Effect of epibiosis on the fitness of the sandy shore snail<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Batillaria zonalis</Emphasis> in Hong Kong

Batillaria zonalis is a common snail on Hong Kong sandy shores, occupying the low-mid shore. Shells of B. zonalis (basibiont) are often fouled with the rock oyster Saccostrea cucullata and the barnacle Balanus reticulatus (epibiont). This epibiotic interaction has a negative impact on the fitness of B. zonalis in terms of impairing fecundity, mobility and metabolism of fouled individuals. During the reproductive season, fouled snails had lower Gonadosomatic Index and fewer egg-bearing individuals than non-fouled snails. Fouled snails crawled in a more tortuous pathway and with lower speed when compared with non-fouled snails. Reduction in oxygen consumption and metabolic rate in fouled snails further suggested the restriction in mobility of B. zonalis by the epibionts. Glycogen content in the foot muscle tissues and hepatopancreas of fouled and non-fouled snails was, however, similar, revealing epibiosis does not influence the energy storage of B. zonalis. Mortality of fouled and non-fouled snails was similar under laboratory conditions, suggesting epibiosis does not influence the survivorship of B. zonalis in Hong Kong. Impairment in the fitness of fouled B. zonalis indicates that epibiosis can influence the population dynamics of B. zonalis in Hong Kong.Communicated by T. Ikeda, Hakodate     

Phenanthrene sorption to structurally modified humic acids

Several studies emphasize the importance of soil organic matter characteristics in hydrophobic contaminant sorption and outline the strong dependence of sorption on organic matter aromaticity. In this study, the role of organic matter aromaticity in phenanthrene sorption was investigated using humic acids (HAs) from compost, peat, and soil that were structurally modified by bleaching, hydrolysis, oximation, and subcritical water extraction. The HAs were characterized with cross polarization magic angle spinning carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (CPMAS 13C NMR) spectroscopy and used in batch equilibrations with phenanthrene. Bleaching substantially reduced the aromaticity of the samples whereas the other treatments increased the relative aromaticity. Phenanthrene sorption increased, even though there was a substantial reduction in sorbent aromaticity with some samples. The HAs that exhibited comparable CPMAS 13C NMR spectra and aromaticity did not behave similarly with respect to phenanthrene sorption. When the sorption data (K(oc) values) were correlated to sample aromaticity, the correlation coefficients (r2) did not exceed 0.39. Comparisons with the atomic H to C ratio provided slightly better r2 values (up to 0.54). This study demonstrates that macroscopic sorbent characteristics could not explain the observed phenanthrene sorption coefficients, aliphatic structural components of HAs can contribute appreciably to phenanthrene sorption, and organic matter physical conformation may regulate access to organic matter structures. Therefore, the use of only macroscopic sorbent properties, such as aromaticity, to predict and rationalize sorption values cannot solely be used to explain the behavior of organic contaminants in soil environments.     

Injury risk in behind armor blunt thoracic trauma.

First responders and military personnel are particularly susceptible to behind armor blunt thoracic trauma in occupational scenarios. The objective of this study was to develop an armored thorax injury risk criterion for short duration ballistic impacts. 9 cadavers and 2 anthropomorphic test dummies (AUSMAN and NIJ 0101.04 surrogate) were tested over a range of velocities encompassing low severity impacts, medium severity impacts, and high severity impacts based upon risk of sternal fracture. Thoracic injuries ranged from minor skin abrasions (abbreviated injury scale [AIS] 1) to severe sternal fractures (AIS 3+) and were well correlated with impact velocity and bone mineral density. 8 male cadavers were used in the injury risk criterion development. A 50% risk of AIS 3+ injury corresponded to a peak impact force of 24,900 +/- 1,400 N. The AUSMAN impact force correlated strongly with impact velocity. Recommendations to improve the biofidelity of the AUSMAN include implementing more realistic viscera and decreasing the skin thickness.