Ação de fitoreguladores no desenvolvimento de Chrysanthemum leucanthemum L.

Plants of Chrysanthemum leucanthemum grown in pots with soil under greenhouse conditions, were sprayed with growth regulators twice, in May and June, to study the development of the plants in October. Succinic acid-2,2-dimethylhydrazide (SADH) at concentrations of 1250, 2500 and 5000 ppm, (2-chloroethyl) trimethylammonium chloride (CCC) 2000 ppm, (2-chloroethyl) phosphonic acid (CEPA) 320 ppm, maleic hydrazide (MH;) 1000 ppm, gibberellic acid (GA) 50 and 100 ppm, indolylacetic acid (IAA) 100 ppm, and water as check treatment, were applied. MH 1000 ppm reduced the number of leaves and stems. SADH treatments reduced the shoot growth and the number of stems. Applications of IAA 100 ppm promoted the formation of higher number of leaves and stems in Chrysanthemum leucanthemum. It was seen that sprays with GA at a concentration of 100 ppm elongated shoots.Plantas ornamentais de Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, cultivadas em recipientes contendo solo como substrato, em condições de estufa, foram pulverizadas em maio e junho com reguladores de crescimento, com a finalidade de se verificar a ação dos mesmos no desenvolvimento das plantas, determinado em outubro. Aplicaram-se SADH nas concentrações de 1250, 2500 e 5000 ppm, CCC na dosagem de 2000 ppm, CEPA 320 ppm, MH 1000 ppm, GA 50 e 100 ppm, IAA 100 ppm e água como controle. Hidrazida maleica 1000 ppm reduziu o número de folhas e hastes formadas. Tratamentos com ácido succínico - 2,2-dimetilhidrazida diminuiram a altura do caule e o número de hastes das plantas. Aplicações de ácido indolilacético 100 ppm promoveram a formação de maior número de folhas e de hastes em Chrysanthemum. Pulverizações com ácido giberélico 100 ppm incrementaram a altura do caule da espécie estudada

Condition and coalition formation by brood-rearing common eider females

Partner choice is important in nature, and partnerships or coalitions within which reproduction is shared are the subject of growing interest. However, little attention has been given to questions of which individuals are suitable partners and why. Common eider (Somateria mollissima) females sometimes pool their broods and share brood-rearing duties, and body condition affects care decisions. We constructed a model in which females, based on their body condition and the structure of the joint brood, assess the fitness consequences of joining a coalition versus tending for young alone. We tested the model's predictions by comparing data on the condition of females in enduring and transient coalitions. Our model showed that the range of acceptable brood arrays in a female coalition decreases with increasing condition of the female, so females tending alone should be in better condition than multifemale tenders. This prediction is in agreement with previous data. The model also predicts that females in good condition should join coalitions with females in poor condition and not with other females in good condition. This prediction was also supported by data: in enduring two-female coalitions, the positive correlation between the better female's condition and the difference in condition between the two females was stronger than would be expected by random grouping of females. In contrast, in transient coalitions of females, this correlation did not differ from the correlation expected under random grouping. Model assumptions seem to fit with eider natural history, and the model may prove to be a useful way to study brood amalgamation behavior of waterfowl in general

Body condition and the grouping behavior of brood-caring female common eiders (Somateria mollissima)

Both theoretical and empirical work has shown that group size increases with increasing ecological constraints on solitary breeding. Ecological constraints refer to extrinsic factors such as availability of breeding sites, food or mates. Common eider (Somateria mollissima) females pool their broods and share brood-rearing duties, or rear broods alone. Females are often in poor condition at hatching, as incubation is accomplished without feeding, and variation in body condition is largely environmentally induced and thus unpredictable. We found that the intensity of and duration of parental care that females provide is positively correlated with their body condition at hatching. This suggests that body condition is an ecological constraint on successful solitary breeding. We further observed that group productivity in common eider broods is a decelerating function of the number of tending females. As predicted, females in poorer condition (i.e., facing stronger ecological constraints) were found in larger groups. This result is straightforward if solitary tenders can enter any group at no cost. However, if entry is group-controlled, stable groups of non-relatives are predicted not to occur when per capita reproduction declines with group size. The Nperson staying incentive model permits groups to form under these conditions, because reproduction is unevenl

Increased thermogenic responsiveness to intravenous beta-adrenergic stimulation in habitually exercising humans is not related to skeletal muscle beta2-adrenergic receptor density

Habitually exercising adults demonstrate greater thermogenic responsiveness to beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) stimulation compared with their sedentary peers, but the molecular mechanisms involved are unknown. To determine the possible role of increased beta-AR density, we studied 32 healthy adults: 17 habitual aerobic exercisers (age 45 +/- 5 years, 11 males) and 15 sedentary (49 +/- 5 years, 7 males). Maximal oxygen uptake (43.7 +/- 2.5 versus 31.6 +/- 2.9 ml kg(-1) min(-1), P = 0.002, mean +/- S.E.M.) and vastus lateralis muscle maximal citrate synthase activity (1.70 +/- 0.36 versus 0.58 +/- 0.11 micromol min(-1) g(-1), P = 0.008) were higher in the habitually exercising subjects. Resting energy expenditure (EE) adjusted for fat-free mass (FFM) was similar in the habitually exercising (5903 +/- 280 kJ day(-1)) and sedentary adults (6054 +/- 289 kJ day(-1), P = 0.43). The percentage increase in EE (DeltaEE%; indirect calorimetry, ventilated hood) above resting EE in response to beta-AR stimulation (intravenous isoproterenol at 6, 12 and 24 ng (kg FFM)(-1) min(-1)) was greater (7.1 +/- 1.2, 13.7 +/- 1.0, 20.7 +/- 1.3 versus 5.9 +/- 0.9, 9.9 +/- 1.4, 15.9 +/- 1.70%, respectively, P = 0.04), and the dose of isoproterenol required to increase EE by 10% above resting EE was lower (8.2 +/- 1.5 versus 17.1 +/- 4.1 ng (kg FFM)(-1) min(-1), P = 0.03) in the habitually exercising adults. In contrast, vastus lateralis muscle beta(2)-AR density was similar in the habitually exercising and sedentary subjects (7.46 +/- 0.29 versus 7.44 +/- 0.60 fmol (mg dry weight muscle)(-1), P = 0.98), and was not related to DeltaEE% (r = 0.02, P = 0.94) or to the isoproterenol dose required to increase EE by 10% above resting EE (r = -0.06, P = 0.76). These findings indicate that increased beta(2)-AR density is not a mechanism contributing to the greater thermogenic responsiveness to beta-AR stimulation in adult humans who regularly perform aerobic exercise

Evidence for H2* trapped by carbon impurities in silicon

Local mode spectroscopy and ab initio modelling are used to investigate two trigonal defects found in carbon-rich Si into which H had been in-diffused. Isotopic shifts with D and 13C are reported along with the effect of uniaxial stress. Ab initio modelling studies suggest that the two defects are two forms of the CH2* complex where one of the two hydrogen atoms lies at an anti-bonding site attached to C or Si, respectively. The two structures are nearly degenerate and possess vibrational modes in good agreement with those observed