The influence of chlordecone and oestrogen on the secretion of proteinaceous molecules of the mouse uterus

Ovariectomised mice were treated with sesame seed oil, oestradiol, or one of three different levels of the insecticide chlordecone (1, 1a, 3, 3a, 4, 5, 5a, 6-decachloro-octahydro-1, 3, 4-metheno-2H-cyclobuta[cd] pentalen-2-one). After 9 days of treatment, the uteri were injected with (35)S-methionine and radiolabelled proteins were flushed from uteri 4 h later. Reproductive tract weights and the total amount of radioactivity in uterine flushings were measured. Reproductive tract weights increased significantly only in animals treated with the highest dose of chlordecone tested and oestradiol-treated animals. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitated radioactivity was increased by all doses of insecticide chlordecone tested but increases were significant only at one level. The greatest stimulation of (35)S-methionine incorporation occurred in ovariectomised animals treated with oestradiol. Radioactive proteins were analysed by fluorography of two-dimensional gels. The fluorograms showed that the proteinaceous uterine secretions, as influenced by chlordecone, were greatly reduced in number as compared with those secreted under the influence of oestradiol. Chlordecone appears to cause the secretion of proteinaceous material from the uteri of mice in a qualitatively different manner than does oestradiol.     

Testing the evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis in a novel framework

The "evolution of increased competitive ability" (EICA) hypothesis proposes that escape from natural enemies, e.g., after transcontinental introductions, alters the selection regime because costly defenses no longer enhance fitness. Such an evolutionary loss of defenses enables resources to be directed toward growth or other traits improving performance. We tested the EICA hypothesis in a novel framework in which the natural enemy is the traveler that follows its widespread host by accidental or deliberate (biocontrol) introductions. In a greenhouse experiment we used populations of Senecio vulgaris from North America, Europe, and Australia that differ in the history of exposure to the rust fungus Puccinia lagenophorae. Contrary to what is predicted by EICA, we found no evidence for increased levels of resistance to the rust fungus in plant populations with a longer history of rust exposure (Australia). Similarly, there was no evidence for reduced fecundity in these populations, although vegetative vigor, measured as secondary branching and growth rate, was lower. The maintenance of high rust resistance in populations with no (North America) or only a short history (Europe) of rust exposure is surprising given that resistance seems to incur considerable fitness costs, as indicated by the negative association between family mean resistance and fitness in the absence of disease observed for all three continents. The comparison of population differentiation in quantitative traits with estimates of differentiation in amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) markers suggests that a number of fitness-related traits are under divergent selection among the studied populations. The proposed framework to test changes in the evolutionary trajectory underlying EICA can be employed in an expanded range of systems. These may include investigations on a cosmopolitan weed or crop when an antagonist is expanding its geographic range (such as our study), studies along a chronosequence of introduction time with expected increasing accumulation of natural enemies over time, or comparisons between introduced plant populations that differ in exposure time to biocontrol organisms.     

Walking in “wild” and “tended” urban forests: The impact on psychological well-being

The positive effect of natural compared to urban environment on human restoration and well-being has been proved in various studies. To go one step further in analyzing the influence of physical environments, we question if this positive effect is consistent in different natural conditions namely wild and tended urban forests. In an experimental field setting, participants were randomly assigned to either a walk through wild or tended forests for 30 min. Multidimensional scales in a pre-post-treatment-setting measured well-being. Results indicate a stronger change in “positive affect” and “negative affect” in the tended forest condition. Well-being factors “activation” and “arousal” changed after solitary walks, too. However, there were no differences between the treatment conditions, indicating a stronger influence of physical activity than the forest condition wild and tended on these well-being factors. Perceived attractiveness of the natural area did not effect the change in well-being, thus questioning the close relation between perceived attractiveness and the effect on well-being suggested in prior research. Furthermore, more and less fatigued persons did not profit differently concerning well-being changes. The results give important advice to design natural areas serving restoration and public health, especially for people living in urban environments.     

Twenty years of elemental analysis of marine biota within the German Environmental Specimen Bank—a thorough look at the data

Purpose  

As one component of the German ecological environment observation, the Environmental Specimen Bank program was initiated in the mid-1980s. Under the program, representative specimens of marine, fresh water, and terrestrial ecosystems are sampled regularly and archived under chemically stable conditions. An initial characterization of the samples provides data regarding the status quo of the respective ecosystems. The aim of the present publication is to give insight into these real-time monitoring data, which have been generated for the last 10 to 20 years. This is done exemplarily for the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) in marine specimens of the Baltic and the North Sea.     

Survey of patterns,levels, and trends of perfluorinated compounds in aquatic organisms and bird eggs from representative German ecosystems

Purpose  

Samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) covering particularly the years 1994–1996, 2000–2002, and 2006–2009 were analyzed for perfluorinated compounds (PFC; mainly C4–C13 carboxylic and sulfonic acids) to gain an overview on current PFC levels and patterns in marine, limnetic, and terrestrial biota; to assess their concentrations in different trophic levels; and to investigate whether risk management measures for PFC are successful.     

On a Holistic Modeling Approach for Managing Carbon Emission Ecosystems

Effective use of historical volumes of heterogeneous and multidimensional data is a major challenge, especially projects associated with potential applications of carbon emission ecosystems. Data science in these applications becomes tedious when such varied data are accumulated and or distributed in multiple domains. Design, development, and implementation of sustainable geological storages are crucial for managing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and its modeling process. The purpose of the research is to address major challenges and how best a robust “ontology-based multidimensional data warehousing and mining” approach can resolve issues associated with carbon ecosystems. The conceptualized relationships deduced among multiple domains, integration of domain ontologies, data mining, visualization, and interpretation artefacts are highlights of the study. Several data, plot, and map views are extracted from metadata storage for interpreting new knowledge on carbon emissions. Statistical mining models describe data attributes’ correlations, patterns, and trends that can help in predicting future forecast of CO₂ emissions worldwide.     

Model of turbulence penetration into a suspension layer on a sediment bed and effect on vertical solute transfer

The vertical diffusional mass (solute) transfer through a suspended sediment layer, e.g. at the bottom of a lake, reservoir or estuary, by the propagation of velocity fluctuations from above was investigated. The attenuation of the velocity fluctuations in the suspension layer and the associated effect on solute transfer through the suspension layer was simulated. To represent large eddies traveling downstream in water over a high-concentration suspended sediment layer, a streamwise velocity fluctuation moving in downstream direction was imposed along the upper boundary of the suspension layer. Velocity fluctuations and downstream velocity were normalized by the shearvelocity (U_*) at the top of the suspension layer. Streamwise and vertical velocity components inside the suspension layer, were obtained from the 2-D continuity and the Navier–Stokes equations. The persistence of turbulence with depth—as it penetrates from the overlying water into the suspension layer—was found to depend on its amplitude, its period, and on the apparent viscosity of the suspension. The turbulence was found to propagate efficiently into the suspension layer when its frequency is low, and the apparent viscosity of the suspension is high. Effects on vertical mass transfer were parameterized by penetration depth and effective diffusion coefficient, and related to apparent viscosity of the suspension, Schmidt number and shear velocity on top of the suspension layer. The enhancement of turbulence penetration by viscosity is similar to the flow near an oscillating flat plate (Stokes’ second problem), but is opposite to turbulence penetration into a stationary porous and permeable sediment bed. The information is applicable to water quality modeling mear the sediment/water interface of lakes, river impoundments and estuaries.     

SNOW AND ICE ALBEDO MEASURED WITH TWO TYPES OF PYRANOMETERS1

ABSTRACT: In order to obtain total short-wave albedos of snow and ice, both incident and reflected solar radiation were measured over a frozen lake surface using two different types of radiation measurement devices: a Kipp and Zonen thermopile pyranometer with a spectral sensitivity of 300 to 2800 nm and a LI-COR photovoltaic pyranometer with a spectral sensitivity of 400 to 1100 am. The spectral response of the LI-COR pyranometers limits its use as a short-wave radiation measurement device. Therefore, two equations were developed to adjust both the daily incident radiation data and the daily reflected radiation data measured by the LI-COR instrument to total short-wave radiation values, i.e., to the waveband of 300 to 2800 nm (visible to near-infrared spectrum). The LI-COR data were then adjusted, and a total short-wave adjusted albedo was calculated with a modeling efficiency of 0.97.