Adaptive introgression underlies polymorphic seasonal camouflage in snowshoe hares

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) maintain seasonal camouflage by molting to a white winter coat, but some hares remain brown during the winter in regions with low snow cover. We show that cis-regulatory variation controlling seasonal expression of the Agouti gene underlies this adaptive winter camouflage polymorphism. Genetic variation at Agouti clustered by winter coat color across multiple hare and jackrabbit species, revealing a history of recurrent interspecific gene flow. Brown winter coats in snowshoe hares likely originated from an introgressed black-tailed jackrabbit allele that has swept to high frequency in mild winter environments. These discoveries show that introgression of genetic variants that underlie key ecological traits can seed past and ongoing adaptation to rapidly changing environments. (c) The Authors, Some Rights Reserved

Nefro - 27-3 - MIOLO.indd

ABSTRACT Introduction: Despite many technical and scientific advances in haemodialysis, the outcomes in patients with end stage renal disease are far from reaching the desired targets. How can they be improved? The doctor-patient relationship is a key issue in the healthcare provided to patients with end stage chronic kidney disease on dialysis. Patients and Methods: We, therefore, built a patient-centred biopsychosocial personalized approach to enhance patient autonomy and self-care as an alternative to the conventional medical approach to dialysis patients. We compared patient satisfaction achieved in both approaches using a patient satisfaction questionnaire, and we assessed the correlation between satisfaction and social, clinical and biological outcomes. Results and Conclusion: The alternative physician-patient relationship approach achieved better outcomes than the conventional one, and so it must be the choice approach for these patients. Key-Words: Chronic kidney disease; dialysis; end stage renal disease; patient-centred care; patient satisfaction; physician-patient relationship. RESUMO Introdução: Apesar de muitos avanços técnicos e científicos no tratamento por hemodiálise, os resultados obtidos nas pessoas com doença renal crónica estão longe de atingir os resultados desejados. Como podemos melhorá-los? A relação entre médico e pessoa doente é um fator chave nos cuidados de saúde prestados a esta população. Doentes e Métodos: Construímos um modelo de abordagem da pessoa doente, personalizado, isto é, biopsicossocial e centrado na pessoa, para aumentar a sua autonomia e envolviment

Detection and Molecular Characterization of Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. Circulating in Wild Small Mammals from Portugal

Simple Summary Wild small mammals can be a veterinary and public health concern, because they can act as reservoir hosts for numerous pathogens and potentially transmit them to humans, domestic animals and other wildlife species. This study represents the first investigation of the diarrhea-causing parasites Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in wild rodents and shrews from Portugal. Cryptosporidium spp. was rarely and Giardia was frequently detected in the feces of the analyzed species, with the southwestern water voles (Arvicola sapidus) and Lusitanian pine voles (Microtus lusitanicus) showing the highest infection rates of Giardia spp. Genetic characterization based on common genomic marker sequences revealed the rodent-adapted Giardia microti and potentially zoonotic Cryptosporidium muris as the only circulating species. These findings suggest the limited role of wild rodents and shrews as natural sources of human infections in Portugal regarding the investigated parasites. Moreover, the host ranges of Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. were extended and the obtained genetic sequences of Giardia microti are useful for future comparative studies. From the One-Heath perspective, this study helps to understand the epidemiology of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in wildlife. Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. are important diarrhea-causing protozoan parasites worldwide that exhibit broad host ranges. Wild small mammals can harbor host-adapted and potentially zoonotic species of both parasites. The aim of this study was to investigate Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in wild rodents and shrews in Portugal, focusing on the protist's occurrence and genetic diversity. Molecular screening by PCR at the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene locus of 290 fecal samples from wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), southwestern water voles (Arvicola sapidus), Cabrera's voles (Microtus cabrerae), Lusitanian pine voles (Microtus lusitanicus), Algerian mice (Mus spretus) and greater white-toothed shrews (Crocidura russula) in Northeast Portugal revealed the low occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. (1%) and high occurrence of Giardia spp. (32.8%). The analysis revealed that species was the only significant factor associated with the increasing probability of Giardia spp. infection, with the highest prevalence reported in southwestern water voles and Lusitanian pine voles. Cryptosporidium and Giardia species determination at the SSU rRNA gene locus revealed C. muris and G. microti as the only circulating species, respectively. Subtyping of the glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) and beta-giardin (bg) genes provided evidence of the high genetic diversity within the G. microti clade. This study suggests that rodent-adapted G. microti occurs to a large extent in cricetid hosts and supports the limited role of wild rodents and shrews as natural sources of human infections in Northeast Portugal regarding the investigated parasites. Moreover, this is the first record of G. microti in southwestern water voles, Lusitanian pine voles, Algerian mice, wood mice and Cabrera's voles and C. muris in Cabrera's voles. Finally, this study improves the database of sequences relevant for the sequence typing of G. microti strains and provides new insights about the epidemiology of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in wild rodents and shrews, two parasite genera of high importance for public and animal health

Charge effect on the photoinactivation of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria by cationic meso-substituted porphyrins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In recent times photodynamic antimicrobial therapy has been used to efficiently destroy Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria using cationic porphyrins as photosensitizers. There is an increasing interest in this approach, namely in the search of photosensitizers with adequate structural features for an efficient photoinactivation process. In this study we propose to compare the efficiency of seven cationic porphyrins differing in <it>meso</it>-substituent groups, charge number and charge distribution, on the photodynamic inactivation of a Gram (+) bacterium (<it>Enterococcus faecalis</it>) and of a Gram (-) bacterium (<it>Escherichia coli</it>). The present study complements our previous work on the search for photosensitizers that might be considered good candidates for the photoinactivation of a large spectrum of environmental microorganisms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bacterial suspension (10⁷CFU mL^-1) treated with different photosensitizers concentrations (0.5, 1.0 and 5.0 μM) were exposed to white light (40 W m^-2) for a total light dose of 64.8 J cm^-2. The most effective photosensitizers against both bacterial strains were the Tri-Py⁺-Me-PF and Tri-Py⁺-Me-CO₂Me at 5.0 μM with a light fluence of 64.8 J cm^-2, leading to > 7.0 log (> 99,999%) of photoinactivation. The tetracationic porphyrin also proved to be a good photosensitizer against both bacterial strains. Both di-cationic and the monocationic porphyrins were the least effective ones.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The number of positive charges, the charge distribution in the porphyrins' structure and the <it>meso</it>-substituent groups seem to have different effects on the photoinactivation of both bacteria. As the Tri-Py⁺-Me-PF porphyrin provides the highest log reduction using lower light doses, this photosensitizer can efficiently photoinactivate a large spectrum of environmental bacteria. The complete inactivation of both bacterial strains with low light fluence (40 W m^-2) means that the photodynamic approach can be applied to wastewater treatment under natural light conditions which makes this technology cheap and feasible in terms of the light source.</p

Measurement of relaxation times in extensional flow of weakly viscoelastic polymer solutions

The characterization of the extensional rheology of polymeric solutions is important in several applications and industrial processes. Filament stretching andcapillary breakup rheometers have been developed to characterize the extensional properties of polymeric solutions,mostly for high-viscosity fluids. However, for low concentration polymer solutions, the measurements are difficultusing available devices, in terms of the minimum viscosity and relaxation times that can be measured accurately.In addition, when the slow retraction method is used, solvent evaporation can affect the measurements for volatilesolvents. In this work, a new setup was tested for filament breakup experiments using the slow retraction method,high-speed imaging techniques, and an immiscible oil bathto reduce solvent evaporation and facilitate particle trackingin the thinning filament. Extensional relaxation times abovearound 100 μs were measured with the device for dilute andsemi-dilute polymer solutions. Particle tracking velocimetrywas also used to measure the velocity in the filament andthe corresponding elongation rate, and to compare with thevalues obtained from the measured exponential decay of thefilament diameter

Microfluidic systems for the analysis of the viscoelastic fluid flow phenomena in porous media

In this study, two microfluidic devices are proposed as simplified 1-D microfluidic analogues of a porous medium. The objectives are twofold: firstly to assess the usefulness of the microchannels to mimic the porous medium in a controlled and simplified manner, and secondly to obtain a better insight about the flow characteristics of viscoelastic fluids flowing through a packed bed. For these purposes, flow visualizations and pressure drop measurements are conducted with Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids. The 1-D microfluidic analogues of porous medium consisted of microchannels with a sequence of contractions/ expansions disposed in symmetric and asymmetric arrangements. The real porous medium is in reality, a complex combination of the two arrangements of particles simulated with the microchannels, which can be considered as limiting ideal configurations. The results show that both configurations are able to mimic well the pressure drop variation with flow rate for Newtonian fluids. However, due to the intrinsic differences in the deformation rate profiles associated with each microgeometry, the symmetric configuration is more suitable for studying the flow of viscoelastic fluids at low De values, while the asymmetric configuration provides better results at high De values. In this way, both microgeometries seem to be complementary and could be interesting tools to obtain a better insight about the flow of viscoelastic fluids through a porous medium. Such model systems could be very interesting to use in polymer-flood processes for enhanced oil recovery, for instance, as a tool for selecting the most suitable viscoelastic fluid to be used in a specific formation. The selection of the fluid properties of a detergent for cleaning oil contaminated soil, sand, and in general, any porous material, is another possible application

Traditional knowledge on zootherapeutic uses by the Saharia tribe of Rajasthan, India

The present zootherapeutic study describes the traditional knowledge related to the use of different animals and animal-derived products as medicines by the Saharia tribe reside in the Shahabad and Kishanganj Panchayat Samiti's of Baran district of Rajasthan, India. A field survey was conducted from April to June 2006 by performing interview through structured questionnaire with 21 selected respondents, who provided information regarding use of animals and their products in folk medicine. A total of 15 animal species were recorded and they are used for different ethnomedical purposes, including cough, asthma, tuberculosis, paralysis, earache, herpes, weakness, muscular pain etc. The zootherapeutic knowledge was mostly based on domestic animals, but some protected species like the peacock (Pavo cristatus,), hard shelled turtle (Kachuga tentoria), sambhar (Cervus unicolor) were also mentioned as medicinal resources. We would suggest that this kind of neglected traditional knowledge should be included into the strategies of conservation and management of faunistic resources. Further studies are required for experimental validation to confirm the presence of bioactive compounds in these traditional remedies and also to emphasize more sustainable use of these resources

Mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services. Urban ecosystems

Action 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 requires member states to Map and Assess the state of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES). This report provides guidance for mapping and assessment of urban ecosystems. The MAES urban pilot is a collaboration between the European Commission, the European Environment Agency, volunteering Member States and cities, and stakeholders. Its ultimate goal is to deliver a knowledge base for policy and management of urban ecosystems by analysing urban green infrastructure, condition of urban ecosystems and ecosystem services. This report presents guidance for mapping urban ecosystems and includes an indicator framework to assess the condition of urban ecosystems and urban ecosystem services. The scientific framework of mapping and assessment is designed to support in particular urban planning policy and policy on green infrastructure at urban, metropolitan and regional scales. The results are based on the following different sources of information: a literature survey of 54 scientific articles, an online-survey (on urban ecosystems, related policies and planning instruments and with participation of 42 cities), ten case studies (Portugal: Cascais, Oeiras, Lisbon; Italy: Padua, Trento, Rome; The Netherlands: Utrecht; Poland: Poznań; Spain: Barcelona; Norway: Oslo), and a two-day expert workshop. The case studies constituted the core of the MAES urban pilot. They provided real examples and applications of how mapping and assessment can be organized to support policy; on top, they provided the necessary expertise to select a set of final indicators for condition and ecosystem services. Urban ecosystems or cities are defined here as socio-ecological systems which are composed of green infrastructure and built infrastructure. Urban green infrastructure (GI) is understood in this report as the multi-functional network of urban green spaces situated within the boundary of the urban ecosystem. Urban green spaces are the structural components of urban GI. This study has shown that there is a large scope for urban ecosystem assessments. Firstly, urban policies increasingly use urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in their planning process. Secondly, an increasing amount of data at multiple spatial scales is becoming available to support these policies, to provide a baseline, and to compare or benchmark cities with respect to the extent and management of the urban ecosystem. Concrete examples are given on how to delineate urban ecosystems, how to choose an appropriate spatial scale, and how to map urban ecosystems based on a combination of national or European datasets (including Urban Atlas) and locally collected information (e.g., location of trees). Also examples of typologies for urban green spaces are presented. This report presents an indicator framework which is composed of indicators to assess for urban ecosystem condition and for urban ecosystem services. These are the result of a rigorous selection process and ensure consistent mapping and assessment across Europe. The MAES urban pilot will continue with work on the interface between research and policy. The framework presented in this report needs to be tested and validated across Europe, e.g. on its applicability at city scale, on how far the methodology for measuring ecosystem condition and ecosystem service delivery in urban areas can be used to assess urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions

Submillimeter Studies of Prestellar Cores and Protostars: Probing the Initial Conditions for Protostellar Collapse

Improving our understanding of the initial conditions and earliest stages of protostellar collapse is crucial to gain insight into the origin of stellar masses, multiple systems, and protoplanetary disks. Observationally, there are two complementary approaches to this problem: (1) studying the structure and kinematics of prestellar cores observed prior to protostar formation, and (2) studying the structure of young (e.g. Class 0) accreting protostars observed soon after point mass formation. We discuss recent advances made in this area thanks to (sub)millimeter mapping observations with large single-dish telescopes and interferometers. In particular, we argue that the beginning of protostellar collapse is much more violent in cluster-forming clouds than in regions of distributed star formation. Major breakthroughs are expected in this field from future large submillimeter instruments such as Herschel and ALMA.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Chemistry as a Diagnostic of Star Formation" (C.L. Curry & M. Fich eds.

Animals and their products utilized as medicines by the inhabitants surrounding the Ranthambhore National Park, India

The present ethnozoological study describes the traditional knowledge related to the use of different animals and animal-derived products as medicines by the inhabitants of villages surrounding the Ranthambhore National Park of India (Bawaria, Mogya, Meena), which is well known for its very rich biodiversity. The field survey was conducted from May to July 2005 by performing interviews through structured questionnaires with 24 informants (16 men and 8 women), who provided information regarding therapeutic uses of animals. A total of 15 animals and animal products were recorded and they are used for different ethnomedical purposes, including tuberculosis, asthma, paralysis, jaundice, earache, constipation, weakness, snake poisoning. The zootherapeutic knowledge was mostly based on domestic animals, but some protected species like the collared dove (Streptopelia sp.), hard shelled turtle (Kachuga tentoria), sambhar (Cervus unicolor) were also mentioned as important medicinal resources. We would suggest that this kind of neglected traditional knowledge should be included into the strategies of conservation and management of faunistic resources in the investigated area