Living within fallen palm leaves: the discovery of an unknown Blommersia (Mantellidae: Anura) reveals a new reproductive strategy in the amphibians of Madagascar

We describe a new mantelline frog of the genus Blommersia found in rainforest in North East Madagascar, from the protected areas of Ambatovaky, Betampona, Masoala, and Zahamena. Blommersia angolafa n.sp. is a small frog, with a body size of 17–21 mm, expanded finger and toe tips, and colouration ranging from yellow to dark brown, with pale-bluish spots on the flanks and light tips of fingers and toes. A peculiar aspect characterising this new species is its novel life history and reproductive mode. Both sexes live and breed in a phytotelmic habitat of water accumulated within fallen prophylls and fallen leaf sheaths of at least three species of Dypsis palms. Within these phytotelmata, egg laying and complete larval development occur. Thus, B. angolafa n.sp. represents a new evolutionary lineage of Malagasy frogs in which phytotelmy is known. Up to now, reproduction in phytotelmata in Malagasy frogs has been reported for many cophyline microhylids, most species of Guibemantis, Mantella laevigata, and possibly in a still-undescribed species belonging to the genus Spinomantis. We consider the reproductive mode of B. angolafa as a derived character, having evolved from the more typical reproduction in lentic water bodies. The general scarcity of lentic habitats in Malagasy rainforests may have provided the conditions that favoured the evolution of this phytotelmic breeding strategy. The new species, being specialised to a habitat represented by a few selected Dypsis species, potentially suffers the selective exploitation of these palms.     

Two-dimensional gap analysis: a tool for efficient conservation planning and biodiversity policy implementation

The maintenance of biodiversity by securing representative and well-connected habitat networks in managed landscapes requires a wise combination of protection, management, and restoration of habitats at several scales. We suggest that the integration of natural and social sciences in the form of "Two-dimensional gap analysis" is an efficient tool for the implementation of biodiversity policies. The tool links biologically relevant "horizontal" ecological issues with "vertical" issues related to institutions and other societal issues. Using forest biodiversity as an example, we illustrate how one can combine ecological and institutional aspects of biodiversity conservation, thus facilitating environmentally sustainable regional development. In particular, we use regional gap analysis for identification of focal forest types, habitat modelling for ascertaining the functional connectivity of "green infrastructures", as tools for the horizontal gap analysis. For the vertical dimension we suggest how the social sciences can be used for assessing the success in the implementation of biodiversity policies in real landscapes by identifying institutional obstacles while implementing policies. We argue that this interdisciplinary approach could be applied in a whole range of other environments including other terrestrial biota and aquatic ecosystems where functional habitat connectivity, nonlinear response to habitat loss and a multitude of economic and social interests co-occur in the same landscape.     

Climate change adaptation strategies for transportation infrastructure in Prince George,Canada

Transport infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to climate impacts as it is designed for long operational lives, and both episodic and seasonal conditions contribute to deterioration, disruption and unsafe incidents. There are some examples of adaptation in transportation design, but many communities do not have the capacity to incorporate climate change considerations into infrastructure planning and management. Researchers worked closely with the City of Prince George, in Central British Columbia, Canada, to build on existing work and explore how the City could plan, design, and maintain roads and other structures to account for climate change. A local steering committee was formed, and created and evaluated 23 potential research topics. Two focus areas were selected for further investigation and explored during a workshop with practitioners, researchers, consultants and other representatives. The workshop precipitated an investigation of projected impacts of climate change on road maintenance and road safety, and plans to explore alternative paving techniques. Outcomes of the case study provide insights regarding climate change and local transportation infrastructure, including: how researchers can engage with local experts to explore adaptation; issues local governments perceive as important; and barriers communities face as they attempt to address vulnerabilities.     

Sleepiness among night-time drivers: relationship to blood alcohol concentration and other factors

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to explore the distribution and correlates of subjective sleepiness among the general night-time driving population. METHODS: The survey took place in three British Columbia communities in June 2003 between 21:00 hours to 03:00 hours. Sites and vehicles were selected randomly. Surveyors obtained information on several demographic and situational variables including self-assessed degree of sleepiness and self-reported hours asleep and awake, as well as an objective measure of blood alcohol concentration obtained from a hand-held breath-testing device. RESULTS: The total compliance rate among intercepted drivers was 85%. Among the 2335 drivers responding to the questionnaire, 68.4% indicated that they were wide awake, 27.6% were somewhat sleepy, and 4.1% were very sleepy. Logistic regression quantified the independent contributions of the various factors to subjective sleepiness. Male drivers with positive blood alcohol concentrations under 50 mg% were more likely to report feeling sleepy than those with either higher or with zero blood alcohol concentration. Greater relative risk of sleepiness was also associated with being female, being under age 55, and advanced hour of night. Driving with passengers of the same gender was associated with lower reported sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of night-time drivers are driving while sleepy, especially at late night and early morning hours. The combination of alcohol and sleepiness compounds impairment in experimental studies and deserves greater attention in crash risk studies and as a topic for public education and awareness.     

Fetal cholecystomegaly: A prenatal marker of aneuploidy

The fetal gall bladder can now be easily identified during the second and third trimesters using high-resolution ultrasonography. In this report we present eight fetuses with an enlarged gall bladder detected on prenatal ultrasonography at a mean gestational age of 24.6 weeks (range 19–31 weeks). Additional ultrasonographic findings were present in four cases: fetal anomalies and intrauterine growth retardation in three and polyhydramnios in one. Of those cases associated with fetal anomalies, one woman underwent amniocentesis at 21 weeks revealing trisomy 18. The other two declined prenatal karyotyping; neonatal karyotyping revealed trisomy 13 in one and trisomy 18 in the other. Although an enlarged fetal gall bladder can be a normal variant in the second and third trimesters, the prenatal detection of cholecystomegaly should prompt a search for associated anomalies and other markers of aneuploidy. If found, prenatal karyotyping should be considered.     

Pesticide pressure and fish farming in barrage pond in Northeastern France. Part II: residues of 13 pesticides in water, sediments, edible fish and their relationships

Residues of pesticides in fish farming productions from barrage ponds are seldom studied in spite of increasing health questionings and environmental concerns. The purpose of this study is to establish the pesticide contamination profiles of sediments and edible fish from five ponds in Northeastern France. Multi-residues method and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis were used to quantify 13 pesticides (azoxystrobin, carbendazim, clomazone, diflufenican, dimethachlor, fluroxypyr, iprodion, isoproturon, mesosulfuron-methyl, metazachlor, napropamid, quizalofop and thifensulfuron-methyl). Ten sediments and 143 muscles samples were analysed, corresponding to two successive fishing campaigns (first fishing date and second fishing date (P2), about 1 year later) on five sites (noted C-0, C-25, C-45, C-75 and C-85 to express the increasing gradient of crop area). Isoproturon was present in all sediments samples (1.8–56.4 μg/kg dry weight). During P2 period, carbendazim was quantified in the fish of site C-0 (0.09?±?0.02, 0.2?±?0.1 and 0.17?±?0.06 μg/kg wet weight (ww) for roach, carp and perch, respectively). Metazachlor was only quantified in perch of the site C-25 (0.13?±?0.02 μg/kg ww). Concentrations of isoproturon were similar for the sites C-45 and C-75 with 0.4?±?0.1 and 0.75?±?0.06 μg/kg ww for carp and perch, respectively. Contamination of fish reflected generally concentrations in surroundings. Isoproturon was the most concentrated and its main source was water for perch while carp was exposed through both water and sediments, highlighting their life strategies in pond.     

A New Tape Reagent for the Determination of Hydrogen Sulfide in Air

The lead acetate paper tape reagent method for the estimation of hydrogen sulfide in air has been reviewed with the conclusions that the colored spots on which the quantitative estimation is based are not stable and do not lend by themselves to accurate results. Although it may be retained for grab sampling work, the lead acetate paper tape reagent is not acceptable as a stoichiometric reagent in any case where long duration sampling periods are concerned like in air pollution studies. A new mercuric chloride paper tape reagent has been developed as a substitute. Due to the fact that the colored spots resulting from the action of hydrogen sulfide on mercuric chloride are sensitive and very stablet, this new paper tape reagent is proposed as an adequate and reliable analytical too for the estimation of hydrogen sulfide in air. Also, a more comprehensive application of the paper tape analytical system is proposed throughout a suitable control of the factor tape retention capacity vs sampling rate which imposes some restrictions in the selection of the practical working range of concentrations. Nevertheless this working range is still wide enough to encompass all the hydrogen sulfide concentrations normally encountered in the city atmosphere.     

Cytogenetic biomonitoring of oral mucosa cells of crack cocaine users

The aim of the present study was to comparatively evaluate genomic damage (micronucleus) and cellular death (pyknosis, karyolysis, and karyorrhexis) in exfoliated oral mucosa cells from crack cocaine users by micronucleus test. A total of 30 crack cocaine users and 30 health controls (non-exposed individuals) were included in this setting. Individuals had epithelial cells from cheek mechanically exfoliated, placed in fixative, and dropped in clean slides, which were checked for the above nuclear phenotypes. The results pointed out significant statistical differences (p?<?0.05) of micronucleated oral mucosa cells from crack cocaine users. Exposure to crack cocaine caused an increase of other nuclear alterations closely related to cytotoxicity such as karyolysis in oral cells as well. In summary, these data indicate that crack cocaine is able to induce chromosomal breakage and cellular death in oral mucosa cells of users.     

Isolation and characterization of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene mineralizing Bordetella sp. and its bioremediation potential in soil

A soil which has been polluted with chlorinated benzenes for more than 25 years was used for isolation of adapted microorganisms able to mineralize 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB). A microbial community was enriched from this soil and acclimated in liquid culture under aerobic conditions using 1,2,4-TCB as a sole available carbon source. From this community, two strains were isolated and identified by comparative sequence analysis of their 16S-rRNA coding genes as members of the genus Bordetella with Bordetella sp. QJ2-5 as the highest homological strain and with Bordetella petrii as the closest related described species. The 16S-rDNA of the two isolated strains showed a similarity of 100%. These strains were able to mineralize 1,2,4-TCB within two weeks to approximately 50% in liquid culture experiments. One of these strains was reinoculated to an agricultural soil with low native 1,2,4-TCB degradation capacity to investigate its bioremediation potential. The reinoculated strain kept its biodegradation capability: (14)C-labeled 1,2,4-TCB applied to this inoculated soil was mineralized to about 40% within one month of incubation. This indicates a possible application of the isolated Bordetella sp. for bioremediation of 1,2,4-TCB contaminated sites.