Implementation of a medical command and control team in Switzerland

In case of a major incident or disaster, the advance medical rescue command needs to manage several essential tasks simultaneously. These include the rapid deployment of ambulance, police, fire and evacuation services, and their coordinated activity, as well as triage and emergency medical care on site. The structure of such a medical rescue command is crucial for the successful outcome of medical evacuation at major incidents. However, little data has been published on the nature and structure of the command itself. This study presents a flexible approach to command structure, with two command heads: one emergency physician and one experienced paramedic. This approach is especially suitable for Switzerland, whose federal system allows for different structures in each canton. This article examines the development of these structures and their efficiency, adaptability and limitations with respect to major incident response in the French‐speaking part of the country.     

Feeding grounds for waders in the Bay of the Mont Saint-Michel (France): the Lanice conchilega reef serves as an oasis in the tidal flats

The tube-building polychaete Lanice conchilega can form dense populations, often called reefs, which promote benthic community change and constitute feeding grounds for secondary consumers. The aim of this study was to quantify the role of the L. conchilega reef of the Bay of the Mont Saint-Michel (BMSM) for feeding waders, by combining macrobenthos data, bird counts and bird diet information. Wader densities in the reef were on average 46.6 times higher than in non-reef areas. According to faecal analyses, waders in the reef mainly selected the accompanying fauna and especially crustaceans. The attractiveness of the reef to feeding birds may be largely explained by the high abundance, richness and biomass of macrobenthic species in the reef compared with the rest of the BMSM.     

Risk assessment of the ignitability and explosivity of aluminum nanopowders

Previously, an extensive study has been carried out in order to assess the ignition sensitivity and explosivity of aluminum nanopowders. It showed notably that, as the particle size decreases, minimum ignition temperature and minimum ignition energy decrease, indicating higher potential inflammation. However, the explosion severity decreases for diameters lower than 1 μm. As a consequence, this study leads to the conclusions that the ignition sensitivity and explosion severity of aluminum nanopowders may be affected by various phenomena, as pre-ignition, agglomeration/aggregation degree and the intrinsic alumina content. The presence of wall-quenching effects and the predominance of radiation compared to conduction in the flame propagation process have to be discussed to ensure the validity of the 20 L sphere and of the results extrapolation. Based on the peculiar behaviours that had been previously highlighted, a specific risk analysis has been developed in order to assess the fire and explosion risks of such materials. It has been applied to an industrial plant of aluminum nanopowders production. The hazard identification and the consequence modelling steps, especially the quantification of the likelihood and consequences, have been designed specifically. The application of this method has led to the definition of the most adequate safety barriers.     

Task-dependent influence of genetic architecture and mating frequency on division of labour in social insect societies

Division of labour is one of the most prominent features of social insects. The efficient allocation of individuals to different tasks requires dynamic adjustment in response to environmental perturbations. Theoretical models suggest that the colony-level flexibility in responding to external changes and internal perturbation may depend on the within-colony genetic diversity, which is affected by the number of breeding individuals. However, these models have not considered the genetic architecture underlying the propensity of workers to perform the various tasks. Here, we investigated how both within-colony genetic variability (stemming from variation in the number of matings by queens) and the number of genes influencing the stimulus (threshold) for a given task at which workers begin to perform that task jointly influence task allocation efficiency. We used a numerical agent-based model to investigate the situation where workers had to perform either a regulatory task or a foraging task. One hundred generations of artificial selection in populations consisting of 500 colonies revealed that an increased number of matings always improved colony performance, whatever the number of loci encoding the thresholds of the regulatory and foraging tasks. However, the beneficial effect of additional matings was particularly important when the genetic architecture of queens comprised one or a few genes for the foraging task’s threshold. By contrast, a higher number of genes encoding the foraging task reduced colony performance with the detrimental effect being stronger when queens had mated with several males. Finally, the number of genes encoding the threshold for the regulatory task only had a minor effect on colony performance. Overall, our numerical experiments support the importance of mating frequency on efficiency of division of labour and also reveal complex interactions between the number of matings and genetic architecture.     

Hypomandibular faciocranial dysostosis in consanguineous parents revealed by ultrasound prenatal diagnosis

We report here the fourth case of hypomandibular faciocranial dysostosis (HFD). The diagnosis was made at birth on the association of severe retrognathia, microstomia, severe hypoglossia with glossoptosis, persistent buccopharyngeal membrane, median cleft palate, bifid uvula, down-slanting palpebral fissures, short nose with anteverted nares, laryngeal hypoplasia, and low-set ears. A severe microstomia and micrognathia were detected by ultrasound at 31 weeks of gestation. Interestingly, even though the present case exhibits many facial dysmorphic features characteristic of HFD, craniosynostosis was absent. This report suggests that craniosynostosis is not mandatory for the diagnosis of this condition. Furthermore, we present a new argument for an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance for HFD. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phenotypic plasticity and “cultural transmission” of alternative social organizations in the fire ant Solenopsis invicta

Summary We investigated the process of sexual maturation in winged queens of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, a species with two distinct forms of social organization. We found that queens of the monogynous social form (single reproductive queen per colony) differ little or not at all from queens of the polygynous form (multiple reproductive queens per colony) in weight and fat content when these are pupae or newly-eclosed adults. Furthermore, the size of a sclerotized region of the adult thorax, which is set during larval growth, does not differ between queens of the two forms. In contrast, winged queens of the two social forms differ dramatically in their physiological phenotypes once they have matured, with monogynous queens weighing more and having greater fat reserves than polygynous queens. A crossfostering experiment revealed that the different maturation processes of queens of the two forms are induced largely by the type of colony in which a queen matures (monogynous or polygynous) rather than being due to intrinsic genetic differences between the forms. However, genetic variation at a single locus does appear to play some role in determining physiological phenotype in queens of the polygynous form, providing an example of genotype-environment interaction in the expression of these physiological traits. Differences between the social forms in the mature phenotypes that are produced constrain the reproductive options of queens, so that the characteristic social organization of a colony is perpetuated by virtue of the social environment in which new queens are reared. Correspondence to: L. Keller     

Listriodon guptai Pilgrim, 1926 (Mammalia, Suidae) from the early Miocene of the Bugti Hills, Balochistan, Pakistan: new insights into early Listriodontinae evolution and biogeography

New dental remains of listriodont suids are described from the lower member of the early to middle Miocene Vihowa Formation of the Bugti Hills, Pakistan. The material is homogeneous in terms of morphology and dimensions and referred as a whole to Listriodon guptai Pilgrim, 1926. This species is also mentioned in coeval deposits of the Zinda Pir Dome, Pakistan, dating back to ca. 19 Ma. The early occurrence of an advanced listriodont in Pakistan constrains the age of acquisition of several characters correlated to lophodonty within Listriodontini, and raises major questions about the early history of the Old World Listriodontinae. Strong morphological similarity between Listriodon guptai and the African species Listriodon akatikubas found in the late early Miocene of Maboko (Kenya, ca. 16.5 Ma) suggests that this latter is most probably a migrant originating from Asia.     

Dental microwear in relation to changes in the direction of mastication during the evolution of Myodonta (Rodentia,Mammalia)

Observations of dental microwear are used to analyse the correlation between changes in molar tooth crown morphology and the direction of masticatory movement during the evolution of Myodonta (Rodentia, Mammalia). The studied sample includes 36 specimens representing both superfamilies of Myodonta (Muroidea and Dipodoidea) spanning 16 dipodoid and 9 muroid species. Microscopic scratches on occlusal surfaces resulting from contact between opposite teeth during mastication are analysed. Using these features, we determine the direction of masticatory movements. Microwear patterns display diverse orientations among Dipodoidea: oblique in Sicistinae, Euchoreutinae and Zapodinae, propalinal in Dipodinae and intermediary in Allactaginae. Similarly, Muroidea exhibit the following orientations: oblique in Cricetinae and propalinal in Arvicolinae, Cricetomyinae, Gerbillinae and Murinae. These various chewing types illustrate different evolutionary grades within the superfamilies. Acquisition of the antero-posterior masticatory movement in Dipodoidea is related to flattening of the molar occlusal surface. However, in some muroid subfamilies, this direction of mastication is associated with low-crowned and cuspidate molars (Cricetomyinae, Murinae).     

Factors affecting trace element content in periurban market garden subsoil in Yunnan Province, China

Field investigations were conducted to measure subsoil trace element content and factors influencing content in an intensive periurban market garden in Chenggong County,Yunnan Province,South-West China.The area was divided into three different geomorphological units:specifically,mountain (M),transition (T) and lacustrine (L).Mean trace element content in subsoil were determined for Pb (58.2 mg/kg),Cd (0.89 mg/kg),Cu (129.2 mg/kg),and Zn (97.0 mg/kg).Strong significant relationships between trace element con...     

Valuations of Transport Nuisances and Cognitive Biases: A Survey Laboratory Experiment in the Pyrenees Region

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - We designed a survey that aims at estimating individual willingness-to-pay to reduce noise and air pollution arising from transportation activity near the...