Testis and Antler Dysgenesis in Sitka Black-Tailed Deer on Kodiak Island, Alaska: Sequela of Environmental Endocrine Disruption?

It had been observed that many male Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) on Kodiak Island, Alaska, had abnormal antlers, were cryptorchid, and presented no evidence of hypospadias. We sought to better understand the problem and investigated 171 male deer for phenotypic aberrations and 12 for detailed testicular histopathology. For the low-lying Aliulik Peninsula (AP), 61 of 94 deer were bilateral cryptorchids (BCOs); 70% of these had abnormal antlers. Elsewhere on the Kodiak Archipelago, only 5 of 65 deer were BCOs. All 11 abdominal testes examined had no spermatogenesis but contained abnormalities including carcinoma in situ–like cells, possible precursors of seminoma; Sertoli cell, Leydig cell, and stromal cell tumors; carcinoma and adenoma of rete testis; and microlithiasis or calcifications. Cysts also were evident within the excurrent ducts. Two of 10 scrotal testes contained similar abnormalities, although spermatogenesis was ongoing. We cannot rule out that these abnormalities are linked sequelae of a mutation(s) in a founder animal, followed by transmission over many years and causing high prevalence only on the AP. However, based on lesions observed, we hypothesize that it is more likely that this testis–antler dysgenesis resulted from continuing exposure of pregnant females to an estrogenic environmental agent(s), thereby transforming testicular cells, affecting development of primordial antler pedicles, and blocking transabdominal descent of fetal testes. A browse (e.g., kelp) favored by deer in this locale might carry the putative estrogenic agent(s)

A Comparative Risk Assessment Of Burden Of Disease And Injury Attributable To 67 Risk Factors And Risk Factor Clusters In 21 Regions, 1990–2010: A Systematic Analysis For The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2010

Background Quantification of the disease burden caused by different risks informs prevention by providing an account of health loss different to that provided by a disease-by-disease analysis. No complete revision of global disease burden caused by risk factors has been done since a comparative risk assessment in 2000, and no previous analysis has assessed changes in burden attributable to risk factors over time

Once a pen a time... Revitalisation of a manufacturing plant in Aspern

Im Zentrum der Arbeit steht eine ehemalige Schreibwarenprodutionsstätte im historischen Ortskern Asperns. Die leerstehenden Bestandsgebäude auf dem Firmengelände der Hemos Schreibwaren GmbH wurden in den 1960er Jahren errichtet und stellen aufgrund ihrer Formensprache, Volumina und insbesondere ihrer prominenten Lage ein aus der Umgebung hervorstechendes Ensemble dar. Aber nicht nur der Landmark-Charakter des Firmenareals, sondern auch seine Beziehung zum umliegenden, sich rasant wandelnden Stadtteil, verleihen der vorgefundenen Situation ihren Reiz. Eine erste Analyse widmet sich auf der städtebaulichen Ebene zunächst vergangenen und aktuelle Dynamiken, sowie anschließend auf Gebäudeebene der Bestandsbebauung. Dies bildet die Grundlage für einen Vorschlag zur Revitalisierung in Form einer gemischten Nachnutzung als Veranstaltungs- und Büroarbeitsstätte. Mittels unterschiedlicher Varianten-Studien werden in der Methodik Möglichkeiten aufgezeigt, auf die sich spätere Entwurfsentscheidungen stützen, welche zu dem am Schluss präsentierten Resultat führen.The focus of this work is a former production facility in the historic center of Aspern. The vacant existing buildings on the company premises of Hemos Schreibwaren GmbH were erected in the 1960s and, due to their design, volumes and especially their prominent location, represent an ensemble that stands out from the surrounding area. Not only the landmark character of the company premises, but also its relationship to the surrounding, rapidly changing district, give the situation its charm. An initial analysis is devoted to past and current dynamics on the urban planning level, and afterwards to the existing structure on the building level. This forms the basis for a proposal for revitalization in the form of a mixed re-use as an event and office workplace. By means of different variant studies, possibilities are shown in the methodology on which later design decisions are based, which lead to the result presented at the end.19