The structured illumination (SI) technique has already been well established as a resolution enhancer in many studies and well demonstrated in many optical imaging systems during the past decade. The ability to use the SI in incoherent imaging systems was also introduced, especially in fluorescence microscopy. In this Letter, we propose and demonstrate a new approach to combine the SI technique...

Although the majority of passerine birds are socially monogamous, true genetic monogamy is rare, with extra-pair paternity (EPP) occurring in almost 90% of surveyed socially monogamous species. We present the first molecular data on the genetic breeding system of the long-tailed finch, Poephila acuticauda, a grass finch endemic to the tropical northern savannah of Australia. Although the specie...

Innate pluripotency of mouse embryos transits from naive to primed state as the inner cell mass differentiates into epiblast. In vitro, their counterparts are embryonic (ESCs) and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs), respectively. Activation of the FGF signaling cascade results in mouse ESCs differentiating into mEpiSCs, indicative of its requirement in the shift between these states. However, only mo...

Conservation agencies are often faced with the difficult task of prioritizing what recovery actions receive support. With the number of species under threat of decline growing globally, research that informs conservation priorities is greatly needed. The relative vulnerability of cryptic or nomadic species is often uncertain, because populations are difficult to monitor and local populations of...

The zebra finch (Taeniopygiaguttata) has become an increasingly important model organism in many areas of research including toxicology, behavior, and memory and learning. As the only songbird with a sequenced genome, the zebra finch has great potential for use in developmental studies; however, the early stages of zebra finch development have not been well studied. Lack of research in zebra fi...

Fresnel Incoherent Correlation Holography (FINCH) enables holograms to be recorded from incoherent light with just a digital camera and spatial light modulator. We previously described its application to general three dimensional incoherent imaging and specifically to fluorescence microscopy, wherein one complex hologram contains the three dimensional information in the field of view, obviating...

VOCAL TIMING IN ZEBRA FINCHES Zebra finches are a widely used model species for neurobehavioral research, in particular in relation to song development and auditory processing. Males learn their songs from a tutor. Females don't sing, but do develop learned song preferences. Regardless of the differences, both sexes exchange calls in social interactions. Two fascinating recent studies looked at...

Background Vocal learning in songbirds has emerged as a powerful model for sensorimotor learning. Neurobehavioral studies of Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata domestica) song, naturally more variable and plastic than songs of other finch species, have demonstrated the importance of behavioral variability for initial learning, maintenance, and plasticity of vocalizations. However, the molecular ...