Search

INTRODUCTION: Blood biomarkers have proven useful in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. However, little is known about their biological variation (BV), which improves the interpretation of individual‐level data. METHODS: We measured plasma amyloid beta (Aβ42, Aβ40), phosphorylated tau (p‐tau181, p‐tau217, p‐tau231), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light chain (NfL) in plasma samples collected weekly over 10 weeks from 20 participants aged 40 to 60 years from the European Biological Variation Study. We estimated within‐ (CVI) and between‐subject (CVG) BV, analytical variation, and reference change values (RCV). RESULTS: Biomarkers presented considerable variability in CVI and CVG. Aβ42/Aβ40 had the lowest CVI (≈ 3%) and p‐tau181 the highest (≈ 16%), while others ranged from 6% to 10%. Most RCVs ranged from 20% to 30% (decrease) and 25% to 40% (increase). DISCUSSION: BV estimates for AD plasma biomarkers can potentially refine their clinical and research interpretation. RCVs might be useful for detecting significant changes between serial measurements when monitoring early disease progression or interventions. Highlights: Plasma amyloid beta (Aβ42/Aβ40) presents the lowest between‐ and within‐subject biological variation, but also changes the least in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients versus controls.Plasma phosphorylated tau variants significantly vary in their within‐subject biological variation, but their substantial fold‐changes in AD likely limits the impact of their variability.Plasma neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein demonstrate high between‐subject variation, the impact of which will depend on clinical context.Reference change values can potentially be useful in monitoring early disease progression and the safety/efficacy of interventions on an individual level.Serial sampling revealed that unexpectedly high values in heathy individuals can be observed, which urges caution when interpreting AD plasma biomarkers based on a single test result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying genetic practice to current medicine has become more common and necessary in the prognosis, diagnosis and outcome of a myriad of diseases and disorders. Despite the general awareness of its importance, genetic knowledge still lacks direct application in daily orthodontic practice. The aim was to identify multiple genetic associations with orofacial phenotypes, highlight the importance of genetic influence in orthodontics, and describe challenges and gaps in integrating genetic knowledge in clinical practice. In the process, the influence of environmental factors on orofacial development and treatment is underscored, hence the role of epigenetics in regulating gene expression and tissue remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In veterinary medicine, measurement of canine C-reactive protein (cCRP) is used widely to detect inflammatory diseases. We evaluated the precision of Randox and Fuji assays for cCRP, as well as accuracy, correlation, and agreement compared to a reference ELISA. Blood samples from 71 client-owned dogs (20 healthy, 51 diseased) were analyzed with the 3 assays. Inter-assay CVs were ~3.5% with both the Randox and Fuji assays. The mean biases were −1.90% for the Randox and −5.93% for the Fuji test; the targeted biases were ~8.5% for both assays. The CV, bias, and observed total error were acceptable for the 2 assays compared to ASVCP recommendations based on biological variation studies. The Spearman correlation coefficient for cCRP concentration compared with the reference ELISA was 0.83 for the Randox test and 0.92 for the Fuji test. Both assays measured cCRP precisely at intermediate and increased concentrations. Correlation with the reference ELISA was good, and both assays could be used to evaluate cCRP concentrations in veterinary practice. However, the assays did not reach analytical agreement; hence the results obtained by these assays are not interchangeable, and serial monitoring of cCRP requires the use of the same assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the presence of body composition studies in Russia, there are no current reviews on this topic, and the results are relatively rarely published abroad. Our aim was to describe the history and current state of this research work, to list unresolved problems, and to outline possible developmental trends. For completeness, in the initial part of the review, traditional research areas indirectly related to body composition studies are considered, namely, the analysis of biological variation of anthropometric parameters and somatotyping. It can be seen that anthropometry and bioimpedance analysis (BIA) are mainly used to assess body composition in Russia. Other methods, such as double-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), are utilized less often. The achievements include the common use of comprehensive anthropometry in anthropological studies, some advancements in clinical studies, approbation of potentially important methods such as the deuterium dilution method and three-dimensional laser-based photonic scanning, and ongoing mass population BIA measurements in health centers. Various bioimpedance instruments are manufactured, the local reference BIA body composition data are available, and a large updated BIA database is ready for international comparisons. Among major limitations of body composition research in Russia, one can note the lack of validation studies using reference methods, so that foreign regression formulas are used with the double indirect methods, such as anthropometry and BIA, despite the fact that their accuracy has not yet been checked in our population. Conventional reference body composition assessment methods, such as three- or four-component molecular-level models and whole-body in vivo neutron activation analysis, were not applied yet, despite the technical feasibility. In general, it can be argued that the body composition research in Russia follows the observed global trends. Along with the achievements, there are a number of unresolved methodological and organizational issues. Prospects for further research include validation studies, updating reference population body composition data, and establishing local cut-offs for malnutrition and disease risks. In our view, further development could be facilitated with the establishment of well-equipped Human Body Composition Units in major Russian research centers, such as Moscow State University, which could be assigned a coordinating and methodical role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Laboratories use quality control processes to monitor and evaluate analytical performance in terms of precision and bias. Sigma metrics provide an objective assessment of laboratory quality using the total allowable error as an additional parameter. Objective: This study aimed to determine the sigma metrics of analytes when using different total allowable error guidelines. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 19 general chemistry analytes at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital in South Africa between January 2017 and December 2017. Sigma metrics were calculated on two identical analysers, using internal quality control data and total allowable error guidelines from the Ricos biological variation database and three alternative sources (the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia, the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendment, and the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine). Results: The sigma performance was similar on both analysers but varied based on the guideline used, with the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendment guidelines resulting in the best sigma metrics (53% of analytes on one analyser and 46% on the other had acceptable sigma metrics) and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia guidelines being the most stringent (21% and 23%). Sodium and chloride performed poorly across all guidelines (sigma < 3). There were also month-to-month variations that may result in acceptable sigma despite poor performance during certain months. Conclusion: The sigma varies greatly depending on the total allowable error, but could be a valuable tool to save time and decrease costs in high-volume laboratories. Sigma metrics calculations need to be standardised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Understanding biological variation is important when establishing or using currently published reference intervals (RIs) to evaluate hematological and blood chemical analysis results. Population based RIs may not be sensitive enough to identify clinically significant changes in individuals when the intraindividual variation is lower than the interindividual variation. This is the first study with the aim to investigate the biological variation of hematological and biochemical analytes and then to calculate the reference change values (RCVs) in ferrets. This retrospective study analyzed blood test results of 13 ferrets that have been tested every year for 7 years. Intraindividual and interindividual coefficients of variation for each analyte were calculated using restricted maximum likelihood that is suitable for unbalanced design since five ferrets died earlier, before determining the index of individuality (IoI) and RCV. No analytes had IoI lower than 0.6. The IoI of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), calcium, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein, albumin, and globulin were between 0.6 and 1.4. The IoI of red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, MCH concentration (MCHC), white blood cell count, lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, sodium, potassium, phosphate, glucose, creatinine and amylase were higher than 1.4. In this study, the RCVs varied from 6.87% (sodium) to 391.46% (basophils). The results of this study indicate that population based RIs are appropriate to evaluate most analytes in this study. Population based RIs should be used with caution to evaluate MCH, calcium, BUN, ALT, ALP, total protein, albumin, and globulin. The hematological and blood chemical RCVs calculated in this study can assist in diagnosing diseases, and monitoring and evaluating the performance of long-term treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 3D analysis of the jaw characterizes the biological variation of young individuals. • Possibility to identify the individual's criminal liability in medico-legal context. • Predictive models of logistic regression for age and gender. The medico-legal identification is based on a set of discriminatory characteristics between individuals in their biological, social, cultural, religious, legal and economic framework. The purpose of this study was to characterize the biological variation, regarding gender and age, in a Portuguese population. A three-dimensional (3D) analysis of 215 mandibles (7–20 years old) from the database of the Laboratory of Forensic Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (CE-112/2019) was performed. A total of 13 cephalometric points defined 10 linear variables and 7 angular variables, on 3D reconstructions from ConeBeam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images. Intra and inter-observer errors were analyzed by Technical Measurement Error test. A descriptive statistics was performed. To verify the influence of gender and age on the variables and to determine its predictive value, ANOVA and Logistic Regression Analysis were performed. Gender and age influence most of the linear variables, however, the same is not true for angular variables. In the analysis of all variables, the model has a reasonable level of sensitivity (67.8%) according to gender. For the age prediction, with all variables, the model presented a reasonable level of sensitivity, classifying 79.4% of the individuals. The results supported, with a high level of statistical significance, an adequate recognition of individuals highlighting the identification and criminal imputability of Portuguese individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the biological variation of total thyroxine (T4), free T4 (fT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in 11 clinically healthy cats aged between 3 and 15 years old, in Sydney, Australia. Methods: Blood was collected weekly for up to 6 weeks and serum T4, fT4 and TSH concentrations were analysed using canine-specific reagents. Restricted maximum likelihood was used to estimate within-subject, between-subject and analytical variance components, which were recorded in terms of the related coefficients of variation. The index of individuality and reference change values were then calculated for each analyte. Results: T4 and TSH had intermediate individuality, indicating both subject-based and population-based reference intervals (RIs) could be used, with the knowledge that population-based RIs are suboptimally sensitive. fT4 had high individuality, indicating subject-based RIs are more appropriate than population-based RIs. Conclusions and relevance: This study has demonstrated that subject-based RIs could be more sensitive than population-based RIs for the diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction in cats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though there is a plethora of research in Microarray gene expression data analysis, still, it poses challenges for researchers to effectively and efficiently analyze the large yet complex expression of genes. The feature (gene) selection method is of paramount importance for understanding the differences in biological and non-biological variation between samples. In order to address this problem, Elephant search (ESA) based optimization is proposed to select best gene expressions from the large volume of microarray data. Firefly search (FFS) is also used to understand the effectiveness of the Elephant search method in feature selection process. Stochastic gradient descent based Deep Neural Network as Deep learning (DL) with softmax activation function is then used on the reduced features (genes) for better classification of different samples according to their gene expression levels. The experiments are carried out on ten most popular Cancer microarray gene selection datasets, obtained from UCI machine learning repository. The empirical results obtained by the proposed elephant search based deep learning approach are compared with the most recent published article for its suitability in future Bioinformatics research. Finally, Statistical significance test by one-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey's test is conducted to deduce a number of insights on the selection of the best classification model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma is an inflammatory airway disease that is estimated to affect 339 million people globally. The symptoms of about 5–10% of patients with asthma are not adequately controlled with current therapy, and little success has been achieved in developing drugs that target the underlying mechanisms of asthma rather than suppressing symptoms. Over the past 3 years, well powered genetic studies of asthma have increased the number of independent asthma-associated genetic loci to 128. In this Series paper, we describe the immense progress in asthma genetics over the past 13 years and link asthma genetic variants to possible drug targets. Further studies are needed to establish the functional significance of gene variants associated with asthma in subgroups of patients and to describe the biological networks within which they function. The genomics-guided discovery of plausible drug targets for asthma could pave the way for the repurposing of existing drugs for asthma and the development of new treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) is one of the major metabolites of curcumin (CUR), an ancient bioactive natural polyphenolic compound. This research article describes both the solid and liquid state characterization of THC using advanced spectroscopic and thermo-analytical techniques. Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and neuroprotective activities of THC were investigated using in vitro cell lines. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that our sample comprised 95.15% THC, 0.51% tetrahydrodemethoxycurcumin (THDC), 3.40% hexahydrocurcumin, and 0.94% octahydrocurcumin. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis indicated the presence of 96.68% THC and 3.32% THDC. THC in solution existed as keto-enol tautomers in three different forms at different retention time, but the enol form was found to be dominant, which was also supported by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. THC was thermally stable up to 335.55 °C. THC exhibited more suppression of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and MIP-1α) than CUR in a concentration-dependent manner in mouse splenocytes, while NK-cell and phagocytosis activity was increased in macrophages. THC showed a significant reduction of free radicals (LPO) along with improved antioxidant enzymes (SOD and catalase) and increased free radical scavenging activity against ABTS+ radicals in HepG2 cells. THC displayed higher protection capability than CUR from oxidative stress and neuronal damage by improving cell viability against H 2 O 2 induced HepG2 cells and MPP+ induced SH-SY5Y cells, respectively, in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, a variation of the biological activities of THC might rely on its keto-enol form and the presence of other THC analogs as impurities. The present study could be advantageous for further research on THC for better understanding its physicochemical properties and biological variation. Image 1 • Solid and liquid state characterization of THC using advanced analytical techniques. • THC existed in 3 different forms viz. one keto form, two enol forms in solution. • THC was found to be thermally more stable than curcumin. • THC exhibited significant suppression of proinflammatory cytokines, increased NK cells and phagocytosis activities. • THC showed higher total anti-oxidant activity and neuroprotective activity than curcumin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Saúde & Tecnologia is the property of Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saude de Lisboa-ESTESL and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In present study seven RAPD primers were used to access the diversity within and among twelve populations of three mushroom species Ganoderma lucidum , leucoagaricus sp. and Lentinus sp. Total of 111 bands were scored by 7 RAPD primers in 30 accessions of three mushroom species collected from different sampling sites of central India. Total 111 bands were generated using seven primers which were F-1, OPG-06, OPC-07, OPD-08, OPA-02, OPD-02, OPB-10. All 111 bands were polymorphic in nature (100%). Therefore, it revealed that the used primers had sufficient potency for population studies and 30 accessions had higher genetic differences among each other. In best of the knowledge, this is the first report, which accesses the genetic diversity between three mushroom species ( Gd Ganoderma lucidum , Lg Leucoagaricus sp., Ls Lentinus ). The polymorphic percentage ranged from 3.60 to 23% within twelve populations, while polymorphic percentage among group was 40.56, among population within groups was 41.12 and within population was 18.32. This indicated that the genetic diversity within the population was very low, but slightly higher in the populations of three species. Among three groups representing Gd. , Lg and Ls , Among populations within groups shown highest percentage of variation ( Pv  = 41.12) while within populations, the lowest percentage of variation (18.32) was observed. This result also support that the highest genetic variation was present among groups in comparison to among the population within a species and lowest genetic variation was observed within the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diatoms grow under very specific physical and chemical conditions, and eutrophication may cause community variation. We aimed to describe spatial and temporal variation in diatom community diversity in two urban reservoirs of different throphic status at different spatial scales. We collected samples of epiphytic diatoms from aquatic macrophytes from six sites in each reservoir in the metropolitan region of Curitiba, Southern Brazil, in fall and in spring. We assessed the variation in cell density and taxa richness (considering the lower taxonomic level possible) between the reservoirs and periods using t -tests, and the differences in community composition using PERMANOVA. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) was used to observe the change in floras between reservoirs and periods. We also partitioned gamma diversity into alpha and beta diversities using Additive Partitioning. In this case, variation components at different spatial scales were generated for each period. Beta diversities at different scales were also divided into turnover and nestedness components. We identified 132 infrageneric taxa in each reservoir. Spatial and temporal variation in species diversity and composition occurred in both reservoirs at different scales. Even so variation between reservoirs is a component that cannot be expected by a null model, indicating a possible role of eutrophication in community variation. Community variation at different scales was higher in the more eutrophic reservoir, in line with the positive relationship between beta diversity and productivity. Turnover was always the main component of beta diversity considering all spatial and temporal community variation. Nestedness occurred particularly in community variation among time periods at a same location, in line with studies suggesting community stability in urban reservoirs. Taken together, our results highlight the key role of nutrient availability in determining species composition, community variation within reservoirs, and community variation over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Animal Biodiversity & Conservation is the property of Museu de Ciencies Naturals de Barcelona and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We employed geometric morphometric techniques to investigate external (body) morphology of European grayling ( Thymallus thymallus ) populations from the wild and hatchery facilities. Wild graylings were representative of Balkan and Caspian phylogenetic clades, whereas hatchery-reared specimens originated from Balkan and Adriatic phylogenetic clades. Individuals of T. thymallus from the Adriatic phylogenetic clade were the largest, followed by those from the Balkan phylogenetic clade, while graylings from the Caspian phylogenetic clade were the smallest. Graylings from hatchery facilities were larger than graylings from the wild. Body shape variation in T. thymallus coincides with genetic differentiation of the analyzed populations, whereas it is less influenced by difference in environment they experience in wild and captive habitats. Although hatcheries can generate large numbers of individuals, some of which will have an extreme phenotype, the variance in body shape was similar in captive and wild populations. Allometric relations were different between specimens from the wild and from hatchery facilities, as well as among those belonging to different phylogenetic clades. Allometric analyses performed separately for the wild and hatchery-reared populations revealed significant effect of allometry and similar trends in size-related shape variation among populations from different phylogenetic clades. We found that phenetic relationships among the studied wild grayling populations inferred from non-allometric body shape variation better reflected their phylogenetic relationships than equivalent data from hatchery populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bifoveolatum group comprises three known species ( Belostoma angustum Lauck, B. bifoveolatum (Spinola), and B. elegans (Mayr)), with representatives occurring in southern and south-eastern South America, as well as along the Andes. These species, however, are cryptic with regard to body dimensions and male genitalia. Much of this cryptic variation in male genitalia is still misunderstood, so that proposed keys to bifoveolatum species are scarce and have been based only on body dimensions. In fact, it is not understood whether different parts of male genitalia covary themselves in the integrated way, or if parameres are somehow associated with male genitalia. This paper investigates whether there is expressive variation and integration in the shape of intromitent parts of male genitalia and parameres through specimens of those species from different southern South American localities, by using geometric morphometrics. We also test the hypotheses that the base of phallotheca [PHA]/dorsal arms [DA] subdivision, as well as base/apex of parameres, constitute separate modules. We semi- and landmarked PHA and DA, as well as the right paramere [PA], of 89 B. angustum males, four males of B. bifoveolatum and eight of B. elegans . To eliminate all non-shape variation, point configurations were subjected to the generalised least-squares Procrustes superimposition. A multilevel approach showed that the patterns of integration within individual, among individual and among populations centred by species are similar, with total variation concentrated in a few of the available dimensions. Accordingly, this correspondence is apparent with the very high values of matrix correlations between the covariance matrices for within-species-locality and among localities ( r = 0.91 for PHA + DA and r = 0.86 for VD). Fluctuating asymmetry was not negligible for PHA + DA and it seems that there might be little agreement between it and the other levels of variation (matrix correlation using individual variation, r = 0.34. P < 0.0001; matrix correlation using variation among population, r = 0.29, P < 0.0001). After eliminating size effects, morphological integration between PHA + DA and PA was significant (RV = 0.058, P = 0.0313), which might have enabled greater elaboration of these parts resulting in their greater and faster diversification at the individual level. Our results indicated poor agreement between different levels of variation with regard to fluctuating asymmetry, such that direct developmental interaction is not important for all levels of covariation between PHA + DA and PA through bifoveolatum group of species. Our findings suggest the lack of diagnostic importance of the PHA + DA and VD to differentiate the species B. angustum and B. elegans , despite of their integration. Both DA/PHA and apex/base of PA modularity hypotheses were not refuted across all levels, which might be an indicative of the lack of integration between PA and PHA + DA at higher levels of organisation, such as among populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial synchrony plays an important role in dictating the dynamics of spatial and stage-structured populations. Here we argue that, unlike the Moran effect where spatial synchrony is driven by exogenous factors, spatial correlation in intrinsic/local-scale processes can affect the level of spatial synchrony among distinct sub-populations, and therefore the persistence of the entire population. To explore this mechanism, we modelled the consequences of spatial heterogeneity in aquatic habitat quality, and that of temporal variation in local extinction probability, on the persistence of stage-structured mosquito populations. As a model system, we used two widely distributed mosquito species, Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens, both key vectors of a range of infectious diseases. Spatial heterogeneity in aquatic habitat quality led to increased population persistence, and this pattern was more pronounced at intermediate dispersal rates, and in the long-dispersing species ( C. pipiens). The highest regional persistence was obtained at high dispersal rates. This is probably because dispersal, in our model, did not carry any additional costs. Population persistence of both species was negatively correlated with increased temporal variation in local extinction probability. These differences were stronger in the short-dispersing species ( A. albopictus), especially at intermediate dispersal rates. The dispersal of A. albopictus adults in each time step was limited to the nearest habitat patches, weakening the positive effect of spatial heterogeneity in aquatic habitat quality on population persistence. In contrast, C. pipiens adults could disperse into more remote sub-populations, resulting in much higher recolonization rates. Hence, the negative effect of temporal variation in local extinction probability on patch occupancy disappeared at intermediate dispersal rates. We suggest that effectively controlling these two mosquito species requires making few spatially synchronized control efforts (i.e., generating high temporal variation in local extinction probability), rather than many asynchronized local control efforts. Finally, our model can be easily fitted to other organisms characterized by complex life cycles, and it can be also used to examine alternative scenarios, including the effect of spatial configuration of local habitat patches and dispersal kernel shape on population persistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Context: Biologic variation of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in chronic heart failure (CHF) may affect blood levels and risk stratification. The sources of NT-proBNP variation are unknown.Methods and Results: We performed NT-proBNP measurements and clinical and hemodynamic assessments in 50 patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who met criteria for clinical stability over 2 time intervals. Hemodynamic variables were measured with the use of inert gas rebreathing and impedance cardiography. Heart rhythm was monitored with the use of external electrocardiographic event recorders throughout the study. Determinants of NT-proBNP-levels and both absolute (ΔNT-proBNPabs) and relative (ΔNT-proBNP%) changes at 1-week and 2-week intervals were identified with the use of univariable and multivariable linear mixed-effects models and linear regression analyses, respectively. Clinical and hemodynamic variables did not significantly change between study visits. The individual variation of NT-proBNP at 2 weeks was 9.2% (range 3.9%-18.6%). Weight and glomerular filtration rate were independently associated with baseline NT-proBNP concentrations (P = .01 and P = .005, respectively). There was no relationship between absolute and relative changes of NT-proBNP at 1-week intervals and changes in clinical and hemodynamic variables. Absolute change of NT-proBNP at 2-week intervals was associated with absolute change in left cardiac work index (P = .008), and relative change in NT-proBNP at 2-week intervals was determined by relative change of thoracic fluid content index (P = .008) and diastolic blood pressure (P = .01). The coefficients of determination (R2) for the multivariable models with Δ1wkNT-proBNPabs, Δ2-weeksNT-proBNPabs, Δ1wkNT-proBNP%, and Δ2wksNT-proBNP% as dependent variables were 0.21, 0.19, 0.10, and 0.32, respectively.Conclusions: In patients with stable HFrEF, changes in clinical and hemodynamic variables only marginally contribute to the variation of NT-proBNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Casuarina junghuhniana is an emerging tropical plantation species that is increasingly being planted on tropical lowland and mid-altitude sites with moderate dry seasons. Field trials have been established to investigate genetic variation in the species with a view to identifying genetically improved planting material. In this study genetic parameters were estimated for nine growth traits using 29 novel clones of Casuarina junghuhniana planted in Thailand. Survival, height, diameter and stem volume were recorded annually for six consecutive years and compared with a commercially-deployed, Thai benchmark clone. Stem form (axis persistence and stem straightness) and branching habit (branch density, branch thickness and branch angle) were scored when the trees were 4 years of age. Marked variation among clones was observed for all traits at each measurement. While the stand had attained a mean annual increment of 20.8 m 3 ha −1 y −1 by year 6, the most productive clone was double the average and four times greater than the benchmark. Broad-sense heritability estimates ( H ̂ 2 ) for most traits were moderate (0.13–0.50), and there was a tendency for H ̂ 2 to increase with age for survival, diameter and stem volume. There were no correlations between growth and stem form, but growth was negatively correlated with branch thickness and positively correlated with branch angle. Age-age correlation for growth was strong, suggesting that selection for stem volume need not be delayed beyond 3 years. Based on the growth and stem form traits, up to 11 clones are considered suitable for commercial plantation establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The interpretation of individual laboratory test results requires the availability of populationbased reference intervals. In children, reference interval estimation has to consider frequently the strong agedependency. Generally, for the construction of reference intervals, a sufficiently large number of independent measurement values is required. Data selections from hospitals or cohort studies often comprise dependencies violating the independence assumption. Methods: In this article, we propose a combination of LMS-like (mean, M; coefficient of variation, S; skewness, λ or L) and resampling methods to overcome this drawback. The former is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the construction of continuous reference intervals of anthropometric measurements in children. The approach allows the inclusion of dependent measurements, for example, repeated measurements per subject. It also provides pointwise confidence envelopes as a measure of reliability. Results and conclusions: The combination of LMS-type methods and resampling provides a feasible approach to estimate age-dependent percentiles and reference intervals using unbalanced longitudinal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The currently known Liphistius species of peninsular Malaysia are assigned to five species-groups: the tranggroup, the malayanus-group, the batuensis-group, the tioman-group and the linang-group. The latter four are defined and treated here. They are composed of eleven species. Four of them, L. negara sp. nov., L. gracilis sp. nov., L. priceae sp. nov. and L. linang sp. nov., are new and here described from males and females. Liphistius indra sp. nov., very closely related to L. linang sp. nov., is additionally described from the deep south of Thailand. The previously unknown males of L. endau Sedgwick & Platnick, 1987 and of L. tempurung Platnick in Platnick et al., 1997 are presented for the first time. Liphistius malayanus cameroni Haupt, 1983 is placed in the synonymy of L. malayanus Abraham, 1923b. Information and illustrations of intraspecific variation in most species of these groups (except for L.johore Platnick & Sedgwick, 1984, for which no new material is available) is given together with data on biology and distribution. Taxonomic characters and biogeography are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the most pressing concerns of land managers in post-wildfire landscapes are the establishment and spread of invasive species. Land managers need accurate maps of invasive species cover for targeted management post-disturbance that are easily transferable across space and time. In this study, we sought to develop an iterative, replicable methodology based on limited invasive species occurrence data, freely available remotely sensed data, and open source software to predict the distribution of Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) in a post-wildfire landscape. We developed four species distribution models using eight spectral indices derived from five months of Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data in 2014. These months corresponded to both cheatgrass growing period and time of field data collection in the study area. The four models were improved using an iterative approach in which a threshold for cover was established, and all models had high sensitivity values when tested on an independent dataset. We also quantified the area at highest risk for invasion in future seasons given 2014 distribution, topographic covariates, and seed dispersal limitations. These models demonstrate the effectiveness of using derived multi-date spectral indices as proxies for species occurrence on the landscape, the importance of selecting thresholds for invasive species cover to evaluate ecological risk in species distribution models, and the applicability of Landsat 8 OLI and the Software for Assisted Habitat Modeling for targeted invasive species management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving crop area and/or crop yields in agricultural regions is one of the foremost scientific challenges for the next decades. This is especially true in irrigated areas because sustainable intensification of irrigated crop production is virtually the sole means to enhance food supply and contribute to meeting food demands of a growing population. Yet, irrigated crop production worldwide is suffering from soil degradation and salinity, reduced soil fertility, and water scarcity rendering the performance of irrigation schemes often below potential. On the other hand, the scope for improving irrigated agricultural productivity remains obscure also due to the lack of spatial data on agricultural production (e.g. crop acreage and yield). To fill this gap, satellite earth observations and a replicable methodology were used to estimate crop yields at the field level for the period 2010/2014 in the Fergana Valley, Central Asia, to understand the response of agricultural productivity to factors related to the irrigation and drainage infrastructure and environment. The results showed that cropping pattern, i.e. the presence or absence of multi-annual crop rotations, and spatial diversity of crops had the most persistent effects on crop yields across observation years suggesting the need for introducing sustainable cropping systems. On the other hand, areas with a lower crop diversity or abundance of crop rotation tended to have lower crop yields, with differences of partly more than one t/ha yield. It is argued that factors related to the infrastructure, for example, the distance of farms to the next settlement or the density of roads, had a persistent effect on crop yield dynamics over time. The improvement potential of cotton and wheat yields were estimated at 5%, compared to crop yields of farms in the direct vicinity of settlements or roads. In this study it is highlighted how remotely sensed estimates of crop production in combination with geospatial technologies provide a unique perspective that, when combined with field surveys, can support planners to identify management priorities for improving regional production and/or reducing environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodical cicadas, known for strict life-cycle lengths of 13 or 17 yr, actually exhibit developmental plasticity in cycle length. This variation tends to occur in 1- and 4-yr increments for both life-cycle types, with the largest events involving 4-yr accelerations of the 17-yr species. The pattern has stimulated hypotheses to explain brood formation and life-cycle evolution, but most of the evidence is anecdotal. We present the first quantitative evidence confirming that a site with a 4-yr acceleration does not necessarily experience comparable emergence in the following year, and we provide the first density estimate for a 4-yr early emergence of 17-yr cicadas (1.28/m2, within the range of published estimates for on-schedule emergences). We also document a 4-yr early 13-yr emergence-cicadas apparently emerging in 9 yr. Multimodal life-cycle patterns spanning −4 to +4 yr are evident in both 13- and 17-yr cicadas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, large amounts of Wi-Fi access logs are collected in diverse indoor environments, but cannot be widely used for fine-grained spatio-temporal analysis due to coarse positioning. We present a Log-based Differential (D-Log) scheme for post-hoc localization based on differentiated location estimates obtained from large-scale Access Point (AP) logs of WiFi connectivity traces, which can be used for data analysis and knowledge discovery of visitor behaviours. Specifically, the location estimates are calculated by utilizing a combination of Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) records from two neighbouring APs. D-Log exploits real-world industry WiFi logs where RSSI data sampled at low rates from single AP sources are recorded in each connectivity trace. The approach is independent of device and network infrastructure type. D-Log is evaluated using WiFi logs collected from controlled environment as well as real-world uncontrolled public indoor spaces, which includes discrete single-AP RSSI traces of around 100,000 mobile devices over a one-year period. The experiment results indicate that, despite of the challenges with the infrequent sampling rate and the limitations of the data that only records RSSI from single AP sources in each instance, D-Log performs comparatively well to the state-of-the-art RSSI-based localization methods and presents a viable alternative for many application areas where high-accuracy positioning infrastructure may not be cost effective or where positioning applications are considered on legacy information infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opportunistic citizen data documenting species observations – i.e. observations collected by citizens in a non-standardized way – is becoming increasingly available. In the absence of scientific observations, this data may be a viable alternative for a number of research questions. Here we test the ability of opportunistic species records to provide predictions of the realized distribution of species and if species attributes can act as indicators of the reliability and completeness of these data. We use data for 39 reptile and amphibian species across mainland Portugal as a case study. We collected distribution data from two independent sources: a national citizen-science project and a scientific. We measure and compare the climatic niche width of the species as represented by each of the two data sources. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were used to relate a set of response variables describing the species’ morphology, life-history, communication, type of locomotion, habitat and geographic distribution, to observed differences in niche widths. We also performed species distribution models (SDMs) for each of the two types of data using generalized additive models. We found that 12 species had more than 50% of their climate niche covered by citizen science data. Results from GLMMs suggested that the number of grid cells in which a species occurs and its use of forest habitat were positively related to the comprehensiveness of the sampling of climatic niches by citizen science data. Variation in the p of SDMs for both types of data (as measured by the true skill statistic; TSS) was highly similar but SDMs from citizen science data had an overall lower performance. Nevertheless a few species achieved good predictions (TSS > 0.6) using these data. We conclude that species observations in citizen science projects can provide accurate predictions of species realized distributions, however, efforts should be made to identify the conditions under which these data are more likely to provide reliable representations of the species niches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Basic & Applied Ecology is the property of Urban & Fischer Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this work, we aim to segment and detect water in videos. Water detection is beneficial for appllications such as video search, outdoor surveillance, and systems such as unmanned ground vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The specific problem, however, is less discussed compared to general texture recognition. Here, we analyze several motion properties of water. First, we describe a video pre-processing step, to increase invariance against water reflections and water colours. Second, we investigate the temporal and spatial properties of water and derive corresponding local descriptors. The descriptors are used to locally classify the presence of water and a binary water detection mask is generated through spatio-temporal Markov Random Field regularization of the local classifications. Third, we introduce the Video Water Database, containing several hours of water and non-water videos, to validate our algorithm. Experimental evaluation on the Video Water Database and the DynTex database indicates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, outperforming multiple algorithms for dynamic texture recognition and material recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium infects multiple cultured marine crustaceans and has resulted in significant economic losses to their aquaculture in China. Limited molecular data implied a close relationship among Hematodinium reported in China, whereas the genetic diversity and detailed genetic variation within Hematodinium remains unclear. In order to investigate the genetic diversity and composition of the parasitic dinoflagellate in China, the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1 – 5.8S – ITS2) were amplified from 104 infected hosts cultured in three geographic locations. Two strains were identified, Hematodinium perezi II was the prevalent strain observed in all three host taxa throughout the survey, the other novel one was detected from the single Exopalaemon carinicauda collected from Zhejiang province. Eight ITS haplotypes within H. perezi II were identified with a similarity of 99.8% –100%. The distinct haplotype compositions and AMOVA analysis suggested a significant genetic differentiation and population structure among the three geographic populations of H. perezi II. The novel strain, genetically affiliated with H. perezi , was quite divergent from the three known genotypes (I, II and III) of H. perezi , and further investigation is needed to determine the distribution and host range of this new strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The applications of data on biological variation include assessment of the utility of population-based reference intervals, evaluation of the significance of change in serial results, and setting of analytical quality specifications. We investigated the biological variation of 19 biochemistry analytes and total T4, measured in serum from 7 clinically healthy domestic cats sampled once weekly for 5 weeks. Samples were frozen and analyzed in random order in the same analytical run. Results were analyzed for outliers, and the components of variance, subsequently generated by restricted maximum likelihood, were used to determine within-subject and between-subject variation (CVI and CVG, respectively), as well as analytical variation (CVA) for each analyte. Indices of individuality, reference change values, and analytical performance goals were calculated. The smallest CVI and CVG were found for calcium, chloride, and sodium, whereas the largest values were calculated for bile acids. Nine analytes (albumin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, cholesterol, creatinine, phosphate [phosphorus], total protein, total T4) demonstrated high individuality, indicating limited utility of population-based reference intervals. Individuality was low, and population-based reference intervals were thereby considered appropriate for 5 analytes (bile acids, calcium, fructosamine, glucose, potassium). The intermediate individuality observed for 4 analytes (creatine kinase, iron, magnesium, urea) indicated that population-based reference intervals should be used with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This cohort study was designed to evaluate the association of transcription factor 7-like 2 ( TCF7L2 ) and proglucagon gene ( GCG ) variants with disordered glucose metabolism and the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a rural adult Chinese population. A total of 7,751 non-T2DM participants ≥18 years old genotyped at baseline were recruited. The same questionnaire interview and physical and blood biochemical examinations were performed at both baseline and follow-up. During a median 6 years of follow-up, T2DM developed in 227 participants. After adjustment for potential contributory factors, nominally significant associations were seen between TT genotype and the recessive model of TCF7L2 rs7903146 and increased risk of T2DM [hazard ratio ( HR )=4.068, 95% confidence interval ( CI ): 1.270-13.026; HR =4.051, 95% CI : 1.268-12.946, respectively]. The TT genotype of rs7903146 was also significantly associated with higher fasting plasma insulin level and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in case of new-onset diabetes. In addition, the TCF7L2 rs290487 TT genotype was associated with abdominal obesity and the GCG rs12104705 CC genotype was associated with both general obesity and abdominal obesity in case of new-onset diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic profile of Yalaga sheep of Karnataka was sketched based on genotypes at 25 microsatellite markers recommended for Indian sheep. A high level of genetic variation was discovered within the investigated breed as quantified from various genetic diversity estimates. Distinct alleles (240) were detected across the analyzed microsatellite loci. The mean number of observed alleles per microsatellite marker was 9.60 and number of effective alleles was 4.86. The average observed and expected heterozygosity values were 0.596 and 0.757, respectively. The mean polymorphism information content (PIC) value (0.725) reflected high level of genetic variability and utility of the markers used. The high FIS value (0.215) may have been generated due to heterogeneity among the flocks sampled within the population caused by Wahlund effect. The information generated may be useful in guiding conservation management programs for sheep breeds in Karnataka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contributions of major driving forces on temporal changes of heavy metals in the soil in a representative river−alluviation area at the lower of Yangtze River were successfully quantified by combining geostatistics analysis with the modified principal component scores & multiple linear regressions approach (PCS−MLR). The results showed that the temporal (2003–2014) changes of Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr presented a similar spatial distribution pattern, whereas the Cd and Hg showed the distinctive patterns. The temporal changes of soil Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr may be predominated by the emission of the shipbuilding industry, whereas the significant changes of Cd and Hg were possibly predominated by the geochemical and geographical processes, such as the erosion of the Yangtze River water and leaching because of soil acidification. The emission of metal−bearing shipbuilding industry contributed an estimated 74%–83% of the changes in concentrations of Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr, whereas the geochemical and geographical processes may contribute 58% of change of Cd in the soil and 59% of decrease of Hg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of Global Positioning Satellite System receivers are affected by systematic offsets related to group and phase delays of the signal generation and processing chain. One of the important factors affecting the ionosphere Total Electron Content estimation accuracy is the hardware differential code biases inherited in both Global Positioning System satellites and receivers. The resulting code and phase biases depend on the transmission frequency and the employed signal modulation. An efficient algorithm using the geometry conditions between satellite and tracking receivers is proposed to determine the receiver differential code biases using Egyptian permanent reference stations. This method does not require a traditional single-layer ionosphere model and can be used for estimating differential code biases of receivers in a regional network. This paper estimates receiver differential code biases for nine receivers located within Egyptian network. The results showed that the estimated mean value of the receiver differential code biases varied from −28 ns (nanosecond) to 39 ns. It is clear from the results that differential code biases values for Egyptian sites do not vary much with latitude and longitude, except at Aswan and Abu Simpel. Differential code biases values increase gradually with increasing height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the Y chromosome haplotypes (Yfiler) of 978 non-related Chilean males grouped in five sampling regions (Iquique, Santiago de Chile, Concepción, Temuco and Punta Arenas) covering main geo-political regions. Overall, 803 different haplotypes and 688 singletons were observed. Molecular diversity was moderately lower than in other neighboring countries (e.g. Argentina); and AMOVA analysis on Y-STR haplotypes showed that among variation within Chile accounted for only 0.25% of the total variation. Punta Arenas, in the southern cone, showed the lowest haplotype diversity, and discrimination capacity, and also the highest matching probability of the five Chilean samples, probably reflecting its more marked geographic isolation compared to the other regions. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis based on R ST genetic distances suggested a close proximity of Chilean Y-chromosome profiles to European ones. Consistently, haplogroups inferred from Y-STR profiles revealed that the Native American component constituted only 8% of all the haplotypes, and this component ranged from 5% in the Centre of the country to 9–10% in the South and 13% in the North, which is in good agreement with the distribution of Native American communities in these regions. AMOVA computed on inferred haplogroups confirmed the very low among variation observed in Chilean populations. The present project provides the first Chilean dataset to the international Y-chromosome STR Haplotype Reference Database (YHRD) and it is also the first reference database for Y-chromosome forensic casework of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of the production of cosmogenic nuclides typically incorporate an adjustable production rate parameter that is scaled for variations in production with latitude and altitude. In practice, this production rate parameter is set by calibration of the model using cosmogenic nuclide data from sites with independent age constraints. In this paper, we describe a calibration procedure developed during the Cosmic-Ray Produced Nuclide Systematics on Earth (CRONUS-Earth) project and its application to an extensive data set that included both new CRONUS-Earth samples and samples from previously published studies. We considered seven frameworks for elevation and latitude scaling and five commonly used cosmogenic nuclides, 3 He, 10 Be, 14 C, 26 Al, and 36 Cl. In general, the results show that the calibrated production rates fail statistical tests of goodness-of-fit. One conclusion from the calibration results is that two newly developed scaling frameworks and the widely used Lal scaling framework provide qualitatively similar fits to the data, while neutron-monitor based scaling frameworks have much poorer fit to the data. To further test the fitted models, we computed site ages for a number of secondary sites not included in the primary calibration data set. The root-mean-square percent differences between the median computed ages for these secondary sites and independent ages range from 7.1% to 27.1%, differences that are much larger than the typical uncertainties in the site ages. The results indicate that there are substantial unresolved difficulties in modeling cosmogenic nuclide production and the calibration of production rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaucoma is an eye disease that results in irreversible loss of vision. The manual examination of optic disk (OD) is a standard procedure used for detecting glaucoma. This paper presents a glaucoma expert system based on the segmentations of OD and optic cup attained from color fundus images. A novel implicit region based active contour model is proposed for OD segmentation which incorporates the image information at the point of interest from multiple image channels to have robustness against the variations found in and around the OD region. A novel optic cup segmentation method is also proposed based on the structural and gray level properties of cup. Based on the precise information about the contours of OD and cup different parameters are calculated for glaucoma assessment. The proposed system is evaluated on 59 retinal images comprising 17 normal and 42 glaucomatous images against the groundtruths given by an experienced ophthalmologist. The proposed OD segmentation method achieved an average F -score of 0.975, average boundary distance of 10.112 pixel and average correlation coefficient of 0.916. The cup segmentation method attained an average F -score of 0.89, average boundary distance of 18.927 pixel and average correlation coefficient of 0.835. The mean error and standard deviation of the error σ for all the parameters are much smaller in glaucomatous images compared to normal images. This indicates high sensitivity of the proposed method in glaucoma assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of climate change or climate variability is a significant topic in most geophysical disciplines. In this study, the flood frequency approach was selected to analyze changes in flood series. Discharge data from 55 gaging stations in Slovenia were used. The annual maximum method was applied to define the samples. The data sets were divided into 30-year periods based on a 10-year moving window. For each part of the data-set, the flood frequency analysis was performed. Changes in the estimated design discharge values with a 10-year return period, which is commonly used in engineering design, were observed for the two selected 30-year periods, namely 1961–1990 and 1981–2010, and the results were compared with the Mann–Kendall (MK) test. The results indicate that no uniform pattern can be found in the differences between estimated design discharge values for the two selected periods. The same applies to the MK trend test results, which were positive and statistically significant with the chosen significance level of 0.05 only for approximately 5% of stations. However, our comparison of the results of the flood frequency analyses among different 30-year periods showed considerable changes in the design discharge for some stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Computational Science & Techniques is the property of Klaipeda University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Early oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) management appears to vary both within and between countries. Variation in practice can be an indicator of absence of evidence-based management and may negatively influence survival and morbidity. The exact variation and the relationship to differences in guidelines are unknown. This study aimed to report on these variations in the Netherlands, UK, and USA, and to evaluate them. Methods Information regarding the variation in OCSCC management strategies was obtained from a questionnaire sent to representatives of head and neck cancer centers in the Netherlands, UK, and USA. Within-country and between-country variations were also assessed in light of the different guidelines. Results In total, representatives of 45 centers completed the questionnaire; 10 from the Netherlands, 26 from the UK and 9 from the USA. Our results demonstrate a distinct variation in the diagnoses, treatment and follow-up of OCSCC, both within and between countries. Only a small amount of variation between countries could be linked to differences in guidelines. Conclusions There is high variation in the management of the neck in OCSCC. There seem to be a need for direct evidence about optimal management decisions to establish more evidence-based management and uniform practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since Darwin, there have been challenges to the claim that the natural selection of small random variations is a sufficient explanation of evolution. Even mainstream evolutionists are now beginning to accept that something more is required. The question is whether this will be merely a few add-ons that leave the paradigm unaltered, or whether the whole framework of explanation, including its application to other disciplines, will be changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective use of seabirds in ecotoxicology monitoring programs ideally requires detailed knowledge of their ecology. Environment Canada recently expanded the Great Lakes Herring Gull Larus argentatus Monitoring Program to a national contaminants monitoring program, utilizing the Glaucous-winged Gull L. glaucescens on the west coast of Canada. The utility of the Glaucous-winged Gull as a marine monitoring species hinges on its consumption of a marine-based diet; however, there is a lack of recent and reliable diet data for this species. Using conventional analysis, we studied dietary ecology at two monitored colonies to elucidate adult diet before egg laying and during incubation, to investigate intra-colony dietary shifts over the breeding season, to examine inter-colonial dietary variation, and to compare findings with historical studies from the early 1970s and 1980s. Results indicate that breeding gulls forage in an opportunistic manner, with marine prey sources predominant at all colonies and breeding stages, but with a wider variety of prey types consumed in locations close to urban development. Chicks at both colonies were provisioned primarily with fish; however, variation in chick diet between 2009 and 2010 indicates that diet can vary considerably on a short time scale. The occurrence of fish fed to chicks appears to have shifted composition from herring Clupea pallasii in the 1980s to primarily Pacific Sand Lance Ammodytes hexapterus at both colonies in 2009 and 2010. Compared with historical records, gulls consumed fewer anthropogenic items and more fish in the Strait of Georgia, whereas diet off the west coast of Vancouver Island appears to have been consistently marine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wide geographic distribution of penguins (Order Sphenisciformes) throughout the Southern Hemisphere provided a unique opportunity to use a single taxonomic group as biomonitors of mercury among geographically distinct marine ecosystems. Mercury concentrations were compared among ten species of penguins representing 26 geographically distinct breeding populations. Mercury concentrations were relatively low (⩽2.00 ppm) in feathers from 18/26 populations considered. Population-level differences in trophic level explained variation in mercury concentrations among Little, King, and Gentoo penguin populations. However, Southern Rockhopper and Magellanic penguins breeding on Staten Island, Tierra del Fuego, had the highest mercury concentrations relative to their conspecifics despite foraging at a lower trophic level. The concurrent use of stable isotope and mercury data allowed us to document penguin populations at the greatest risk of exposure to harmful concentrations of mercury as a result of foraging at a high trophic level or in geographic ‘hot spots’ of mercury availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus subtilis is the focus of both academic and industrial research. Previous studies have reported a number of sequence variations in different B. subtilis strains. To uncover the genetic variation and evolutionary pressure in B. subtilis strains, we performed whole genome sequencing of two B. subtilis isolates, KM and CGMCC63528. Comparative genomic analyses of these two strains with other B. subtilis strains identified high sequence variations including large insertions, deletions and SNPs. Most SNPs in genes were synonymous and the average frequency of synonymous mutations was significantly higher than that of the non-synonymous mutations. Pan-genome analysis of B. subtilis strains showed that the core genome had lower dN/dS values than the accessory genome. Whole genome comparisons of these two isolates with other B. subtilis strains showed that strains in different subspecies have similar dN/dS values. Nucleotide diversity analysis showed that spizizenii subspecies have higher nucleotide diversity than subtilis subspecies. Our results indicate that genes in B. subtilis strains are under high purifying selection pressure. The evolutionary pressure in different subspecies of B. subtilis is complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Sphaeroforma previously encompassed organisms isolated exclusively from animal symbionts in marine systems. The first saprotrophic sphaeroformids (Mesomycetozoea) isolated from non-animal hosts are described here. Sphaeroforma sirkka and S. napiecek are also the first species in the genus possessing endogenous DNA-containing motile propagules and central vacuoles, traits that have previously guided morphological differentiation of sphaeroformids from the genus Creolimax . Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences from the 18S rRNA and the ITS1-5.8S--ITS2 loci firmly place S. sirkka and S. napiecek within Sphaeroforma , extending the number of known species to six within this genus. The discovery of these species increases the geographical range, cellular variation and life history complexity of the sphaeroformids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural soil in China contains high levels of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), especially in paddy-field soil of Guangdong province of China, but the accumulation and translocation of DEHP by rice ( Oryza sativa L.) remains unknown. In the present study, twenty rice cultivars were cultivated in paddy soil spiked with DEHP, and variations in DEHP accumulation and translocation among various cultivars were investigated. Our results showed that DEHP concentrations in roots and shoots of different rice cultivars at four growth stages (i.e., ripening, tillering, jointing, and flowering stages) varied greatly from 0.26 to 11.8 mg/kg (dry weight, dw) and 0.40 to 7.58 mg/kg (dw), respectively. No obvious change over time was observed. The greatest variation in DEHP concentrations among the rice cultivars occurred at ripening stage, whereas the lowest variation at flowering stage. During ripening stage, the largest variation in DEHP concentrations among cultivars were observed in stems (varying from 0.35 to 13.2 mg/kg), whereas the least one was observed in roots (ranging from 1.01 to 5.72 mg/kg). Significant differences in DEHP concentrations in the roots, stems, leaves and grains of most rice cultivars were found. The translocation factors of DEHP from roots to stems or stems to leaves were higher than those from shoots to grains. Overall, cultivars Tianfengyou 316, Wuyou 308, and Peizataifeng, which contained low levels of DEHP in grains but high levels in shoots, were ideal cultivars for simultaneous production of safe food and phytoremediation of contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that focuses on the genus Ventrifurca Roewer of the family Cranaidae, a group of Andean-Amazonian harvestmen. Topics covered are the classification revisited to be based on more detailed diagnoses and descriptions plus the traditional armature of scutal areas, tarsomere counts and secondary sexual structures, the phylogenetic analysis project on the internal and external relationships of Cranaide and the literature which recovers the monophyly of this taxon.