Visual Acuity of Juvenile Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta): A Behavioral Approach

Studies focusing on the visual cues sea turtles use to orient between the nesting site and the sea indicate that sea turtles use diffuse images for orientation and are highly myopic on land. The visual environment encountered by sea turtles, however, is very different in water than on land. In this study, operant conditioning techniques were used to explore the visual acuity of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the marine environment. Turtles were trained, in a tank setting, to distinguish between a 45 mm striped panel and 50% gray panel by using squid as a food reward. Though the pace of training was limited by our guidelines for holding these animals in captivity and the amount of food we could give each animal in a week, all turtles were trained in under a month. Once training was achieved, the stripes were reduced in size (stripe width ranging from 45.0 – 0.035 mm) until the turtle chose the striped panel over the 50% gray panel based on chance; this level of choice was designated as threshold. Mean acuity threshold level for all turtles tested was found to be 0.078 (visual angle of 12.89 minutes of arc). These results are similar to those of other marine species and indicate that loggerhead sea turtles use distinct visual cues in the aquatic environment

Eine Überprüfung der evolutionspsychologischen Erklärung von Eifersucht am Beispiel kroatischer und US-amerikanischer Probanden

Numerous investigators reported results which support the evolutionary theory of sex differences in jealousy. In this study we extend the cross cultural evaluation of jealousy to a comparison between U.S. and Croatian populations. Two alternative forced choice methods were used to assess how upset males and females were in the sexual or emotional infidelity of their mate with either a same sex person (homosexual relationship) or an opposite sex person (heterosexual relationship). A checklist of emotions was also given to the subjects to assess in more detail their feelings about the infidelities. In both the US and Croatia females showed a strong tendency to be upset by the emotional infidelity in the heterosexual case, but a complete reversal to the sexual infidelity in the homosexual case. Males were more upset by the sexual infidelity than females in the heterosexual case, but less upset by the sexual infidelity than the females in the homosexual case. Self reported emotions revealed anger, disgust and sadness to differentiate the feelings of the subjects to the different situations. The Croatian participants reported significantly more emotions than the US participants. The general predictions of the evolutionary account of sex differences in what caused the most distress were supported.Rezultati mnogih istraživanja idu u prilog evolucijskim objašnjenjima spolnih razlika u ljubomori. U ovom smo istraživanju te nalaze proširili međukulturnom usporedbom na hrvatskom i američkom uzorku. Upotrijebljena su dva zadatka prisilnog izbora kako bi se procijenio stupanj uznemirenosti kod muškaraca i žena u slučaju seksualne ili emocionalne nevjere njihova partnera/partnerice, ovisno o tome je li se nevjera dogodila s osobom istoga spola (homoseksualna veza) ili osobom suprotnoga spola (heteroseksualna veza). Kako bismo prikupili detaljnije informacije o osjećajima vezanima uz preljub, ponuđena je i lista emocija. Žene u obje kulture pokazale su veću uznemirenost u slučaju emocionalne nevjere u heteroseksualnom scenariju, ali potpuno suprotan obrazac u homoseksualnom scenariju (tj. veću uznemirenost u slučaju seksualne nevjere). Muškarci su u usporedbi sa ženama pokazali veću uznemirenost u slučaju seksualnoga preljuba u heteroseksualnom scenariju, ali manju uznemirenost u homoseksualnom scenariju. Osjećaji ljutnje, gađenja i tuge različito su se javljali u ove dvije situacije. Hrvatski su sudionici općenito izvještavali o većem broju emocija nego američki. Potvrđena su opća predviđanja evolucijske hipoteze o podrijetlu spolnih razlika u ljubomori.Die Ergebnisse zahlreicher Forschungen verweisen auf die Richtigkeit der Annahme, dass die unterschiedlichen Manifestationen der Eifersucht bei Frauen und Männern entwicklungsgeschichtlich bedingt sind. Die Autoren haben diese Erkenntnis durch einen interkulturalen Vergleich erweitert und das Phänomen der Eifersucht unter Kroaten und US-Amerikanern untersucht. Die Probanden wurden vor zwei Aufgaben gestellt, bei denen sie sich für eine von mehreren angebotenen Lösungen zu entscheiden hatten. Die Forscher wollten ermitteln, inwiefern die Frauen und Männer mit Verstörung auf den angenommenen Fall der sexuellen oder emotionalen Untreue ihrer PartnerInnen reagierten; dabei unterschieden die Befrager zwischen Seitensprüngen mit homosexuellen und Seitensprüngen mit heterosexuellen Partnern. Um detaillierte Informationen zu den Gefühlen des betrogenen Partners zu erhalten, wurde eine Checkliste von Emotionen angeboten. Die Probandinnen beider Kulturkreise bekundeten eine stärkere Verstörung für den Fall, dass ihr Partner bei einem heterosexuellen Seitensprung emotionale Untreue manifestierte; ebenso verstörend fänden sie die körperliche Untreue ihres Partners bei einem homosexuellen Seitensprung. Männer hingegen äußerten eine stärkere Verstimmung, sollte ihre Partnerin ihnen bei einem heterosexuellen Seitensprung untreu werden; weniger beunruhigend fänden sie den Fall homosexueller Untreue. Die Gefühle von Wut, Ekel und Traurigkeit zeigten je nach Szenario einen unterschiedlichen Ausschlag. Insgesamt kann gesagt werden, dass die kroatischen Untersuchungsteilnehmer eine größere Bandbreite an Emotionen an den Tag legten als die amerikanischen. Die allgemeine evolutionspsychologische Hypothese, dass sich Eifersucht bei Frauen und Männern unterschiedlich manifestiert, konnte bestätigt werden

Effect of genetic variability in 20 pharmacogenes on concentrations of tamoxifen and its metabolites

Background: Tamoxifen, as a treatment of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer, is a weak anti-estrogen that requires metabolic activation to form metabolites with higher anti-estrogenic activity. Endoxifen is the most-studied active tamoxifen metabolite, and endoxifen concentrations are highly associated with CYP2D6 activity. Associations of tamoxifen efficacy with measured or CYP2D6-predicted endoxifen concentrations have been inconclusive. Another active metabolite, 4-OHtam, and other, less active metabolites, Z-4′-endoxifen and Z-4′-OHtam, have also been reported to be associated with tamoxifen efficacy. Method: Genotype for 20 pharmacogenes was determined by VeriDose® Core Panel and VeriDose®CYP2D6 CNV Panel, followed by translation to metabolic activity phenotype following standard activity scoring. Concentrations of tamoxifen and seven metabolites were measured by UPLC-MS/MS in serum samples collected from patients receiving 20 mg tamoxifen per day. Metabolic activity was tested for association with tamoxifen and its metabolites using linear regression with adjustment for upstream metabolites to identify genes associated with each step in the tamoxifen metabolism pathway. Results: A total of 187 patients with genetic and tamoxifen concentration data were included in the analysis. CYP2D6 was the primary gene associated with the tamoxifen metabolism pathway, especially the conversion of tamoxifen to endoxifen. CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 were also responsible for the metabolism of tamoxifen. CYP2C9 especially impacted the hydroxylation to 4-OHtam, and this involved the OATP1B1 (SLCO1B1) transporter. Conclusion: Multiple genes are involved in tamoxifen metabolism and multi-gene panels could be useful to predict active metabolite concentrations and guide tamoxifen dosing.publishedVersio

First-in-human pharmacokinetics of tamoxifen and its metabolites in the milk of a lactating mother. A case study

Background Breast cancer represents the most frequent neoplasm diagnosed in women of childbearing age. When the tumour is oestrogen receptor-positive, tamoxifen is among the recommended endocrine treatments. Lactating women are advised not to breastfeed while receiving tamoxifen. However, information about tamoxifen transfer into breast milk is lacking. Methods We measured the concentration of tamoxifen and its metabolites by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in the milk of a nursing mother that was treated for pregnancy-associated breast cancer diagnosed a few months after delivery. She was advised not to breastfeed her child and she collected milk samples for 23 days while the baby was fed with formula. Results Tamoxifen concentrations in milk increased reaching a maximum of 214 nM. The two active metabolitesZ-4-hydroxy-tamoxifen and Z-endoxifen, could not be quantified in milk the first days after tamoxifen intake, but increased over time and reached clinically significant levels after day 18. Conclusion This study demonstrates for the first time in human that tamoxifen and its metabolites transfer into milk. Since tamoxifen has a complete oral bioavailability, a long half-life (>7 days) and may interfere with the normal development of the infant, mothers should not breastfeed during tamoxifen treatment

Pathways and Management of Phosphorus in urban areas

Due to the finite nature of mineral phosphorus reserves, effective management of anthropogenic phosphorus flows is currently under investigation by the international research community. This article emphasizes the importance of urban phosphorus flows, which are often marginalized due to the greater magnitude of agricultural phosphorus flows. A study on phosphorus flows in Gothenburg, Sweden, points out the potential role of solid waste in nutrient management, as the amounts of phosphorus in solid waste and in wastewater were found to be equal. Importation of food commodities accounts for 50% of the total inflow of phosphorus, and food waste is a major contributor of phosphorus to solid waste. The results suggest that solid waste incineration residues represent a large underestimated sink of phosphorus. Focusing on wastewater as the sole source of recovered phosphorus is not sufficient. The Swedish national goal on phosphorus recycling, which is limited to sewage sludge, targets only a part of the total phosphorus flow that can potentially be recovered. In contrast to previous studies, agricultural flows in Gothenburg were marginal compared to flows related to the urban waste management infrastructure. We emphasize the need for debate on preferable routes for disposal of waste with a high phosphorus content. Both recovery potential and usefulness of the recovered product for agricultural purposes have to be considered. Impacts of five waste management strategies on phosphorus flows were evaluated: incineration of all the waste, comprehensive food waste separation, installation of kitchen grinders, urine diversion, and separation of blackwater and food waste