Genetic divergence of a sympatric lake-resident-anadromous three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus species pair.

The genetic relationship between sympatric, morphologically divergent populations of anadromous and lake-resident three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus in the Jim Creek drainage of Cook Inlet, Alaska, was examined using microsatellite loci and mitochondrial d-loop sequence data. Resident samples differed substantially from sympatric anadromous samples in the Jim Creek drainage with the magnitude of the genetic divergence being similar to that between allopatric resident and anadromous populations in other areas. Resident samples were genetically similar within the Jim Creek drainage, as were the anadromous samples surveyed. Neighbour-joining and Structure cluster analysis grouped the samples into four genetic clusters by ecomorph (anadromous v. all resident) and geographic location of the resident samples (Jim Creek, Mat-Su and Kenai). There was no evidence of hybridization between resident and anadromous G. aculeatus in the Jim Creek drainage, which thus appear to be reproductively isolated.

The International Menopause Study of Climate, Altitude, Temperature (IMS-CAT) and vasomotor symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between climate (including altitude, temperature, humidity and annual range of temperature) and experience of hot flushes and night sweats amongst Spanish-speaking mid-aged women living in five urban centers. METHODS: A total of 896 peri- and postmenopausal women from centers in Chile (Santiago de Chile), Ecuador (Guayaquil and Quito), Panama (Panama City) and Spain (Madrid) completed questionnaires eliciting information about sociodemographics, hot flushes (prevalence, frequency and problem-rating), health and lifestyle (body mass index, diet, exercise, alcohol use) and mood (Women's Health Questionnaire). RESULTS: There was a wide range of altitude and temperature in the participating centers. Of the sample, 58.5% (524/896) were currently experiencing vasomotor symptoms. Prevalence was associated with higher temperatures, while hot flushes were more frequent and problematic for women living in higher temperature and lower altitudes. Hot flush variables were not associated with seasonal variation in temperature. When health and lifestyle variables were included as covariates in regression analyses, prevalence was best predicted by age (younger), poor general health, more depressed mood and anxiety; hot flush frequency by anxiety, temperature, life satisfaction (lower), age (higher), regular strenuous exercise (more strenuous exercise more frequent), and a diet including regular hot spicy food intake. Hot flush problem-rating was best predicted by anxiety, life satisfaction, altitude (lower more problematic), any regular exercise (more exercise less problematic), and depressed mood. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of Spanish-speaking women, those living in countries with higher temperatures and lower altitudes reported more frequent and problematic hot flushes.

Occurrence of Schistocephalus solidus in anadromous threespine stickleback.

Plerocercoids of the cestode Schistocephalus solidus are reported for the first time from the body cavity of anadromous threespine stickleback inhabiting Mud Lake, Alaska. Most infected stickleback harbored a single large plerocerciod (mean weight  =  0.447 g, range  =  0.228-0.716 g). The overall prevalence of plerocercoids across genders and 2 yr of samples was 1.4%, but prevalence was significantly greater in males than in females. Because of the large size of the plerocercoids, anadromous stickleback were probably infected as juveniles before leaving the lake, suggesting that plerocercoids can live in the body cavity of oceanic stickleback for several years.

Sexual dimorphism of head morphology in three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus.

This study examined sexual dimorphism of head morphology in the ecologically diverse three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. Male G. aculeatus had longer heads than female G. aculeatus in all 10 anadromous, stream and lake populations examined, and head length growth rates were significantly higher in males in half of the populations sampled, indicating that differences in head size increased with body size in many populations. Despite consistently larger heads in males, there was significant variation in size-adjusted head length among populations, suggesting that the relationship between head length and body length was flexible. Inter-population differences in head length were correlated between sexes, thus population-level factors influenced head length in both sexes despite the sexual dimorphism present. Head shape variation between lake and anadromous populations was greater than that between sexes. The common divergence in head shape between sexes across populations was about twice as important as the sexual dimorphism unique to each population. Finally, much of the sexual dimorphism in head length was due to divergence in the anterior region of the head, where the primary trophic structures were found. It is unclear whether the sexual dimorphism was due to natural selection for niche divergence between sexes or sexual selection. This study improves knowledge of the magnitude, growth rate divergence, inter-population variation and location of sexual dimorphism in G. aculeatus head morphology.

[Influence of the sterilization technic and culture media components on the growth and dissociation of Brucella abortus strain 19 in submerged cultures]. / Influencia de la técnica de esterilización y de los componentes del medio de cultivo en el desarrollo y disociación de Brucella abortus cepa 19 en proceso sumergido.

Submerged cultures of Brucella abortus strain 19 were studied in shaking flasks. The influence of the sterilization methods and the medium composition on the bacterial yield and cellular dissociation were studied. The selected medium was as follows (amounts in g/l): casein pancreatic hydrolizated 30; yeast extract 10; glucose, 30; sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous 3,3; sodium monobasic monohydrate 9. Cell concentration of 8 . 10(10) viable cell/ml was obtained after 48 hours when the medium components were separated and sterilized at 121 degrees C for 20 min in autoclave.

Influencia de la técnica de esterilización y de los componentes del medio de cultivo en el desarrollo y disociación de Brucella abortus cepa 19 en proceso sumergido. / [Influence of the sterilization technic and culture media components on the growth and dissociation of Brucella abortus strain 19 in submerged cultures]

Submerged cultures of Brucella abortus strain 19 were studied in shaking flasks. The influence of the sterilization methods and the medium composition on the bacterial yield and cellular dissociation were studied. The selected medium was as follows (amounts in g/l): casein pancreatic hydrolizated 30; yeast extract 10; glucose, 30; sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous 3,3; sodium monobasic monohydrate 9. Cell concentration of 8 . 10(10) viable cell/ml was obtained after 48 hours when the medium components were separated and sterilized at 121 degrees C for 20 min in autoclave.

Influencia de la técnica de esterilización y de los componentes del medio de cultivo en el desarrollo y disociación de Brucella abortus cepa 19 en proceso sumergido / [Influence of the sterilization technic and culture media components on the growth and dissociation of Brucella abortus strain 19 in submerged cultures]

Submerged cultures of Brucella abortus strain 19 were studied in shaking flasks. The influence of the sterilization methods and the medium composition on the bacterial yield and cellular dissociation were studied. The selected medium was as follows (amounts in g/l): casein pancreatic hydrolizated 30; yeast extract 10; glucose, 30; sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous 3,3; sodium monobasic monohydrate 9. Cell concentration of 8 . 10(10) viable cell/ml was obtained after 48 hours when the medium components were separated and sterilized at 121 degrees C for 20 min in autoclave.