Reproductive Failure in UK Harbour Porpoises Phocoena phocoena : Legacy of Pollutant Exposure?

This research was supported by a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship within the Seventh European Community Framework Programme (Project Cetacean-stressors, PIOF-GA-2010-276145 to PDJ and SM). Additional funding was provided through the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS) (Grants SSFA/2008 and SSFA / ASCOBANS / 2010 / 5 to SM). Analysis of Scottish reproductive and teeth samples was funded by the EC-funded BIOCET project (BIOaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in small CETaceans in European waters: transport pathways and impact on reproduction, grant EVK3-2000-00027 to GJP), and Marine Scotland (GJP). Samples examined in this research were collected under the collaborative Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (http://ukstrandings.org/), which is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the UK’s Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales (http://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/Defaul​t.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=No​ne&Completed=0&ProjectID=15331) (grants to PDJ, RD). UK Defra also funded the chemical analysis under a service-level agreement with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (grants to RJL, JB). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Spatial distribution of atmospheric PAHs and PCNs along a north-south Atlantic transect. Environ

source regions and air mass origin influence broad trends in oceanic air POPs concentrations, while diurnal cycling occurs in remote regions. 3 ). The highest PCN concentrations occurred in the European samples, but high values were also detected off the West African coast, and in the sample taken closest to South Africa. Data are presented for diurnal cycles taken in the remote South Atlantic. The day:night ratios of phenanthrene, 1-methylphenanthrene and fluoranthene were typically w1.5e2.5:1. The mechanism(s) causing this observation is/are not understood at present, but dynamic environmental process(es) is/are implicated

A Lithium Depletion Age for the Carina Association

The dispersed remnants of stellar nurseries, stellar associations provide unparalleled samples of coeval stars critical for studies of stellar and planetary formation and evolution. The Carina Stellar Association is one of the closest stellar associations to Earth, and yet measurements of its age have varied from 13 to 45 Myr. We aim to update the age of Carina using the Lithium Depletion Boundary method. We obtain new measurements of the Li 6708 Angstrom, absorption feature in likely members using optical spectra from the Goodman HTS on SOAR and NRES on LCO. We detect the depletion boundary at M_K ~= 6.8 (M5), which corresponds to an age of 41(+3,-5) Myr. The age is consistent within uncertainties across six different models, including those that account for magnetic fields and spots. We also estimate the age through analysis of the group's overall variability, and by comparing the association members' CMD to stellar evolutionary models using a Gaussian Mixture Model, recovering ages consistent with the LDB. The resulting age agrees with the older end of previous age measurements and is consistent with the lithium depletion age for the neighboring Tucana-Horologium Moving Group.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted to AJ on 10/17/202

Transit Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME). VIII. A Pleiades-age Association Harboring Two Transiting Planetary Systems from Kepler

Young planets provide a window into the early stages and evolution of planetary systems. Ideal planets for such research are in coeval associations, where the parent population can precisely determine their ages. We describe a young association (MELANGE-3) in the Kepler field, which harbors two transiting planetary systems (KOI-3876 and Kepler-970). We identify MELANGE-3 by searching for kinematic and spatial overdensities around Kepler planet hosts with high levels of lithium. To determine the age and membership of MELANGE-3, we combine new high-resolution spectra with archival light curves, velocities, and astrometry of stars near KOI-3876 spatially and kinematically. We use the resulting rotation sequence, lithium levels, and color-magnitude diagram of candidate members to confirm the presence of a coeval 105 ± 10 Myr population. MELANGE-3 may be part of the recently identified Theia 316 stream. For the two exoplanet systems, we revise the stellar and planetary parameters, taking into account the newly determined age. Fitting the 4.5 yr Kepler light curves, we find that KOI-3876b is a 2.0 ± 0.1 R⊕ planet on a 19.58 day orbit, while Kepler-970 b is a 2.8 ± 0.2 R⊕ planet on a 16.73 day orbit. KOI-3876 was previously flagged as an eclipsing binary, which we rule out using radial velocities from APOGEE and statistically validate the signal as planetary in origin. Given its overlap with the Kepler field, MELANGE-3 is valuable for studies of spot evolution on year timescales, and both planets contribute to the growing work on transiting planets in young stellar associations

Critical perspectives on ‘consumer involvement’ in health research: epistemological dissonance and the know-do gap

Researchers in the area of health and social care (both in Australia and internationally) are encouraged to involve consumers throughout the research process, often on ethical, political and methodological grounds, or simply as ‘good practice’. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study in the UK of researchers’ experiences and views of consumer involvement in health research. Two main themes are presented in the paper. Firstly, we explore the ‘know-do gap’ which relates to the tensions between researchers’ perceptions of the potential benefits of, and their actual practices in relation to, consumer involvement. Secondly, we focus on one of the reasons for this ‘know-do gap’, namely epistemological dissonance. Findings are linked to issues around consumerism in research, lay/professional knowledges, the (re)production of professional and consumer identities and the maintenance of boundaries between consumers and researchers

Persistence of PFOA pollution at a PTFE production site and occurrence of replacement PFASs in English freshwaters revealed by sentinel species, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra)

Concentrations of 33 PFASs were determined in 20 Eurasian otters, sampled 2015–2019, along a transect away from a factory, which used PFOA in PTFE manufacture. Despite cessation of usage in 2012, PFOA concentrations remained high near the factory (>298 μg/kg ww 150 km away). Long-chain legacy PFASs dominated the Σ33PFAS profile, particularly PFOS, PFOA, PFDA, and PFNA. Replacement compounds, PFECHS, F-53B, PFBSA, PFBS, PFHpA, and 8:2 FTS, were detected in ≥19 otters, this being the first report of PFBSA and PFECHS in the species. Concentrations of replacement PFASs were generally lower than legacy compounds (max: 70.3 μg/kg ww and 4,640 μg/kg ww, respectively). Our study underscores the utility of otters as sentinels for evaluating mitigation success and highlights the value of continued monitoring to provide insights into the longevity of spatial associations with historic sources. Lower concentrations of replacement, than legacy, PFASs likely reflect their lower bioaccumulation potential, and more recent introduction. Continued PFAS use will inevitably lead to increased environmental and human exposure if not controlled. Further research is needed on fate, toxicity, and bioaccumulation of replacement compounds

Anthropogenic drivers of variation in concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances in otters (Lutra lutra) from England and Wales

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that have been linked to adverse health effects in wildlife and humans. Here, we report the presence of PFASs in Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in England and Wales and their association with anthropogenic sources. The following 15 compounds were analyzed: 10 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), 4 perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs), and perfluorooctane sulfonamide, in livers of 50 otters which died between 2007 and 2009. PFASs were detected in all otters analyzed, with 12/15 compounds detected in ≥80% of otters. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) accounted for 75% of the ΣPFAS profile, with a maximum concentration of 6800 μg/kg wet weight (ww). Long-chain (≥C8) PFCAs accounted for 99.9% of the ΣPFCA profile, with perfluorodecanoic acid and perfluorononanoic acid having the highest maxima (369 μg/kg ww and 170 μg/kg ww, respectively). Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) concentrations were negatively associated with the distance from a factory that used PFOA in polytetrafluoroethylene manufacture. Most PFAS concentrations in otters were positively associated with load entering wastewater treatment works (WWTW) and with arable land, suggesting that WWTW effluent and sewage sludge-amended soils are significant pathways of PFASs into freshwaters. Our results reveal the widespread pollution of British freshwaters with PFASs and demonstrate the utility of otters as effective sentinels for spatial variation in PFAS concentrations

Genome-wide mapping of histone H4 serine-1 phosphorylation during sporulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We previously showed that histone H4 serine-1 phosphorylation (H4S1ph) is evolutionarily conserved during gametogenesis, and contributes to post-meiotic nuclear compaction and to full completion of sporulation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previous studies showed that H4S1ph and another modification of the same histone, H4 acetylation (H4ac), do not occur together and have opposing roles during DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. In this study, we investigated the relationship between these marks during yeast sporulation. H4S1ph and H4ac co-exist globally during later stages of sporulation, in contrast to DSB repair. Genome-wide mapping during sporulation reveals accumulation of both marks over promoters of genes. Prevention of H4S1ph deposition delays the decline in transcription that normally occurs during spore maturation. Taken together, our results indicate that H4S1ph deposition reinforces reduced transcription that coincides with full spore compaction, without disrupting the local acetylation signature. These studies indicate distinctive features of a histone H4 modification marking system during sporulation compared with DSB repair