The Welfare Implications of Using Exotic Tortoises as Ecological Replacements

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Ecological replacement involves the introduction of non-native species to habitats beyond their historical range, a factor identified as increasing the risk of failure for translocations. Yet the effectiveness and success of ecological replacement rely in part on the ability of translocatees to adapt, survive and potentially reproduce in a novel environment. We discuss the welfare aspects of translocating captive-reared non-native tortoises, <em>Aldabrachelys gigantea</em> and <em>Astrochelys radiata</em>, to two offshore Mauritian islands, and the costs and success of the projects to date.</p> <h3>Methodology/Principal Findings</h3><p>Because tortoises are long-lived, late-maturing reptiles, we assessed the progress of the translocation by monitoring the survival, health, growth, and breeding by the founders. Between 2000 and 2011, a total of 26 <em>A. gigantea</em> were introduced to Ile aux Aigrettes, and in 2007 twelve sexually immature <em>A. gigantea</em> and twelve male <em>A. radiata</em> were introduced to Round Island, Mauritius. Annual mortality rates were low, with most animals either maintaining or gaining weight. A minimum of 529 hatchlings were produced on Ile aux Aigrettes in 11 years; there was no potential for breeding on Round Island. Project costs were low. We attribute the success of these introductions to the tortoises’ generalist diet, habitat requirements, and innate behaviour.</p> <h3>Conclusions/Significance</h3><p>Feasibility analyses for ecological replacement and assisted colonisation projects should consider the candidate species’ welfare during translocation and in its recipient environment. Our study provides a useful model for how this should be done. In addition to serving as ecological replacements for extinct Mauritian tortoises, we found that releasing small numbers of captive-reared <em>A. gigantea</em> and <em>A. radiata</em> is cost-effective and successful in the short term. The ability to release small numbers of animals is a particularly important attribute for ecological replacement projects since it reduces the potential risk and controversy associated with introducing non-native species.</p> </div

Nutritional therapies for mental disorders

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4 out of the 10 leading causes of disability in the US and other developed countries are mental disorders. Major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are among the most common mental disorders that currently plague numerous countries and have varying incidence rates from 26 percent in America to 4 percent in China. Though some of this difference may be attributable to the manner in which individual healthcare providers diagnose mental disorders, this noticeable distribution can be also explained by studies which show that a lack of certain dietary nutrients contribute to the development of mental disorders. Notably, essential vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids are often deficient in the general population in America and other developed countries; and are exceptionally deficient in patients suffering from mental disorders. Studies have shown that daily supplements of vital nutrients often effectively reduce patients' symptoms. Supplements that contain amino acids also reduce symptoms, because they are converted to neurotransmitters that alleviate depression and other mental disorders. Based on emerging scientific evidence, this form of nutritional supplement treatment may be appropriate for controlling major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), addiction, and autism. The aim of this manuscript is to emphasize which dietary supplements can aid the treatment of the four most common mental disorders currently affecting America and other developed countries: major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Maternal tobacco smoking and lung epithelium-specific proteins in amniotic fluid.

The bronchiolar 16 kD Clara cell secretory protein (CC16) and the alveolar surfactant-associated protein A (SP-A) are secreted in the amniotic fluid (AF), where they reflect the growth and the maturity of the fetal lung. To evaluate the possible effects of in utero tobacco smoke exposure upon infant bronchoalveolar epithelium function and maturity, CC16 and SP-A levels were determined in AF obtained at term (36-41 wk) from 28 nonsmoking, 18 smoke-exposed, and 28 smoking mothers with uncomplicated pregnancies. Tobacco smoke exposure was assessed by questionnaire and the assay in AF and maternal urine of cotinine, a stable nicotine metabolite. The specificity of the changes of CC16 and SP-A concentrations in AF was assessed by comparison with nonpulmonary proteins of high- (albumin and transferrin) or low-molecular weight (beta2-microglobulin, retinol binding protein, cystatin-C). Pulmonary and nonpulmonary AF proteins were also compared by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis between smoking and nonsmoking mothers. The levels of CC16 and SP-A as well as low- and high-molecular-weight proteins were not significantly different between the three smoking categories. The protein pattern of AF, established by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, did not reveal any quantitative or qualitative difference between nonsmoking (n = 10), smoke-exposed (n = 5), and smoking mothers (n = 5). By multiple regression analysis of possible determinants, tobacco smoke did not emerge as a significant predictor of CC16 and SP-A concentrations in AF. SP-A level was dependent only on gestational age at birth (r2 = 0.1, p = 0.001), whereas CC16 correlated only with the levels of low-molecular weight proteins (r2 = 0.2, p = 0.0001). The latter correlation suggests that CC16 enters AF not only as a result of its secretion at the surface of the respiratory tract but also partly following its elimination by the fetal kidney. This study suggests that maternal smoking during pregnancy is not associated with alterations of the secretory functions of the epithelium of the distal airways and the alveoli at term

Different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi alter coexistence and resource distribution between co-occurring plant.

It is often thought that the coexistence of plants and plant diversity is determined by resource heterogeneity of the abiotic environment. However, the presence and heterogeneity of biotic plant resources, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), could also affect plant species coexistence. In this study, Brachypodium pinnatum and Prunella vulgaris were grown together in pots and biotic resource heterogeneity was simulated by inoculating these pots with one of three different AMF taxa, with a mixture of these three taxa, or pots remained uninoculated. The AMF acted as biotic plant resources since the biomass of plants in pots inoculated with AMF was on average 11.8 times higher than uninoculated pots. The way in which the two plant species coexisted, and the distribution of phosphorus and nitrogen between the plant species, varied strongly depending on which AMF were present. The results showed that the composition of AMF communities determines how plant species coexist and to which plant species nutrients are allocated. Biotic plant resources such as AMF should therefore be considered as one of the factors that determine how plant species coexist and how soil resources are distributed among co-occurring plant species