To provide novel information on psittacine diets, we analyzed the texture, crude protein, crude fat, Ca, P (total), Mg, K, Na, S, Cu, Fe, and Zn concentrations of crop contents from 10 free-living scarlet macaw (Ara macao) chicks from lowland forests of southeastern Peru. We compared our results with nutrient concentrations of known wild parrot foods and published psittacine dietary recommendat...

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) co-exists with norepinephrine (NE) in sympathetic terminals, and is the most abundant neuropeptide in myocardium. Many studies have focused on the effects of NE on ion channels in cardiac myocytes and its physiological significance has been elucidated relatively profoundly. There have been few investigations, however, on the physiological significance of NPY in myocardium. ...

Turfgrass nutrient uptake may be differentially affected by different salts. The objective of this study was to compare nutrient uptake in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) as affected by carbonate, chloride, and sulfate under iso-osmotic, iso-Na+ strength conditions. 'Tar Heel II' and 'Wolfpack' cultivars were subjected to NaCl, Na2CO3, Na2SO4, CaCl2, NaCl+ CaCl2, Na2CO3+ CaCl2, and Na...

We investigated the effect of exchanger inhibitory peptide (XIP) on Na-Ca exchange current (INa-Ca) in guinea pig ventricular cells. Cells were voltage-clamped with microelectrodes containing 20 mM Na+ and 14.0 mM EGTA ([Ca]i = 100 nM). An outward putative exchange current was stimulated when extracellular Na+ was reduced from 144 mM to zero (Li+ replaced Na+). This outward current showed a sig...

Mitochondrial Ca(2+) efflux is linked to numerous cellular activities and pathophysiological processes. Although it is established that an Na(+)-dependent mechanism mediates mitochondrial Ca(2+) efflux, the molecular identity of this transporter has remained elusive. Here we show that the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger NCLX is enriched in mitochondria, where it is localized to the cristae. Employing Ca...

Column leach test has been performed to examine the behavior of leaching of sodium, calcium and potassium in landfills. In the column leach apparatus, two different layers of contaminated and uncontaminated soils of different height ratios (ratio of depth of contaminated soil to the depth of uncontaminated soil) are taken. Water is poured from an overhead tank at a particular flowrate to the in...

Previous studies of a crayfish explant culture demonstrated that regenerating motor axons with high impulse activity develop more rapid clearance of cytoplasmic free Ca(2+) than those with low impulse activity. We examined whether Ca(2+) clearance in mature axons also showed activity-dependent plasticity. We studied the phasic and tonic axons of the motor bundle innervating the crayfish closer ...

The origin and regulatory mechanisms of tonic tension (Ca current-independent component of contractility) were investigated in frog atrial muscle under voltage-clamp conditions. Tonic tension was elicited by depolarizing pulses of 160 mV (Em = +90 mV, i.e., close to E ca) and 400--600 ms long. An application of Na-free (LiCl) or Ca-free Ringer's solutions resulted in a fast (less than 120 s), a...