First-trimester free beta (hCG) screening for Down syndrome

Maternal serum free beta (hCG) levels are elevated (median 2·20 MOM) in the first trimester of pregnancy in 38 Down syndrome cases as compared with appropriate controls. This observation may form the basis for its use as a marker in screening for Down syndrome in the first trimester. Altered levels of the free beta analyte are observed in pregnancy conditions or complications other than Down syndrome.     

The ladybird<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Thalassa saginata</Emphasis>, an obligatory myrmecophile of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Dolichoderus bidens</Emphasis> ant colonies

The larvae and pupae of the ladybird Thalassa saginata develop inside colonies of the dolichoderine ant Dolichoderus bidens. This association is the first specific and obligatory relationship recorded between ants and ladybirds. The ants provide shelter and protection to the larvae but the diet of the latter remains unclear. The integration of T. saginata larvae into the ant colonies is achieved by mimicking the cuticular patterns of the ants brood. Moreover, the larvae secrete substances from their hairs and anal gland that are likely to enhance their attractiveness.     

Fetal translocation between chromosomes 2, 18, and 21 resolved by fish

An apparently balanced t(2q;21q) translocation was discovered in fetal blood and amniocytes of a 22-week fetus, monitored because of ultrasonographic evidence of a heart disease. FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) analysis disclosed a complex translocation between chromosomes 2q, 18q, and 21q, which was inherited from the healthy mother. This observation corroborates the usefulness of molecular cytogenetic techniques in raising the quality of prenatal diagnosis and detecting subtle rearrangements not resolved by standard cytogenetics.     

Landscape Structure and Historical Processes Along Diked European Valleys: A Case Study of the Arc/Isère Confluence (Savoie, France)

/ The valleys of European piedmonts constitute changing narrow corridors within which water, matter, nutrients, energy, and species flow. The dispersion patterns of these flows have been significantly disturbed since the end of the 18th century. Thus, western European valleys have been changed into complex mosaics by implementation of socioeconomical programs. In order to define future actions allowing the preservation of this "ecocomplex" (Blandin and Lamotte 1988), it is necessary to gather precise information of the landscape dynamics. Hence, the study of the European river valleys must be based upon two major steps: (1)the analysis of the present landscape with suitable remote sensing techniques, allowing us to map the complex mosaic of narrow corridors; and (2) the analysis of temporal landscape development patterns since the first engineering works that have transformed the braided channel system. In this paper, the efficiency of the addition of two techniques is highlighted: (1) the "wavelet merging method" from multispectral and panchromatic SPOT images for the floodplain land-cover mapping, and (2) the historical reconstruction techniques from old maps and archive documents in order to analyze the cumulative impacts of engineering works on landscape diversity. To illustrate the method, a particularly complex case study is chosen: the Arc/Isere confluence (downstream from Albertville, Savoie, France). Remote sensing, field survey, and historical reconstruction allowed us to distinguish two types of spatial units: (1) the "functional sets" characterized by independent state factors (edaphic, hydrological, and topographic) and supporting a limited number of vegetation types (spontaneous or cultivated), and (2) the functional unit (= ecotope), which corresponds to a unique combination of vegetation type/functional set.KEY WORDS: Landscape ecology; Floodplains; Vegetation; Land use; Remote sensing; Historical reconstruction; Mapping; Merging methods; Human impacts; Alps; Isere river; France     

Adenylate cyclase of Mytilus galloprovincialis posterior adductor muscle: basal properties and sensitivity to serotonin

The presence and characteristics of a membrane-bound adenylate cyclase from Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk posterior adductor muscle have been investigated. The enzyme has a Michaelis constant (K _m) of 0.38 mM at 20°C and requires divalent cations (Mg²⁺/Mn²⁺) for its activity. Optimal GTP concentrations are between 10^-5 and 10^-4 M. The non-hydrolizable GTP-analogues GMPpNHp and GTPS increase the activity of the enzyme four- to ten-fold. Sodium fluoride stimulates the enzymatic activity seven- to eight-fold. Forskolin increases the enzymatic activity two- to three-fold. Serotonin stimulates the adenylate cyclase activity in a dose-dependent manner. These experiments were performed with mussels collected from the estuary of Muros, Spain, in 1990.     

Development of Layered Sediment Structure and its Effects on Pore Water Transport and Hyporheic Exchange

Hyporheic exchange is known to provide an important control on nutrient and contaminant fluxes across the stream-subsurface interface. Similar processes also mediate interfacial transport in other permeable sediments. Recent research has focused on understanding the mechanics of these exchange processes and improving estimation of exchange rates in natural systems. While the structure of sediment beds obviously influences pore water flow rates and patterns, little is known about the interplay of typical sedimentary structures, hyporheic exchange, and other transport processes in fluvial/alluvial sediments. Here we discuss several processes that contribute to local-scale sediment heterogeneity and present results that illustrate the interaction of overlying flow conditions, the development of sediment structure, pore water transport, and stream-subsurface exchange. Layered structures are shown to develop at several scales within sediment beds. Surface sampling is used to analyze the development of an armor layer in a sand-and-gravel bed, while innovative synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography is used to observe patterns of grain sorting within sand bedforms. We show that layered bed structures involving coarsening of the bed surface increase interfacial solute flux but produce an effective anisotropy that favors horizontal pore water transport while limiting vertical penetration.     

NITROGEN AND ORGANIC MATTER LOSSES IN NO‐TILL CORN CROPPING SYSTEMS1

ABSTRACT: Intensive cropping systems based on mechanical movement of soil have induced land degradation in most agricultural areas due to soil erosion and soil fertility losses. Thus, farmers have been increasing fertilization rates to maintain an economically competitive crop yield. This practice has resulted in water quality degradation and lake eutrophication in many agricultural watersheds. Research was conducted in the Patzcuaro watershed in central Mexico to develop appropriate technology that prevents nonpoint source pollution from fertilizers. Organic matter (OM) and nitrogen (N) losses in runoff and nitrate (NO₃‐N) percolation in Andisols with corn under conventional till (CT) and no‐till (NT) treatments using variable percentages of crop residue as soil cover were investigated for steep‐slope agriculture. USLE type runoff plots were used to collect water runoff, while suction tubes with porous caps at 30, 60, and 90 cm depth were used to sample soil water solutes for NO₃‐N analyses. Results indicated a significant reduction of N and OM losses in runoff as residue cover increased in the NT treatments. Inorganic N in runoff was 25 kg/ha for NT without residue cover (NT‐0) and 6 kg/ha for the NT with 100 percent residue cover (NT‐100). Organic matter losses in runoff were 157 and 24 kg/ha for the NT‐0 and NT‐100 treatments, respectively. Nitrate‐N percolation was evident in CT and NT with 100 percent residue cover (NT‐100). However, NT‐100 had higher NO₃‐N concentration at the root zone, suggesting the possibility of reducing fertilization rates with the use of NT treatments.