Getting It Straight: Accommodating Rectilinear Behavior in Captive Snakes-A Review of Recommendations and Their Evidence Base.

Snakes are sentient animals and should be subject to the accepted general welfare principles of other species. However, they are also the only vertebrates commonly housed in conditions that prevent them from adopting rectilinear behavior (ability to fully stretch out). To assess the evidence bases for historical and current guidance on snake spatial considerations, we conducted a literature search and review regarding recommendations consistent with or specifying ≥1 × and <1 × snake length enclosure size. We identified 65 publications referring to snake enclosure sizes, which were separated into three categories: peer-reviewed literature (article or chapter appearing in a peer-reviewed journal or book, = 31), grey literature (government or other report or scientific letter, = 18), and opaque literature (non-scientifically indexed reports, care sheets, articles, husbandry books, website or other information for which originating source is not based on scientific evidence or where scientific evidence was not provided, = 16). We found that recommendations suggesting enclosure sizes shorter than the snakes were based entirely on decades-old 'rule of thumb' practices that were unsupported by scientific evidence. In contrast, recommendations suggesting enclosure sizes that allowed snakes to fully stretch utilized scientific evidence and considerations of animal welfare. Providing snakes with enclosures that enable them to fully stretch does not suggest that so doing allows adequate space for all necessary normal and important considerations. However, such enclosures are vital to allow for a limited number of essential welfare-associated behaviors, of which rectilinear posturing is one, making them absolute minimum facilities even for short-term housing

A photosynthesis-specific rubredoxin-like protein is required for efficient association of the D1 and D2 proteins during the initial steps of photosystem II assembly

Oxygenic photosynthesis relies on accessory factors to promote the assembly and maintenance of the photosynthetic apparatus in the thylakoid membranes. The highly conserved membrane-bound rubredoxin-like protein RubA has previously been implicated in the accumulation of both photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) but its mode of action remains unclear. Here we show that RubA in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is required for photoautotrophic growth in fluctuating light and acts early in PSII biogenesis by promoting the formation of the heterodimeric D1/D2 reaction center complex, the site of primary photochemistry. We find that RubA, like the accessory factor Ycf48, is a component of the initial D1 assembly module as well as larger PSII assembly intermediates and that the redox-responsive rubredoxinlike domain is located on the cytoplasmic surface of PSII complexes. Fusion of RubA to Ycf48 still permits normal PSII assembly suggesting a spatiotemporal proximity of both proteins during their action. RubA is also important for the accumulation of PSI but this is an indirect effect stemming from the downregulation of light-dependent chlorophyll biosynthesis induced by PSII deficiency. Overall our data support the involvement of RubA in the redox control of PSII biogenesis

Explaining Differentials in Subsidy Levels Among Hospital Ownership Types in Germany

German hospitals receive subsidies for investment costs by federal states. Theoretically, these subsidies have to cover the whole investment volume, but in fact only 50%-60% are covered. Balance sheet data show that public hospitals exhibit higher levels of subsidies compared to for-profit hospitals. In this study, I examine the sources of this disparity by decomposing the differential in a so-called facilitation ratio, i.e. the ratio of subsidies to tangible fixed assets, revealing to which extent assets are funded by subsidies. The question of interest is, whether the differential can be attributed to observable hospital-specific and federal state-specific characteristics or unobservable factors.Krankenhäuser in Deutschland erhalten gemäß dem Krankenhausfinanzierungsgesetz (KHG) Investitionsfördermittel von den Bundesländern. In der Theorie müssen die Fördermittel der Bundesländer das gesamte Investitionsvolumen der Kliniken decken, allerdings werden in der Praxis nur 50 bis 60 Prozent der Investitionen durch diese Investitionssubventionen gedeckt. Auswertungen von Bilanzdaten zeigen, dass Kliniken in öffentlich-rechtlicher Trägerschaft ein deutlich höheres Niveau an Investitionssubventionen aufweisen als Klinken in freigemeinnütziger sowie privater Trägerschaft. In dieser Studie werden die Ursachen dieser trägerspezifischen Differenzen in den Subventionsniveaus untersucht. Da die Investitionssubventionen an das Sachanlagevermögen gebunden sind, wird als Zielgröße der Quotient aus Subventionen und Sachanlagevermögen, eine sogenannte Förderquote, herangezogen. Die Förderquote zeigt an, inwieweit das Sachanlagevermögen subventioniert wird. Insbesondere wird untersucht, ob die trägerspezifischen Abweichungen in den Förderquoten auf Unterschiede in den Krankenhauscharakteristika, auf Unterschiede zwischen den Bundesländern oder auf unbeobachtbare Einflüsse zurückgeführt werden können

Paleontology of leaf beetles

`The rate of evolution in any large group is not uniform; there are periods of relatise stability, and periods of comparatively rapid change.&apos; Cockerell and LeVeque, 1931 To Yenli Ych, my beloved wife, a most wonderful person! The fossil record of the Chrysomelidae can be tentatively traced back to the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic Triassic. Mesozoic records at least 9 subfamilies, 19 genera, and 35 species, are represented by the Sagrinae, the exclusively Mesozoic Proto scelinae, Clytrinae, Cryptocephalinae, Eumolpinae, Chrysomelinae. Galerucinac, Alticinae, and Cassidinae. Cenozoic records at least 12 subfamilies- 63 % of the extant- 12! genera, and 325 species, include the same extant subfamilies as well as the Donaciinae, Zeugophorinae, Criocerinae, and Hispinae and can be frequently identified to genus, especially if preserved in amber. Quaternary records are often identified to extant species. tn total, at least t3! genera about 4 % of total extant, and 357 species &lt; 1 % have been reported. At least, 24 genera &lt;1 % of the extant seem to be extinct. Although reliable biological information associated with the fossil chrysomelids is very scarce, it seems that most of the modern host-plant associations were established, at least, in the late Mesozoic to early Cenozoic. As a whole, stasis seems to be the general rule of the chrysomelid fossil record. Together with other faunal elements, chrysomelids, especially donaciines, have been used as biogeographic and paleoclimatological indicators in the Holocene. I

Exotic pet suitability: understanding some problems and utilizing a labeling system to aid animal welfare, environment, and consumer protection

Exotic pets are essentially animals that are non-native to a region and/or non-domesticated. The trade in and keeping of exotic pets has been frequently criticized for the commonly inhumane and harmful practices that are associated with supply and keeping, including: animal welfare, species conservation, invasiveness, and public health and safety. Relatedly, a growing issue is that of unwanted exotic pets handed to animal care centers due to their overly demanding requirements and the confiscation of animals suffering from abuse. Mis-selling exotic species as ‘easy to keep’ or ‘beginner’ animals is widely regarded to be a major common and problematic factor. Efforts, post pet acquisition, to educate sellers and keepers to improve animal welfare and public health issues have proven unproductive. We propose that a system is required that facilitates decision-making at the interface between sale and purchase sectors, and that utilizes clear evidence-based labeling. We review current options for developing such a pet labeling scheme and recommend a novel approach based on the EMODE (‘Easy’, ‘Moderate’, ‘Difficult’ or ‘Extreme’) pet suitability assessment tool to provide a preventative educational approach to alleviating the multifactorial issues of concern

Cardiac regeneration and remodelling of the cardiomyocyte cytoarchitecture

Adult mammals are unable to regenerate their hearts after cardiac injury, largely due to the incapacity of cardiomyocytes (CMs) to undergo cell division. However, mammalian embryonic and fetal CMs, similar to CMs from fish and amphibians during their entire life, exhibit robust replicative activity, which stops abruptly after birth and never significantly resumes. Converging evidence indicates that formation of the highly ordered and stable cytoarchitecture of mammalian mature CMs is coupled with loss of their proliferative potential. Here, we review the available information on the role of the cardiac cytoskeleton and sarcomere in the regulation of CM proliferation. The actin cytoskeleton, the intercalated disc, the microtubular network and the dystrophin\u2013glycoprotein complex each sense mechanical cues from the surrounding environment. Furthermore, they participate in the regulation of CM proliferation by impinging on the yes-associated protein/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif, \u3b2-catenin and myocardin-related transcription factor transcriptional co-activators. Mastering the molecular mechanisms regulating CM proliferation would permit the development of innovative strategies to stimulate cardiac regeneration in adult individuals, a hitherto unachieved yet fundamental therapeutic goal

Getting It Straight: Accommodating rectilinear behavior in captive snakes—A review of recommendations and their evidence base

Snakes are sentient animals and should be subject to the accepted general welfare principles of other species. However, they are also the only vertebrates commonly housed in conditions that prevent them from adopting rectilinear behavior (ability to fully stretch out). To assess the evidence bases for historical and current guidance on snake spatial considerations, we conducted a literature search and review regarding recommendations consistent with or specifying ≥1 × and <1 × snake length enclosure size. We identified 65 publications referring to snake enclosure sizes, which were separated into three categories: peer-reviewed literature (article or chapter appearing in a peer-reviewed journal or book, n = 31), grey literature (government or other report or scientific letter, n = 18), and opaque literature (non-scientifically indexed reports, care sheets, articles, husbandry books, website or other information for which originating source is not based on scientific evidence or where scientific evidence was not provided, n = 16). We found that recommendations suggesting enclosure sizes shorter than the snakes were based entirely on decades-old ‘rule of thumb’ practices that were unsupported by scientific evidence. In contrast, recommendations suggesting enclosure sizes that allowed snakes to fully stretch utilized scientific evidence and considerations of animal welfare. Providing snakes with enclosures that enable them to fully stretch does not suggest that so doing allows adequate space for all necessary normal and important considerations. However, such enclosures are vital to allow for a limited number of essential welfare-associated behaviors, of which rectilinear posturing is one, making them absolute minimum facilities even for short-term housing