Multi-scale investigation of uranium attenuation by arsenic at an abandoned uranium mine, South Terras

Detailed mineralogical analysis of soils from the UK’s historical key uranium mine, South Terras, was performed to elucidate the mechanisms of uranium degradation and migration in the 86 years since abandonment. Soils were sampled from the surface (0 – 2 cm) and near-surface (25 cm) in two distinct areas of ore processing activities. Bulk soil analysis revealed the presence of high concentrations of uranium (<1690 ppm), arsenic (1830 ppm) and beryllium (~250 ppm), suggesting pedogenic weathering of the country rock and ore extraction processes to be the mechanisms of uranium ore degradation. Micro-focus XRF analysis indicated the association of uranium with arsenic, phosphate and copper; µ-XRD data confirmed the presence of the uranyl-arsenate minerals metazeunerite (Cu(UO2)2(AsO4)2·8H2O) and metatorbernite (Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2·8H2O) to be ubiquitous. Our data are consistent with the solid solution of these two uranyl-mica minerals, not previously observed at uranium-contaminated sites. Crystallites of uranyl-mica minerals were observed to coat particles of jarosite and muscovite, suggesting that the mobility of uranium from degraded ores is attenuated by co-precipitation with arsenic and phosphate, which was not previously considered at this site

Automated mineralogical profiling of soils as an indicator of local bedrock lithology: a tool for predictive forensic geolocation

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Geological Society of London via the DOI in this record The use of soil evidence to identify an unknown location is a powerful tool to determine the provenance of an item in an investigation. We are particularly interested in the use of these indicators in nuclear forensic cases, whereby identification of locations associated with, for example, a smuggled nuclear material, may be used to indicate the provenance of a find. The use of soil evidence to identify an unknown location relies on understanding and predicting how soils vary in composition depending on their geological/geographical setting. In this study, compositional links between the mineralogy of 40 soils and the underlying bedrock geology, as documented in local-scale geological maps, were established. The soil samples were collected from locations with broadly similar climate and land use across a range of geological settings in a ‘test bed’ 3500 km2 area of SW England. In this region, the soils formed through chemical weathering of the bedrock, representing a worst case scenario for this type of forensic geolocation owing to the high degree of alteration of the parent rock during soil formation. The mineralogy was quantified using automated scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry analysis based on QEMSCAN technology. Soil mineralogy and texture as measured using this technique are consistent with the underlying geology as indicated by regional-scale geological mapping. Furthermore, differences between individual units of the same bedrock lithology, such as different granites, were identified by examining trace mineralogical signatures. From an investigative viewpoint, this demonstrated that rapid automated mineral profiling of soil samples could be used, in conjunction with readily available geological mapping or similar datasets, to provide indication of the areas from which a soil sample of unknown origin could, or could not, have been sourced

Optimal functional outcome measures for assessing treatment for Dupuytren's disease: A systematic review and recommendations for future practice

This article is available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. Copyright © 2013 Ball et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Background: Dupuytren's disease of the hand is a common condition affecting the palmar fascia, resulting in progressive flexion deformities of the digits and hence limitation of hand function. The optimal treatment remains unclear as outcomes studies have used a variety of measures for assessment. Methods: A literature search was performed for all publications describing surgical treatment, percutaneous needle aponeurotomy or collagenase injection for primary or recurrent Dupuytren’s disease where outcomes had been monitored using functional measures. Results: Ninety-one studies met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-two studies reported outcomes using patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) ranging from validated questionnaires to self-reported measures for return to work and self-rated disability. The Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score was the most utilised patient-reported function measure (n=11). Patient satisfaction was reported by eighteen studies but no single method was used consistently. Range of movement was the most frequent physical measure and was reported in all 91 studies. However, the methods of measurement and reporting varied, with seventeen different techniques being used. Other physical measures included grip and pinch strength and sensibility, again with variations in measurement protocols. The mean follow-up time ranged from 2 weeks to 17 years. Conclusions: There is little consistency in the reporting of outcomes for interventions in patients with Dupuytren’s disease, making it impossible to compare the efficacy of different treatment modalities. Although there are limitations to the existing generic patient reported outcomes measures, a combination of these together with a disease-specific questionnaire, and physical measures of active and passive individual joint Range of movement (ROM), grip and sensibility using standardised protocols should be used for future outcomes studies. As Dupuytren’s disease tends to recur following treatment as well as extend to involve other areas of the hand, follow-up times should be standardised and designed to capture both short and long term outcomes

The sperm factor: paternal impact beyond genes

The fact that sperm carry more than the paternal DNA has only been discovered just over a decade ago. With this discovery, the idea that the paternal condition may have direct implications for the fitness of the offspring had to be revisited. While this idea is still highly debated, empirical evidence for paternal effects is accumulating. Male condition not only affects male fertility but also offspring early development and performance later in life. Several factors have been identified as possible carriers of non-genetic information, but we still know little about their origin and function and even less about their causation. I consider four possible non-mutually exclusive adaptive and non-adaptive explanations for the existence of paternal effects in an evolutionary context. In addition, I provide a brief overview of the main non-genetic components found in sperm including DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, RNAs and proteins. I discuss their putative functions and present currently available examples for their role in transferring non-genetic information from the father to the offspring. Finally, I identify some of the most important open questions and present possible future research avenues

Mothers Matter Too: Benefits of Temperature Oviposition Preferences in Newts

The maternal manipulation hypothesis states that ectothermic females modify thermal conditions during embryonic development to benefit their offspring (anticipatory maternal effect). However, the recent theory suggests that the ultimate currency of an adaptive maternal effect is female fitness that can be maximized also by decreasing mean fitness of individual offspring. We evaluated benefits of temperature oviposition preferences in Alpine newts (Ichthyosaura [formerly Triturus] alpestris) by comparing the thermal sensitivity of maternal and offspring traits across a range of preferred oviposition temperatures (12, 17, and 22°C) and by manipulating the egg-predation risk during oviposition in a laboratory thermal gradient (12–22°C). All traits showed varying responses to oviposition temperatures. Embryonic developmental rates increased with oviposition temperature, whereas hatchling size and swimming capacity showed the opposite pattern. Maternal oviposition and egg-predation rates were highest at the intermediate temperature. In the thermal gradient, females oviposited at the same temperature despite the presence of caged egg-predators, water beetles (Agabus bipustulatus). We conclude that female newts prefer a particular temperature for egg-deposition to maximize their oviposition performance rather than offspring fitness. The evolution of advanced reproductive modes, such as prolonged egg-retention and viviparity, may require, among others, the transition from selfish temperature preferences for ovipositon to the anticipatory maternal effect

Microneedle Array Design Determines the Induction of Protective Memory CD8+ T Cell Responses Induced by a Recombinant Live Malaria Vaccine in Mice

BACKGROUND: Vaccine delivery into the skin has received renewed interest due to ease of access to the immune system and microvasculature, however the stratum corneum (SC), must be breached for successful vaccination. This has been achieved by removing the SC by abrasion or scarification or by delivering the vaccine intradermally (ID) with traditional needle-and-syringes or with long microneedle devices. Microneedle patch-based transdermal vaccine studies have predominantly focused on antibody induction by inactivated or subunit vaccines. Here, our principal aim is to determine if the design of a microneedle patch affects the CD8(+) T cell responses to a malaria antigen induced by a live vaccine. METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS: Recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) expressing a malaria antigen was percutaneously administered to mice using a range of silicon microneedle patches, termed ImmuPatch, that differed in microneedle height, density, patch area and total pore volume. We demonstrate that microneedle arrays that have small total pore volumes induce a significantly greater proportion of central memory T cells that vigorously expand to secondary immunization. Microneedle-mediated vaccine priming induced significantly greater T cell immunity post-boost and equivalent protection against malaria challenge compared to ID vaccination. Notably, unlike ID administration, ImmuPatch-mediated vaccination did not induce inflammatory responses at the site of immunization or in draining lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates that the design of microneedle patches significantly influences the magnitude and memory of vaccine-induced CD8(+) T cell responses and can be optimised for the induction of desired immune responses. Furthermore, ImmuPatch-mediated delivery may be of benefit to reducing unwanted vaccine reactogenicity. In addition to the advantages of low cost and lack of pain, the development of optimised microneedle array designs for the induction of T cell responses by live vaccines aids the development of solutions to current obstacles of immunization programmes

Interpopulation variation in female remating is attributable to female and male effects in Callosobruchus chinensis

The evolution of female multiple mating is best understood by consideration of male and female reproductive perspectives. Females should usually be selected to remate at their optimum frequencies whereas males should be selected to manipulate female remating to their advantage. Female remating behavior may therefore be changed by variation of male and female traits. In this study, our objective was to separate the effects of female and male strains on female remating for the adzuki bean beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis, for which there is interstrain variation in female remating frequency. We found that interstrain variation in female remating is primarily attributable to female traits, suggesting genetic variation in female receptivity to remating in C. chinensis. Some interstrain variation in female remating propensity was attributable to an interaction between female and male strains, however, with the males of some strains being good at inducing nonreceptivity in females from one high-remating strain whereas others were good at inducing copulation in nonvirgin females from the high-remating strain. There is, therefore, interstrain variation in male ability to deter females from remating and in male ability to mate successfully with nonvirgin females. These results suggest that mating traits have evolved along different trajectories in different strains of C. chinensis.</p

Heritability of seed weight in Maritime pine, a relevant trait in the transmission of environmental maternal effects

Quantitative seed provisioning is an important life-history trait with strong effects on offspring phenotype and fitness. As for any other trait, heritability estimates are vital for understanding its evolutionary dynamics. However, being a trait in between two generations, estimating additive genetic variation of seed provisioning requires complex quantitative genetic approaches for distinguishing between true genetic and environmental maternal effects. Here, using Maritime pine as a long-lived plant model, we quantified additive genetic variation of cone and seed weight (SW) mean and SW within-individual variation. We used a powerful approach combining both half-sib analysis and parent-offspring regression using several common garden tests established in contrasting environments to separate G, E and G x E effects. Both cone weight and SW mean showed significant genetic variation but were also influenced by the maternal environment. Most of the large variation in SW mean was attributable to additive genetic effects (h(2) = 0.55-0.74). SW showed no apparent G x E interaction, particularly when accounting for cone weight covariation, suggesting that the maternal genotypes actively control the SW mean irrespective of the amount of resources allocated to cones. Within-individual variation in SW was low (12%) relative to between-individual variation (88%), and showed no genetic variation but was largely affected by the maternal environment, with greater variation in the less favourable sites for pine growth. In summary, results were very consistent between the parental and the offspring common garden tests, and clearly indicated heritable genetic variation for SW mean but not for within-individual variation in SW.This study was financed by the Spanish National Research Grants RTA2007-100 and AGL2012-40151 (FENOPIN), both co-financed by EU-FEDER. The progeny trials and the clonal seed orchards are part of the experimental set up of the Maritime pine breeding programme developed by the Centro de Investigacion Forestal de Lourizan, Xunta de Galicia.Spanish National Research Grant RTA2007-100Spanish National Research Grant AGL2012-40151 (FENOPIN)EU-FEDERPeer reviewe

Recent Surgical and Medical Advances in the Treatment of Dupuytren’s Disease - A Systematic Review of the Literature

Dupuytren’s disease (DD) is a type of fibromatosis which progressively results in the shortening and thickening of the fibrous tissue of the palmar fascia. This condition which predominantly affects white-northern Europeans has been identified since 1614. DD can affect certain activities of daily living such as face washing, combing hair and putting hand in a glove. The origin of Dupuytren’s contracture is still unknown, but there are a number of treatments that doctors have come across throughout the years. Historically surgery has been the mainstay treatment for DD but not the only one. The objective is to make a structured review of the most recent advances in treatment of DD including the surgical and medical interventions. We have looked at the most relevant published articles regarding the various treatment options for DD. This review has taken 55 articles into consideration which have met the inclusion criteria. The most recent treatments used are multi-needle aponeurotomy, extensive percutaneous aponeurotomy and lipografting, injecting collagenase Clostridium histolyticum, INF-gamma and shockwave therapy as well as radiotherapy. Each of these treatments has certain advantages and drawbacks and cannot be used for every patient. In order to prevent this condition, spending more time and money in the topic is required to reach better and more consistent treatments and ultimately to eradicate this disease