Exposing males to female scent increases the cost of controlling <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmonella</Emphasis> infection in wild house mice

Secondary sexual characters often provide indicators of a male’s resistance to infectious diseases to rivals and potential mates, but it is unclear why. It is often suggested that males honestly signal their health due to energetic and other physiological trade-offs between investing into secondary sexual traits vs resistance to infectious diseases. Our aim was to determine whether such a trade-off exists using wild-derived male house mice (Mus domesticus). We exposed male mice to female scent, a manipulation that induces elevations in testosterone concentration and the expression of a variety of testosterone-mediated secondary sexual traits, and tested whether this sexual stimulation impaired the males’ ability to resolve or cope with an experimental infection (Salmonella enterica). We kept the males on a controlled diet to prevent them from compensating by eating more food. We found that sexually stimulated males were able to control bacterial growth as effectively as sham-stimulated controls; however, to do so, they lost more body mass during infection compared to the controls. In contrast, we found no evidence that sexual stimulation reduced the body mass of uninfected male mice. These results indicate that males’ responses to female odor are not immunosuppressive per se, yet they increase the energetic costs of controlling infection. Our findings support the idea that there is a physiological trade-off between secondary sexual signaling vs resistance to infectious diseases and suggest that studies using only immunocompetence assays might fail to detect such energetic trade-offs. We dedicate this paper to the late Professor Chris Barnard who conducted pioneering research on this topic.     

Pooled Analysis of Two Swedish Case-Control Studies on the Use of Mobile and Cordless Telephones and the Risk of Brain Tumours Diagnosed During 1997–2003

Here we present the pooled analysis of 2 case–control studies on the association of brain tumours with mobile phone use. Use of analogue cellular phones increased the risk for acoustic neuroma by 5%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2-9% per 100 hrs of use. The risk increased for astrocytoma grade III—IV with latency period with highest estimates using >10-year time period from first use of these phone types. The risk increased per one year of use of analogue phones by 10%, 95% CI = 6-14%, digital phones by 11%, 95% CI = 6-16%, and cordless phones by 8%, 95% CI = 5-12%. For all studied phone types OR for brain tumours, mainly acoustic neuroma and malignant brain tumours, increased with latency period, especially for astrocytoma grade III—IV.     

多区蜂窝CDMA系统中的干扰及其抑制

在分析多区蜂窝ＣＤＭＡ系统干扰的基础上,提出了开,闭环结合的功控方式,要求和以载干比（ＣＩＲ）为基础的功控算法,从而抑制干扰,改善系统性能,增加系统容量。     

氯化汞、氯化甲基汞对大鼠肾近曲小管细胞损伤机理的研究

研究了HgCl₂和CH₃HgCl对大鼠游离肾近曲小管细胞的毒性作用及其机理.结果显示,HgCl₂和CH₃HgCl均对肾细胞有明显毒性,表现为细胞内乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）和溶酶体β-葡糖苷酸酶（β-GD）漏出增加,还原型谷胱甘肽（GSH）和蛋白巯基（PSH）含量降低,同时GSH和PSH含量的降低与LDH及β-GD漏出之间呈良好的相关关系.未观察到CH₃HgCl明显诱发肾细胞脂质过氧化作用,HgCl₂仅在50μmol/L以上才出现轻度脂质过氧化效应.     

氯化汞、氯化甲基汞对大鼠肾近曲小管细胞损伤机理的研究

研究了HgCl_2和CH_3HgCl对大鼠游离肾近曲小管细胞的毒性作用及其机理.结果显示,HgCl_2和CH_3HgCl均对肾细胞有明显毒性,表现为细胞内乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)和溶酶体β-葡糖苷酸酶(β-GD)漏出增加,还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH)和蛋白巯基(PSH)含量降低,同时GSH和PSH含量的降低与LDH及β-GD漏出之间呈良好的相关关系.未观察到CH_3HgCl明显诱发肾细胞脂质过氧化作用,HgCl_2仅在50μmol/L以上才出现轻度脂质过氧化效应.     

Effects of elevated yolk testosterone levels on survival, growth and immunity of male and female yellow-legged gull chicks

Androgen hormones of maternal origin contained in the eggs of avian species are considered to have positive effects on offspring characteristics and performance. However, negative consequences have also been reported, suggesting that mothers may experience a trade-off between beneficial and detrimental effects of egg androgens to offspring fitness. We studied the effects of elevated yolk testosterone (T) concentration on survival, development and phenotype of male and female yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) chicks by injecting egg yolks with physiological doses of the hormone. Elevated yolk T resulted in a male-biased post-hatching sex ratio, T-treated clutches producing a greater proportion of males compared to control ones at day 4 post-hatching, likely resulting from a reduction of female embryonic survival, whereas no effect of hormone treatment on hatching success or short-term chick survival was observed. In addition, T depressed post-hatching body mass in both sexes but had no effects on the intensity of the cell-mediated immune response or skeletal growth. No sex differences in egg characteristics or chick phenotype were detected. Time to hatching was not affected by T, but females originating from first laid eggs hatched earlier than males of the same laying order, independently of hormone treatment. However, the implications of sex differences in hatching times are unclear in the study species. Taken together, our results suggest that female yellow-legged gulls may be constrained in transferring androgens to their eggs by negative consequences on the viability of female offspring and growth of chicks of the two sexes.     

Immunoregulatory activity of different dietary carotenoids in male zebra finches

Summary. Many animals use carotenoid pigments to color their integument and become sexually attractive. These colorants can also serve physiological functions, protecting cells and tissues from oxidative damage as well as stimulating the immune system. Because animals often acquire several different carotenoid pigments from their diet, there is the potential for different carotenoids to exhibit different free-radical-scavenging or immunoenhancing activity. We experimentally tested how two common dietary xanthophylls - lutein and zeaxanthin - may differentially affect the immune system in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Male T. guttata derive their red sexual beak colorants from these two carotenoids, and prior studies with this species have shown that lutein and zeaxanthin together boost cell-mediated immunity. We experimentally elevated these two dietary carotenoids separately in two groups of non-breeding zebra finches, but found that lutein-supplemented and zeaxanthin-supplemented males mounted similar cell-mediated immune responses (to phytohaemagglutinin, or PHA). Although zeaxanthin is a more conjugated carotenoid than lutein and has the potential to be a more potent antioxidant, our study suggests that such a subtle structural difference between these two biochemicals does not differentially affect immune performance in this songbird.     

基于元胞自动机的复杂建筑物中人员逃生模型研究

针对复杂建筑物中人群安全疏散问题,在原有的元胞自动机行人流模型基础上,利用不同人员行进速度、不同方向行进速度的差异以及疏散连续性等特征优化该模型,使其在模拟逃生规律和疏散时间方面更加合理、可靠。通过多组人群行进速度测定试验,利用曲线拟合方法,获取不同属性人群向不同高度的台阶行进的速度,并制定台阶等级划分规则,优化人员速度计算方法,结合累积位移量,构建复杂建筑元胞自动机模型。利用Matlab软件建立原有疏散模型及复杂建筑元胞自动机模型,分别模拟某海豚表演馆疏散情况。结果表明,复杂建筑元胞自动机模型的模拟数据与实际演习数据相比,在疏散总时间方面存在5%~8%相对偏差,相比原有疏散模型,在模拟复杂建筑疏散问题中更具说服力。     

Surface functionalized amorphous nanosilica and microsilica with nanopores as promising tools in biomedicine

Cellular interactions with engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are dependent on many properties, inherent to the nanoparticle (viz. size, shape, surface characteristics, degradation, agglomeration/dispersal, and charge, etc.). Modification of the surface reactivity via surface functionalization of the nanoparticles to be targeted seems to be important. Utilization of different surface functionalization methods of nanoparticles is an emerging field of basic and applied nanotechnology. It is well known that many disease-causing organisms induce host lipids and if deprived, their growth is inhibited in vivo. Amorphous nanosilica (ANS) and amorphous microsilica with nanopores (AMS) were prepared by a combination of wet chemistry and high-energy ball milling. Lipophilic moieties were attached to both ANS and AMS via chemical surface functionalization method. Lipophilic ANS and AMS were found to inhibit the growth of Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) and chicken malarial parasites via absorption of silkworm hemolymph and chicken serum lipids/lipoproteins, respectively, in vivo. Therefore, intelligent surface functionalization of NP is an important concept, and its application in curing chicken malaria and BmNPV is presented here. Surface functionalization method reported in this paper might serve as a valuable technology for treating many diseases where pathogens induce host lipid.