Spectacular morphological novelty in a miniature cyprinid fish, Danionella dracula n. sp.

Danionella dracula is a new species of sexually dimorphic, miniature and highly developmentally truncated cyprinid fish. Compared with its close relative, the zebrafish Danio rerio, it lacks 44 bones or parts thereof and represents one of the most developmentally truncated vertebrates. Absence of the majority of bones appears to be due to developmental truncation via terminal deletion. In contrast to these larval-like features, D. dracula also shows several hyperossifications. Uniquely, among carp-like fishes, male D. dracula have a series of long, pointed odontoid processes on the jaws greatly resembling the jaw dentition of teleosts with true teeth. The anterior-most process in each jaw is extended as a canine-like fang projecting through the epithelium. True jaw teeth are absent from all 3700 species of cypriniforms and were lost at least in the Upper Eocene. It remains to be investigated, however, whether the conserved pathways to regulate tooth development in cypriniforms have been used in D. dracula to form and pattern the odontoid processes. This new species represents a remarkable example linking progenetic paedomorphosis via heterochronic change in developmental timing to the evolution of morphological novelties

Monitoring the nucleation of crystalline films of cholesterol on water and in the presence of phospholipid

We present a study of two-dimensional (2D) crystallites of cholesterol formed at the air−water interface. Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) measurements performed along the surface pressure−area isotherm revealed a transition from a monolayer to a highly crystalline rectangular phase, about two layers thick. This variation in the film thickness was confirmed by ellipsometry measurements. Films transferred onto solid support by the Langmuir−Blodgett technique were seen by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to display elongated and faceted crystallites about 10 layers thick. The effect of the phospholipid dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) on the 2D crystallization of cholesterol was studied by GIXD and AFM with three cholesterol:DPPC mixtures in molar ratios 1:1, 2:1, and 5:1. The phospholipid additive reduced the crystallinity of the cholesterol in the 5:1 and 2:1 mixtures, totally suppressing it in the 1:1 mixture

Seasonal variation in sonic muscles in the fawn cusk-eel Lepophidium profundorum

The fawn cusk-eel Lepophidium profundorum (Ophidiidae) has an unusual sound-producing system with sexually dimorphic sets of antagonistic muscles. Outside the mating season, the dorsal and ventral muscles are well developed and larger in males than in females, but the tiny intermediate muscles are smaller, suggesting a minor role, if any, in male advertisement call production. We examined summer individuals with more developed gonads and find a fourfold hypertrophy of the intermediate but not the other muscles. This result suggests androgen dependence and an important role in sound production for the intermediate muscle. Even though both sexes gain weight in the summer, the ventral and dorsal muscles in females lose weight, suggesting that sound production is less important in females and that muscle mass may be used to support egg growth

To design, install and monitor a large scale solar water heating system in a hospital Final report

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Lending Division - LD:3816.4705(ETSU-S--1014) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Impaired verbal memory function is related to anterior cingulate glutamate levels in schizophrenia: findings from the STRATA study

Impaired cognition is associated with lower quality of life and poor outcomes in schizophrenia. Brain glutamate may contribute to both clinical outcomes and cognition, but these relationships are not well-understood. We studied a multicentre cohort of 85 participants with non-affective psychosis using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Glutamate neurometabolites were measured in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Cognition was assessed using the Brief Assessment for Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Patients were categorised as antipsychotic responders or non-responders based on treatment history and current symptom severity. Inverted U-shaped associations between glutamate or Glx (glutamate + glutamine) with BACS subscale and total scores were examined with regression analyses. We then tested for an interaction effect of the antipsychotic response group on the relationship between glutamate and cognition. ACC glutamate and Glx had a positive linear association with verbal memory after adjusting for age, sex and chlorpromazine equivalent dose (glutamate, β = 3.73, 95% CI = 1.26–6.20, P = 0.004; Glx, β = 3.38, 95% CI = 0.84–5.91, P = 0.01). This association did not differ between good and poor antipsychotic response groups. ACC glutamate was also positively associated with total BACS score (β = 3.12, 95% CI = 0.01–6.23, P = 0.046), but this was not significant after controlling for antipsychotic dose. Lower glutamatergic metabolites in the ACC were associated with worse verbal memory, and this relationship was independent of antipsychotic response. Further research on relationships between glutamate and cognition in antipsychotic responsive and non-responsive illness could aid the stratification of patient groups for targeted treatment interventions

Morphological description of larvae of the Mapar\ue1 Hypophthalmus edentatus (Spix) (Osteichthyes, Hypophthalmidae) in the Itaipu reservoir (Parana River, Brazil)

The ontogenetic aspects of larvae of Hypophthalmus edentatus (Spix, 1829) from the ichthyoplankton samples collected in the Itaipu reservoir between March 1988 and April 1990 were analysed. Sample were caught by 0.5 mm mesh conic-cylindrical plankton net. Larvae of H. edentatus were identified and described as Siluriforms from the morphological and morphometric development series. They have a small to medium-sized head, long body, small eyes, little pigmentation, mandibular barbules and 53 to 56 myomeres. High values obtained with correlation coefficient (r > 0.97; p < 0.001) show that growth was proportional in different parts of the body