Using the Trees to Understand the Forest: Evaluating the Risks of the Panama Canal Amplification Project

For over a decade, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and its United States predecessor have contemplated a Canal Amplification Project to allow larger boats to pass through the Panama Canal. This project, as it is currently understood, would involve the construction of a new, “third” set of locks with greater capacity, the widening of channels within the Canal, and the flooding of approximately 45,000 hectares of land currently occupied by campesinos/as. Since the passage of a 1999 law that expanded the definition of the Panama Canal Watershed by 63 percent, some campesinos/as have united to oppose the flooding of their communities. The social justice branch of the Catholic Church known as Pastoral Social-Cáritas Panamá has aided the opposition effort, criticizing the ACP’s secretive attitude toward the public and arguing that the artificial lakes, which the flooding would create, are not necessary. Indeed, alternatives exist that would save water without forcing these campesinos/as to relocate. The larger issue, though, is that the whole Canal Amplification Project is not financeable and will harm rather than benefit the Panamanian people for decades. This sober reality has yet to be recognized by more than a few concerned citizens. The creation of artificial lakes and possible flooding in the Panama Canal’s Western Watershed, even with its potential to emburden the lives of thousands of people, represents only a small fraction of the problematic aspects of the proposed Canal Amplification Project. However, when viewed as a microcosm of the proyect as a whole, the study of this conflict serves as a methodologically invaluable tool for understanding the dangers that the larger project poses to the Panamanian people. This paper will develop a detailed account of the flooding controversy and argue that the ACP, in trying to sell the Canal Amplification Project, uses the same practices of underestimating or hiding negative aspects and costs that have been widely opposed in the issue of the artificial lakes

Great Big Hairy Bees! Regulating the European Bumblebee, Bombus Terrestris L. What does it say about the Precautionary Principle?

The previous Commonwealth Minister for the Environment, Mr Garrett, recently rejected a request to allow the importation of live bumblebees (Bombus terrestris L.) to mainland Australia. New South Wales and Victoria had already listed the introduction of bumblebees as, respectively, a key threatening process and a potentially threatening process. The Commonwealth, however, had previously declined an application to list the introduction of bumblebees as a key threatening process, although its Threatened Species Scientific Committee urged ‘that extreme caution be shown in considering any proposal to introduce this species to the mainland.’ The potential threat from bumblebees would appear to beg the questions posed by the precautionary principle. Would the presence of bumblebees to mainland Australia pose a threat of serious or irreversible environmental damage? Should a lack of full scientific certainty be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation? This paper considers the role of the precautionary principle in regulatory approaches to the bumblebee. It seeks to establish the application of the precautionary principle to this particular potential environmental threat, including its relationship to the principle of conservation of biological diversity. It concludes that, despite widespread adoption of the precautionary principle in policy, legislation and case law in Australia, its impact on regulating bumblebees has not been consistent

Great Big Hairy Bees! Regulating the European Bumblebee, Bombus Terrestris L. What does it say about the Precautionary Principle?

The previous Commonwealth Minister for the Environment, Mr Garrett, recently rejected a request to allow the importation of live bumblebees (Bombus terrestris L.) to mainland Australia. New South Wales and Victoria had already listed the introduction of bumblebees as, respectively, a key threatening process and a potentially threatening process. The Commonwealth, however, had previously declined an application to list the introduction of bumblebees as a key threatening process, although its Threatened Species Scientific Committee urged ‘that extreme caution be shown in considering any proposal to introduce this species to the mainland.’ The potential threat from bumblebees would appear to beg the questions posed by the precautionary principle. Would the presence of bumblebees to mainland Australia pose a threat of serious or irreversible environmental damage? Should a lack of full scientific certainty be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation? This paper considers the role of the precautionary principle in regulatory approaches to the bumblebee. It seeks to establish the application of the precautionary principle to this particular potential environmental threat, including its relationship to the principle of conservation of biological diversity. It concludes that, despite widespread adoption of the precautionary principle in policy, legislation and case law in Australia, its impact on regulating bumblebees has not been consistent

Poli(ε-caprolactonas) iniciadas por compostos quirais : um novo protocolo para o suporte de organocatalisadores

O desenvolvimento de suportes poliméricos para organocatalisadores é de grande interesse da comunidade científica, devido aos grandes benefícios econômicos e ambientais possibilitados pela recuperação e reutilização destes compostos. O uso de polímeros solúveis para esse ancoramento ainda é menos explorado do que os materiais heterogêneos, mas os resultados já existentes demonstram um grande potencial para essa área. A gama de macromoléculas utilizadas para esse fim ainda é bastante pequena, e a disponibilização de novas estruturas e metodologias para o suporte é de grande interesse científico e industrial. Dentro deste contexto, o presente trabalho traz uma nova metodologia para o suporte de compostos quirais em poliésteres, através da utilização dos mesmos como iniciadores na polimerização por abertura de anel de lactonas. O método desenvolvido no trabalho permitiu a imobilização de diferentes estruturas de forma simples e acessível, em que tanto a síntese do polímero quanto a ligação covalente ao catalisador ocorrem em uma única etapa reacional. Dessa forma, foram sintetizados oito diferentes organocatalisadores quirais suportados em poli(ε-caprolactonas) a partir de aminoácidos naturais e monômeros com alta disponibilidade. A metodologia de polimerização foi adaptada para a obtenção de cadeias com as propriedades desejadas, principalmente quanto à solubilidade. Os catalisadores suportados foram aplicados em reações de adição aldólica assimétrica, e os resultados mostraram que a ligação ao polímero não inibe a atuação dos organocatalisadores, visto que os produtos foram obtidos em excelentes rendimentos e estereosseletividades. Além disso, os materiais puderam ser recuperados a partir de simples precipitação do polímero, e foram reutilizados de forma eficiente em novos testes catalíticos. As cadeias de poliéster, analisadas após as reações, não mostraram sinais de degradação, evidenciando que o polímero é uma opção atraente de suporte para a organocatálise.The development of polymeric supports for organocatalysts is of great interest of the scientific community, due to the great economic and environmental benefits made possible by the recovery and reuse of these compounds. The use of soluble polymers for this anchoring is still less explored than heterogeneous materials, but the existing results demonstrate a great potential for this area. The range of macromolecules used for this purpose is still fairly small, and the provision of new structures and methodologies for the support is of great scientific and industrial interest. Within this context, the present work brings a new methodology for the support of chiral compounds in polyesters, through the use of them as initiators in ring opening polymerization of lactones. The method developed in this work allowed the immobilization of different structures in a simple and accessible way, in which both the synthesis of the polymer and covalent bonding to the catalyst occur in a single reaction step. In this way, eight different chiral organocatalysts supported on poly(ε-caprolactones) were synthesized from natural amino acids and monomers with high availability. The polymerization methodology was adapted to obtain chains with the desired properties, mainly regarding solubility. The supported catalysts were applied in reactions of asymmetric aldol addition, and the results showed that the connection to the polymer does not preclude the performance of the organocatalysts, since the products were obtained in excellent yields and stereoselectivities. In addition, the materials could be recovered from simple polymer precipitation, and were efficiently reused in new catalytic tests. The polyester chains, analyzed after the reactions, showed no signs of degradation, indicating that the polymer is an attractive support option for organocatalysis

Síntese de compostos imidazol-tiazolidina e sua aplicação como organocatalisadores em reações aldólicas estereosseletivas

O desenvolvimento de novas metodologias para a síntese de compostos enantiomericamente puros é um dos grandes focos da pesquisa atual, devido à grande demanda por esses produtos na indústria moderna. Dentre essas, a organocatálise se estabeleceu como uma importante ferramenta, ao apresentar excelentes resultados aliados a uma série de vantagens ambientais e econômicas. Neste trabalho foram sintetizados cinco catalisadores inéditos derivados de Laminoácidos naturais, que possuem uma amina secundária e um heterociclo imidazol em sua estrutura. Os compostos foram obtidos por uma rota sintética simples, de cinco etapas, em rendimentos globais de 39 a 54 % sem a necessidade de purificação de nenhum dos intermediários. Os organocatalisadores comprovaram seu potencial ao promover a reação de adição aldólica direta entre ciclohexanona e diferentes aldeídos aromáticos. Os adutos aldólicos foram obtidos em rendimentos de moderados a excelentes (até 99 %), com a formação preferencial de um único estereoisômero (com excessos enantioméricos chegando a >99 % e razões diastereoisoméricas anti/syn ultrapassando 19:1).The development of new methodologies for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds is of great interest in current research due to the large demand for these products in modern industry. Among these, organocatalysis has emerged as an important tool, once it has shown excellent results associated to a number of environmental and economic advantages. In this work we synthesized five new catalysts derived from natural L-amino acids which have a secondary amine and an imidazole heterocycle in their structure. The compounds were obtained through a simple synthetic route, in five steps and overall yields from 39 to 54 %. The organocatalysts proved their potential by promoting the direct aldol addition reaction between cyclohexanone and different aromatic aldehydes. The aldol adducts were obtained in moderate to excellent yields (up to 99%) with the preferential formation of a single stereoisomer (with enantiomeric excesses of up to >99 % and diastereoisomeric ratios anti/syn exceeding 19:1)

Fenretinide-induced caspase-8 activation and apoptosis in an established model of metastatic neuroblastoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Resistance of high-risk metastatic neuroblastoma (HR-NB) to high dose chemotherapy (HD-CT) raises a major therapeutic challenge in pediatric oncology. Patients are treated by maintenance CT. For some patients, an adjuvant retinoid therapy is proposed, such as the synthetic retinoid fenretinide (4-HPR), an apoptotic inducer. Recent studies demonstrated that NB metastasis process is enhanced by the loss of caspase-8 involved in the Integrin-Mediated Death (IMD) process. As the role of caspase-8 appears to be critical in preventing metastasis, we aimed at studying the effect of 4-HPR on caspase-8 expression in metastatic neuroblasts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used the human IGR-N-91 <it>MYCN</it>-amplified NB experimental model, able to disseminate <it>in vivo </it>from the primary nude mouse tumor xenograft (PTX) into myocardium (Myoc) and bone marrow (BM) of the animal. NB cell lines, <it>i.e.</it>, IGR-N-91 and SH-EP, were treated with various doses of Fenretinide (4-HPR), then cytotoxicity was analyzed by MTS proliferation assay, apoptosis by the propidium staining method, gene or protein expressions by RT-PCR and immunoblotting and caspases activity by colorimetric protease assays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The IGR-N-91 parental cells do not express detectable caspase-8. However the PTX cells established from the primary tumor in the mouse, are caspase-8 positive. In contrast, metastatic BM and Myoc cells show a clear down-regulation of the caspase-8 expression. In parallel, the caspases -3, -9, -10, Bcl-2, or Bax expressions were unchanged. Our data show that in BM, compared to PTX cells, 4-HPR up-regulates caspase-8 expression that parallels a higher sensitivity to apoptotic cell death. Stable caspase-8-silenced SH-EP cells appear more resistant to 4-HPR-induced cell death compared to control SH-EP cells. Moreover, 4-HPR synergizes with drugs since apoptosis is restored in VP16- or TRAIL-resistant-BM cells. These results demonstrate that 4-HPR in up-regulating caspase-8 expression, restores and induces apoptotic cell death in metastatic neuroblasts through caspase-8 activation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides basic clues for using fenretinide in clinical treatment of HR-NB patients. Moreover, since 4-HPR induces cell death in caspase-8 negative NB, it also challenges the concept of including 4-HPR in the induction of CT of these patients.</p

Lithium treatment reduces the renal kallikrein excretion rate

Lithium treatment reduces the renal kallikrein excretion rate. Lithium salts are widely used agents for the prophylactic treatment of affective disorders. Lithium salts may be associated with distal nephron dysfunction. Kallikrein is a protease which is generated by the distal nephron. We used an amidolytic assay of chromatographically purified enzyme to determine the urinary excretion rate of active kallikrein in relation to lithium treatment. All plasma lithium concentrations were within the therapeutic range (0.4 to 0.9 mmol/liter). In 15 patients the urinary excretion rate of active kallikrein was 267.4 65.6 mU/24 hrs before lithium treatment, and fell to 117.8 39.6 mU/24 hrs (P < 0.05) on day 14 of lithium treatment. This reduction was associated with a decrease of immunoreactive kallikrein in the same urines by 66%. In another 15 patients who had undergone lithium therapy for an average period of 5.6 years, the urinary excretion rate of active kallikrein was 86.1 14.5 mU/24 hrs, while 21 age-matched healthy controls had an excretion rate of 364.1 58.4 mU/24 hrs (P < 0.05). Measurements of immunoreactive kallikrein in the same urine samples demonstrated a reduction of kallikrein after long-term lithium treatment by 78%. These observations could not be attributed to changes in creatinine clearance, renal sodium or potassium excretion rates or plasma concentrations of aldosterone and vasopressin. Addition of lithium to the urine in vitro had no demonstrable effect on kallikrein measurement by amidolytic assay. We conclude that lithium in therapeutic plasma concentrations may directly suppress the secretion of kallikrein by renal connecting tubule cells

Chapter 1 The multifaceted picture of transdisciplinarity in marine research

Chapter 1 = The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget is considered responsible for coining the term transdisciplinarity’ in the 1970s, defining it as a higher stage after the interdisciplinary relations. To date, transdisciplinarity research is a growing field in academia, but still there is no uniform definition. In this book chapter, we explore how the term ‘transdisciplinarity’ is used in marine research including different fields like quantitative ecology and modeling, marine social science or marine conservation. We used a quantitative full-text analysis of peer-reviewed journal publications from 1992 to 2021, ensuring to include most recent contributions to the analysis. A total of over 6000 publications could be identified, about 500 of these focusing on marine realm. We applied an agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis (program R) to consider relative frequencies of significant conceptual words within the transdisciplinary landscape. Multiple research clusters have been identified and further divided regarding the study background (e.g., meta-analysis, case study, theory)

The conservation genetics of endangered 'Eucalyptus camaldulensis' Dehnh. subsp. 'camaldulensis' (River Red Gum) in an eastern Australian floodplain

Of primary concern to conservation biologists is that the level of genetic variability remaining within fragmented remnant populations may be insufficient for maintaining reproductive and evolutionary processes. The consequences and contributions of genetic declivities on the persistence of remnant communities, however, are not consistent across species. Plant breeding systems, historical mating patterns and pollinator behaviour can impact upon the susceptibility of a species to genetic decline; while the extinction threat presented by environmental factors may render genetic concerns redundant, at least in the immediate future. Thus, to accurately assess the resilience of remnant communities, genetic diversity and the impact of genetic diversity on individual fitness should be considered within the context of environmental factors and a range of time scales. 'Eucalyptus camaldulensis' is a dominant species of tree in many riparian and floodplain ecosystems in Australia. In the Hunter Valley catchment region, the distribution of the species has been reduced to a series of disconnected remnants along small stretches of river and floodplain habitats. 'Eucalyptus camaldulensis' is a niche specialist in which several critical life-stages are water dependant. The species is also known to hybridize with closely related species and exhibits a complex breeding system that enables post-zygotic selection based on the fitness of zygotes and available resources. Hence, the ecological viability of remnants, the level of inherent genetic variability, the impact of genetic variability on progeny performance and the breeding response of individuals to altered mating opportunities are potentially complicated. This research investigated key genetic and non-genetic attributes in thirteen remnant communities to assess genetic resources and their contribution to population persistence

Ecology of Free-Ranging Horses in Northern Guy Fawkes River National Park NSW, Australia

This study examines spatial and temporal aspects of free-ranging horses on approximately 40 km2 of Paddy's Land plateau in northern Guy Fawkes River National Park (GFRNP). Free-ranging horse ecology within GFRNP holds particular scientific interest as, in October 2000, prolonged drought and bush fires prompted the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to perform a free-ranging horse control operation, in which 606 horses were culled. A scattered population remains and highest densities are thought to occur in the northern sector of the Park. Investigations into the current population and their impacts are needed to increase our understanding of the relationship free-ranging horses have with the woodland plateau. Baseline information on the densities and distribution of the horse population is presented along with the first examination of bark-chewing damage to eucalypt trees by horses. Density, habitat-use and distribution was systematically sampled by means of repeated transect surveys, implementing horse-band-counts as well as dung-counts, and by passive observational surveys. Results are consistent with anecdotal reports of a seasonal migration, of a portion of the horse population, from the gorge system to the plateau. Free-ranging horses occupied Paddy's Land plateau over all seasons reaching highest densities during the extremely dry summer of 2002-2003. They were dispersed across plateau and showed significant tendency to occupy drainage-lines, which are associated with abandoned stock ponds. Impact assessments revealed that bark-chewing damage is clustered with severity of damage along drainage-lines and in close proximity of other water sources. Investigations using transect and quadrat techniques revealed that free-ranging horses chew bark, intensely during summer demonstrating preferences for 'Eucalyptus amplifolia', 'E. saligna', and 'E. moluccana'. Damage is correlated with poor biological health of trees, which indicates that horses directly affect ecosystem health on Paddy's Land plateau. Replicated exclosures were pilot-tested in Bob's Creek to measure the effects of grazing on herbaceous vegetation. Difficulties experienced resulted in recommendations for a future design. It has been recommended by the National Parks and Wildlife Service that all free-ranging horses be removed from GFRNP, and by the Heritage Working Party that some of the horses be relocated and managed off National Park estate to retain their bloodlines. This study offers detail to support this process including, recommendations for ecosystem rehabilitation on Paddy's Land plateau. Restoring abandoned stock ponds to reconnect the seasonal drainage-lines would be a logical step, and perhaps reduce the advantage these ponds offer the free-ranging horses and other exotic ungulates. Further study of this restoration opportunity would support better management of Park resources while offering a better understanding of horse ecology in Guy Fawkes River National Park