Social inhibition of maturation in females of the temperate wrasse Pseudolabrus celidotus and a comparison with the blennioid Tripterygion varium

In two temperate reef fish, Pseudolabrus celidotus (Bloch and Schneider) and Tripterygion varium (Bloch and Schneider) studied near Leigh, New Zealand, most spawning activity was concentrated during the first 2 months of spawning seasons which lasted about 5 months. In P. celidotus, maturation and spawning of first-year females (0+) was delayed with respect to older (1+yr) females. Within the 0+ age class, the minimum size of maturation declined as the spawning season proceeded. However, in all females of T. varium, ripening and spawning took place over the same time ranges. Observations on the seasonal patterns of female aggression suggested that larger female P. celidotus were socially inhibiting the maturation of small females. The level of interaction was high compared to that in T. varium, and reached a peak over the onset of the spawning season. This hypothesis was tested by the removal of larger (1+yr) female P. celidotus from a field population. The remaining 0+ females increased in ovary weight and matured earlier than those in an undisturbed area. We argue from this experiment that it is of advantage for P. celidotus females to spawn early in the season and of advantage to inhibit other females from doing so. Two possible reasons are suggested, the first applying to sexchanging species such as P. celidotus, the second to temperate-water fishes in general.     

Worker population structure and gyne production in the ant Myrmica

Summary Wild colonies of Myrmica rubra L. were sampled and cultured in the laboratory to assess their reproductive capability. Correlation analysis was then used to relate the reproductive performance to a number of worker population characteristics. This revealed an association between the magnitude of gyne production and the proportion of nurses in the population. The absence of big workers also increased gyne production.Artificially composed cultures were then made and used to confirm greater resistance of nurses and small workers to queen domination.It is suggested that rapidly growing colonies will have higher proportions of young nurse workers refractory to queens and able to deliver the food necessary for gyne production. Such colonies could optimise their reproduction in this way.     

Invertebrates of the upper chamber,Gatún Locks,Panama Canal,with emphasis on Trochospongilla leidii (Porifera)

Observations were made on the horizontal distribution of certain invertebrates on the walls and floor of the upper chamber of the Gatún Lock system of the Panama Canal. The hydroid Cordylophora caspia (Pallas) and the gastrophod Neritina usnea Röding extended the full length of the chamber; the oligochaete Marionina sp. was confined to the upper half of the chamber (adjacent to Gatún Lake), and the amphipod Gitanopsis tortugae? Shoemaker, the isopod Munna sp. and the bivalve Mytilopsis sallei (Recluz) to the lower half; the sponge Trochospongilla leidii (Bowerbank) was distributed from the upper end to near the lower end of the chamber. A peculiar wedge-shaped distribution of T. leidii is thought to be a response to the influence of slight increases in salinity. Morphological observations on T. leidii are presented.     

Population dynamics and growth of juveniles of the velvet swimming crab Necora puber (Decapoda: Portunidae)

Recruitment variability plays a critical role in determining local population densities of benthic organisms, but extreme vulnerability at the onset of juvenile life is a trait that is largely responsible for population survivorship trends. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of juvenile recruitment in the population structure of Necora puber. Juveniles of N. puber were collected from the lower intertidal of rocky shores of Plymouth Sound (southwest coast of the UK) and monthly size–frequency distribution were used to determine the dynamics and the growth of the population. The parameters of the von Bertalanffy growth function were estimated (K=0.281 year⁻¹; t ₀=0.043; C=0.103; and t _s=0.268) assuming a L _∞=105 mm. Growth was markedly seasonal and present results indicated a slower juvenile growth rate than described previously for N. puber. The recruitment period was extensive and was two times higher in 2001 than in 2000 at the start of the 1+ year, but levelled off at the end of the 1+ year class on three of the four shores studied. Instantaneous mortality as high as 5.1 year⁻¹(99.4% year⁻¹) was observed during the higher recruitment year. Early juvenile mortality appears to be density dependent and a demographic bottleneck appears to limit the number of juveniles on some shores.     

The Surface Roughness of a Rubber Soling Material Determines the Coefficient of Friction on Water-Lubricated Surfaces

For more than a decade, evidence has been accumulating that points to the fact that the microscopic roughness of the footwear soling surface is a major determinant of slip-resistance on lubricated surfaces, but conclusive experimental proof has been lacking. This article describes an experiment in which five pairs of shoes were soled with the same rubber compound. Four of the pairs were abraded by different grades of grit to produce a range of roughness values. The coefficient of friction (CoF) of the five solings was then measured repeatedly by the walking traction method on wet surfaces including glazed wall tiles, vinyl asbestos coated with the wax floor polish, and both sides of a sheet of float glass. The Kruskal-Wallis statistical test proved beyond doubt that the soling roughness is a major factor in determining the CoF of this rubber soling material; p < 10⁻⁵. Nearly all of the grip was due to surface roughness of the soling material on these atypically smooth floors, although the surface roughness of the floors also had a significant effect on CoF; p < 0.003. Float glass is shown to be a promising reference floor material for the measurement of CoF of footwear; there was no statistical difference between results for the two sides of the glass sheet. Float glass could be used in the development of a standard CoF test method because new sheets of glass from the same manufacturer are identical and extremely smooth. The specification of CoF values for solings/floors combinations in lubricated conditions is of little value unless associated with roughness measurements and knowledge of how wear will affect the surface roughness of the sole. This article reports the first evidence that any specification of flooring by measuring CoF based on dry surfaces could lead to an increase in the number of injuries caused by slipping on the wet surfaces. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd     

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital cystic adenomatoid lung malformation: A report of seven cases

Six cases of macrocystic and one case of microcystic congenital adenomatoid lung malformation were diagnosed by ultrasound between 20 and 31 weeks of gestation. Combined polyhydramnios and fetal hydrops was present in three cases, polyhydramnios alone in one case, and isolated fetal hydrops also in one case. In the remaining two cases, both polyhydramnios and fetal hydrops were absent. Fetal outcome was poor, i.e., two terminations of pregnancy, three early neonatal deaths, and two survivors.     

Congenital myotonic dystrophy: An often unsuspected cause of severe polyhydramnios

Two cases of severe polyhydramnios are presented in which the unsuspected diagnosis of myotonic dystrophy was made in the patient and the fetus.     

Mosaicism and accuracy of prenatal cytogenetic diagnoses after chorionic villus sampling and placental biopsies

Discrepant chromosome findings in placenta and fetus (false negative and false positive) after chorionic villus sampling (CVS) are mainly due to confined mosaicism. Non-mosaic normal or abnormal chromosome counts after direct preparation and culture nearly always correctly reflect the fetal chromosome constitution. False-negative results have almost exclusively been restricted to cytotrophoblast cells not representing a fetal chromosome abnormality. Diagnosis of placental mosaicism definitely requires an adequate follow-up by amniocentesis, fetal blood sampling, or sonography before a pregnancy is terminated. When direct preparations and cultured cells are used for cytogenetic diagnoses and placental mosaicism is not taken as proof for a chromosomal abnormality in the fetus, CVS is an accurate diagnostic tool.     

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein and fetal triploidy

Fetal triploidy is commonly found in early pregnancy. The majority of these pregnancies spontaneously abort in the first trimester. Occasionally, the pregnancy progresses to the second and third trimesters. We reviewed the maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP), amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase (ACHE), fetal pathology, and placental pathology in sex second-trimester pregnancies complicated by fetal triploidy. Four of these patients had MSAFP values greater than 7.5 multiples of the median (MoM). Five of six pregnancies had MSAFP values greater than 2.25 MoM. All five of these patients had a partial mole. Four patients had amniotic fluid AFP values greater than 2.0 MoM. Two fetuses had associated neural tube defects. These were the only patients with positive amniotic fluid ACHE. None of the other patients had fetuses with anomalies that are known to be associated with an elevated MSAFP. The elevated MSAFP appeared to be related to the presence of a partial mole. Two of the five cases with an MSAFP greater than 2.25 MoM did not have sonographic evidence of a significant anomaly. Therefore, karyotyping can be of benefit in evaluating patients with elevated MSAFP.