Prenatal assessment and management of sacrococcygeal teratoma

Sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is one of the most common tumors in newborns with a birth prevalence of up to 1 in 21 700 births. Routine fetal anomaly screening programs allow for prenatal diagnosis in many cases. Fetal ultrasound with Doppler evaluation and more recently magnetic resonance imaging may be used to document the extent of the tumor as well as identifying the population at risk for serious fetal complications. Rapidly growing SCT and highly vascularized tumors are more likely to have hemodynamic repercussions. Fetal hydrops is usually considered as a poor prognostic marker and a potential indicator for fetal intervention. Newborns with SCT require stabilization prior to early surgical resection. In case of malignancy additional chemotherapy may be required. SCT may result in significant morbidity, either directly or as a consequence of surgical therapy. Careful postnatal follow-up is required for timely identification and treatment of complications as well as recurrence. This paper aims to review the perinatal management of this condition. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Typology of scientific reflections needed for sustainability science development

Sustainability science is at an early stage of development. Among many other obstacles, there are two prominent issues hindering its advance. There is both a lack of a set of principles for knowledge construction, and a need to implement research to solve real problems. This paper proposes a typology of scientific reflections for meeting these two challenges and contributing to sustainability science development. This typology is made up of four kinds of reflection: practical, instrumental-methodological, theoretical-conceptual, and onto-epistemological. Each kind of reflection is based on a different type of question and gives shape to its respective type of research.     

Debates on Sustainable Development: Towards a Holistic View of Reality

The paper analyzes the concept of sustainable development in the light of the different interpretations existing on the issue since its appearance and establishment as an ideal to lead humanity’s line of progress. Within these interpretations, a characteristic generation of diverse debates can be appreciated, arising from different perspectives, academic as well as ideological, aiming at describing, clarifying and determining their conceptual reach. Based on these facts a model of categorization for these debates has developed, a model in which interpretations generated on the concept of sustainable development were catalogued into four realms: conceptual, contextual, academic and geopolitical. The configuration of these four areas of debate, as well as the recognition of the diversity of interpretations existing on sustainable development, is a reflection of the intrinsic complexity of the phenomena, which affect the natural and social world, both at the local and global level. The analysis of this complexity is based on the subjectivity, which is inherent to the interpretation of these phenomena, with permanent reference to the cultural context from which the diverse discourses were structured. This global perspective on the state-of-the-art controversy concerning the idea of sustainable development as an articulatory axis reveals the necessity of building epistemological models, which can give a new direction to scientific research. From these new models, based on the analysis of the holistic character of reality, the subjective and the objective must be integrated in the generation of knowledge, which contributes usefully to the unceasing reconstruction of our world-(view). Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

The asymmetric scent: ringtailed lemurs (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lemur catta</Emphasis>) have distinct chemical signatures in left and right brachial glands

Distinctive cues are predicted to evolve when the benefits obtained by the recognition process overcome its costs. When individual recognition is particularly beneficial for both senders and receivers, the expression of strongly distinctive signals is predicted to evolve. On the other hand, it could be predicted that each individual should show a very stable individual signature. In the same perspective, a great stability of the individual signatures could be expected. Lemur catta is the first non-human primate in which olfactory individual recognition has been demonstrated on the basis of the specialized brachial gland secretions. In this paper, I performed gas chromatograph analyses of right and left gland samples collected in two different periods (breeding and non-breeding seasons) from seven males. The aim was to verify if a diversification in such cues, already demonstrated at the inter-individual level, also occurs at the intra-individual level between left and right glands. I verified, by discriminant analysis and chemical distance comparisons, that each gland of each lemur has its particular signature that is maintained through time. Moreover, such diversification resulted so marked to make the overall intra-individual chemical differences similar to/as strong as the inter-individual ones. Since in rodents several odors from different glands may be integrated in individual recognition, I suggest that bilateral diversification in L. catta scents may offer an enhanced distinctiveness that could provide benefits in mate choice and social relationships.     

Phenotypic plasticity in a mutualistic association between the sponge Haliclona caerulea and the calcareous macroalga Jania adherens induced by transplanting experiments. I: morphological responses of the sponge

The mutualistic association between the sponge Haliclona caerulea and the calcareous red macroalga Jania adherens is conspicuous on shallow rocky regions of Mazatlán Bay (eastern tropical Pacific, Mexico). Transplanting experiments were carried out to examine the morphological responses of the association to an environmental depth gradient. Simultaneously, we conducted caging experiments to examine the effects of predation (mainly by angelfishes) on association morphology. For this, we transplanted specimens of the association from a control area at 3 m depth to depths of 1 and 5 m, and measured the morphological responses in the association (macro- and microstructure) from the three sites before and after 103 days. The association had the capacity to adjust both macro and micromorphologically, and both external morphology and body structure changed significantly with depth. The specimens grown at 1 m developed a larger surface area of attachment, higher organic density and higher inorganic content than the control specimens at 3 m, and the organisms grown at 5 m depth. We also detected significant differences in the aquiferous system of the sponge, which developed smaller and more numerous oscula at 1 m than at 5 m depth. These differences seem to be consistent with the wave movement as one of the main regulatory factors of the morphology of the association. However, the spicules from H. caerulea were most slender in shallow water, which is not consistent with increasing robustness in the face of greater wave force. The algal skeleton supplied up to 27% of the total inorganic structure of the association; thus, algal contribution significantly reduces the energy costs of spicule production, specifically under high wave exposure, when H. caerulea requires structural reinforcement relative to organic content. The contribution of the sponge to the association (as ratio Si to CaCO₃) increased significantly from 3 to 5 m (12% in the uncaged specimens and 22% in the caged specimens), showing that the mutualistic relationship decreases with depth. The production of sponge branches in caged individuals was the most notable difference from uncaged morphs, which could suggest the effect of predators like angelfishes. However, branches could also be a response to the reduction in water movement and irradiance inside the cages. Sponges are known to show morphological acclimation in response to habitat variation, but this is the first study to show it in a sponge living in association with a macroalga.     

Hibernation clustering and its consequences for associative nest foundation in<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Polistes dominulus</Emphasis> (Hymenoptera Vespidae)

Various studies indicate that cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) act as cues for nestmate recognition in paper wasps and other social insects. A recent study showed that associative nest foundation in Polistes dominulus is mainly performed by foundresses coming from the same locality. In the present study, we induced future foundresses of P. dominulus collected in two different localities to hibernate in the laboratory in aggregates of individuals from the same or different localities. After 2 months of hibernation, foundresses from different localities but from the same experimental cluster did not show any preference to associate, at the time of nest foundation, with individuals coming from the same original locality. The cuticular chemical profiles of individuals from the mixed hibernation clusters were quite similar and significantly different from those of individuals which hibernated with other foundresses from the same locality. These findings suggest that, in this species, mechanisms other than nestmate chemical recognition play a major role in the spring association of gynes during the foundation of a new nest.Communicated by R.F.A. Moritz     

Azo-dyes photocatalytic degradation in aqueous suspension of TiO2 under solar irradiation

The photodegradation of two common and very stable azo-dyes, i.e. methyl-orange (C₁₄H₁₄N₃SO₃Na) and orange II (C₁₆H₁₁N₂SO₄Na), is reported. The photocatalytic oxidation was carried out in aqueous suspensions of polycrystalline TiO₂ irradiated by sunlight. Compound parabolic collectors, installed at the “Plataforma Solar de Almería” (PSA, Spain) were used as the photoreactors and two identical reacting systems allowed to perform photoreactivity runs for the two dyes at the same time and under the same irradiation conditions. The disappearance of colour and substrates together with the abatement of total organic carbon content was monitored. The main sulfonate-containing intermediates were found to be in lower number in respect to those obtained under artificial irradiation. In particular there were no more evidence of the presence of hydroxylated transients. The dependence of dye photooxidation rate on: (i) substrate concentration; (ii) catalyst amount; and (iii) initial pH was investigated. The influence of the presence of strong oxidant species (H₂O₂, S₂O₈²⁻) and some ions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻) on the process was also studied.     

Population dynamics of weeds in no-tillage and conventional crop systems

Population dynamics of weeds in successive maize and bean crops were evaluated in two soil management systems (conventional and no-tillage), for two maize applications (grain and silage), and in four consecutive growing seasons. Every year, conventional tillage consisted in plowing and harrowing before sowing. In no-tillage, chemical weed desiccation was made with the mixture glyphosate + 2.4-D. To control weeds, the mixture fluazifop-p-butil + fomesafen was applied on the bean crop in all the planting seasons, and the herbicides nicosulfuron + atrazine on maize after crop emergence (1998--1999, 1999--2000, 2001--2002) and atrazine + metolachlor before emergence (2000--2001). Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) was the most important species under conventional soil tillage; while in no-tillage the dicotyledonous weed species (Amaranthus deflexus, Bidens pilosa, Euphorbia heterophylla, Galinsoga parviflora Ipomoea grandifolia) were the most relevant. Regardless of the maize use, the C. rotundus population and tuber bank, with prevailingly dormant tubers, was considerably reduced in no-tillage compared with the conventional system.     

Fine roots in stands of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies along a gradient of soil acidification

Root length of naturally grown young beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) was investigated in 26 forest plots of differing base saturation and nitrogen deposition. The relative length of finest roots (<0.25 mm) was found to decrease in soils with low base saturation. A similar reduction of finest roots in plots with high nitrogen deposition was masked by the effect of base saturation. The formation of adventitious roots was enhanced in acidic soils. The analysis of 128 soil profiles for fine roots of all species present in stands of either Fagus sylvatica L., Picea abies [Karst.] L. or both showed a decreased rooting depth in soils with < or =20% base saturation and in hydromorphic soils. For base rich, well drained soils an average rooting depth of 108 cm was found. This decreased by 28 cm on acidic, well drained soils. The results suggest an effect of the current soil acidification in Switzerland and possibly also of nitrogen deposition on the fine root systems of forest trees.     

Biomonitoring the genotoxic effects of pollutants on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tradescantia pallida</Emphasis> (Rose) D.R. Hunt in Dourados,Brazil

Purpose  

This study aimed to associate the intensity of vehicular traffic in the city of Dourados (Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil) with mutagenic effects and alterations in leaf physiology as measured by the quantity of micronuclei and the leaf surface parameters of Tradescantia pallida.