the rainy and dry seasons. Candidates of keystone fruit species were identifi ed from species that fruit during the dry season. Five species of fruit, including the woody liana Cissus dinklagei, were constantly abundant, occurring in more than 70% of all census sessions. Four of them are important fruit food resources for the great apes. Several species including Klainedoxa gabonensis exhibited super-annual fl uctuation in their fruiting pattern. The existence of constantly abundant fruit species may have supported the high density of great apes in the MDNP

ニシゴリラ ノ ヒトヅケ ゲンチジン トノ キド アイラク ノ ヒビ

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