Adult female Formosan macaques were observed to collect data on the acquisition and stabilization of ranking, troop fission and to compare the female ranking system and nepotistic hierarchy. Behavioral observations were recorded from 1 October 2006 to 30 April 2008. Behavioral sampling methods included scan sampling of macaque troop members, all occurrences sampling of adult females¡¦ affiliative behaviors, and focal animal sampling of aggressive behaviors. In addition, demographic and ranking records were collected from 1998 until 2008. When females attained four years of age, they gained adult female hierarchy, and 88 % (n = 43) of them were middle or low ranking. Individual traits, ageing and mother¡¦s relative rank have significant effects on the ranking of adult females who were 5 to 11 years of age (P < 0.05), and the ranking of 47 % (n = 58) mothers were close to their daughters. When females were 5 to 11 years of age, their relative ranks had positive linear relationships to their mother¡¦s relative rank (P < 0.05). Maternal hierarchy affected the ranking of reminders in troop C, and the dominance matrilineal females stabilized high ranking. But, most subordinate matrilineal females were middle or low ranking. The ranking of 86.4 % (n = 22) of females who immigrated to branch troops was middle or low. Matrilineal members and the ranking before troop fission had effects on the female ranking after troop fission. The ranking of 59.4 % (n = 32) of mothers was higher than that of their daughter. When females reached 9 years old or older while their mothers were alive, mean relative rank of other matrilineal female and mother¡¦s relative rank had significant effects on their ranking (P < 0.05). However, individual traits, mean relative rank of other matrilineal female, ageing, and the number of adult daughters have significant iv effects on female ranking (P < 0.05). When females were 9 to 15 years of age, the rank maintaining ratio of female with mature daughter was 0.82 (¡Ó 0.12), which is significant higher than the ratio of female without mature daughter (P < 0.05). About 50 % (n = 18) of younger sisters outranked their older sisters. The ranking relationships of sister dyads had positive linear relationships (P < 0.05). The proximity index of mother and younger sister was significantly higher than the proximity index of mother and older sister (P < 0.05), but that is independent of whether females outrank their sister or not. Only 4 % (n = 423) female aggression data were recorded that 13 supporters helped attackers to attack victims. The kin and non-kin supporter were 46.1 % and 53.9 % respectively (n = 13). Maternal hierarchy affected the adult female ranking and half of the females outranked their older sisters. However, daughters could also outrank mothers. Therefore, female ranking system of Formosan macaques follows a weakly nepotistic hierarchy. Sterck EHM, Watts DP, vanSchaik CP (1997) The evolution of female social relationships in nonhuman primates. Behav Ecol Sociobio 41:291-309 Su HH (2003) Acquirement of social ranks of females in one group of Taiwanese macaques (Macaca cyclopis) at Fushan Experimental Forest, Taiwan. Am J Phys Anthropol:203-203 Su HH, Birky WA (2007) Within-group female-female agonistic interactions in Taiwanese macaques (Macaca cyclopis). Am J Primatol 69:199-211 Su HH, Lee LL (2001) Food habits of Formosan rock macaques (Macaca cyclopis) in Jentse, northeastern Taiwan, assessed by fecal analysis and behavioral observation. Int J Primatol 22:359-377 Suzuki S, Hill DA, Sprague DS (1998) Intertroop transfer and dominance rank structure of nonnatal male Japanese macaques in Yakushima, Japan. Int J Primatol 19:703-722 Thierry B (1990) Feedback loop between kinship and dominance: the macaque model. J Theor Biol 145:511-521 Wu HY, Lin JF (1992) Life history variables of wild troop of Formosan macaques (Macaca cyclopis) in Kenting, Taiwan. Primates 33:85-97

Formosan macaques were observed to collect data on intergroup encounters, the strategies of male and female and the factors which influence inter-group dominance relationships. Four hypotheses exist to explain the strategies of male and female in inter-group encounter, including female resource defense, male mate defense, male resource defense and male mate attraction via infanticide. Behavioral observations were recorded from March 2008 to March 2009. Data collections included scan sampling and focal sampling of troop members which participated in encounter, containing their sex, age, rank and behavior. Duration of inter-group interaction and distances between two troops were also recorded. There is a significant positive relationship between chance of winning and troop number (AM+AF+SAM), and this chance of winning is higher than 50% when troop size exceeded 30. There is also a significant linear regression between weight win¡]main group and branch group¡^and troop number , but chance of weight win in some troops is higher than 90% when troop size is only between 20 to 30. Approach, line-up, displace and be-displaced have significant correlation with troop size type. Large troops displayed higher displace (65%), line-up (6%) and approach (28%) than other type of troops, and small troop were easily displaced by other type of troops (60%). Aggressive behavior also has significant correlation with mating season significantly; troops of Formosan macaques display more aggressive behavior in mating season (70%) than in non-mating season (41%). Troops of Formosan macaques display higher approach¡]33%¡^ and displace (93%) when troops encounter with all male troop than with bisexual troop. Inter-group dominance relationships exist among main group and branch group which newly split of Formosan macaques. But there is uncertain inter-group dominance relationships between main group and branch group which split early for the difference of maternal dominance hierarchies, variation of troop numbers, and the character of central males. Adult male and female Formosan macaques adopt different strategy in inter-group encounter. Adult female Formosan macaques participated (8.62%, n=8) and displayed aggressive behavior (3.66%, n=8) in more food-related encounter than in non-food-related encounter, so female resource defense hypothesis is supported. Adult male Formosan macaques display higher aggressive behavior (7.92%, n=23) significantly than adult female and sub-adult male in inter-group encounter, and the target of aggression is higher for males than for females. Adult and sub-adult male Formosan macaques display higher aggressive behavior in mating season significantly than in non-mating season. So male mate defense hypothesis is also supported. This study provides support for the male resource defense hypothesis. Adult male Formosan macaques would defend food resource directly and indirectly. Besides, frequencies of participation and aggression in low ranking adult male Formosan macaques are higher than high ranking ones to exchange mating opportunity.

Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Physique nucléaire : Lyon 1 : 2004. Reproduction de : Thèse de doctorat : Physique nucléaire : Université Laval (Québec) : 2004. / Thèse soutenue en co-tutelle. Titre provenant de l'écran titre. 113 réf. bibliogr.

Critical to a cell's survival is its ability to deal with stress by making an appropriate response. This response often takes place in the cytoplasm, which is everything contained within the cell's plasma membrane that is not the nucleus. The cytoplasm is a dynamic environment and its ability to reorganize is essential to the cell's function. This dissertation presents a novel, previously undiscovered state of cytoplasm organization for the model system Schizosaccharomyces pombe, also known as fission yeast. Typically the fission yeast cytoplasm is a fluid-like environment in which endogenous lipid granules subject to thermal fluctuations, move freely as they explore their local surroundings through diffusion. When the cell is in a nutrient depleted environment it is exposed to the stress of advanced glucose starvation. As a result, we find that the cytoplasm undergoes drastic reorganization reminiscent of a phase transition; it is now a solid-like environment in which there is no visible motion. Lipid granules throughout the cell appear to be completely immobilized and are unable to move through the cytoplasm, despite the application of force through optical tweezers. We term this cytoplasmic state the cell frozen state. The cell frozen state is a physiological state, one that the cell can recover from with the addition of fresh nutrients. It is characterized by an anomalous diffusion exponent of [alpha] = 0.23 ± 0.01, which is a significant reduction from the anomalous diffusion exponent [alpha] = 0.66 ± 0.01 found for exponentially growing cells in which there is visible motion. To account for the cell wide immobilization of lipid granules, we hypothesize the formation of a polymer network all through the cytoplasm, and identify septins 1-3 as the most likely filament formers. In addition, we find there is an increase in the number of vacuoles in the cytoplasm during starvation, and propose a vacuole-septin model to describe the cytoplasm reorganization for the cell frozen state. / text

No description available.

<p>Nearly mono-energetic, high intensity (~10<super>7</super> gamma/s), and approximately 100% linearly polarized gamma-ray beams at energies between 5.15 and 7.60 MeV were used to induce photofission of <super>232</super>Th, <super>233,235,238</super>U, <super>237</super>Np, and <super>239,240</super>Pu. Prompt fission neutron yields parallel and perpendicular to the plane of beam polarization were measured using arrays of 12-18 liquid scintillator detectors. Prompt neutron polarization asymmetries close to zero were found for the even-odd actinides (<super>233,235</super>U, <super>237</super>Np, and <super>239</super>Pu), while significant asymmetries were found for the even-even actinides (<super>232</super>Th, <super>238</super>U, and <super>240</super>Pu). Predictions based on previously measured fission fragment angular distributions combined with a model of prompt neutron emission agree well with our experimental results. Finally, we describe a new method of measuring the enrichment of special nuclear material based on our results.</p> / Dissertation

Dephosphorylation of the Cdc2 kinase by the Cdc25 tyrosine phosphatase is the universally conserved trigger for mitotic entry. Cdc25 is also the point of convergence for checkpoint signaling pathways which monitor the genome for damaged DNA and incomplete replication. In addition, Cdc25 is inhibited by a MAP kinase cascade in the event of osmotic, oxidative and/or heat stress. These pathways inhibit cell cycle progression by phosphorylating Cdc25 resulting in its association with 14-3-3 and nuclear export. Although Cdc25 can be observed leaving the nucleus following inhibitory signals it is controversial whether phosphorylation, 14-3-3 binding or export itself is required for checkpoint proficiency. In fission yeast, Cdc25 is phosphorylated in vitro on 12 serine and threonine residues by the effector kinase of the DNA replication checkpoint, Cds1. Nine of these residues reside in the N-terminal regulatory region, while three are found in the extreme C-terminus of the protein. We show here that phosphorylation the nine N-terminal residues, nor any of the 12 in vitro sites, are required for enforcement of the DNA replication checkpoint. In lieu of Cdc25 phosphorylation the phosphatase is rapidly degraded and mitotic entry prevented by the action of the Mik1 kinase, targeting Cdc2. Thus, multiple mechanisms exist for preventing mitotic entry when S-phase progression is inhibited. The three C-terminal in vitro phosphorylation sites have not previously been examined in fission yeast. However, homology exists between the S. pombe protein and the Cdc25 orthologues in humans, Xenopus and Drosophila in this region. We report here that in S. pombe these sites are required to prevent mitotic entry following replication arrest in the absence of Mik1, and in the maintenance, but not establishment, of arrest following DNA damage. Our previous work showed that Cdc25 nuclear import requires the Sal3 importin-β but at the time we were unable to show a direct interaction between these two proteins. The final chapter of this thesis proves physical interaction by co-immunoprecipitation. Cdc25 mutants lacking all twelve putative Cds1 sites show nuclear localization during mitosis in a sal3- background, effectively reversing the cell cycle regulated pattern of accumulation of the phosphatase. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2011-06-20 12:16:15.71

Continuous sensation and reaction to environmental fluctuations is especially critical to the survival of unicellular organisms. Stress response mechanisms are essential for cells during the vegetative and sexual life cycles and quiescence. The Schizosaccharomyces pombe mitotic activator and stress response serine/threonine kinase Ssp1 acts independent of the major fission yeast Spc1 MAP kinase stress response cascade. Ssp1 is required at high temperatures in the presence of other stressors, ensures long-term viability in quiescent cells and allows efficient cell division in low-glucose conditions. Ssp1 is cytoplasmic but briefly localizes to the cell membrane after exposure to extracellular stress. It plays a role in actin depolymerization and is required for the change of growth polarity after cell division. After identifying 14-3-3 proteins Rad24 and Rad25 as putative Ssp1 binding partners, we confirmed the interaction with co-immunoprecipitation. Association of Ssp1 with Rad24 diminishes after 15 minutes of hyperosmotic stress, however Rad25 binding is retained. Loss of the rad24 gene product rescues both ssp1- mitotic delay at elevated temperatures and sensitivity to 0. 6M KCl. Conversely, overexpression of rad24 exacerbates ssp1 stress sensitivity and mitotic delay. Diffuse actin polarity and spheroid morphology in rad24- cells improves in an ssp1- background. Ssp1 localization to the cell membrane is negatively regulated by Rad24. Ssp1 does not co-localize with Arp3C (actin-related protein 3 homologue C) after osmotic stress, but instead appears to form a ring around the cell, suggesting localization to fission scars. Ssp1 is basally phosphorylated and hyperphosphorylated after glucose deprivation. Ssp1 is shuttled in and out of the nucleus and accumulates in the nucleus in an exportin Cmr1 dependent manner. Ssp1-GFP levels are constant in all stages of the vegetative cell cycle and Ssp1-GFP is present in both the sexual life cycle and quiescence. C-terminal and N-terminal truncation of ssp1 alters its subcellular localization. The C-terminal region is the site of hyperphosphorylation following glucose deprivation and is also necessary for membrane localization following osmotic stress. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2012-01-24 09:49:58.225

No description available.

No description available.