Tools and constraints in monitoring interactions between marine litter and megafauna: Insights from case studies around the world.

Adverse impacts of marine litter is documented on >1400 species, including marine megafauna (fish, birds, sea turtles and mammals). The primary impacts include ingestion and entanglement, and there is increasing concern about chemical contamination via ingestion. Numerous survey approaches and monitoring programs have been developed and implemented around the world. They may aim to provide data about parameters such as species distribution and interactions with anthropogenic activities. During the Sixth International Marine Debris Conference, a session was dedicated to the tools and constraints in monitoring interactions between litter and megafauna. In the present paper, we summarize 7 case studies which discuss entanglement and ingestion including macro- and micro-debris in several taxa and across multiple geographic regions. We then discusses the importance of tools and standardizing methods for assessment and management purposes, in the context of international environmental policies and marine litter strategies.

Monitoring the impact of litter in large vertebrates in the Mediterranean Sea within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD): constraints, specificities and recommendations.

In its decision (2010/477/EU) relating to the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EC), the European Commission identified the following points as focuses for monitoring: (i) 10.1.1: Trends in the amount, source and composition of litter washed ashore and/or deposited on coastlines, (ii) 10.1.2: Trends in the amount and composition of litter in the water column and accumulation on the sea floor, (iii) 10.1.3: Trends in the amount, distribution and composition of micro-particles (mainly microplastics), and (iv) 10.2.1: Trends in the amount and composition of litter ingested by marine animals. Monitoring the impacts of litter will be considered further in 2014. At that time, the strategy will be discussed in the context of the Mediterranean Sea, providing information on constraints, protocols, existing harm and research needed to support monitoring efforts. The definition of targets and acceptable levels of harm must take all factors into account, whether entanglement, ingestion, the transport and release of pollutants, the transport of alien species and socio-economic impacts. It must also reflect on the practical deployment of "ingestion" measures (10.2.1). The analysis of existing data will reveal the potential and suitability of some higher trophic level organisms (fish, turtles, birds and mammals) for monitoring the adverse effects of litter. Sea turtles appear to be useful indicator species, but the definition of an ecological quality objective is still needed, as well as research on alternative potential indicator species.

Applicability and safety of autologous fat for reconstruction of the breast.

BACKGROUND: Autologous fat grafting to the breast for cosmetic and reconstructive purposes is still controversial with respect to its safety and efficacy. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the clinical applicability and safety of the technique. METHODS: An online search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase and SciELO was conducted from July 1986 to June 2011. Studies included in the review were original articles of autologous liposuctioned fat grafting to the female breast, with description of clinical complications and/or radiographic changes and/or local breast cancer recurrence. RESULTS: This review included 60 articles with 4601 patients. Thirty studies used fat grafting for augmentation and 41 for reconstructive procedures. The incidence of clinical complications, identified in 21 studies, was 3·9 per cent (117 of 3015); the majority were induration and/or palpable nodularity. Radiographic abnormalities occurred in 332 (13·0 per cent) of 2560 women (17 studies); more than half were consistent with cysts. Local recurrence of breast cancer (14 of 616, 2·3 per cent) was evaluated in three studies, of which only one was prospective. CONCLUSION: There is broad clinical applicability of autologous fat grafting for breast reconstruction. Complications were few and there was no evidence of interference with follow-up after treatment for breast cancer. Oncological safety remains unclear.

Molecular characterization and physical mapping of two classes of 5S rDNA in the genomes of Gymnotus sylvius and G. inaequilabiatus (Gymnotiformes, Gymnotidae).

The nucleotide sequences of the 5S rRNA multigene family and their distribution across the karyotypes in 2 species of Gymnotiformes, genus Gymnotus (G. sylvius and G. inaequilabiatus) were investigated by means of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The results showed the existence of 2 distinct classes of 5S rDNA sequences in both species: class I and class II. A high conservative pattern of the codifying region of the 5S rRNA gene was identified, contrasting with significant alterations detected in the nontranscribed spacer (NTS). The presence of TATA-like sequences along the NTS of both species was an expected occurrence, since such sequences have been associated with the regulation of the gene expression. FISH using 5S rDNA class I and class II probes revealed that both gene classes were collocated in the same chromosome pair in the genome of G. sylvius, while in that of G. inaequilabiatus, class II appeared more disperse than class I.

Wear resistance of nickel-titanium endodontic files after surface treatment.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this work was to submit the Nitinol files to plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) and evaluate the effects of the surface treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wear resistance was determined in vitro by using an equipment for the application of horizontal movements on previously prepared notched plates made of resin. Vickers microhardness was measured in plates and files, before and after surface treatment and the surface chemical composition of the instruments was determined by X-rays photoelectron spectroscopy. RESULTS: The hardness values found for the treated Nitinol files were significantly lower than the hardness values measured before the implantation process. The comparison of commercially available instruments shows that the wear resistance of the stainless steel file is higher than the resistance of the Nitinol. CONCLUSIONS: The results found led to the conclusion that the surface treatment significantly increased the Nitinol files wear resistance.

Flocculation onset in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: effect of ethanol, heat and osmotic stress.

AIMS: To examine the effect of different stress conditions on the onset of flocculation in an ale-brewing strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCYC 1195. METHODS AND RESULTS: Flocculation was evaluated using the method of Soares, E.V. and Vroman, A. [Journal of Applied Microbiology (2003) 95, 325]; plasma membrane integrity was accessed using propidium iodide and the staining of the yeast cell wall was performed using calcofluor white M2R. Cells in exponential phase of growth were subjected to different stress conditions. The addition of 1%, 3% and 5% (v/v) ethanol, 1% and 3% (v/v) isopropanol or a brief heat shock (52 degrees C, 5 min), did not induce an early flocculation phenotype when compared with control cells. The addition of 10% (v/v) ethanol, a continuous mild heat-stress (37 degrees C) or an osmotic stress (0.5 or 1 mol l(-1) of NaCl) did not induce a flocculent phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Flocculation seems not to be induced as a response to different chemical (ethanol and isopropanol) and physical (heat and osmotic) stress conditions. Conversely, osmotic and ethanol [10% (v/v)] stress, as well as a continuous mild heat shock (37 degrees C), have a negative impact on the phenotype expression of flocculation. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The findings reported here contribute to the elucidation of the control of yeast flocculation. This information might be useful to the brewing industry, as the time when the onset of flocculation occurs can determine the fermentation performance and the beer quality, as well as in other biotechnological industries where flocculation can be used as a cell separation process.

Aggressive behaviour of cherubism in a teenager: 4-years of clinical follow-up associated with radiographic and histological features.

Cherubism is a rare hereditary fibro-osseous childhood disease characterized by bone degradation and fibrous tissue replacement at the angles of the mandible and at the tuberosity areas of the maxilla that leads to prominence of the lower face and an appearance reminiscent of the cherub's portrayal in Renaissance art. This disease has an autosomal dominant hereditary characteristic. The purpose of this report is to analyse laboratory tests, clinicopathological and radiographic features of cherubism and its intraoral manifestations in a patient during 4-years of follow-up, correlating the features observed in this case with those of the literature. Also discussed is the atypical and aggressive behaviour of this case during puberty.

Identification by R-banding and FISH of chromosome arms involved in Robertsonian translocations in several deer species.

We constructed and analyzed the RBG-banded karyotype of five deer species: Chital (Axis axis), White-lipped deer (Cervus albirostris), Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis russa), Sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) and Eld's deer (Cervus eldi siamensis). Among these five species, only Eld's deer had been previously karyotyped using R-banding. In order to identify all the chromosome correspondences with cattle and precisely which chromosome arms are involved in Robertsonian translocations, we compared the karyotypes of these five species with those of the closely related and well-characterized species, cattle (Bos taurus) and Vietnamese Sika deer (Cervus nippon pseudaxis). Among these six deer species (the five above plus the Vietnamese Sika deer), we found thirteen different Robertsonian translocations involving nineteen different chromosome arms. Thirteen chromosome arms were identified by comparison of R-banding patterns only and the remaining six were either confirmed or identified by FISH-mapping of bovine or caprine probes previously localized in cattle. Finally, we observed that five of the thirteen Robertsonian translocations are shared by at least two species and that some chromosome arms are more frequently involved in Robertsonian translocations than others.

A terahertz molecular switch.

We present time-dependent results describing the current through a molecular device, modeled as a complex with two active centers connected to leads under bias. We show that, at a properly adjusted external voltage, a passing terahertz electromagnetic pulse may cause a transition between states of finite and negligible current, suggesting that the system might be useful as a nanoscopic switch in the terahertz range. A phase diagram defining the bias region in which the transition takes place within a short time is given. As described, the physical processes involved are of an entirely different nature than those in ordinary photodetectors.

Optical absorption for parallel cylinder arrays.

We study the long-wavelength electromagnetic resonances of interacting cylinder arrays. By using a normal-modes expansion where the effects of geometry and material are separated, it is shown that two parallel cylinders with different radii have electromagnetic modes distributed symmetrically about depolarization factor 1 / 2. Both sets couple to longitudinal and transverse components of the external field, but amplitudes of symmetric depolarization factors become exchanged when considering longitudinal or transverse polarization. We also find that amplitudes satisfy sum rules that depend on the ratio of the cylinders radii. The main effect of the difference in radii is a spectral shift towards the isolated cylinder resonance as this difference increases.

Cytogenetic comparison between Vietnamese sika deer and cattle: R-banded karyotypes and FISH mapping.

R-banded chromosomes of Vietnamese sika (VS) deer (Cervus nippon pseudaxis, 2N = 66), a threatened subspecies of sika deer endemic to Vietnam, are presented for the first time and were compared with bovine R-banded chromosomes to define a standard karyotype. Nineteen VS deer autosomes (CNP) were identified on the basis of the banding pattern relative to bovine chromosomes (BTA), while hypotheses for the remaining thirteen were proposed from comparisons with the published deer genetic map, BTA 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 and 9 each equivalent to two separate acrocentric CNP chromosomes and BTA 26 and 28 associated in a tandem fusion. To confirm these hypotheses, probes for the twenty-nine Texas nomenclature type I markers specific for each cattle autosome, sixteen other type I and fourteen microsatellite markers were used in FISH experiments on VS deer chromosomes. CNP7 presented the most complex rearrangement as compared with cattle chromosomes. A complete correspondence between VS deer and cattle chromosomes was established and it was extended with a comparison with the human karyotype to transfer human map information to this species of scientific and economic interest. Moreover, this work anchors the deer genetic linkage map to chromosome-specific markers.

Normal-mode theory for cylinder arrays

We study a set of interacting cylinders under the influence of an electromagnetic field in the long-wavelength limit. Cylindrical harmonics are used as basis functions in order to write the electric potential in terms of multipolar moments of the charge distribution in the cylinders. We get a normal-mode expansion where the effects of geometry and material are separated. It is shown that for a row of identical parallel cylinders the electromagnetic modes are distributed symmetrically about the depolarization factor 1/2, each set coupling to different components of the external field. The amplitudes of these symmetric depolarization factors are the same and satisfy proper sum rules.

Karyotype identity of two subspecies of Eld's deer [Cervus eldi (Cervinae, Artiodactyla)] and its consequences for conservation.

Among the three subspecies generally recognized within the Eld's deer (Cervus eldi)--C. e. eldi, C. e. thamin, and C. e. siamensis--C. e. siamensis is considered to be particularly endangered following its disappearance from a major portion of its original range. The only captive breeding population of this subspecies is in the zoological parks at the Paris Museum of Natural History. Taking into account its low effective population size (Ne = 7) and the increasing levels of inbreeding, the continued breeding of this "micropopulation" in isolation from closely related subspecies and in particular from C. e. thamin, which is much more common in zoos as well as in the nature, is questioned. As an initial step in determining if crosses between these subspecies could be performed without risk of outbreeding depression due, in part, to gross differences in their karyotypes, a comparative chromosome banding analysis (RBG-bands) of C. e. siamensis and C. e. thamin was undertaken. No chromosomal differences were identified between the taxa at the level of resolution obtained. The study suggests that, at least from a karyotypic perspective, no obvious differences delimit the two subspecies, and hybridization between endangered C. e. siamensis and C. e. thamin is not likely to lead to impaired fertility in hybrid animals.

Bovine brain phosphatidylserine attenuates scopolamine-induced amnesia.

The effects of bovine cerebral cortex phosphatidylserine (BCPS) on the memory impairment induced by scopolamine in mice tested in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task were investigated. Swiss male mice received daily i.p. 50 mg/kg BCPS or 0.2 M Tris pH 7.4 (TRIS) for 5 days. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, the animals received 1 mg/kg scopolamine (BCPS-SCO and TRIS-SCO) or saline (BCPS-SAL and TRIS-SAL) i.p. After 20 min, the animals were submitted to discriminative avoidance conditioning. In the test, performed 24 h later, BCPS-SCO, BCPS-SAL, and TRIS-SAL (but not TRIS-SCO) mice spent significantly less time in the aversive enclosed arm of the discriminative avoidance apparatus when compared to the time spent in the nonaversive enclosed arm. The results suggest that BCPS attenuates scopolamine-induced amnesia in a discriminative avoidance task.

[Infectious pathology of Canidae and Felidae in zoological parks]. / Pathologie infectieuse des Canidés et Félidés des parcs zoologiques.

The Canidae (36 species) and Felidae (34-37 species) are two families of carnivores represented by numerous exotic species in zoos or wildlife reserves. To some extent, the diseases of these species are similar to those of dogs and cats, and are therefore relatively well known. However, there are differences in sensitivity to infectious agents, treatments and vaccines. Canidae and Felidae may also act as carriers or even vectors of zoonoses, such as leptospirosis, rabies, salmonellosis, toxoplasmosis and tuberculosis. Due to their behaviour patterns and morphological adaptations, these species are capable of transmitting various opportunistic infections by biting or scratching. These characteristics mean that Canidae and Felidae are difficult to keep in captivity, and require special health precautions, particularly protection from contact with stray carnivores.

The karyotype of the addax and its comparison with karyotypes of other species of Hippotraginae antelopes.

The karyotype of the addax (Addax nasomaculatus, 2n = 58) has been investigated by RBG and CBG banding techniques. All chromosomes are acrocentric except the first pair of autosomes, which is submetacentric. The X chromosome is the largest acrocentric, and the Y chromosome is a medium sized acrocentric. According to the standard conventions used for cattle and goat, p- and q-arms of the pair of submetacentric autosomes correspond, respectively, to chromosomes # 27 # 1. The comparison of banding patterns of chromosomes in addax and four other species of the subfamily Hippotraginae reveals several common features and a high degree of homoeology with caprine and bovine karyotypes.