Previous nuclear run-on experiments indicated that the cor15a (cold-regulated) gene of Arabidopsis thaliana L. (Heyn) has a cold-inducible promoter (Hajela et al., Plant Physiol 93: 1246-1252, 1990). The data presented here indicate that the 5' region of cor15a between nucleotides -305 and +78 (relative to the start of transcription) contains a cis-acting element(s) that can impart cold-regulated gene expression. Histochemical staining experiments indicated that the cor15a promoter is inactive, or very weakly active, in most of the tissues and organs of plants grown at normal temperature and that it becomes activated throughout most of the plant in response to low temperature. Notable exceptions to this general pattern include constitutive activity of the promoter in anthers of control grown plants and apparent inactivity of the promoter in the roots and ovaries of cold-treated plants. Histochemical staining experiments also indicated that low temperature regulation of cor15a does not involve the synthesis of a regulatory molecule that can spread throughout the plant and induce cor gene expression at normal growth temperature. Finally, gene fusion experiments indicated that the 5' region of cor15a between nucleotides -305 and +78, in addition to imparting cold-regulated gene expression, can impart ABA- and drought-regulated gene expression.

The social repertoire of Sulawesi macaques is presented, based upon data recorded both in the wild and from captive populations. The repertoire describes behaviors observed in social contexts, including communication patterns, movement patterns, sexual patterns, infant-related and play behaviors, and triadic interactions. Most of these behavior patterns are shared by all known Sulawesi taxa. The form or function of certain patterns depart significantly from what has been reported in other macaques, while particular similarities may be linked to phylogenetic relationships within the genus Macaca.

A field survey of 25 sites in Sulawesi Utara (north Sulawesi) in 1987 and 1988 found macaques in 16 of these sites. The most viable population of Macaca nigra was found in the Tangkoko reserve at an estimated density of 76.2 monkeys/km2, which is less than one-third the abundance reported in the late 1970s by the MacKinnons. The adjacent reserves of Batuangus and Duasudara had only 22 monkeys/km2, yielding a population estimate for these three contiguous reserves of only 3,655 individuals. Macaca nigrescens were found in the central and western portions of Dumoga-Bone National Park in densities of 15.5 and 16.4 monkeys/km2, significantly below the density of 27/km2 reported by the MacKinnons. The more peripheral areas of Dumoga-Bone had only 8.15 monkeys/km2, yielding a population estimate of M. nigrescens in Dumoga-Bone of less than 34,000. Our total population estimate for M. nigra and M. nigrescens combined is less than 50,000 individuals, which is considerably below that reported in recent literature. M . hecki were observed in only two locations, Tangale and Panua Reserves, at low densities of 3.3 to 5.2 monkeys/km2, suggesting its range and abundance have declined since the observations of Groves (Pp. G. Lindburg, ed. New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980). Several factors have contributed to population decline in these species: habitat shrinkage, increasing human population pressure, and drought conditions. Group sizes were significantly smaller in our study than in previous ones, and we found a shortage of juveniles and infants.

Course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) courses incorporate high-impact pedagogies that have been shown to increase undergraduate retention among underrepresented minorities and women. As part of the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity program at the University of Detroit Mercy, a CURE metagenomics course was established in the winter of 2019. Students investigated the bacterial community composition in a eutrophic cove in Lake Saint Clair (Harrison Township, MI, United States) from water samples taken in the summer and winter. The students created 16S rRNA libraries that were sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology. They used a public web-based supercomputing resource to process their raw sequencing data and web-based tools to perform advanced statistical analysis. The students discovered that the most common operational taxonomic unit, representing 31% of the prokaryotic sequences in both summer and winter samples, corresponded to an organism that belongs to a previously unidentified phylum. This result showed the students the power of metagenomics because the approach was able to detect unclassified organisms. Principal Coordinates Analysis of Bray–Curtis dissimilarity index data showed that the winter community was distinct from the summer community [Analysis of Similarities (ANOSIM) r = 0.59829, n = 18, and p < 0.001]. Dendrograms based on hierarchically clustered Pearson correlation coefficients of phyla were divided into a winter clade and a summer clade. The conclusion is that the winter bacterial population was fundamentally different from the summer population, even though the samples were taken from the same locations in a protected cove. Because of the small class sizes, qualitative as well as statistical methods were used to evaluate the course’s impact on student attitudes. Results from the Laboratory Course Assessment Survey showed that most of the respondents felt they were contributing to scientific knowledge and the course fostered student collaboration. The majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the course incorporated iteration aspects of scientific investigations, such as repeating procedures to fix problems. In summary, the metagenomics CURE course was able to add to scientific knowledge and allowed students to participate in authentic research.

Filter cubes made with machine-vision dichroic filters and illuminated with a royal blue light emitting diode can be used to produce an epifluorescent digital camera attachment that improves whole organism green fluorescent protein (GFP) photography. Mean pixel intensity responds linearly to purified GFP titration.