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Evolutionary implications of the relationship between genome size and body size in flatworms and copepods.

Genome and body sizes were measured in 38 species of turbellarian flatworms and 16 species of copepod crustaceans. Significant positive relationships existed between genome size and body size in both groups. The slopes of these regressions indicated that increases in cell volume are reinforced by increased cell numbers, or that cell volumes show positive allometric variation with genome size. Genome sizes appear to vary in a discontinuous fashion among congeneric species in both groups, indicating that such changes have occurred rapidly, and with potentially profound effects on important morphological characters.

Animals↗

The influence of male parr body size and mate competition on fertilization success and effective population size in Atlantic salmon.

Alternative mating strategies in male Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, are characterized by variability in body size and mate competition. Controlling breeding numbers of larger, older anadromous males, we examined whether body size of mature male parr influenced fertilization success and whether such an association was affected by mate competition among parr. Variation at three to four hypervariable microsatellite loci was used to determine individual paternity of 53-60 offspring from two or three nests from each experimental treatment. Although individual and total parr reproductive success differed significantly among nests within treatments, there was no relationship between parr size and individual reproductive success at any level of competition when anadromous males were involved. However, in a single treatment having no anadromous male, the influence of body size on parr fertilization success was highly significant. Combining data from all treatments, parr body size was an important predictor of the probability of an individual being involved in spawning. We found a negative relationship between total parr reproductive success and intensity of anadromous male competition. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to estimate the effective number of males from individual fertilization success in fish. Our estimates of Ne should not be taken as absolute and may have a downward bias because we did not sample all nests and we used a proxy for lifetime reproductive success. They do, however, illustrate how mature male parr can greatly increase the effective number of males when the latter is estimated from anadromous individuals alone. Although reproductive success by mature male parr increases the effective number of males, this increase seems likely to be most pronounced in natural populations when the number of anadromous males is low.

Animals↗

Evaluation of the strength-size relationship in vivo using various muscle size indices.

PURPOSE: It is well accepted that maximum strength is related to muscle size. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether anthropometric or dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) estimates of muscle size were valid predictors of plantar flexor maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) strength and could be used in lieu of more sophisticated techniques (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). Additionally, we compared the relationship among MVC and three MRI-determined muscle size measures; anatomical (ACSA) and physiological (PCSA) cross-sectional areas; and muscle volume (VOLm). METHODS: We measured plantar flexor MVC at 1.83 rad and various indices of muscle size: 1) body weight, 2) total body lean mass (LM) (DEXA), 3) lower leg LM (DEXA), 4) lower leg circumference, 5) estimated muscle+bone cross-sectional area (CSA) from circumference and calf skin-fold, 6) triceps surae ACSA, 7) triceps surae PCSA, and (8) triceps surae volume (VOLm), in 39 premenopausal women (mean +/- SD: 36 +/- 8 yr, 165 +/- 6 cm, and 65 +/- 9 kg). RESULTS: Zero-order correlations showed significant (P < 0.05) associations between MVC and total body LM (r = 0.365), lower leg LM (r = 0.381), circumference (r = 0.584), estimated muscle+bone CSA (r = 0.447), ACSA (r = 0.733), PCSA (r = 0.715), and VOLm (r = 0.649). By using the Fisher Z-transformation, ACSA and PCSA correlated significantly higher with MVC (P < 0.05) than anthropometric and DEXA indices. Further, only ACSA and PCSA regressed to the origin, indicating the ability to predict MVC was greatest with these two measures. CONCLUSIONS: The MRI-determined muscle size indices, which were specific to the triceps surae, correlated with strength better than whole limb anthropometric and DEXA indices. In this group of women, both ACSA and PCSA appeared superior to VOLm for predicting strength. PCSA was not found to be more precise than ACSA. ACSA appears to provide adequate precision for estimating plantar flexor specific tension in vivo.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Experimental manipulation of female reproduction reveals an intraspecific egg size-clutch size trade-off.

A negative relationship, or trade-off, between egg size and clutch size is a central and long-standing component of life-history theory, yet there is little empirical evidence for such a trade-off, especially at the intraspecific level. Here, I show that female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) treated chronically during egg formation with the anti-oestrogen tamoxifen lay smaller eggs (by 8%) but produce larger clutches (on average two eggs more) than controls. Decreased egg mass in tamoxifen-treated females was associated with a 50% decrease in plasma levels of the two yolk precursors, vitellogenin and very-low-density lipoprotein. Although tamoxifen-treated females laid more, smaller eggs (and had a higher total expenditure in their clutch), they did not differ from controls in the number of chicks fledged, the mass or size of these chicks at fledging, or the chicks' egg-production performance at three months of age. However, tamoxifen-treated females had lower relative hatching success: they laid more eggs but hatched the same number of chicks. Among individual tamoxifen-treated females, birds that laid the smallest eggs early in their laying sequence laid the largest number of additional eggs, that is, there was a negative correlation, or trade-off, between egg size and clutch size.

Animals↗

Influence of the interval between removal and freezing of muscle samples on muscle fibre size with special reference to sample size and fibre type.

To study the influences of the interval between removal and freezing of a muscle sample on fibre size, rat hindlimb muscles (soleus and extensor digitorum longus, EDL) were cut into three or five pieces and frozen at different intervals, cross-sectioned, stained and analysed morphometrically. As in a previous study (Larsson & Skogsberg 1988), a pronounced interval-dependent change in soleus muscle fibre size was observed, the fibres in soleus muscle samples frozen immediately (within 15 s) being significantly (P less than 0.01-0.001) larger than those samples frozen 4 or 10 min after removal. However, the interval-dependent change was only noted in small muscle samples, i.e. those where the maximum muscle fibre length was 6.5 mm, while samples in which the fibres were approximately twice this length showed no change. In the slow-twitch soleus, type I fibres predominate, and type II fibres were often too few in one or more cross-sections in each animal to allow reliable measurements of fibre size. The fast-twitch EDL was therefore studied, and the results indicated an interval-dependent change in fibre size which was differentiated according to enzyme-histochemical type, i.e. there was a significant change in type I and IIA fibres but not in type IIB. It is concluded that the interval between removal and freezing of small muscle samples, as in percutaneous muscle biopsies in man, is of vital importance for fibre size, and that this interval should be at least 2-4 min.

Animals↗

[Effect of the passage and storage of strains, and inoculum size on the change of zone pattern types and sizes produced by protease of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus].

Protease produced by Staphylococcus aureus precipitates digests of casein in standard methods caseinate agar (SMCA) plate, and the various sizes of A to E precipitation types were produced depending on strains of inoculated Staphylococcus aureus, as previously reported. To evaluate these phenomena for epidemiological use, we investigated the effects of bacterial passage, storage and dosage on zonal pattern and the size of precipitation rings. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was found to produce variable types and sizes of precipitation rings depending upon the inoculated strains. After 5, 30 and 50 passages in heart infusion broth (HIB), each of the strains randomly selected from MRSA strains showed that the precipitation pattern of A to E produced the same types and sizes of precipitation rings. The storage effects were assessed by comparing those strains in different storage time. The strain stored for 1 and 3 years at room temperature in HIB contained 0.8% agar produced the same pattern of precipitation rings at that of the freshly isolated one. Finally, the dosage of inoculated bacteria was examined. Overnight broth (HIB) cultures of MRSA were directly inoculated in SMCA plates, and were found to produce almost the same size of precipitation rings (reproducible within 3 mm). These findings indicated that protease digestion on SMCA plate provides a rapid, sensitive, and specific assay that can supplement the currently available modalities for typing of MRSA strains.

Agar↗

Establishment of a universal size standard strain for use with the PulseNet standardized pulsed-field gel electrophoresis protocols: converting the national databases to the new size standard.

The PulseNet National Database, established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1996, consists of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns obtained from isolates of food-borne pathogens (currently Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Shigella, and Listeria) and textual information about the isolates. Electronic images and accompanying text are submitted from over 60 U.S. public health and food regulatory agency laboratories. The PFGE patterns are generated according to highly standardized PFGE protocols. Normalization and accurate comparison of gel images require the use of a well-characterized size standard in at least three lanes of each gel. Originally, a well-characterized strain of each organism was chosen as the reference standard for that particular database. The increasing number of databases, difficulty in identifying an organism-specific standard for each database, the increased range of band sizes generated by the use of additional restriction endonucleases, and the maintenance of many different organism-specific strains encouraged us to search for a more versatile and universal DNA size marker. A Salmonella serotype Braenderup strain (H9812) was chosen as the universal size standard. This strain was subjected to rigorous testing in our laboratories to ensure that it met the desired criteria, including coverage of a wide range of DNA fragment sizes, even distribution of bands, and stability of the PFGE pattern. The strategy used to convert and compare data generated by the new and old reference standards is described.

Databases as Topic↗

A computer-assisted instructional program for teaching portion size versus serving size.

Obesity is becoming an increasingly important community health threat, accounting for more than 300,000 deaths per year in the United States. The cumulative economic impact of obesity and overeating is enormous. Factors contributing to the problem include eating food away from home, consuming large or excessive quantities of soft drinks and snack foods, and large portion sizes. Discriminating between portion and serving sizes and determining the appropriate number of serving sizes to consume on a daily basis are key to maintaining a healthy diet. The purpose of this project was to create a computer-assisted instructional tool delineating serving size from portion size. The tool can be used by health care professionals to provide direct instruction to individuals or as part of a group approach to healthy eating.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

Regulation of G2 by cell size contributes to maintaining cell size variability within certain limits in higher plants.

The variability of (1) surface area projection (size) at which cells terminate DNA replication, (2) the area at which they initiate mitosis, (3) the area at which they divide, (4) the duration of G2, and (5) the duration of G2 plus mitosis (in fact, prophase + metaphase + anaphase) has been estimated in steady-state cell populations of Allium cepa root meristems. The coefficient of variation of cell area at termination of DNA synthesis was found to be 14% while the coefficient of variation of cell area at mitosis initiation was 13%. As there is also a substantial variability of G2 (the coefficient of variation was estimated to be 38%), the combination of these data indicates that cell size regulation of G2 contributes to maintaining cell size variability (and therefore DNA concentration) within certain limits. Mitosis also varies but less than G2 (the coefficient of variation of G2 + mitosis was found to be 31%). As the coefficient of variation of cell area at division (14%) is hardly larger than the coefficient of variation of cell area at initiation of mitosis, it can be suggested that coordination between cell size and mitosis duration helps to avoid a significant increase in the variability of cell size at the end of the division cycle.

Allium↗

Infarct sizing after reperfusion by two-dimensional echocardiography and serum cardiac myosin light chain II in conscious dogs: dissociation between early left ventricular wall motion and ultimate infarct size.

The time course of recovery of left ventricular wall motion after coronary reperfusion and how that relates to anatomical infarct size, wall motion abnormality, and the amount of cardiac myosin light chain II release were evaluated in conscious dogs. One week after the implantation of hydraulic occluders on the left circumflex arteries, myocardial infarction was induced. Coronary reperfusion was performed 3 h after the occlusion in 9 dogs (R) and occlusion was sustained in 9 dogs (C). All dogs underwent serial 2-dimensional echocardiograms and determination of serum cardiac myosin light chain II. The infarct size was identified at 14 days. Systolic wall thickening at the center of the ischemic area (SWT) at 3 h was -7.7 +/- 2.8% (C), -9.9 +/- 3.0% (R). Systolic thinning was observed even at 14 days in C. Significant recovery of contraction was observed in R, but the improvement continued for as long as 2 days. SWT at 14 days was -1.5 +/- 2.8% (C) and 7.0 +/- 4.6% (R) (p less than 0.05). All of SWT or the extent of systolic thinning (EST) 3-hour and 14-day were correlated well with infarct size in C. In group R, 14-day SWT and 14-day EST correlated with infarct size but 3-hour SWT and 3-hour EST did not. Total release of serum cardiac myosin light chain II levels correlated well with infarct size (r = 0.88), 14-day SWT (r = -0.90) and 14-day EST (r = 0.89) in all dogs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Size distribution of mineral aerosol: using light-scattering models in laser particle sizing.

The size distribution of semitransparent irregularly shaped mineral dust aerosol samples is determined using a commonly used laser particle-sizing technique. The size distribution is derived from intensity measurements of singly scattered light at various scattering angles close to the forward-scattering direction at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. We analyze the results based on various light-scattering models including diffraction theory, Mie calculations for spheres with various refractive indices, and T-matrix calculations for spheroidal particles. We identify systematic errors of the retrieved size distribution when the semitransparent and nonspherical properties of the particles are neglected. Synthetic light-scattering data for a variety of parameterized size distributions of spheres and spheroids are used to investigate the effect of simplifying assumptions made when the diffraction model or Mie theory is applied in the retrieval.

Journal Article↗

Comparison of two needle sizes for subcutaneous administration of enoxaparin: effects on size of hematomas and pain on injection.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether use of a smaller needle size for subcutaneous injection of enoxaparin would reduce the size of injection-site hematomas and/or decrease the pain of injection. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized trial. SETTING: Community hospital in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. PATIENTS: One hundred twenty-four patients with unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction who were administered enoxaparin for anticoagulation. INTERVENTION: Each patient was randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received enoxaparin injections with a 30-gauge, 5/16-inch insulin syringe, and the other group was injected with a 26-gauge, 3/8-inch tuberculin syringe. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Participating nurses used standard measuring tape to determine the largest diameter of each hematoma. Pain was assessed with a 10-unit numeric scale. The two groups did not differ significantly with regard to either the mean size of the largest hematoma/patient (4.2 cm in the insulin-syringe group vs 3.8 cm in the tuberculin-syringe group, p=0.68) or the mean pain score (0.3 in the insulin-syringe group vs 0.5 in the tuberculin-syringe group, p=0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Use of a 30-gauge, 5/16-inch insulin syringe instead of a 26-gauge, 3/8-inch tuberculin syringe does not significantly reduce either hematoma size or pain of injection. A larger study is required to determine whether needle size affects the frequency of hematoma formation.

Adult↗

Enzymes of nucleotide metabolism: the significance of subunit size and polymer size for biological function and regulatory properties.

The 72 enzymes in nucleotide metabolism, from all sources, have a distribution of subunit sizes similar to those from other surveys: an average subunit Mr of 47,900, and a median size of 33,300. The same enzyme, from whatever source, usually has the same subunit size (there are exceptions); enzymes having a similar activity (e.g., kinases, deaminases) usually have a similar subunit size. Most simple enzymes in all EC classes (except class 6, ligases/synthetases) have subunit sizes of less than 30,000. Since structural domains defined in proteins tend to be in the Mr range of 5,000 to 30,000, it may be that most simple enzymes are formed as single domains. Multifunctional proteins and ligases have subunits generally much larger than Mr 40,000. Analyses of several well-characterized ligases suggest that they also have two or more distinct catalytic sites, and that ligases therefore are also multifunctional proteins, containing two or more domains. Cooperative kinetics and evidence for allosteric regulation are much more frequently associated with larger enzymes: such complex functions are associated with only 19% of enzymes having a subunit Mr less than or equal to 29,000, and with 86% of all enzymes having a subunit Mr greater than 50,000. In general, larger enzymes have more functions. Only 20% of these enzymes appear to be monomers; the rest are homopolymers and rarely are they heteropolymers. Evidence for the reversible dissociation of homopolymers has been found for 15% of the enzymes. Such changes in quaternary structure are usually mediated by appropriate physiological effectors, and this may serve as a mechanism for their regulation between active and less active forms. There is considerable structural organization of the various pathways: 19 enzymes are found in various multifunctional proteins, and 13 enzymes are found in different types of multienzyme complexes.

Enzymes↗

An interval size illusion: the influence of timbre on the perceived size of melodic intervals.

In four experiments, we investigated the influence of timbre on perceived interval size. In Experiment 1, musically untrained participants heard two successive tones and rated the pitch distance between them. Tones were separated by six or seven semitones and varied in timbre. Pitch changes were accompanied by a congruent timbre change (e.g., ascending interval involving a shift from a dull to a bright timbre), an incongruent timbre change (e.g., ascending interval involving a shift from a bright to a dull timbre), or no timbre change. Ratings of interval size were strongly influenced by timbre. The six-semitone interval with a congruent timbre change was perceived to be larger than the seven-semitone interval with an incongruent timbre change (interval illusion). Experiment 2 revealed similar effects for musically trained participants. In Experiment 3, participants compared the size of two intervals presented one after the other. Effects of timbre were again observed, including evidence of an interval illusion. Experiment 4 confirmed that timbre manipulations did not distort the perceived pitch of tones. Changes in timbre can expand or contract the perceived size of intervals without distorting individual pitches. We discuss processes underlying interval size perception and their relation to pitch perception mechanisms.

Humans↗

[Effects of food concentration on population growth, body size, and egg size of the freshwater rotifer Brachionus angularis].

With the food Chlorella pyrenoidosa and the method of population accumulative culture, the effects of food concentration on the population growth, body size, and egg size of the freshwater rotifer Brachionus angularis were studied. The results showed that there were very significant effects of food concentrations on the population growth rate, body size and egg size. The relationship between the population growth rate and the food concentration was curvilinear correlation. When the food concentration was 8.2453 x 10(6) cells.ml-1, the population growth rate reached it's maximum, 0.6085 d-1. Body size tended to enlarge with increasing food concentration. At the intermediate range of food levels between 6.0 x 10(6) cells.ml-1 and 9.0 x 10(6) cells.ml-1, the egg volume was larger than those at the other food concentrations.

Animals↗

Quantal size and variation determined by vesicle size in normal and mutant Drosophila glutamatergic synapses.

Quantal size and variation at chemical synapses could be determined presynaptically by the amount of neurotransmitter released from synaptic vesicles or postsynaptically by the number of receptors available for activation. We investigated these possibilities at Drosophila glutamatergic neuromuscular synapses formed by two separate motor neurons innervating the same muscle cell. At wild-type synapses of the two neurons we found a difference in quantal size corresponding to a difference in mean synaptic vesicle volume. The same finding applied to two mutants (dlg and lap) in which synaptic vesicle size was altered. Quantal variances at wild-type and mutant synapses were similar and could be accounted for by variation in vesicular volume. The linear relationship between quantal size and vesicular volume for several different genotypes indicates that glutamate is regulated homeostatically to the same intravesicular concentration in all cases. Thus functional differences in synaptic strength among glutamatergic neurons of Drosophila result in part from intrinsic differences in vesicle size.

Animals↗

The size of small cell lung carcinoma cells. Ratio to lymphocytes and correlation with specimen size and crush artifact.

The size of small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) cells has often been ambiguously defined as one and a half to four times that of a lymphocyte. The purpose of this study was to determine the ratio of nuclear diameter (ND) of SCLC cells to that of lymphocytes in the same tissue sections and to assess whether the size of SCLC cells correlates with the size of tumor specimens and crush artifact. The overall mean ND (microns +/- SD) of SCLC cells was 9.2 +/- 2.1, found in 36 oat cell carcinomas (OAT, 1,800 nuclei) and 16 intermediate cell carcinomas (INT, 800 nuclei). The mean ND of OAT and INT cells was 8.1 +/- 1.3 and 11.6 +/- 1.5, respectively. The mean ND of lymphocytes (2,600 nuclei) was 5.2 +/- 0.3. The overall mean of ND ratios (+/- SD) between SCLC cells and lymphocytes was 1.8 +/- 0.4 (median, 1.7), 1.6 +/- 0.2 for OAT and 2.2 +/- 0.3 for INT. The mean size of the 52 SCLC biopsy specimens was 0.6 +/- 0.9 cm. Of all the biopsies, 84.6% (n = 44) showed various degrees of tissue crushing. The ND of SCLC cells was associated with specimen size (P = .004) and the degree of tissue crushing (P = .001). Therefore, our findings further support the hypothesis that OAT should be considered the effect of artifact rather than a true variant of SCLC and that the ND of SCLC cells is approximately two times that of lymphocytes.

Analysis of Variance↗

Changes in nucleus, nucleolus and cell size accompanying somatic embryogenesis of Theobroma cacao L. II. Relation between basic protein content and size of nucleus, nucleolus and cell.

Embryo formation from callus of Theobroma cacao L. was associated with the changes in relationship between nuclear, nucleolar and cell sizes and the content of basic proteins (FG-FCF-stained). Together with the increase in nuclear size of callus and proembryo cells the increase in the amount of nuclear basic proteins was found. In the callus cells the increase in nucleolar protein content exceeded that in nucleolus size, which led to the rise in basic protein concentration in the nucleolus. However, in the early stage of embryogenesis the increase in protein content was not so marked as that in callus, which indicated that embryogenesis involved a decrease in concentration of nucleolar basic proteins. Differences between callus and proembryo cells were also observed in the concentration of cytoplasmic proteins. The increase in size of callus cells was the same as the increasing amount of cytoplasmic proteins. In proembryos a significant increase in cell size was accompanied by only slight changes in cytoplasmic proteins. The stimulation of embryogenesis by 2,4-D resulted in an increase of nuclear concentration of basic proteins in proembryos. The intensification of embryogenesis involved the decrease of the concentration of nucleolar proteins together with the increase in concentration of basic cytoplasmic proteins.

Cacao↗