Reproductive Biology of the Frecklebelly Darter, Percina stictogaster (Teleostei: Percidae)

The reproductive biology of the Frecklebelly Darter, Percina stictogaster, was studied in the Red River, Menifee-Powell counties, Kentucky, from 2009-2012. Males and females mature at Age II. Spawning occurs from late February to early April in water temperatures of 7-16° C in areas with strong current (0.16-0.88 m/sec) and fine gravel substrates. A 52 mm SL female collected in early March had 100 mature ova. Aquarium observations confirm this species buries its eggs in a manner similar to other Percina darters. Fertilized eggs were about 2.5 mm in diameter, clear, demersal, and slightly adhesive. At 10° C eggs hatched in 18-25 days (100% survival) into larvae 7-8 mm TL. Larvae were initially benthic, but became pelagic 2- 3 days later. By about 11 mm TL, the yolk sac was absorbed, and the young returned to the bottom. In early June, young (about 2 months old) were 16-25 mm SL and had acquired diagnostic pigmentation. They occupied areas with Justicia sp. or coarse woody debris in low-velocity habitats, adjacent to riffles

Organisatorische Aspekte in der mediengestützten postgradualen Weiterbildung

Von 2008 bis 2013 stellt das sächsische Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst ein Budget von 27 Mio. Euro für die „Ent-­ wicklung von Konzepten, Auf-­ und Ausbau von Strukturen und Netzwerken postgradualer Bildung, insbesondere unter Nutzung neuer Medien" (SMWK, S. 6) aus den Mitteln des Europäischen Sozialfonds (ESF) zur Verfügung. Damit sollen digitale Medien zum immanenten Bestandteil von akademischen Weiterbildungsangebo-­ ten in Sachsen werden

Understanding young people's transitions in university halls through space and time

This article contributes to the theoretical discussion about young people's transitions through space and time. Space and time are complex overarching concepts that have creative potential in deepening understanding of transition. The focus of this research is young people's experiences of communal living in university halls. It is argued that particular space-time concepts draw attention to different facets of experience and in combination deepen the understanding of young people's individual and collective transitions. The focus of the article is the uses of the space-time concepts 'routine', 'representation', 'rhythm' and 'ritual' to research young people's experiences. The article draws on research findings from two studies in the North of England. © 2010 SAGE Publications

Online social media tells a story of Anaselina, Paraselina, and Selivinga (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae), rare Australian pygmy grasshoppers

Knowledge on the pygmy grasshoppers of Australia is, despite the numerous endemics being described from this unique continent, still scarce. Of interest is the Vingselina genus group, including genera Anaselina Storozhenko, 2019, Paraselina Storozhenko, 2019, Selivinga Storozhenko, 2019 and Vingselina Sjostedt, 1921. The systematic position of this group, currently assigned to Batrachideinae (Bufonidini), is probably not correct. In this study new records are presented of Anaselina minor (Sjostedt, 1921), Paraselina brunneri (Bolivar, 1887), P trituberculata (Sjastedt, 1932), and Selivinga tribulata Storozhenko, 2019, all except A. minor the first records of the species since their original descriptions. The first photographs of living specimens of A. minor, P. brunneri, P. trituberculata and S. tribulata are provided and their habitats described. All the records were compiled by citizen scientists who use online social media, such as iNaturalist. Lastly, P. multifora (Rehn, 1952) syn. nov. represents a junior synonym of P. brunneri

Freiburg RNA Tools: a web server integrating IntaRNA, ExpaRNA and LocARNA

The Freiburg RNA tools web server integrates three tools for the advanced analysis of RNA in a common web-based user interface. The tools IntaRNA, ExpaRNA and LocARNA support the prediction of RNA–RNA interaction, exact RNA matching and alignment of RNA, respectively. The Freiburg RNA tools web server and the software packages of the stand-alone tools are freely accessible at http://rna.informatik.uni-freiburg.de

Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Levels of Urinary Metals in the U.S. Youth and Adult Population: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2004

We assessed 12 urine metals in tobacco smoke-exposed and not exposed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants. Our analysis included age, race/ethnicity, and poverty status. Gender and racial/ethnic differences in cadmium and lead and creatinine-adjusted and unadjusted data for group comparisons are presented. Smokers’ had higher cadmium, lead, antimony, and barium levels than nonsmokers. Highest lead levels were in the youngest subjects. Lead levels among adults with high second-hand smoke exposure equaled smokers. Older smokers had cadmium levels signaling the potential for cadmium-related toxicity. Given the potential toxicity of metals, our findings complement existing research on exposure to chemicals in tobacco smoke

Organic electrode coatings for next-generation neural interfaces

Traditional neuronal interfaces utilize metallic electrodes which in recent years have reached a plateau in terms of the ability to provide safe stimulation at high resolution or rather with high densities of microelectrodes with improved spatial selectivity. To achieve higher resolution it has become clear that reducing the size of electrodes is required to enable higher electrode counts from the implant device. The limitations of interfacing electrodes including low charge injection limits, mechanical mismatch and foreign body response can be addressed through the use of organic electrode coatings which typically provide a softer, more roughened surface to enable both improved charge transfer and lower mechanical mismatch with neural tissue. Coating electrodes with conductive polymers or carbon nanotubes offers a substantial increase in charge transfer area compared to conventional platinum electrodes. These organic conductors provide safe electrical stimulation of tissue while avoiding undesirable chemical reactions and cell damage. However, the mechanical properties of conductive polymers are not ideal, as they are quite brittle. Hydrogel polymers present a versatile coating option for electrodes as they can be chemically modified to provide a soft and conductive scaffold. However, the in vivo chronic inflammatory response of these conductive hydrogels remains unknown. A more recent approach proposes tissue engineering the electrode interface through the use of encapsulated neurons within hydrogel coatings. This approach may provide a method for activating tissue at the cellular scale, however, several technological challenges must be addressed to demonstrate feasibility of this innovative idea. The review focuses on the various organic coatings which have been investigated to improve neural interface electrodes