The Occurrence of Chestnut Lamprey (lchthyomyzon castaneus; Pisces: Petromyzontidae) in the Chariton River in South-Central Iowa

In the mid-1990s, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Fisheries Bureau biologists began receiving reports from anglers of a parasitic lamprey attached to fish taken immediately downstream from Rathbun Lake on the Chariton River in south-central Iowa; these reports have continued to present. In 2002, the IDNR received and identified a chestnut lamprey (Ichthyomyzon castaneus Girard) from an angler who removed the lamprey from a common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus) he captured. This record was the first for a lamprey from the Chariton River drainage in Iowa. Five additional specimens of chestnut lamprey have been collected and identified since this specimen was found, all from the same location. The Rathbun Lake tailrace is one of only a few locations on Iowa\u27s interior rivers and streams with verified records for chestnut lamprey

Cold atom confinement in an all-optical dark ring trap

We demonstrate confinement of $^{85}$Rb atoms in a dark, toroidal optical trap. We use a spatial light modulator to convert a single blue-detuned Gaussian laser beam to a superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian modes that forms a ring-shaped intensity null bounded harmonically in all directions. We measure a 1/e spin-relaxation lifetime of ~1.5 seconds for a trap detuning of 4.0 nm. For smaller detunings, a time-dependent relaxation rate is observed. We use these relaxation rate measurements and imaging diagnostics to optimize trap alignment in a programmable manner with the modulator. The results are compared with numerical simulations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Magnetically-controlled velocity selection in a cold atom sample using stimulated Raman transitions

We observe velocity-selective two-photon resonances in a cold atom cloud in the presence of a magnetic field. We use these resonances to demonstrate a simple magnetometer with sub-mG resolution. The technique is particularly useful for zeroing the magnetic field and does not require any additional laser frequencies than are already used for standard magneto-optical traps. We verify the effects using Faraday rotation spectroscopy.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

FINE-SCALE TEMPERATURE PATTERNS IN THE SOUTHERN BOREAL FOREST: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE COLD-ADAPTED MOOSE

Moose (Alces alces) respond to warm temperatures through both physiological and behavioral mechanisms. Moose can reduce heat load via habitat selection when spatial and temporal variation exists within the thermal environment. We recorded operative temperatures (To) throughout the Kabetogama Peninsula of Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota for 1 year to describe seasonal patterns in the thermal environment available to moose and identify physical and landscape characteristics that affect To in southern boreal forests. Significant predictors of To varied by season and time of day and included vegetation cover type, canopy cover, and slope/aspect. Vegetation cover type influenced To during summer and fall afternoons with additional variation during summer afternoons explained by percent canopy cover. Slope/aspect was the main driver of To during winter and spring afternoons. Slope position was not a significant predictor of temperature, likely because of low topographic relief in our study area. The Tos were significantly warmer in open versus closed habitats during the day with the pattern reversed at night. Our results can be used to test if moose display a behavioral response to To at various spatial and temporal scales

Radial Construction of an Arterial Wall

SummarySome of the most serious diseases involve altered size and structure of the arterial wall. Elucidating how arterial walls are built could aid understanding of these diseases, but little is known about how concentric layers of muscle cells and the outer adventitial layer are assembled and patterned around endothelial tubes. Using histochemical, clonal, and genetic analysis in mice, here we show that the pulmonary artery wall is constructed radially, from the inside out, by two separate but coordinated processes. One is sequential induction of successive cell layers from surrounding mesenchyme. The other is controlled invasion of outer layers by inner layer cells through developmentally regulated cell reorientation and radial migration. We propose that a radial signal gradient controls these processes and provide evidence that PDGF-B and at least one other signal contribute. Modulation of such radial signaling pathways may underlie vessel-specific differences and pathological changes in arterial wall size and structure.Video Abstrac

Detection of low prevalence somatic mutations in solid tumors with ultra-deep targeted sequencing

Ultra-deep targeted sequencing (UDT-Seq) can identify subclonal somatic mutations in tumor samples. Early assays' limited breadth and depth restrict their clinical utility. Here, we target 71 kb of mutational hotspots in 42 cancer genes. We present novel methods enhancing both laboratory workflow and mutation detection. We evaluate UDT-Seq true sensitivity and specificity (> 94% and > 99%, respectively) for low prevalence mutations in a mixing experiment and demonstrate its utility using six tumor samples. With an improved performance when run on the Illumina Miseq, the UDT-Seq assay is well suited for clinical applications to guide therapy and study clonal selection in heterogeneous samples

Isolation and Immunocytochemical Characterization of Three Tachykinin-Related Peptides from the Mosquito, Culex salinarius

Three myotropic peptides belonging to the Arg-amide insect tachykinin family were isolated from whole-body extracts of the mosquito, Culex salinarius . The peptides, APSGFMGMR-NH 2 , APYGFTGMR-NH 2 and APSGFFGMR-NH 2 (designated culetachykinin I, II, and III) were isolated and purified on the basis of their ability to stimulate muscle contractions of isolated Leucophaea maderae hindgut. Biologically inactive methionine sulfoxides of two of the three peptides were isolated using an ELISA system based upon antiserum raised against APYGFTGMR-NH 2 and identified with mass spectrometry. Immunocytochemistry localized these peptides in cells in the brain, antennae, subesophageal, thoracic and abdominal ganglion, proventriculus and midgut. Nerve tracts containing these peptides were found in the median nerve of the brain, central body, nervi corpus cardiaci, cervical nerve, antennal lobe and on the surface of the midgut.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45417/1/11064_2004_Article_419298.pd