Oiling of American white pelicans, common loons, and northern gannets in the winter following the Deepwater Horizon (MC252) oil spill.

The Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Trustees for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill assessed the external oiling of migratory bird species dependent on open water in the Gulf of Mexico following the aforementioned spill. The assessment was designed to evaluate birds that use open water during the winter within 40 km of the Gulf shoreline. We focused on the American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), common loon (Gavia immer), and northern gannet (Morus bassanus). Point counts (pelican, loon) or strip transects (gannet) were used and each target species was assessed for oiling (unoiled, trace, light, moderate, or heavy amounts) and photographed. Due to distance at sighting and/or poor visibility, not all visible birds were assessed. The percentage of birds oiled varied by species, with the common loon being the highest (23.6%), followed by American white pelican (16.9%), and northern gannet (6.9%). Most of the American white pelicans and common loons had trace (83% and 72%, respectively) or light levels (11% and 24%, respectively) of oiling. The northern gannet had just trace levels of oiling. Some pelicans (6%) and loons (4%) had moderate amounts of oiling. Based on expert derived-mortality estimates and our estimates of oil exposure, we used Monte Carlo simulations to predict expected decreases of 2.5%, 4%, and 11% in the observed population for the northern gannet, American white pelican, and common loon, respectively. While these values are underestimates of the true values given the long time lag (10-12 months) between the oil spill and the assessment, these data represent some of the few estimates of exposure for these species and describe minimum risk estimates to these species.

Rabies virus vectors and reservoir species.

Rabies is an ancient zoonotic disease caused by infection with the rabies virus (RABV). While the circulation of RABV in domestic dogs has been appreciated for centuries, the recognition of bat and wild carnivore reservoirs began in the early part of the 20th century. Bats are the ancestral reservoir of RABV and a remarkable diversity of species perpetuate distinct lineages of the virus, despite the fact that circulation in bats is geographically limited to the New World fauna. The circulation of RABV in domestic dogs likely represents a historic shift from a bat reservoir, although the timing and details of such an ancient event have been difficult to resolve from the virus genetic evidence. Since becoming established in the domestic dog population, RABV has undergone repeated host shifts to wild carnivores globally. These shifts have most frequently been to species within families of the Caniformia suborder of carnivores. The circulation of RABV in bats has been linked to host shifts to wild carnivore reservoirs in North and South America. It is clear that RABV has been incredibly successful at exploiting diverse chiropteran and carnivore hosts. With improved control of circulation in domestic dogs, surveillance is likely to yield additional discoveries regarding the diversity of wildlife reservoirs and vectors of RABV.

La rage est une maladie infectieuse zoonotique causée par le virus de la rage. Si la présence du virus chez le chien domestique est attestée depuis des siècles, le rôle des chauves-souris et des carnivores sauvages en tant que réservoirs n'est reconnu que depuis le début du xxe siècle. Les chauves-souris sont le réservoir historique du virus de la rage, avec une diversité extraordinaire d'espèces perpétuant des lignées distinctes du virus, bien que la distribution géographique des espèces assurant la circulation du virus soit limitée à la faune du Nouveau Monde. La présence du virus chez le chien domestique est probablement le fruit d'une évolution ancienne du spectre d'hôtes à partir des chauves-souris mais la datation et les détails de cet évènement ancien sont difficiles à établir au vu de la seule génétique du virus. Depuis son installation dans la population de chiens domestiques, le virus de la rage a connu des passages répétés vers de nouveaux hôtes carnivores sauvages du monde entier. Les passages les plus fréquents concernent des espèces de diverses familles du sous-ordre des Caniformes au sein des carnivores. La circulation du virus de la rage chez les chauves-souris a été associée à des passages d'hôtes vers des réservoirs carnivores sauvages en Amérique du Nord et du Sud. Le virus de la rage a fait preuve d'une incroyable capacité à exploiter différents hôtes aussi bien parmi les chiroptères que parmi les carnivores. La surveillance exercée dans le cadre du renforcement de la lutte contre la rage chez les chiens domestiques permettra sans doute de faire de nouvelles découvertes concernant la diversité des réservoirs et des vecteurs du virus de la rage au sein de la faune sauvage.

La rabia es una antigua enfermedad zoonótica que tiene su causa en la infección por el virus de la rabia. Si bien la circulación de este virus en el perro doméstico se conoce desde hace siglos, no fue hasta principios del siglo XX cuando se supo que los murciélagos y carnívoros silvestres ejercían de reservorio. Los murciélagos son el reservorio ancestral del virus. Hay una considerable diversidad de especies de murciélago, que en cada caso perpetúan uno u otro linaje vírico, pese a que la circulación en murciélagos esté geográficamente circunscrita a la fauna del Nuevo Mundo. La circulación del virus de la rabia en perros domésticos representa seguramente un punto de inflexión histórico con respecto al reservorio formado por los murciélagos, aunque no ha sido fácil elucidar la temporalidad y los detalles de tan remoto acontecimiento con la información genética del virus. Desde que se implantó en la población de perros domésticos, el virus de la rabia ha saltado repetidas veces a nuevos anfitriones para extenderse a carnívoros silvestres de todo el mundo. Esas mudanzas han tenido casi siempre por destinatarias especies de alguna familia del suborden caniformes (orden de los carnívoros). La circulación del virus de la rabia en murciélagos ha sido vinculada a cambios de anfitrión por los que ha encontrado reservorio en carnívoros silvestres de América del Norte y del Sur. Está claro que el virus de la rabia ha tenido un éxito espectacular a la hora de explotar diversos anfitriones quirópteros y carnívoros. Con la práctica de un control más estricto de la circulación del virus en los perros domésticos, es probable que las actividades de vigilancia deparen nuevos descubrimientos sobre la diversidad de sus vectores y reservorios salvajes.

Decay behavior of least-squares coefficients in auxiliary basis expansions.

Many quantum chemical methods, both wave function and density based, rely on an expansion of elements of the electron density in an auxiliary basis. However, little is known about the analytical behavior of the expansion coefficients and, in particular, about their rate of decay with distance. We discuss an exactly solvable model system and characterize the expansion coefficients for various fitting metrics and various dimensionalities of the auxiliary basis. In the case of Coulomb fitting, we find that the decay rate depends critically on the effective dimensionality D of the auxiliary basis, varying from O(r(-1)) to O(r(-3)) to O(e(-zetar)) for D = 1, 2, or 3.

Hb A2-Parkville or delta 47(CD6)Asp----Val, a new delta chain variant.

A new delta chain variant, Hb A2-Parkville [delta 47(CD6)Asp----Val], has been identified in a female of Italian parentage. The mobility of the variant is less than carbonic anhydrase towards the anode at alkaline pH.

Hemoglobin Windsor or beta 11 (A8)Val----Asp: a new unstable beta-chain hemoglobin variant producing a hemolytic anemia.

A new beta-chain variant, Hemoglobin Windsor [beta 11 (A8)Val----Asp] was discovered in a 9-month-old child who presented with a hemolytic anemia of 59 g/l with an intercurrent viral infection. Her blood film demonstrated fragmented cells, target cells, stipple cells, nucleated red cells, polychromasia and some spherocytes, indicative of acute hemolysis. Hemoglobin electrophoretic studies were requested and a beta-chain variant, constituting 27% of the total hemoglobin, separated towards the anode under alkaline conditions. The variant was unstable, producing numerous "Hb H"-like inclusions and a positive isopropanol stability test. The variant hemoglobin was purified by precipitation. The variant beta-chain was purified by column chromatography and its tryptic peptides fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography. Amino acid analysis and sequence data indicated that the valine at position 11(A8) had been substituted by an aspartic acid residue. This substitution, in the bottom of the heme pocket, has resulted in instability of the hemoglobin molecule and an increase in oxygen affinity. The variant appears to have resulted from a spontaneous mutation as both parents are hematologically normal. A younger sibling is also hematologically normal.

Hemoglobin Randwick or beta 15 (A12)Trp----Gly: a new unstable beta-chain hemoglobin variant.

A new beta-chain hemoglobin variant, Hb Randwick [beta 15(A12)Trp----Gly] was detected in a 43-year-old female of Northern Italian parentage. During investigation for possible diabetes, mild red cell changes were noted and hemoglobin electrophoresis studies were requested. Independently, her sister's assessment had resulted in similar investigations. The most prominent findings were numerous "Hb H"-like inclusions and a positive isopropanol stability test. The hemoglobin variant separated poorly towards the anode at pH 9.2 and the level was estimated to be between 48-50% of the total hemoglobin. The variant beta-chain was partially purified by column chromatography, and its tryptic peptides fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography. Amino acid analysis and sequence data indicated that the tryptophan at residue 15 (A12) had been substituted by a glycine residue. Further study has indicated that eight other family members are heterozygous for the variant; they are clinically normal with no evidence of splenomegaly or history of jaundice, although four of them showed a mild reticulocytosis.

Amino acid sequence of the beta-chain of the tetrameric haemoglobin of the bivalve mollusc, Anadara trapezia.

The amino acid sequence of the beta-chain of the principal haemoglobin from A. trapezia has been determined. The sequence was deduced from the sequences of tryptic peptides, which were fractionated using highperformance liquid chromatography and peptide mapping. Additional sequence data, particularly for the large tryptic peptides, was obtained from enzyme digests of both cyanogen bromide fragments and large citraconyltryptic peptides. The beta-chain has 151 residues which is longer than all the other sequenced haemoglobin chains except the alpha-chain of A. trapezia, which is 153 residues in length. The residues corresponding to those normally in the D helix are absent in this beta-chain. The additional residues are contributed by an extension of the N-terminal region, which was also found to be acetylated. Comparison of the beta-chain amino acid sequence with that of the alpha-chain of A. trapezia, the dimeric chain of A. trapezia, and the dimeric chain of A. broughtonii showed 53% identity in each case. In the E and F helices, the homology is particularly noticeable. There is 100% homology in the F helix of all four chains. The dimeric globin of A. trapezia also shows 100% homology with the beta-chain in the E helix, while the alpha-chain shows 75%. If the tertiary structure of the alpha- and beta-chains of A. trapezia haemoglobin is the same as that of horse haemoglobin, then there are many changes in the alpha 1 and beta 2 contact site residues.