ALBERT

Notes: Abstract A fibre-optic of sub-150 fs pulse with wavelength tunability from 790 to 830 nm is demonstrated. The output from a gain-switched DFB laser diode at 1552 nm is amplified and compressed in an EDFA generating a soliton-Raman continuum which was then frequency doubled. The output wavelength was tuned over a 40 nm range with very little variation in the pulse duration and output power.

Notes: Abstract Mercury concentrations in albatrosses and some other large procellariiforms are very much higher than found in other groups of seabirds. Analysis of mercury concentrations in feather samples collected prior to 1950 and after this date showed slight, but significant, increases in three out of ten sub-Antarctic procellariiform species. The lack of widespread and pronounced increases in mercury concentrations in procellariiforms between these periods may indicate that industrial and agricultural emissions of mercury in the southern hemisphere have been relatively minor and the high concentrations are predominantly due to natural processes. Mercury concentrations were relatively consistent between body feathers of individuals, and showed no variation related to adult age (in years). Within species, mercury concentrations tended to be highest in New Zealand populations and lowest in Falkland Island and South Georgia populations. Mercury concentrations also varied among species, but not in a way that could be related to diet.

Notes: Abstract Distribution of mercury between tissues was investigated in black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) chicks fed doses of methyl mercury. Mercury accumulated differentially in the internal tissues, concentrations in the kidney exceeding those in the liver, which in turn exceeded those in the muscle. All feather types contained higher mercury concentrations than internal tissues. For each dose group, there was a progressive and pronounced reduction in the concentrations of mercury found in the primary feathers as the growth sequence progressed. The amount of mercury given to the birds affected the proportion of mercury deposited in the kidney, carcass, and primaries. The amount of mercury administered had no effect on the proportion of mercury excreted either in the faeces or the feathers. 71% of the doses given was excreted over the fledging period, and 49% of the dose was found in the plumage. These figures allow a more quantitative approach to measuring mercury pollution.

Notes: Summary The electrical properties of the basolateral membrane of rabbit descending colon were studied with microelectrode methods in conjunction with the polyene antibiotic nystatin. Two problems were examined: (i) the relative distribution of tight junctional, apical membrane and basolateral membrane resistances, and (ii) the ionic basis of the basolateral membrane potential. Intracellular K+ activity (K+) was measured using liquid ion exchanger microelectrodes ((K+)=76±2mm) and was found not to be in equilibrium with the basolateral membrane potential. In order to measure membrane resistances and to estimate the selective permeability of the basolateral membrane, the apical membrane was treated with nystatin and bathed with a K2SO4 Ringer's solution which was designed to mimic intracellular K+ composition. This procedure virtually eliminated the resistance and electromotive force of the apical membrane. Shunt resistance was calculated by two independent methods based on microelectrode and transepithelial measurements. Both methods produced similar results (R s =691±63 Ω cm2 and 770±247 Ω cm2, respectively). These findings indicate that the shunt has no significant selectivity, contrary to previous reports. Native apical membrane resistance was estimated as 705±123 V cm2 and basolateral membrane resistance was 95±14 V cm2. To estimate basolateral membrane selectivity, the serosa was bathed in a NaCl Ringer's solution followed by a series of changes in which all or part of the Na+ was replaced by equimolar amounts of K+. From measures of bi-ionic potentials and conductance during these replacements, we calculated potassium permeability and selectivity ratios for the nystatin-treated colon by fitting these results to the constant field equations. By correcting for shunt conductance, it was then possible to estimate the selective permeability of the basolateral membrane alone. Selectivity estimates were as follows:P Na/P K=.08 andP Cl/P K=.07 (uncorrected for shunt) andP Na/P K=.04 andP Cl/P K=.06 (basolateral membrane alone). In a second set of experiments, evidence for an electrogenic Na+ pump in the basolateral membrane is presented. A small ouabain-sensitive potential could be generated in the nystatin-treated colon in the absence of chemical or electrical gradients by mucosal, but not serosal, addition of NaCl. We conclude that this electrogenic pump may contribute to the basolateral membrane potential; however, the primary source of this potential is “passive”: specifically, a potassium gradient which is maintained by an “active” transport process. An appendix compares the results of nystatin experiments to amiloride experiments which were conducted separately on the same tissues. The purpose of this comparison was to develop a comprehensive model of colonic transport. The analysis reveals a leak conductance in the apical membrane and the presence of an amiloride-insensitive conductance pathway.

Notes: Summary The contribution of specific ions to the conductance and potential of the basolateral membrane of the rabbit urinary bladder has been studied with both conventional and ion-specific microelectrode techniques. In addition, the possibility of an electrogenic active transport process located at the basolateral membrane was studied using the polyene antibiotic nystatin. The effect of ion-specific microelectrode impalement damage on intracellular ion activities was examined and a criterion set for acceptance or rejection of intracellular activity measurements. Using this criterion, we found (K+)=72mm and (Cl−)=15.8mm. Cl− but not K+ was in electrochemical equilibrium across the basolateral membrane. The selective permeability of the basolateral membrane was measured using microelectrodes, and the data analyzed using the Goldman, Hodgkin-Katz equation. The sodium to potassium permeability ratio (P Na/P K) was 0.044, and the chloride to potassium permeability ratio (P Cl/P K) was 1.17. Since K+ was not in electrochemical equilibrium, intracellular (K+) is maintained by active metabolic processes, and the basolateral membrane potential is a diffusion potential with K+ and Cl− the most permeable ions. After depolarizing the basolateral membrane with high serosal potassium bathing solutions and eliminating the apical membrane as a rate limiting step for ion movement using the polyene antibiotic nystatin, we found that the addition of equal aliquots of NaCl to both solutions caused the basolateral membrane potential to hyperpolarize by up to 20 mV (cell interior negative). This popential was reduced by 80% within 3 min of the addition of ouabain to the serosal solution. This hyperpolarization most probably represents a ouabain sensitive active transport process sensitive to intracellular Na+. An equivalent electrical circuit for Na+ transport across rabbit urinary bladder is derived, tested, and compared to previous results. This circuit is also used to predict the effects that microelectrode impalement damage will have on individual membrane potentials as well as time-dependent phenomena; e.g., effect of amiloride on apical and basolateral membrane potentials.

Notes: Conclusion The experimental evidence against an electrogenic pump in theNecturus gallbladder is nonexistent because they are based upon insufficient knowledge about the true resistance of the serosal membrane: The data available are not incompatible with the existence of an electrogenic pump with a coupling ratio of 3∶2-if an ionic model of the cell behavior is used.