Podium denticulatum é uma espécie de vespa solitária que pertence ao gênero Podium, família Sphecidae, sendo encontrada desde o México o Brasil. As fêmeas desse gênero são caçadoras, capturam e aprovisionam o ninho com baratas paralisadas. As espécies de Podium nidificam em cavidades preexistentes, como ninhos abandonados de outras espécies de vespas, cavidades em troncos e em ninhos-armadilha (NA). O principal objetivo do presente trabalho foi estudar os aspectos comportamentais das atividades realizadas pelas fêmeas de P.denticulatum no processo de nidificação, e a obtenção de dados do tempo de desenvolvimento, número de gerações por ano e novas informações sobre a biologia e fenologia da espécie, permitindo uma análise comparativa com aquelas reportadas por outros autores. O estudo foi realizado no Campus da USP de Ribeirão Preto, SP, onde o clima é tropical quente e úmido. Foram utilizados NA que consistiram de gomos de bambus, fechados em uma das extremidades pelo nó, com comprimentos e diâmetros variados. Esses NA foram inspecionados, frequentemente, de setembro de 2003 a setembro de 2005, para constatação de fêmeas trabalhando e coleta de dados. Com isso, pôde-se constatar que as fêmeas exibem comportamento de inspeção e escolha dos NA antes de começar a captura de presas, as quais são representantes da família Blattellidae. Os ovos são colocados entre o primeiro par de pernas da presa e o desenvolvimento total, ou seja, do ovo até o adulto, foi maior nas fêmeas que nos machos. Uma característica importante observada neste estudo é que as fêmeas fecham a célula ao final do dia caso não tenham completado o aprovisionamento, retornado no dia seguinte. Esse comportamento pode ser interpretado como uma forma de proteção ao alimento larval ou ovo. O material utilizado para fechar as células e o ninho consiste de barro coletado no campo. A parede de fechamento pode ser revestida com uma resina de origem desconhecida. A fêmea pode terminar o aprovisionamento de uma célula em até cinco dias; na conclusão do ninho, ela pode demorar até nove dias, e esse tempo está relacionado à fatores externos. Foram observadas 6 gerações e um período de diapausa e a razão sexual não diferiu significantemente da proporção de 1:1. As fêmeas foram produzidas preferencialmente nas primeiras células de cria, que são dispostas em série linear. Cada ninho continha de 1 a 6 células de cria e, em 43,8% dos ninhos a fêmea construiu uma célula vestibular. Foram encontradas ainda ninhos com célula intercalar e célula vazia de fundo. As paredes de fechamento do ninho foram significantemente mais espessas do que as partições celulares. Os casulos eram de coloração castanho-médio, fusiformes, flexíveis, lisos e mais ou menos brilhantes. Foram encontrados parasitóides da família Chrysididae e Eulophidae (Hymenoptera) e Tachinidae (Díptera) atacando ninhos de P. denticulatum. As atividades de nidificação das fêmeas só foram observadas no período quente e chuvoso. / Podium denticulatum it is a solitary wasp specie which belongs to the Podium class, Sphecidae, found from Mexico to Brazil. The females from this class are hunters, they catch and provide the nest with paralyzed cockroaches that are feed for their lavas. Podium species nesting in preexisting cavities, such as abandoned nests from other species, stem cavities and in nest traps. The major objective in this work it was to study the behavior aspects in detail from the P. denticulatum females, during the nesting process, besides the developing time, generation numbers by year and new information from the biology and phenology from the specie, allowing a comparative analysis from other authors. The study was done at the University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Campus, where the weather is tropical, hot and humid showing two seasons will defined. Using trap-nests that were bamboo, tied in one end with a diversity of length and diameters. These trap-nests were inspected frequently, from September 2003 to September 2005, to assure that the females were working and to collect data. With this it was observed that the females show an inspection behavior to choose the nest-traps before the prey capture which are from the Blattellidae family. The eggs are placed between the first pair of legs from the prey and the whole development, from egg to adult, it was bigger among the females than the males. An important characteristic observed in this study is that the females close the cell at the end of the day if they didn?t complete the provision, returning next day. This behavior can be understood as a way to protect the lava feed or the egg. The material used to close the nest is mud collected in the country, which is casted by the female. The closing wall can be coated with a unknown resin. The female can finish the provision from one cell in a day or take up to five days, at the nest conclusion it can take up to nine days, and this time is related to outside factors. It was observed six generations and a period of day pause to the studied specie. The sexual cause wasn?t significantly different from the 1:1 proportion and the females were produced on the first brood cell. The cells are placed on a lineal series and the length and diameter in the trap-nests were diversified. Each nest had from one to six brood cell and in 43,8% of the nests the female built a vestibular cell. It was found nests with intercalary cells and empty space. The nest closing walls were significantly thicker than the cell division, fusiforme, flexible, plain and more less shiny. It was found parasitoids from the Chrysididae and Eulophidae (Hymenoptera) and Tachinidae (Diptera) attacking P. denticulatum nests. The nesting activities from the females were only observed at the hot and rainy days.

No description available.

<p>Cellular processes like motility, chemotaxis, phagocytosis and morphogenesis are dependent on the dynamic regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. This cytoskeleton system is tightly controlled by a number of diverse actin-binding proteins (ABPs) by various mechanisms described as nucleation, polymerization, capping, severing, depolymerization and sequestration. The ABPs are grouped based on sequence identity as in the Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome protein homology domain 2 (WH2), and the calponin homology domain (CH) containing proteins.</p><p>In this work, we elucidate the crystal structures of hybrids of gelsolin domain 1 with thymosin β4, ciboulot domain 2, and the second WH2 domain of N-WASP each bound to actin. We show that the single WH2 motif containing protein thymosin β4 in part sequesters actin by binding its pointed end via a C-terminal helix. This interaction prevents the addition of bound actin protomers to the barbed end of the filament. We propose that sequence variations in some WH2 motifs conferred F-actin binding ability to multiple repeat-containing proteins. These F-actin binding domains interact with the barbed end of a filament and the adjacent WH2 motifs are then freed to add their bound actin to the growing filament end. We demonstrate the binding of ciboulot domains 2 and 3 to both G- and F-actin and that full length ciboulot is capable of binding two actin monomers simultaneously. </p><p>We have also cloned, expressed, purified and crystallized rod domains 14-16 from the actin crosslinking protein a-filamin. Preliminary X-ray crystallography data gives us hope that we shall be able to solve the structure of this triple domain repeat.</p>

Reproductive division of labor is the most distinctive characteristic of the social Hymenoptera; some individuals reproduce and others forego their own reproduction to raise non-descendant offspring. In species where females are reproductively totipotent and lack morphologically distinct castes, there is potential for reproductive conflict because more than one female in a colony may attempt direct reproduction. I focused my dissertation research on a subtropical population of the primitively eusocial paper wasp, Mischocyttarus mexicanus, to investigate the initiation, establishment, and development of the colony before the emergence of adult offspring. Female M. mexicanus exhibit variation in behavior and task performance, and switch between reproductive and non-reproductive roles. These changes in behavior and reproduction may be influenced by social context. In three studies, I investigated the role of social context on reproduction, behavior, and brain structure. In the first study, I tested the role of body size, reproductive potential, and immediate egg-laying potential on the reproductive tactic employed by females. I found that large females either became solitary foundresses or became part of a group-initiated colony. In contrast, small females left their natal colony and pursued joining other colonies. This joiner tactic is unique to this population and has not been observed in temperate zone populations. I also found that subordinate females had the potential to lay eggs if given the opportunity. This suggests an incentive to remain in a colony for future opportunities of direct reproduction. In the second study, I investigated the effect of three variables on non-nestmate acceptance: non-nestmate age, stage of colony development, and non-nestmate aggressive behavior. I demonstrated that non-nestmate acceptance was context-dependent. Both non-nestmate age and stage of colony development had an effect on the proportion of accepted non-nestmates. Although, non-nestmate aggressive behavior did not affect non-nestmate acceptance, it did trigger an aggressive response from colony nestmates. In the third study, I assessed the relationship of Mushroom Bodies (MB) volume, the brain neuropils associated with learning and memory, to environmental conditions and social interactions. I compared MB volume of newly-established colonies initiated by solitary foundresses to groups of foundresses. In addition, I performed laboratory experiments to differentiate between the effect of environmental conditions and social interactions. I found a positive relationship between MB volume and environmental conditions including light intensity and foraging experience. In contrast to previous studies, I found no association between MB volume and social interactions. Ovary development was positively correlated with MB development. This result suggests that although reproductive dominance is established in newly-initiated colonies, social dominance may not yet be established. In summary, my studies found an effect of social context on behavior, adoption of reproductive tactics and brain structure in colonies of M. mexicanus during the offspring pre-emergence phase.

Cellular processes like motility, chemotaxis, phagocytosis and morphogenesis are dependent on the dynamic regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. This cytoskeleton system is tightly controlled by a number of diverse actin-binding proteins (ABPs) by various mechanisms described as nucleation, polymerization, capping, severing, depolymerization and sequestration. The ABPs are grouped based on sequence identity as in the Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome protein homology domain 2 (WH2), and the calponin homology domain (CH) containing proteins. In this work, we elucidate the crystal structures of hybrids of gelsolin domain 1 with thymosin β4, ciboulot domain 2, and the second WH2 domain of N-WASP each bound to actin. We show that the single WH2 motif containing protein thymosin β4 in part sequesters actin by binding its pointed end via a C-terminal helix. This interaction prevents the addition of bound actin protomers to the barbed end of the filament. We propose that sequence variations in some WH2 motifs conferred F-actin binding ability to multiple repeat-containing proteins. These F-actin binding domains interact with the barbed end of a filament and the adjacent WH2 motifs are then freed to add their bound actin to the growing filament end. We demonstrate the binding of ciboulot domains 2 and 3 to both G- and F-actin and that full length ciboulot is capable of binding two actin monomers simultaneously. We have also cloned, expressed, purified and crystallized rod domains 14-16 from the actin crosslinking protein a-filamin. Preliminary X-ray crystallography data gives us hope that we shall be able to solve the structure of this triple domain repeat.

No description available.

The river water quality management strategy involves a series of complex inter-disciplinary decisions based on speculated responses of water and sediment quality to changing controls. In the aquatic system a rapid removal of the heavy metals from the water to sediments may occur by settling particles while some of these pollutants can be mobilized by getting accumulated into the biota from the sediments sink. Thus, sediment plays a major role in the determining pollution pattern of aquatic systems. It acts as both carriers and sinks for contaminants, reflecting the history of pollution, and providing a record of catchment inputs into aquatic ecosystems. The Yan Shuei Gang River watershed is one the river watersheds in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. It is 5-km long, drains a catchment of more than 1,200 ha. Part of the river water is from the domestic drainage areas located in the upper catchment. In Linhai Industrial Parks, there are more than 493 registered industrial factories that discharge their wastewater into the Yan Shuei Gang River. Thus, recent water and sediments quality analysis indicates that the Yan Shuei Gang River is heavily polluted. The major objectives of this study were to (1) perform water quality and sediments sampling and analyses, (2) perform water quality simulation and demonstrates the model application to the Yan Shuei Gang River, (3) assess the water and sediments quality, (4) provide foci for immediate remediation efforts, (5) provide benchmark levels to test outcomes of future remediation efforts, (6) design a novel extraction technique that utilizes a mildly elevated pressure in consecutive cycles with a chelating agent for the sediment slurry. Water quality investigation results show that the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), and suspended solid (SS) average concentrations in water samples of the Salt-water River varied from 10.2 to 194, 8.51 to 18.3, and 7.9 to 19.5 mg/L, respectively. The results of the chemical analysis of the Salt-water River surface sediments showed that the sediments present highly elevated Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn and Fe concentrations. Investigation results reveal that sediment samples contained significant amount of iron (up to 3.6%), Cr (up to 66.5 mg/kg), Pb (up to 36.5 mg/kg), Ni (up to 43 mg/kg), and Al (up to 1.8%). All heavy metal concentrations were higher than the world average, sediments average and sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). Although all metals showed varied concentrations, the approaches of factor analysis, normalized enrichment factor (EF), and the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) proposed in this paper were effectively used to differentiate the natural and anthropogenic sources of the metals. Both the EF and Igeo indicated similar anthropogenic contamination degree of the metals. The potential acute toxicity in sediment of Yan Shuei Gang River was observed to be mainly due to Cu contamination. Cu was the major toxicity contributor accounting for 32-46% of the total toxicity in Salt-water River, followed by Zn. The Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP) model developed by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was selected as a water quality planning tool to perform the water quality evaluation. Modeling results show that the current daily pollutant inputs were much higher than the calculated carrying capacity for nutrients and BOD of the Yan Shuei Gang River. Based on the results from this study, the following remedial strategies have been proposed to minimize the impacts of industry and domestic source pollution on the water quality of Salt-water River: (1) increase the flow by transporting 1 m3/s unpolluted surface water from other sources to dilute the polluted river water, (2) construction of the intercepting systems to effective intercept and transport the untreated wastewater to the wastewater treatment systems. The sediments batch extracted by 150 psi pressure cycles has the most Cu removed rater (70%), much higher than without treatment (55%) or with 90 psi pressure cycles treatment (65%). Pressure-assisted extraction achieves in 60 min the amounts of Cu equal to or exceeding those achieved in 240 min without pressure cycles under the same concentration conditions. This research indicates that the advantages of pressure cycle system are increased process speed, more thorough extraction, and reduced use of the chelating agent. The heightened treatment is explained by sediments aggregate fracturing upon pressure cycles that exposes the contaminants as well as by the chelating agents. The technique is expected to accelerate extraction treatment of a wide range of heavy metal contaminants, and it may provide treatment to dredged and stored contaminated sediments. Experience obtained from this study will be helpful in designing the sediment and river management strategies for other similar river watersheds.

Due to the impact of Taiwan geography and topography, flow rate in rivers goes up and down intensely with rainfall. Rivers are usually lack of dilution capacity, especially during dry season with little rainfall. Water quality has been damaged by untreated municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater and landfill leachate discharged into rivers through gutters, hidden pipes or tributaries discharger, especially obvious in metropolitan rivers. Love river is a typical metropolitan river. It has been under restoration by stages since 1977. Due to the lack of restoration in its upstream segments, this project is to analyze current water quality and to estimate pollutant loading through integration of related materials and documents in Love rivers, as well as to simulate water quality by WASP model through the analyses of measurement data for main and tributaries dischargers as the evaluation of pollution improvement action. Past water quality analyses shows that most upstream segments (upstream of sluicegate under water in Baozhu gutter) are between medium and serious polluted. In addition, results of water quality and flow rates in tributaries discharger shows that (River Pollution Index, RPI) in southern discharger left to Yucheng bridge, K trunk discharger and Baozhu gutter discharger are between 7.25 to 8.25, indicating that this tributaries discharger is the primary source for Lover river pollution. The objectives of this research are to lower the level of upstream pollution through the policies provided through related restoration experience before the sewage system for Kaohisung city is completely developed. As shown by the simulation of pollution reduction, through the combination of water interception and water injection, biochemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen in water segments downstream of Dingxin bridge was reduced above 65% and 50%, respectively. The fact that water is discharged into Love river after purification by the combination of water interception and source water treated by water purification engineering is beneficial for the reduction of downstream biochemical oxygen demand and ammonia, as well as the improvement of dissolved oxygen to eventually meet the goal of lowering levels of water pollution. The Forecast results of the water quality model used in this study can evaluate the cost-efficiency of pollution reduction action and to provide priority restoration policy in the future as references in the following studies.

Polistes dominula and P. fuscatus often nest in bird nest boxes. Potential competition between wasps and birds was studied by removing wasp nests from some boxes. No difference in nesting success of breeding birds was found between boxes with wasp nests and those in which wasp nests were removed. Boxes that never had a wasp nest and boxes from which wasp nests were removed differed greatly in bird occupancy, suggesting that birds detected previous wasp presence. Some bird species gain protection by nesting near wasp nests. Birds may prefer to nest near wasp species that inflict higher sting pain levels. A rank correlation of data from published studies provided no evidence that pain level influences which wasp nests are most attractive to nesting birds. A comprehensive table of bird-wasp nesting associations (listing 121 bird species, 28 wasp species and 4 bee species) is included here.

The generation of a functional nervous system requires that neuronal cells and axons navigate precisely to their appropriate targets. The Eph Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTKs) and their ephrin ligands have emerged as one of the important guidance cues for neuronal and axon navigation. However, the molecular mechanisms of how Eph RTKs regulate these processes are still incomplete. The purpose of this work was to contribute to the understanding of how Eph receptors regulate axon guidance by identifying and characterizing components of the Caenorhabditis elegans Eph RTK (VAB-1) signaling pathway. To achieve this objective I utilized a hyper active form of the VAB-1 Eph RTK (MYR-VAB-1) that caused penetrant axon guidance defects in the PLM mechanosensory neurons, and screened for suppressors of the MYR-VAB-1 phenotype. Through a candidate gene approach, I identified the adaptor NCK-1 as a downstream effector of VAB-1. Molecular and genetic analysis revealed that the nck-1 gene encodes for two isoforms (NCK-1A and NCK-1B) that share similar expression patterns in parts of the nervous system, but also have independent expression patterns in other tissues. Genetic rescue experiments showed that both NCK-1 isoforms can function in axon guidance, but each isoform also has specific functions. In vitro binding assays showed that NCK-1 binds to VAB-1 in a kinase dependent manner. In addition to NCK-1, WSP-1/N-WASP was also identified as an effector of VAB-1 signaling. Phenotypic analysis showed that nck-1 and wsp-1 mutants had PLM axon over extension defects similar to vab-1 animals. Furthermore, VAB-1, NCK-1 and WSP-1 formed a complex in vitro. Intriguingly, protein binding assays showed that NCK-1 can also bind to the actin regulator UNC-34/Ena, but genetic experiments suggest that unc-34 is an inhibitor of nck-1 function. Through various genetic and biochemical experiments, I provide evidence that VAB-1 can disrupt the NCK-1/UNC-34 complex, and negatively regulate UNC-34. Taken together, my work provides a model of how VAB-1 RTK signaling can inhibit axon extension. I propose that activated VAB-1 can prevent axon extension by inhibiting growth cone filopodia formation. This is accomplished by inhibiting UNC-34/Ena activity, and simultaneously activating Arp2/3 through a VAB-1/NCK-1/WSP-1 complex. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2011-07-28 16:20:31.957