Aggression Dynamics and Hormone Fluctuations in Black and White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata)

Black and white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) are critically endangered primates from the Northeastern rainforests of Madagascar. This species shows clear female dominance in both feeding and social contexts. In captivity, this dominance hierarchy can lead to heightened aggression between females during the breeding season, which can result in animal separation or group reconfiguration. The objectives of this study are to determine the scope of this species-specific management strategy throughout AZA-accredited zoos, determine the influence of two types of feeding enrichment on aggression levels, and determine the effect of aggression on stress levels by measuring fecal glucocorticoids (fGC). Understanding aggression and its potential effects on stress levels can help animal managers keep multi-female groups together long-term, which promotes natural grouping configuration and social interactions. The multi-institution survey had a 90.9% response rate, with 70% of zoos reporting heightened aggression in their groups. A total of 52 hours of behavioral data were recorded by live observation and video at the Saint Louis Zoo and fecal samples were collected from all females daily. Study groups included a multi-female family group (3 females and 3 males) and an unrelated group consisting of 1 female and 2 males. Aggression rates were higher when food was presented in more complex enrichment feeders (males and females: n=802 interactions, p\u3c0.10, exact sign test; females only: n=604 interactions, p\u3c0.05, Wilcoxon signed-rank test), which is contrary to a previous study for this species. Furthermore, the breeding female living in the multi-female group shows significantly higher fGC than the female housed with only males (*n=179, p\u3c0.001, exact sign test). Potential management strategies and future research can be suggested from these results

DIFFUSION AVANT ET ARRIÈRE D'IONS LOURDS ET MOMENTS ANGULAIRES COMPLEXES

L'amplitude de diffusion élastique d'ions lourds a été calculée par la formule de sommation de Poisson. Celle-ci nécessite l'évaluation d'intégrales I±m(θ), où θ est l'angle de diffusion et m = 0, ± 1, ± 2, ... A l'approximation semi-classique I±m(θ) = 0 pour m 0, bien que non nulles sont négligeables. En appliquant la méthode du col (déjà utilisée par Knoll et Schaeffer dans un problème similaire) pour les intégrales restantes, on vérifie que seule I-0 contribue aux petits angles. Elle comporte deux parties l'une liée à un col sous l'axe réel, dépendant de l'angle de diffusion, l'autre à un pôle ou à un col très localisé dans le premier quadrant du plan complexe. Les oscillations de la section efficace élastique aux angles avant résultent de l'interférence de ces deux contributions de I-0. Vers l'arrière d'autres oscillations apparaissent dues à un col de I-0 et I+-1. Si le premier terme est bien connu, le second n'existe pas a l'approximation semi-classique, car la fonction de déflexion ne peut être supérieure à 180°. La présence de I+-1, est cependant indispensable pour reproduire l'effet glory. Ces résultats ne dépendent pratiquement pas de la paramétrisation choisie. Ils ne sont fonction que des caractéristiques de la coupure des ondes partielles les plus basses, en particulier du moment angulaire d'affleurement

Ni abundance in the core of the Perseus Cluster: an answer to the significance of resonant scattering

Using an XMM-Newton observation of the Perseus cluster we show that the excess in the flux of the 7-8 keV line complex previously detected by ASCA and BeppoSAX is due to an overabundance of Nickel rather than to an anomalously high Fe He$\beta$/Fe He$\alpha$ ratio. This observational fact leads to the main result that resonant scattering, which was assumed to be responsible for the supposed anomalous Fe He$\beta$/Fe He$\alpha$ ratio, is no longer required. The absence of resonant scattering points towards the presence of significant gas motions (either turbulent or laminar) in the core of the Perseus cluster.Comment: 29 pages, 10 bw figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Long-Lasting Alterations in Membrane Properties, K+ Currents, and Glutamatergic Synaptic Currents of Nucleus Accumbens Medium Spiny Neurons in a Rat Model of Alcohol Dependence

Chronic alcohol exposure causes marked changes in reinforcement mechanisms and motivational state that are thought to contribute to the development of cravings and relapse during protracted withdrawal. The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) is a key structure of the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system. Although the NAcc plays an important role in mediating alcohol-seeking behaviors, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced neuroadaptive changes in NAcc function. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) treatment, a rat model of alcohol withdrawal and dependence, on intrinsic electrical membrane properties and glutamatergic synaptic transmission of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the NAcc core during protracted withdrawal. We show that CIE treatment followed by prolonged withdrawal increased the inward rectification of MSNs observed at hyperpolarized potentials. In addition, MSNs from CIE-treated animals displayed a lower input resistance, faster action potentials (APs), and larger fast afterhyperpolarizations (fAHPs) than MSNs from vehicle-treated animals, all suggestive of increases in K+-channel conductances. Significant increases in the Cs+-sensitive inwardly rectifying K+-current accounted for the increased input resistance, while increases in the A-type K+-current accounted for the faster APs and increased fAHPs in MSNs from CIE rats. We also show that the amplitude and the conductance of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR)-mediated mEPSCs were enhanced in CIE-treated animals due to an increase in a small fraction of functional postsynaptic GluA2-lacking AMPARs. These long-lasting modifications of excitability and excitatory synaptic receptor function of MSNs in the NAcc core could play a critical role in the neuroadaptive changes underlying alcohol withdrawal and dependence

Electro-Optical Imaging of F-Actin and Endoplasmic Reticulum in Living and Fixed Plant Cells

Confocal and video micrographs of living and fixed alfalfa roots, onion epithelial and pear pollen cells illustrate the architecture of the cytoskeleton and endoplasmic reticulum in plant cells. Fixation of plant tissues to preserve cytoplasmic structure poses special problems. When possible, emphasis should be placed on the imaging of structures in stained living cells over time. The early events that occur when Nod factors or bacteria elicit nodule formation in alfalfa roots will illustrate several approaches to plant cell fixation, staining and imaging. The first observable events after Nod factor stimulation occur in root hairs and are changes in rates of cytoplasmic streaming, nuclear movements, and changes in the shape of the vacuole. Within ten minutes, the endoplasmic reticulum shifts position towards the tip of the root hair. For comparison, the endoplasmic reticulum localization in pollen tubes and onion epithelial cells will be illustrated. The actin cytoskeleton undergoes a series of changes over a twelve hour period. These changes in the cytoskeleton are spatially and temporally correlated with the observed growth changes of the root hairs. This dynamic change of the actin filament and endoplasmic reticulum and associated secretory vesicles in these root hairs suggests a mechanism for the observed root hair growth changes

Synthetic peripherally-restricted cannabinoid suppresses chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy pain symptoms by CB1 receptor activation.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a severe and dose-limiting side effect of cancer treatment that affects millions of cancer survivors throughout the world and current treatment options are extremely limited by their side effects. Cannabinoids are highly effective in suppressing pain symptoms of chemotherapy-induced and other peripheral neuropathies but their widespread use is limited by central nervous system (CNS)-mediated side effects. Here, we tested one compound from a series of recently developed synthetic peripherally restricted cannabinoids (PRCBs) in a rat model of cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy. Results show that local or systemic administration of 4-{2-[-(1E)-1[(4-propylnaphthalen-1-yl)methylidene]-1H-inden-3-yl]ethyl}morpholine (PrNMI) dose-dependently suppressed CIPN mechanical and cold allodynia. Orally administered PrNMI also dose-dependently suppressed CIPN allodynia symptoms in both male and female rats without any CNS side effects. Co-administration with selective cannabinoid receptor subtype blockers revealed that PrNMI's anti-allodynic effects are mediated by CB1 receptor (CB1R) activation. Expression of CB2Rs was reduced in dorsal root ganglia from CIPN rats, whereas expression of CB1Rs and various endocannabinoid synthesizing and metabolizing enzymes was unaffected. Daily PrNMI treatment of CIPN rats for two weeks showed a lack of appreciable tolerance to PrNMI's anti-allodynic effects. In an operant task which reflects cerebral processing of pain, PrNMI also dose-dependently suppressed CIPN pain behaviors. Our results demonstrate that PRCBs exemplified by PrNMI may represent a viable option for the treatment of CIPN pain symptoms

Primordial Origins of Earth's Carbon

International audienceIt is commonly assumed that the building blocks of the terrestrial planets were derived froma cosmochemical reservoir that is best represented by chondrites, the so-called chondritic Earthmodel. This view is possibly a good approximation for refractory elements (although it hasbeen recently questioned; e.g., Caro et al. 2008), but for volatile elements, other cosmochemicalreservoirs might have contributed to Earth, such as the solar nebula gas and/or cometary matter(Owen et al. 1992; Dauphas 2003; Pepin 2006). Hence, in order to get insights into the originof the carbon in Earth, it is necessary to compare: (i) the elemental abundances and isotopiccompositions of not only carbon, but also other volatile elements in potential cosmochemical“ancestors,” and (ii) the ancestral compositions with those of terrestrial volatiles. This approachis the only one that has the potential for understanding the origin of the carbon in Earth butit has several intrinsic limitations. First, the terrestrial carbon budget is not well known, and,for the deep reservoir(s) such as the core and the lower mantle, is highly model-dependent(Dasgupta 2013; Wood et al. 2013). Second, the cosmochemical reservoir(s) that contributedvolatile elements to proto-Earth may not exist anymore because planet formation might havecompletely exhausted them (most of the mass present in the inner solar system is now in Venusand Earth). Third, planetary formation processes (accretion, differentiation, early evolutionof the atmospheres) might have drastically modified the original elemental and isotopiccompositions of the volatile elements in Earth. Despite these limitations, robust constraints onthe origin(s) of the carbon in Earth can be deduced from comparative planetology of volatileelements, which is the focus of this chapter

The Diabolo photometer and the future of ground-based millimetric bolometer devices

The millimetric atmospheric windows at 1 and 2 mm are interesting targets for cosmological studies. Two broad areas appear leading this field: 1) the search for high redshift star-forming galaxies and 2) the measurement of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect in clusters of galaxies at all redshifts. The Diabolo photometer is a dual-channel photometer working at 1.2 and 2.1 mm and dedicated to high angular resolution measurements of the Sunyaev--Zel'dovich effect towards distant clusters. It uses 2 by 3 bolometers cooled down to 0.1 K with a compact open dilution cryostat. The high resolution is provided by the IRAM 30 m telescope. The result of several Winter campaigns are reported here, including the first millimetric map of the SZ effect that was obtained by Pointecouteau et al. (2001) on RXJ1347-1145, the non-detection of a millimetric counterpart to the radio decrement towards PC1643+4631 and 2 mm number count upper limits. We discuss limitations in ground-based single-dish millimetre observations, namely sky noise and the number of detectors. We advocate the use of fully sampled arrays of (100 to 1000) bolometers as a big step forward in the millimetre continuum science. Efforts in France are briefly mentionned.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, to appear in the Proceedings of the 2K1BC ``Experimental Astronomy at millimeter wavelengths'', Breuil-Cervinia (AO) Italy - July 9 - 13, 2001, Eds. M. De Petris et a

Kesejahteraan Subjektif Pada Penderita Diabetes Mellitus Tipe II Berdasarkan Tingkat Pendidikan

Subjective well-being is an affective life and cognitive evaluation in the person. Include emotional reaction against several events occurs. One of factors that influence subjective wellbeing is individual education level. The low educational level will compound the society or individual to accept and understand about informations health. While, higher education level will make easy the person to catch informations health. This research is written to know what the subjective well-being differentiation in Diabetes Mellitus type II patient, based on their education level. Subject of this research is come to 82 peoples and the characteristics are: patient with Diabetes Mellitus diagnosis, aged 21-60 years old, and being treated in the hospital, clinic, or etc. in Banda Aceh.Method of collecting data that is used in this research is 29 aitems Subjective well-being scale. And then, the data analysisuse one way ANOVA technique. The result of data analysis those are F as 1,573 with p= 0,203 (p>0,203). The result shows that there is no subjective well-being differentiation in Diabetes Mellitus type II patient based on their education level. It means that, higher or lower education level of Diabetes Mellitus type II is not contribution subjective well-being. Keywords: Subjective Well-being, Diabetes Mellitus type II, Education Level