Predicting the Impact of Climate Change on Threatened Species in UK Waters

Global climate change is affecting the distribution of marine species and is thought to represent a threat to biodiversity. Previous studies project expansion of species range for some species and local extinction elsewhere under climate change. Such range shifts raise concern for species whose long-term persistence is already threatened by other human disturbances such as fishing. However, few studies have attempted to assess the effects of future climate change on threatened vertebrate marine species using a multi-model approach. There has also been a recent surge of interest in climate change impacts on protected areas. This study applies three species distribution models and two sets of climate model projections to explore the potential impacts of climate change on marine species by 2050. A set of species in the North Sea, including seven threatened and ten major commercial species were used as a case study. Changes in habitat suitability in selected candidate protected areas around the UK under future climatic scenarios were assessed for these species. Moreover, change in the degree of overlap between commercial and threatened species ranges was calculated as a proxy of the potential threat posed by overfishing through bycatch. The ensemble projections suggest northward shifts in species at an average rate of 27 km per decade, resulting in small average changes in range overlap between threatened and commercially exploited species. Furthermore, the adverse consequences of climate change on the habitat suitability of protected areas were projected to be small. Although the models show large variation in the predicted consequences of climate change, the multi-model approach helps identify the potential risk of increased exposure to human stressors of critically endangered species such as common skate (Dipturus batis) and angelshark (Squatina squatina)

Comparação das propriedades de textura de peras submetidas a descasque manual e químico

O objetivo deste trabalho consistiu no estudo de uma forma alternativa de descasque da pêra, o descasque químico, a uma temperatura de 65 ºC, através de dois solventes a diferentes concentrações (hidróxido de sódio (10 % e 18 %) e hidróxido de potássio (8 % e 14%)). Posteriormente estudou-se o seu impacto nas propriedades de textura da pêra, neste caso a variedade Rocha, quando comparado com os frutos descascados manualmente. No caso do descasque químico com hidróxido de potássio este solvente conduziu a uma ligeira diminuição da dureza da pêra mas manteve praticamente inalterado a sua elasticidade e coesividade. O aumento da concentração do solvente de 8 % para 14 % não conduziu a alterações significativas das propriedades de textura da pêra descascada quimicamente. No que se refere ao hidróxido de sódio e para uma concentração de 10 % verificou-se um aumento da dureza, da elasticidade e da coesividade da pêra descascada com o solvente quando comparada com o descasque manual. No entanto, para a concentração de 18 % de hidróxido de sódio as propriedades de textura foram semelhantes às observadas com o descasque manual

Are we eliminating cures with antibiotic abuse? A study among dentists

Context: The theme of “World Health Day 2011” is “combat drug resistance- No action today, No cure tomorrow” which is very pertinent. The present study emphatically demonstrates the current issues related to the overwhelming concerns regarding indiscriminate use of antibiotics, leading to a bleak tomorrow where cures may be few.Aim: To know the prescription pattern of antibiotics for various dental procedures by dental practitioners.Materials and Methods: A pretested questionnaire was used which contained two sections pertaining to prescription of antibiotics for healthy and medically compromised patients during various dental procedures, with therapeutic and prophylactic considerations.Results: Questionnaire response rate of 66.6% was observed. Amoxicillin emerged as the most preferred antibiotic for dental procedures both as a therapeutic and a prophylactic drug. 50% of the endodontists and 40% of the general dentists opted to prescribe antibiotics during root canal therapy where ideally operative intervention would have sufficed. Overuse of antibiotics for routine scaling and extraction was observed.Conclusion: The dental profession as a whole needs to acquire a deeper understanding of the global effects of superfluous antibiotic prescription. Antibiotics when judiciously used are precise life-saving drugs

Influence of PLLA/PCL/HA scaffold fiber orientation on mechanical properties and osteoblast behavior

Scaffolds based on aligned and non-aligned poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA)/polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers obtained by electrospinning, associated to electrosprayed hydroxyapatite (HA) for tissue engineering applications were developed and their performance was compared in terms of their morphology and biological and mechanical behaviors. The morphological results assessed by scanning electron microscopy showed a mesh of PLLA/PCL fibers (random and perfectly aligned) associated with aggregates of nanophased HA. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry confirmed the homogeneity in the blends and the presence of nanoHA in the scaffold. As a result of fiber alignment a 15-fold increase in Young's Modulus and an 8-fold increase in tensile strength were observed when compared to non-aligned fibers. In PLLA/PCL/HA scaffolds, the introduction of nanoHA caused a remarkable improvement of the mechanical strength of this material acting as a reinforcement, enhancing the response of these constructs to tensile stress. In vitro testing was evaluated using osteoblast (MC3T3-E1) cells. The results showed that both fibrous scaffolds were able to support osteoblast cell adhesion and proliferation and that fiber alignment induced increased cellular metabolic activity. In addition, the adhesion and proliferation of Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated and a lower number of colony forming units (CFUs) was obtained in the scaffolds with aligned fibers.Project UID/BIM/04293/2019 by FCT/MCTES through Portuguese Funds

Imaging in population science: cardiovascular magnetic resonance in 100,000 participants of UK Biobank - rationale, challenges and approaches

PMCID: PMC3668194SEP was directly funded by the National Institute for Health Research Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit at Barts. SN acknowledges support from the Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and from the Oxford British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence. SP and PL are funded by a BHF Senior Clinical Research fellowship. RC is supported by a BHF Research Chair and acknowledges the support of the Oxford BHF Centre for Research Excellence and the MRC and Wellcome Trust. PMM gratefully acknowledges training fellowships supporting his laboratory from the Wellcome Trust, GlaxoSmithKline and the Medical Research Council

Avaliação toxicológica de lixiviados de aterro sanitário tratados usando o crustáceo de água doce Daphnia magna.

Os resíduos sólidos urbanos, gerados em grande escala pela sociedade moderna, precisam de ser corretamente descartados por forma a mitigar o seu impacto ambiental e na saúde pública. Estes resíduos são normalmente depositados em aterros sanitários, e, consequentemente, são gerados lixiviados altamente tóxicos que precisam de ser tratados. Este trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar a eficácia de diferentes tratamentos eletroquímicos na redução da toxicidade de um concentrado de lixiviado de aterro sanitário. O concentrado de lixiviado, resultante da aplicação de um processo de osmose inversa, foi tratado por processos eletroquímicos combinados, eletrocoagulação (EC) seguida de eletro-Fenton (EF) com diferentes intensidades de corrente e com diferentes concentrações iniciais de ferro. A eficácia do tratamento na diminuição da toxicidade foi avaliada através de ensaios de toxicidade aguda com o organismo modelo Daphnia magna. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que os ensaios de EF realizados à densidade de corrente mais alta (200 A m-2) e com uma concentração de Fe inferior (60 mg L-1) permitiram uma diminuição da toxicidade inicial de 61,305 unidades tóxicas (UTs) para 33,195 UTs, correspondente a uma redução da toxicidade de cerca de 46

Women’s pelvic floor muscle strength and urinary and anal incontinence after childbirth: a cross-sectional study

Abstract OBJECTIVE To analyse pelvic floor muscle strength (PFMS) and urinary and anal incontinence (UI and AI) in the postpartum period. METHOD Cross-sectional study carried out with women in their first seven months after child birth. Data were collected through interviews, perineometry (Peritron™), and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF). RESULTS 128 women participated in the study. The PFMS mean was 33.1 (SD=16.0) cmH2O and the prevalence of UI and AI was 7.8% and 5.5%, respectively. In the multiple analyses, the variables associated with PFMS were type of birth and cohabitation with a partner. Newborn’s weight, previous pregnancy, UI during pregnancy, and sexual activity showed an association with UI after child birth. Only AI prior to pregnancy was associated with AI after childbirth. CONCLUSION Vaginal birth predisposes to the reduction of PFMS, and caesarean section had a protective effect to its reduction. The occurrence of UI during pregnancy is a predictor of UI after childbirth, and women with previous pregnancies and newborns with higher weights are more likely to have UI after childbirth.AI prior to pregnancy is the only risk factor for its occurrence after childbirth. Associations between PFMS and cohabitation with a partner, and between UI and sexual activity do not make possible to conclude that these variables are directly associated