The spatial structure of а snow leopard population (Panthera uncia, Felidae, Carnivora) in east Kyrgyzstan

The distribution of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia uncia (Shreber, 1775) across its geographic range is associated exclusively with the mountain landscapes. The most important factor in maintaining the integrity and viability of a population is its structure.Our studies were conducted in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and covered most of the range of snow leopard in East Kyrgyzstan. Each territory was surveyed through series of routes. The main methods used in field research were: searching for traces of vital activity, conducting short trail surveys, and using the SLIMS (Snow Leopard Information Management System) technique.In order to study the spatial structure of the snow leopard population, we conducted individual DNA-based identification and GPS registration of bioassays collected from all individuals inhabiting this territory. Biological samples (tissue, fur, and excrement) were obtained following the protocols for collecting bioassays. A total of 146 samples (2 of wool, 2 of tissue, and 142 of excrement) were collected in nature in the Central Tien Shan Mts within Kyrgyzstan (in the Sarychat-Ertash Reserve, and in the area of the Kainar River).Snow leopard DNA was identified in 70 samples. A total of 21 individual snow leopards (8 females and 13 males) were identified. All females of a local population of the Sarychat-Ertash Reserve, with the exception of one, were directly related to each other. The same is true for most of males (11 of 13). Two females were accompanied by kittens. All females settled near the maternal site, while almost all males, which were born there, move away. There is a direct correlation between population density and marking activity.

Redox potential defines functional states of adult hippocampal stem cells

SummaryIntracellular redox states regulate the balance between stem cell maintenance and activation. Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are linked to proliferation and lineage specification. In contrast to this general principle, we show that in the hippocampus of adult mice it is the quiescent neural stem cells (NSCs) that maintain the highest ROS levels (hiROS). Classifying NSCs based on intracellular ROS content identified subpopulations with distinct molecular profiles, corresponding to functional states. Shifts in ROS content primed cells for a subsequent transition of cellular state, with lower cellular ROS content marking activity and differentiation. Physical activity, a known physiological activator of adult hippocampal neurogenesis, recruited the quiescent hiROS NSCs into proliferation via a transient Nox2-dependent ROS surge. In the absence of Nox2, baseline neurogenesis was unaffected, but the activity-induced increase in proliferation disappeared. These results describe a novel mechanism linking the modulation of cellular ROS by behavioral cues to the maintenance and activation of adult NSCs.HighlightsQuiescent adult hippocampal stem cells are characterized by high intracellular ROSChanges in intracellular ROS content precede changes in cellular stateAcute physical activity recruits quiescent cells into active proliferationThis recruitment is marked by a Nox2-dependent ROS spike in hiROS stem cells and represents an independent mode of cell cycle entryGraphical Abstract

Pro-adverbs of manner as markers of activity transition

This paper explores the phenomenon that pro-adverbs of manner are cross-linguistically used to mark transitions from one activity to another. In Estonian, the pro-adverb nii is used for this purpose. Among Estonian refugees in Sweden, an activity transition is frequently marked with soo. Both nii and soo originally had the same semantic meaning ‘like this/that, in this way, so’, even though soo merely in its source language German. The article argues that the deictic pro-adverbs of manner are especially suitable for the task of marking activity transitions because they can be applied at the boundaries of verbal as well as non-verbal activities. The reason for the existence of this pattern seems to lie in the general necessity in human interaction to jointly move from one activity to another and the exophoric deictic capacity of pro-adverbs. The study explores audio- and video-recorded examples with regard to the sequencing of social actions accomplished by the participants in the verbal as well as the bodily domain.