The association between ‘faint-positive’ amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase and fetal malformations

The finding of a ‘faint-positive’ acetylcholinesterase band in amniotic fluid samples of women at 15 weeks' gestation or above is associated with an increased risk of fetal abnormalities, most commonly gastroschisis. This finding warrants a targeted sonographic evaluation, in order to rule out significant fetal malformations.     

Assessment of the phototoxicity of weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil to juvenile pink salmon

Petroleum products are known to have greater toxicity to the translucent embryos and larvae of aquatic organisms in the presence of ultraviolet radiation (UV) compared to toxicity determined in tests performed under standard laboratory lighting with minimal UV. This study assessed the acute phototoxicity of the water accommodated fractions of weathered Alaska North Slope crude oil (ANS) to juvenile pink salmon, which are a heavily pigmented life stage. Fish in the highest ANS treatments exhibited melanosis, less mobility, reduced startle response, erratic swimming, and loss of equilibrium. Gills from fish exposed to ANS had elevated levels of hydroperoxides in oil-only, UV-only, and oil+UV treatments compared to control fish, which was indicative of increased lipid peroxidation in gill tissue. Under the test conditions of moderate salinity, low UV and high short-term oil exposure there were no indications of photoenhanced toxicity as assessed by elevation of mortality, behavioral impairment, or gill lipid peroxidation in oil+UV treatments. The results of this study suggest that pink salmon may be at less risk from photoenhanced toxicity compared to the translucent early-life stages of several other Alaska species.     

Multi-Objective Environmental Management in Constructed Wetlands

We examined multi-objective environmental management as applied to pursuing concurrent goals of water treatment, biodiversity and promotion of recreation in constructed wetlands. A case study of a wetland established to treat landfill leachate, increase biodiversity, and promote recreation was evaluated. The study showed that attempts to combine pollution management with activities promoting biodiversity or recreation are problematic in constructed wetlands. This could be because the typical single-objective focus of scientific research leads to contradictions when planning, implementing and assessing the multi-objective use of wetlands. In the specific case of wetland filters for landfill leachate treatment, biodiversity, and recreation, there is a need for further research that meet practical needs to secure positive outcomes.     

Estimating the total oxidant demand for in situ chemical oxidation design

Analytical techniques for designing of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) to treat organics in soil and groundwater are emerging. There are several issues that need to be resolved prior to adopting a standard analytical technique. Some of the more salient issues are discussed. In addition, currently practiced analytical techniques for estimating the oxidant demand for the oxidants permanganate and persulfate are provided. In the absence of analytical measurements, rules of thumb can be used with caution to estimate the overall oxidant demand. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Brood guarding and the evolution of male parental care in burying beetles

Summary Parental behavior that has an impact on the increased survival of offspring, an important factor in the evolution of parental care, can include both guarding and provisioning. The effects of these two components of parental care can be separated and quantified in the burying beetle Nicrophorus orbicollis in which both male and female cooperate to rear young. Although in the absence of competition, reproductive success is reduced by the presence of the second parent in the brood chamber, two parents dramatically reduce the probability that conspecifics will usurp the resource, replace either the male or female, kill the newly hatched brood, and produce a replacement clutch. After the establishment of the burial chamber (but not before) beetles appear to assist their mates in driving off intrasexual competitors. Male assistance in burial does not account for very much of the variance in the speed in which the carcass can be concealed nor are two parents essential to guard against insect predators. There were no significant differences in the duration of parental care by males paired with virgin and non-virgin females suggesting that paternity of the brood for which the male provides care is not a factor determining the length of care. Since male and female reproductive success is limited in Nicrophorus by access to suitable carcasses, many of the typical asymmetries in the costs and benefits of parental care are lacking. However since sperm displacement is not complete, paternity of the replacement clutch, for which the male does not provide care, may be a factor encouraging male desertion before female desertion. Other factors important in the evolution of paternal care, especially the probability of additional reproductive opportunities, are discussed.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Nicotiana attenuata, a model ecological expression system

Summary. Research into the genetic basis of the ecological sophistication of plants is hampered by the availability of transformable systems with a wealth of well-described ecological interactions. We present an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for the model ecological expression system, Nicotiana attenuata, a native tobacco that occupies the post-fire niche in the Great Basin Desert of North America. We describe a transformation vector and a transformation procedure that differs from the standard cultivated tobacco transformation protocols in its use of selectable markers, explants, media and cultivation conditions. We illustrate its utility in the transformations with genes coding for key enzymes in the oxylipin cascade (lipoxygenase, allene oxide synthase, hydroperoxide lyase) in antisense orientations and present high-throughput screens useful for the detection of altered phenotypes for the oxylipin cascade (green leaf volatiles and jasmonic acid after wounding). Received 14 March 2002; accepted 10 May 2002     

Conservation Implications of Host Use for Rare Parasitic Plants

Both the study and management of parasites have historically focused on the control, and even elimination, of parasite populations. In contrast, rare parasitic plants represent an uncommon challenge for conservation biologists and managers who often wish to bolster populations of these parasites. Although parasitic plants may suffer any of the maladies known to affect small populations of plants, parasitic plants may also be limited by the additional suite of factors of host availability, host quality, host resistance to parasitism, and parasite preference. We describe studies that have examined parasite growth and reproductive performance with a variety of host species to argue that consideration of the host needs of parasitic plants is necessary for successful conservation of rare species using this mode of resource acquisition. Although it is clear that parasite performance varies greatly with the availability of different host species, little is known about the host requirements of most parasitic plants, and the relative importance of particular host species may not immediately be obvious. Further, because published host lists generally do not distinguish minor hosts from those that sustain parasite populations, such lists may be misleading for conservation efforts. We argue that successful conservation and restoration of parasitic plants may necessitate the management of thoughtfully selected host populations.     

Reproductive dominance and differential ovicide in the communally breeding burying beetle Nicrophorus tomentosus

Communal breeding can be characterized by the division of reproduction among cooperating individuals and, if the distribution of reproduction is inequitable, by the mechanisms for achieving skewed reproductive success. The burying beetle (Nicrophorus tomentosus) is a facultative communal breeder. Unrelated adults, especially females, provide extensive parental care to broods of mixed parentage. The frequency and degree of reproductive skew between two females were examined experimentally. On medium-size carcasses, the proportion of eggs attributed to each female was not significantly different from random in 42% of the broods, skewed in 42% and not shared in 16%. Although reproduction was usually skewed in favor of the larger female, the relative sizes of the two females did not predict the degree of skew. On large carcasses, the proportion of eggs attributed to each female was not different from random in 87% of the broods and weakly skewed in 13%. Several mechanisms for biasing reproductive success were investigated. Females increase the proportion of their offspring in the brood by committing differential ovicide. Secondly, burying and preparing a carcass cooperatively stimulates ovarian development of the larger female and slows it for the smaller female, reducing or delaying oviposition by the subordinate. Thirdly, larger females are more likely to be dominant and are more fecund than smaller females. Received: 20 July 1996 / Accepted after revision: 30 November 1996     

New Proof-of-Concept in Viral Inactivation: Virucidal Efficacy of 405 nm Light Against Feline Calicivirus as a Model for Norovirus Decontamination

The requirement for novel decontamination technologies for use in hospitals is ever present. One such system uses 405 nm visible light to inactivate microorganisms via ROS-generated oxidative damage. Although effective for bacterial and fungal inactivation, little is known about the virucidal effects of 405 nm light. Norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis outbreaks often occur in the clinical setting, and this study was designed to investigate potential inactivation effects of 405 nm light on the NoV surrogate, feline calicivirus (FCV). FCV was exposed to 405 nm light whilst suspended in minimal and organically-rich media to establish the virucidal efficacy and the effect biologically-relevant material may play in viral susceptibility. Antiviral activity was successfully demonstrated with a 4 Log₁₀ (99.99%) reduction in infectivity when suspended in minimal media evident after a dose of 2.8 kJ cm^?2. FCV exposed in artificial faeces, artificial saliva, blood plasma and other organically rich media exhibited an equivalent level of inactivation using between 50–85% less dose of the light, indicating enhanced inactivation when the virus is present in organically-rich biologically-relevant media. Further research in this area could aid in the development of 405 nm light technology for effective NoV decontamination within the hospital environment.