Sonographically determined anomalies and outcome in 170 chromosomally abnormal fetuses

Structural pathology and outcome were studied in 170 chromosomally abnormal fetuses. Numerical chromosomal abnormalities were established in 158 (93 per cent) cases, of which 110 (71 per cent) represented trisomies, 30 (18 per cent) Turner syndrome, and 18 (11 per cent) triploidy. Structural chromosomal abnormalities were diagnosed in 12 (7 per cent) cases. Gestational age at referral was significantly shorter for pregnancies with Turner syndrome than for the other chromosomal abnormalities. Referral before 20 weeks of gestation was mainly based on fetal structural pathology alone (92 per cent); after 20 weeks, patients were referred because of structural pathology combined with small for gestational age, oligohydramnios, or polyhydramnios. Referral as a result of suspected multiple organ pathology occurred in 73.5 per cent of pregnancies. An abnormal amniotic fluid volume was present in 59/170 (34.5 per cent) chromosomally affected pregnancies, i.e., oligohydramnios in 31 and polyhydramnios in 28 cases. Birth weight was below the tenth percentile in over half of the chromosomally abnormal fetuses, except for Turnersyndrome. Fetal outcome was poor, with a survival rate at 1 month of 30 per cent for trisomies which was mainly determined by trisomy 21 (14/18=77.5 per cent).     

Fetal ductus venosus flow velocity waveforms and maternal serum afp before and after first-trimester transabdominal chorionic villus sampling

Doppler flow velocity waveform recording in the fetal ductus venosus and umbilical artery as well as maternal blood sampling for serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) was performed before and after transabdominal chorion villus sampling (TACVS) in 36 women of advanced maternal age (≥ 36 years). Gestational age ranged between 11 and 13 weeks. No chromosomal anomaly was detected. No statistically significant difference was observed in ductus venosus velocity parameters or in the umbilical artery pulsatility index (PI) before and after CVS in 35 women with a normal pregnancy outcome. One case resulted in fetal loss. Post-CVS median MSAFP levels at 12 weeks (25 kIU/1) and 13 weeks (35 kIU/1) were significantly higher than pre-CVS levels. In three cases, post-CVS MSAFP levels were higher than 600 kIU/1, correlating with feto-maternal transfusions of approximately 1.0–1.4 ml, i.e., of around 40 per cent of feto-placental blood volume. One of these cases displayed absence of fetal peripheral blood flow velocities and fetal bradycardia following TACVS, resulting in fetal loss 1 week later. The remaining two cases had a normal pregnancy outcome, but showed a more than 50 per cent reduction in ductus venosus velocity after TACVS, whereas umbilical artery PI remained unchanged. However, similar velocity changes were associated with only small feto-maternal transfusions. Umbilical artery PI values remained unchanged.     

Leaf habit and woodiness regulate different leaf economy traits at a given nutrient supply

The large variation in the relationships between environmental factors and plant traits observed in natural communities exemplifies the alternative solutions that plants have developed in response to the same environmental limitations. Qualitative attributes, such as growth form, woodiness, and leaf habit can be used to approximate these alternative solutions. Here, we quantified the extent to which these attributes affect leaf trait values at a given resource supply level, using measured plant traits from 105 different species (254 observations) distributed across 50 sites in mesic to wet plant communities in The Netherlands. For each site, soil total N, soil total P, and water supply estimates were obtained by field measurements and modeling. Effects of growth forms, woodiness, and leaf habit on relations between leaf traits (SLA, specific leaf area; LNC, leaf nitrogen concentration; and LPC, leaf phosphorus concentration) vs. nutrient and water supply were quantified using maximum-likelihood methods and Bonferroni post hoc tests. The qualitative attributes explained 8-23% of the variance within sites in leaf traits vs. soil fertility relationships, and therefore they can potentially be used to make better predictions of global patterns of leaf traits in relation to nutrient supply. However, at a given soil fertility, the strength of the effect of each qualitative attribute was not the same for all leaf traits. These differences may imply a differential regulation of the leaf economy traits at a given nutrient supply, in which SLA and LPC seem to be regulated in accordance to changes in plant size and architecture while LNC seems to be primarily regulated at the leaf level by factors related to leaf longevity.     

Aggregation pheromone compounds of the black larder beetle Dermestes haemorrhoidalis Kuster (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

Gas chromatography with simultaneous flame ionisation and electroantennographic detection (GC–EAD) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis (GC–MS) of abdominal extracts of adult male Dermestes haemorrhoidalis Kuster (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) revealed the presence of electrophysiologically and behaviourally active compounds to its conspecific males and females. Isopropyl dodecanoate (3), isopropyl (Z)-9-tetradecenoate (5), isopropyl tetradecanoate (6), isopropyl (Z)-9-hexadecenoate (7) and isopropyl hexadecanoate (8) were detected in male abdominal extracts only. Analysis of collected male headspace volatiles revealed the presence of six EAD-active compounds (3), (5), (6) and isopropyl tridecanoate (4) plus two unidentified compounds (1) and (9). Synthetic compounds (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) showed EAD activity with antennae of both sexes in contrast to synthetic (8) which showed EAD activity with female antennae only. Male and female antennae of D. haemorrhoidalis reacted with high receptor potentials to isopropyl (Z)-9-dodecenoate (2), although this compound itself was detected in neither male nor female abdominal extracts or headspace volatiles. Petri dish bioassays indicated that male abdominal extracts and compounds (2), (3), (5) and (6) aroused and attracted conspecific male and female beetles significantly (P < 0.05) compared to female extracts. These results suggested the presence of a male-produced aggregation pheromone in D. haemorrhoidalis. Field assays with any of the described compounds, however, did not result in attraction of this beetle in significant numbers.     

Transport of the insecticides chlorpyrifos,chlorfenvinphos, carbofuran,carbosulfan, and furathiocarb from soil into the foliage of cauliflower and Brussels sprouts plants grown in the field

In several field assays made in different locations in 1988 and 1989, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts plants were treated some days after plantation by pouring onto soil around the stem of the plant one of the insecticides chlorpyrifos, chlorfenvinphos, carbofuran, carbosulfan, or furathiocarb, for protection against the root fly. During plant growth, each of the insecticides (and their soil metabolites) was transported from soil into the plant foliage, where it could give—during a certain period of time—a secondary plant protection against the foliage insects. The foliage concentrations of the non systemic chlorpyrifos and chlorfenvinphos were equal or greater than 1 mg/kg fresh weight during a period of about 44 days after soil treatment in Brussels sprouts crops, and 35 days in cauliflower crops. Comparison of 1988 and 1989 however showed that these periods of time changed according to the weather conditions, especially rainfall. These periods of time were greater when the insecticide soil concentrations were greater—and thus when the rates of insecticide soil metabolism were smaller— and when the rainfall were greater—water transporting the insecticides from soil to the foliage. Similar relationships were observed with the systemic insecticides carbofuran, carbosulfan and furathiocarb; the weights per plant of insecticide compounds transported from soil into the foliage however were greater with these systemic insecticides than they were with the non systemic chlorpyrifos and chlorfenvinphos. The extreme values observed for the periods of time of insecticide foliage concentrations equal or greater than 1 mg/kg fresh weight thus were: 1. in cauliflower crops: 21 to 36 days for chlorpyrifos, and 23 to 39 days for chlorpyrifos + oxon; 24 to 37 days for chlorfenvinphos; 20 to 48 days for carbofuran; 2. in Brussels sprouts crops: 43 to 49 days for chlorpyrifos; 47 to 53 days for chlorpyrifos + oxon; 41 to 45 days for chlorfenvinphos; between 2 to 3 months for carbofuran, carbofuran + carbosulfan, and carbofuran + furathiocarb in the fields treated respectively with either carbofuran, carbosulfan, or furathiocarb. Moreover, in the spring and summer cauliflower crops made on fields onto which continuous cauliflower crops—with their soil insecticide treatments—had been made since a greater number of years (greater soil “history”), the insecticide compounds soil and foliage concentrations generally were lower.     

Distribution and sources of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the River Rhine watershed

The concentration profile of 40 polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface water along the River Rhine watershed from the Lake Constance to the North Sea was investigated. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of point as well as diffuse sources, to estimate fluxes of PFAS into the North Sea and to identify replacement compounds of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). In addition, an interlaboratory comparison of the method performance was conducted. The PFAS pattern was dominated by perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) with concentrations up to 181 ng/L and 335 ng/L, respectively, which originated from industrial point sources. Fluxes of ΣPFAS were estimated to be ∼6 tonnes/year which is much higher than previous estimations. Both, the River Rhine and the River Scheldt, seem to act as important sources of PFAS into the North Sea.     

Evaluation of stakeholder participation in monitoring regional sustainable development

This paper presents a theoretical framework that can be used to discuss the question of how context, time and different participatory process designs influence the results of participatory monitoring projects in terms of concrete outputs (such as sustainability indicators) and the more intangible social outcomes (such as learning and stakeholder relations). We will discuss and compare four different cases of participatory monitoring of provincial sustainable development in the Netherlands. The results show sustainability issues selected by the stakeholders reflect the socio-economic and ecological structural characteristics of their region. In a different context, stakeholders not only assign different weights to the same set of issues, but more importantly they select a completely different set of regional aims altogether. Since these regional structural characteristics only change slowly over time, the influence of time on stakeholder preferences is shown to be only of minor importance. However, the dissipation of learning effects is shown to be a fundamental challenge for the cyclical nature of participatory monitoring, especially when its goal is shared agenda building. Another important conclusion is that, in the design of participatory processes, more attention should be devoted to providing stakeholders with the opportunity to comment on an ‘intermediate’ product.     

Proposal for a Transatlantic Platform for Consumer Concerns and International Trade

Consumer concerns pop up. They are relatedto the safety of agrifood products for people, foranimals, and for the environment as well as the socialand ethical implications of certain agrifoodproduction methods. At first sight, the WTO agreementand the SPS and TBT agreements appear to offersufficient legal scope to deal with these concerns andresolve trade conflicts. The events of recent years,however, have shown the limitations of theseagreements in dealing with cultural differencesbetween nations and in dealing with the social andpolitical pressure on national governments to lay downrestrictive, trade distorting measures. It is vitalthat we consider the dynamic relationship betweennational governments, civil society, and the market.In the United States, Canada, and Europe, thisrealization is growing. We propose that these issuesshould be studied by experts in several disciplines:technical experts, hygiene experts and veterinarians,public administration experts, lawyers, philosophers,ethicists, sociologists, and, of course, economists.To unite these disciplines and provide a platform fordiscussion in the light of international tradeliberalisation, the cultural identity of distinctcommunities, and the functioning of the democraticnation state an international network is needed. Wetherefore propose establishing a network to explorethe issues and dynamics described above. The networkshould be international and interdisciplinary withparticipants, initially, from science and government.The purpose of the network would be to present newperspectives to the negotiating parties in the nextWTO round. The first steps to development of thisnetwork have since been taken and an initial group hasbeen established.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Ants use directionless odour cues to recall odour-associated locations

Ants are key model organisms in the study of navigation and memory formation. Many ants learn food locations very quickly and with high accuracy. But can individual ants learn multiple separate food locations, associate them with a cue, and then correctly recall the food location and navigate towards it when later presented with that cue? In this experiment, we sequentially trained Lasius niger foragers to two scented feeders at either end of a T-maze. The next day, an odour cue corresponding to one of the food sources was presented to the ants in the air, on the substrate and via trophallaxis with nest mates. Trained foragers accurately navigated to the correct side of the T-maze (89 % correct decisions), but only after the first 10 min of testing. This demonstrates the ability of ants to perform associative recall, forming clear associates between odour cues and food locations and using these associations to navigate to food sources. We also found that trained ants in the first 10 min of testing showed no preference for the correct side (57 % correct decisions), which may be related to the motivational state of the ants tested. Ants with different motivational states (whether they are ‘scouting’ or ‘recruited’) made use of route memories in a completely different manner. This highlights the importance of taking account of motivational states when performing behavioural experiments.