976 research outputs found
The microbiome of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Commensal organisms are an integral part of all vertebrates, contributing heavily to development, pathogen defense, and metabolism. Commensals reside at different body sites within vertebrate animals creating unique and distinct communities that vary between locations. The human microbiome project has revealed distinct bacterial community compositions at the diverse range of body sites that have been sampled, providing evidence for different functional purposes of each microbiome. Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, serves as a model organism for the study of mucosal physiology and immunology. Teleost fish are evolutionarily important as one of the first jawed vertebrates with a dedicated adaptive mucosal immune system, as well as being vital to aquaculture practices. Studies of the microbiome of rainbow trout have the potential to 1) reveal important mucosal evolutionary processes 2) discover particular symbtiotic bacteria that can be used in aquaculture to improve fish health. The hypothesis of the present study is that different body sites of rainbow trout possess distinct commensal bacterial communities. Using 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S bacterial rRNA, we present the first topographical map of the microbiome of rainbow trout. Body site is a strong predictor of bacterial community composition in trout. Both ANOSIM and Adonis statistical analysis revealed p values below 0.001 when using body site as a variable to describe diversity. The most diverse mucosal sites are the skin and the olfactory organ with 17 and 18 different phyla, respectively. We also discovered a novel and high diversity of bacteria present within the skin epithelium of rainbow trout, dominated by Propionibacterium sp. and Staphyloccus sp. This may represent a unique adaptation in salmonids to avoid swimming drag forces that bacteria attached to the external mucus may cause
Thirty-Year Case Study Showing a Negative Relationship Between Population and Reproductive Indices of Eastern Wild Turkeys in Georgia
Some Eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) studies have interpreted low reproductive success in an established population as support for the idea that as populations stabilize reproduction decreases. However, no study has previously documented a negative relationship between population size and reproductive success for the wild turkey. Thus, we examined the hypothesis that reproduction (poults/hen) decreased as population size (turkeys seen/hour) increased in Georgia. Using 30 years of data collected by two independent survey methods, linear regression analysis indicated a negative relationship between population size and reproduction (r2 = 0.6389, P †0.001) for wild turkeys in Georgia from 1979 through 2008. Findings of a negative relationship such as in our case study adds more information and justification for researchers to further investigate the potential mechanisms of densityâdependent processes in turkey reproduction through designed experiments with controls
Ecological Effects of Fear: How Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity in Predation Risk Influences Mule Deer Access to Forage in a SkyâIsland System
Forage availability and predation risk interact to affect habitat use of ungulates across many biomes. Within skyâisland habitats of the Mojave Desert, increased availability of diverse forage and cover may provide ungulates with unique opportunities to extend nutrient uptake and/or to mitigate predation risk. We addressed whether habitat use and foraging patterns of female mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) responded to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), NDVI rate of change (greenâup), or the occurrence of cougars (Puma concolor). Female mule deer used available greenâup primarily in spring, although growing vegetation was available during other seasons. Mule deer and cougar shared similar habitat all year, and our models indicated cougars had a consistent, negative effect on mule deer access to growing vegetation, particularly in summer when cougar occurrence became concentrated at higher elevations. A seemingly late parturition date coincided with diminishing NDVI during the lactation period. Skyâisland populations, rarely studied, provide the opportunity to determine how mule deer respond to growing foliage along steep elevation and vegetation gradients when trapped with their predators and seasonally limited by aridity. Our findings indicate that fear of predation may restrict access to the forage resources found in sky islands
Spherical harmonic representation of the gravitational potential of discrete spherical mass elements
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73812/1/j.1365-246X.1991.tb01157.x.pd
Studies of the decays D^0 \rightarrow K_S^0K^-\pi^+ and D^0 \rightarrow K_S^0K^+\pi^-
The first measurements of the coherence factor R_{K_S^0K\pi} and the average
strong--phase difference \delta^{K_S^0K\pi} in D^0 \to K_S^0 K^\mp\pi^\pm
decays are reported. These parameters can be used to improve the determination
of the unitary triangle angle \gamma\ in B^- \rightarrow
decays, where is either a D^0 or a D^0-bar meson decaying to
the same final state, and also in studies of charm mixing. The measurements of
the coherence factor and strong-phase difference are made using
quantum-correlated, fully-reconstructed D^0D^0-bar pairs produced in e^+e^-
collisions at the \psi(3770) resonance. The measured values are R_{K_S^0K\pi} =
0.70 \pm 0.08 and \delta^{K_S^0K\pi} = (0.1 \pm 15.7) for an
unrestricted kinematic region and R_{K*K} = 0.94 \pm 0.12 and \delta^{K*K} =
(-16.6 \pm 18.4) for a region where the combined K_S^0 \pi^\pm
invariant mass is within 100 MeV/c^2 of the K^{*}(892)^\pm mass. These results
indicate a significant level of coherence in the decay. In addition, isobar
models are presented for the two decays, which show the dominance of the
K^*(892)^\pm resonance. The branching ratio {B}(D^0 \rightarrow
K_S^0K^+\pi^-)/{B}(D^0 \rightarrow K_S^0K^-\pi^+) is determined to be 0.592 \pm
0.044 (stat.) \pm 0.018 (syst.), which is more precise than previous
measurements.Comment: 38 pages. Version 3 updated to include the erratum information.
Errors corrected in Eqs (25), (26), 28). Fit results updated accordingly, and
external inputs updated to latest best known values. Typo corrected in Eq(3)-
no other consequence
In silico analysis identifies a novel role for androgens in the regulation of human endometrial apoptosis
CONTEXT: The endometrium is a multicellular, steroid-responsive tissue that undergoes dynamic remodeling every menstrual cycle in preparation for implantation and, in absence of pregnancy, menstruation. Androgen receptors are present in the endometrium. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of androgens on human endometrial stromal cells (hESC). DESIGN: Bioinformatics was used to identify an androgen-regulated gene set and processes associated with their function. Regulation of target genes and impact of androgens on cell function were validated using primary hESC. SETTING: The study was conducted at the University Research Institute. PATIENTS: Endometrium was collected from women with regular menses; tissues were used for recovery of cells, total mRNA, or protein and for immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: A new endometrial androgen target gene set (n = 15) was identified. Bioinformatics revealed 12 of these genes interacted in one pathway and identified an association with control of cell survival. Dynamic androgen-dependent changes in expression of the gene set were detected in hESC with nine significantly down-regulated at 2 and/or 8 h. Treatment of hESC with dihydrotestosterone reduced staurosporine-induced apoptosis and cell migration/proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Rigorous in silico analysis resulted in identification of a group of androgen-regulated genes expressed in human endometrium. Pathway analysis and functional assays suggest androgen-dependent changes in gene expression may have a significant impact on stromal cell proliferation, migration, and survival. These data provide the platform for further studies on the role of circulatory or local androgens in the regulation of endometrial function and identify androgens as candidates in the pathogenesis of common endometrial disorders including polycystic ovarian syndrome, cancer, and endometriosis
Does the Precision of a Biological Clock Depend upon Its Period? Effects of the Duper and tau Mutations in Syrian Hamsters
Mutations which alter the feedback loops that generate circadian rhythms may provide insight into their insensitivity to perturbation robustness) and their consistency of period (precision). I examined relationships between endogenous period, activity and rest (ÏDD, α and Ï) in Syrian hamsters using two different mutations, duper and tau, both of which speed up the circadian clock. I generated 8 strains of hamsters that are homozygous or heterozygous for the tau, duper, and wild type alleles in all combinations. The endogenous period of activity onsets among these strains ranged from 17.94+0.04 to 24.13±0.04 h. Contrary to predictions, the variability of period was unrelated to its absolute value: all strains showed similar variability of ÏDD when activity onsets and acrophase were used as phase markers. The ÏDD of activity offsets was more variable than onsets but also differed little between genotypes. Cycle variation and precision were not correlated with ÏDD within any strain, and only weakly correlated when all strains are considered together. Only in animals homozygous for both mutations (super duper hamsters) were cycle variation and precision reduced. Rhythm amplitude differed between strains and was positively correlated with ÏDD and precision. All genotypes showed negative correlations between α and Ï. This confirms the expectation that deviations in the duration of subjective day and night should offset one another in order to conserve circadian period, even though homeostatic maintenance of energy reserves predicts that longer intervals of activity or rest would be followed by longer durations of rest or activity. Females consistently showed greater variability of the period of activity onset and acrophase, and of α, but variability of the period of offset differed between sexes only in super duper hamsters. Despite the differences between genotypes in ÏDD, Ï was consistently more strongly correlated with the preceding than the succeeding α
Measurement of Interfering K^*+K^- and K^*-K^+ Amplitudes in the Decay D^0 --> K^+K^-pi^0
We have studied the Cabibbo-suppressed decay mode D^0 into K^+ K^- pi^0 using
a Dalitz plot technique and find the strong phase difference delta_D [defined
as delta_(K*^- K^+) - delta_(K*^+ K^-)] = 332 degrees +- 8 degrees +- 11
degrees and relative amplitude r_D [defined as a_(K*^- K^+) / a_(K*^+ K^-)] =
0.52 +- 0.05 +- 0.04. This measurement indicates significant destructive
interference between D^0 into K^+ (K^- pi^0)_K*^- and D^0 into K^- (K^+
pi^0)_K*^+ in the Dalitz plot region where these two modes overlap. This
analysis uses 9.0 fb^(-1) of data collected at s^(1/2) of approximately 10.58
GeV with the CLEO III detector.Comment: 10 pages postscript,also available through
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/2006/, Submitted to Phys. Rev. D
(Rapid Communications
Update of the measurement of the cross section for e^+e^- -> psi(3770) -> hadrons
We have updated our measurement of the cross section for e^+e^- -> psi(3770)
-> hadrons, our publication "Measurement of sigma(e^+e^- -> psi(3770) ->
hadrons) at E_{c.m.} = 3773 MeV", arXiv:hep-ex/0512038, Phys.Rev.Lett.96,
092002 (2006). Simultaneous with this arXiv update, we have published an
erratum in Phys.Rev.Lett.104, 159901 (2010). There, and in this update, we have
corrected a mistake in the computation of the error on the difference of the
cross sections for e^+e^- -> psi(3770) -> hadrons and e^+e^- -> psi(3770) ->
DDbar. We have also used a more recent CLEO measurement of cross section for
e^+e^- -> psi(3770) -> DDbar. From this, we obtain an upper limit on the
branching fraction for psi(3770) -> non-DDbar of 9% at 90% confidence level.Comment: 3 pages, 0 figures. This is an erratum to
Phys.Rev.Lett.96:092002,2006. Added a reference
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