Fauna of the Middle Little Sioux River and Comparison with Upper and Lower Regions

A species list of macroscopic animals is compiled for the middle portion of the Little Sioux River, Iowa. These are tabulated along with published data from regions of the river above and below. The Little Sioux meanders throughout a valley of largely agricultural landscape; it has a relatively high silt load. Chemical differences are not great; some effects of municipal effluent are noted. The number of species is relatively constant (in the 40-60 range); numbers in the uppermost, intermittent stretches and the lowermost, channelized segment are lower (30- 40). Only about 20% of the species are ubiquitous; trends of diversity and distribution are noted in the invertebrates and fishes

Transcript analysis and comparative evaluation of shaker and slowmo gene homologues from the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis

The movement and dispersal of larval Lepidoptera impact their survival and distribution within the natural landscape. Homologues of the Drosophila behaviour-linked genes shaker (shkr) and slowmo (slmo) were identified from Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Onshkr was isolated as a 1610-nucleotide (nt) constitutively expressed transcript encoding a membrane-localized 469-amino-acid (aa) protein with a conserved tetramerization domain and the six-domain architecture necessary for the molecule to fold into an active K(+) channel. Three expressed splice variants of 682, 970 and 1604 nt were identified for the Onslmo gene, and encode predicted 141 and 228 aa proteins with a conserved protein of relevant evolutionary and lymphoid interest (PRELI) domain that may function in mitochondrial protein sorting and perinuclear protein localization. Onshkr and Onslmo protein sequences aligned within monophyletic lepidopteran groups

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 26, No. 5

• Swiss Mennonite Family Names: An Annotated Checklist • The Dogtrot House and its Pennsylvania Associations • A Letter from Pastor Johann Friedrich Ernst • Civil War Medicine: A Patient\u27s Account • Soups, Stews, Broths, and Porridges: Folk-Cultural Questionnaire No. 48https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1073/thumbnail.jp

Idiopathic sclerosing orbital inflammation mimicking a malignant spindle cell tumor in a dog

A dog presented with a retrobulbar mass, diagnosed histopathologically as malignant spindle cell neoplasia. Emergence of analogous findings in the contralateral orbit prompted extended immunohistochemistry of the original mass and reassignment to idiopathic sclerosing orbital inflammation. Early incisional biopsy with extended immunohistochemical analysis should be considered for canine orbital tumors

Solving correlation clustering with QAOA and a Rydberg qudit system: a full-stack approach

We study the correlation clustering problem using the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) and qudits, which constitute a natural platform for such non-binary problems. Specifically, we consider a neutral atom quantum computer and propose a full stack approach for correlation clustering, including Hamiltonian formulation of the algorithm, analysis of its performance, identification of a suitable level structure for ${}^{87}{\rm Sr}$ and specific gate design. We show the qudit implementation is superior to the qubit encoding as quantified by the gate count. For single layer QAOA, we also prove (conjecture) a lower bound of $0.6367$ ($0.6699$) for the approximation ratio on 3-regular graphs. Our numerical studies evaluate the algorithm's performance by considering complete and Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi graphs of up to 7 vertices and clusters. We find that in all cases the QAOA surpasses the Swamy bound $0.7666$ for the approximation ratio for QAOA depths $p \geq 2$. Finally, by analysing the effect of errors when solving complete graphs we find that their inclusion severely limits the algorithm's performance.Comment: 22 + 11 page

Oxytocin regulates the expression of aquaporin 5 in the late-pregnant rat uterus

Aquaporins (AQPs) are integral membrane channels responsible for the transport of water across a cell membrane. Based on reports that AQPs are present and accumulate in the female reproductive tract late in pregnancy, our aim was to study the expression of AQP isoforms (AQP1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 9) at the end of pregnancy in rat in order to determine if they play a role in parturition. Reverse-transcriptase PCR revealed that specific Aqp mRNAs were detectable in the myometrium of nonpregnant and late-pregnancy (Days 18, 20, 21, and 22 of pregnancy) rat uteri. The expression of Aqp5 mRNA and protein were most pronounced on Days 18-21, and were dramatically decreased on Day 22 of pregnancy. In contrast, a significant increase was found in the level of Aqp5 transcript in whole-blood samples on the last day of pregnancy. The effect of oxytocin on myometrial Aqp5 expression in an organ bath was also investigated. The level of Aqp5 mRNA significantly decreased 5 min after oxytocin (10-8 M) administration, similarly to its profile on the day of delivery; this effect was sensitive to the oxytocin antagonist atosiban. The vasopressin analog desmopressin (3.7x10-8 M), on the other hand, did not alter the expression of Aqp5, but did increased the amount of Aqp2 mRNA, an effect that was atosiban-resistant. These results lead us to propose that oxytocin selectively influences the expression of Aqp5 at the end of pregnancy, and may participate in events that lead to parturition in the rat. The sudden increase of AQP5 in the blood on the last dayof pregnancymayserve as a marker that indicates the initiation of delivery