Age-dependent migration strategy in honey buzzards Pernis apivorus tracked by satellite

Six adult and three juvenile honey buzzards Pernis apivorus were radio-tracked by satellite during autumn migration from southwestern Sweden. All adults crossed the Mediterranean Sea at the Strait of Gibraltar and continued across the Sahara desert to winter in West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Cameroon. Analysing three main steps of the migration, (1) from the breeding site to the southern Mediterranean region, (2) across the Sahara and (3) from the southern Sahara to the wintering sites, the adults changed direction significantly between these steps, and migrated along a distinct large-scale detour. In contrast, the juveniles travelled in more southerly directions, crossed the Mediterranean Sea at various places, but still ended up in the same wintering areas as the adults. Average speeds maintained on travelling days were similar for the two age groups, about 170 km/day in Europe, 270 km/day across Sahara and 125 km/day in Africa south of Sahara. However, as the adults used fewer stopover days en route, they maintained higher mean overall speeds and completed migration in a shorter time (42 days) than the juveniles (64 days). Although the juveniles set out on more direct courses towards the wintering grounds, they did not cover significantly shorter distances than the adults, as they tended to show a larger directional scatter between shorter flight segments. The results corroborate previous suggestions that adult and juvenile honey buzzards follow different routes during autumn migration, and that the birds change migration strategy during their lifetime. While juveniles may use individual vector orientation, social influences and learning may be of great importance for the detour migration of adults. The remarkable and distinct age-dependent shift in migratory route and orientation of the honey buzzard provides a challenging evolutionary problem

Can vector summation describe the orientation system of juvenile ospreys and honey buzzards? - An analysis of ring recoveries and satellite tracking

Juvenile bird migrants are generally believed to use a clock-and-compass migratory orientation strategy. According to such a strategy migrants accomplish their migration by flying a number of successive flight steps with direction and number of steps controlled by an endogenous programme. One powerful way of testing this is by comparing predictions from a model of such a strategy with observed patterns. We used data from ringing and satellite-based radio telemetry to investigate the orientation system of juvenile ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) and honey buzzards (Pernis apivorus) migrating from Sweden to tropical west Africa. The ring recoveries showed a much larger scatter in the orientation of ospreys than of honey buzzards, but there was only a slight such difference in the satellite tracks. These tracks of individuals of both species were rather straight with a high directional concentration per step. The honey buzzard. data showed a close fit to a simple vector summation model, which is expected if birds follow a clock-and-compass strategy. However, the osprey data did not fit such a simple model, as ring recoveries showed a significantly greater deviation at short distances than predicted on the basis of long distance data. Satellite tracking also indicated less concentrated orientation on short distances. The pattern observed for the osprey can generally be explained by an extended vector summation model, including an important element of pre-migration dispersal. The existence of extensive dispersal in the osprey stands in contrast to the apparent absence of such dispersal in the honey buzzard. The explanation for this difference between the species is unclear. The model of orientation by vector summation is very sensitive to the existence of differences in mean direction between individuals. Assuming such differences, as tentatively indicated by the satellite tracking data, makes simple compass orientation by vector summation inconsistent with the distribution of ring recoveries at long distances, with a high proportion of misoriented birds falling outside the normal winter range

The Effect of Ionizing Irradiation on Type I Collagen of the Tail in Growing Mice: A Histology and Electron Microscopy Study

In order to examine the effect of radiation on growing tissue, especially the fibroblasts and their end-product, the collagen fibres, tails from 24 mice were irradiated at an age of 8 days with 20 Gy and 30 Gy (\u3e°Co). Tails from 18 animals served as controls. Six mice from each group were sacrificed on day 8, 20 and 30. Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the fibroblasts and the collagen fibrils. Non-irradiated fibroblasts had a nucleus rich in chromatin and an abundant endoplasmic reticulum with cistemae and condensing vacuoles. On day 20, approximately 50 % , and on day 30, 25 % of the fibroblasts irradiated with 30 Gy had a sparse endoplasmic reticulum pointing to a reduction of protein synthesis. While, on day 20, the fibrils irradiated with 20 Gy and with 30 Gy had significantly larger diameters compared to the controls, on day 30, the irradiated fibrils had a notably smaller diameter compared to the controls; 30 Gy-fibrils were larger than the 20 Gy-fibrils on both days. On day 20, the binding mean value of the 30 Gy-fibrils exceeded that of the controls and was significantly higher than that of the 20 Gy-fibrils, which was lower, though not significantly, than the controls. On day 30, the banding mean value of the 30 Gy-fibrils was notably lower than the control; and the value of the 20 Gy-fibrils was significantly lower than that of the 30 Gy-fibrils. The results are explained as an edema together with an inhibitory effect on the protein synthesis of the fibroblasts caused by the irradiation. This deduction 1s further supported by light microscopy of the tails

The effect on the small bowel of 5-FU and oxaliplatin in combination with radiation using a microcolony survival assay

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In locally advanced rectal cancer, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemoradiation is the standard treatment. The main acute toxicity of this treatment is enteritis. Due to its potential radiosensitizing properties, oxaliplatin has recently been incorporated in many clinical chemoradiation protocols. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent 5-FU and oxaliplatin influence the radiation (RT) induced small bowel mucosal damage when given in conjunction with single or split dose RT.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immune competent balb-c mice were treated with varying doses of 5-FU, oxaliplatin (given intraperitoneally) and total body RT, alone or in different combinations in a series of experiments. The small bowel damage was studied by a microcolony survival assay. The treatment effect was evaluated using the inverse of the slope (D₀) of the exponential part of the dose-response curve.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In two separate experiments the dose-response relations were determined for single doses of RT alone, yielding D₀values of 2.79 Gy (95% CI: 2.65 - 2.95) and 2.98 Gy (2.66 - 3.39), for doses in the intervals of 5-17 Gy and 5-10 Gy, respectively. Equitoxic low doses (IC5) of the two drugs in combination with RT caused a decrease in jejunal crypt count with significantly lower D₀: 2.30 Gy (2.10 - 2.56) for RT+5-FU and 2.27 Gy (2.08 - 2.49) for RT+oxaliplatin. Adding both drugs to RT did not further decrease D₀: 2.28 Gy (1.97 - 2.71) for RT+5-FU+oxaliplatin. A clearly higher crypt survival was noted for split course radiation (3 × 2.5 Gy) compared to a single fraction of 7.5 Gy. The same difference was seen when 5-FU and/or oxaliplatin were added.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Combining 5-FU or oxaliplatin with RT lead to an increase in mucosal damage as compared to RT alone in our experimental setting. No additional reduction of jejunal crypt counts was noted when both drugs were combined with single dose RT. The higher crypt survival with split dose radiation indicates a substantial recovery between radiation fractions. This mucosal-sparing effect achieved by fractionation was maintained also when chemotherapy was added.</p

Comparison of cisplatin sensitivity and the 18F fluoro-2-deoxy 2 glucose uptake with proliferation parameters and gene expression in squamous cell carcinoma cell lines of the head and neck

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The survival of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer is still poor, with 5-year survival rates of 24–35%. The identification of prognostic and predictive markers at the molecular and cellular level could make it possible to find new therapeutic targets and provide "taylor made" treatments. Established cell lines of human squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are valuable models for identifying such markers.</p> <p>The aim of this study was to establish and characterize a series of cell lines and to compare the cisplatin sensitivity and 18F fluoro-2 deoxy 2 glucose (18F-FDG) uptake of these cell lines with other cellular characteristics, such as proliferation parameters and TP53 and CCND1 status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Explant cultures of fresh tumour tissue were cultivated, and six new permanent cell lines were established from 18 HNSCC cases. Successfully grown cell lines were analysed regarding clinical parameters, histological grade, karyotype, DNA ploidy, and index and S-phase fraction (Spf). The cell lines were further characterized with regard to their uptake of 18F-FDG, their sensitivity to cisplatin, as measured by a viability test (crystal violet), and their TP53 and CCND1 status, by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) with DNA sequencing and, for cyclin D1, by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients with tumours that could be cultured in vitro had shorter disease-free periods and overall survival time than those whose tumours did not grow in vitro, when analysed with the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Their tumours also showed more complex karyotypes than tumours from which cell lines could not be established. No correlation was found between TP53 or CCND1 status and 18F-FDG uptake or cisplatin sensitivity. However, there was an inverse correlation between tumour cell doubling time and 18F-FDG uptake.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In vitro growth of HNSCC cells seem to be an independent prognostic factor, with cell lines being more readily established from aggressive tumours, a phenomenon more dependent on the molecular genetic characteristics of the tumour cells than on tumour location or TNM status.</p

Syndecans Reside in Sphingomyelin-Enriched Low-Density Fractions of the Plasma Membrane Isolated from a Parathyroid Cell Line

BACKGROUND: Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are one of the basic constituents of plasma membranes. Specific molecular interactions between HSPGs and a number of extracellular ligands have been reported. Mechanisms involved in controlling the localization and abundance of HSPG on specific domains on the cell surface, such as membrane rafts, could play important regulatory roles in signal transduction. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using metabolic radiolabeling and sucrose-density gradient ultracentrifugation techniques, we identified [(35)S]sulfate-labeled macromolecules associated with detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs) isolated from a rat parathyroid cell line. DRM fractions showed high specific radioactivity ([(35)S]sulfate/mg protein), implying the specific recruitment of HSPGs to the membrane rafts. Identity of DRM-associated [(35)S]sulfate-labeled molecules as HSPGs was confirmed by Western blotting with antibodies that recognize heparan sulfate (HS)-derived epitope. Analyses of core proteins by SDS-PAGE revealed bands with an apparent MW of syndecan-4 (30-33 kDa) and syndecan-1 (70 kDa) suggesting the presence of rafts with various HSPG species. DRM fractions enriched with HSPGs were characterized by high sphingomyelin content and found to only partially overlap with the fractions enriched in ganglioside GM1. HSPGs could be also detected in DRMs even after prior treatment of cells with heparitinase. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Both syndecan-1 and syndecan-4 have been found to specifically associate with membrane rafts and their association seemed independent of intact HS chains. Membrane rafts in which HSPGs reside were also enriched with sphingomyelin, suggesting their possible involvement in FGF signaling. Further studies, involving proteomic characterization of membrane domains containing HSPGs might improve our knowledge on the nature of HSPG-ligand interactions and their role in different signaling platforms

Obscuring Complexity and Performing Progress: Unpacking SDG Indicator 6.5.1 and the Implementation of IWRM

At a rhetorical level, the SDGs provide a unified global agenda, and their targets and indicators are believed to drive action for social and environmental transformation. However, what if the SDGs (and their specific goals and indicators) are more of a problem than a solution? What if they create the illusion of action through a depoliticised and technical approach that fails to address fundamental dilemmas of politics and power? What if this illusion continues to reproduce poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation? This paper addresses these questions through a focus on SDG 6.5.1 – the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM), measured on a 0-100 scale through a composite indicator. The paper presents an empirical analysis of SDG 6.5.1 reporting in Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Malaysia, and the UK, drawing on research from the Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub. An evidence review and series of expert interviews are used to interrogate the local politics of IWRM measurement, specifically three dilemmas of global composite indicator construction: (1) reductive quantification of normative and contested processes; (2) weak analysis of actually existing institutional capability, politics, and power; and (3) distracting performativity dynamics in reporting. The paper concludes that SDG 6.5.1 is an example of a 'fantasy artefact', and that in all countries in this study, IWRM institutions are failing to address fundamental and 'wicked' problems in water resources management. We find little evidence that these numbers, or the survey that gives rise to them, drive meaningful reflection on the aims or outcomes of IWRM. Instead, they tend to hide the actually-existing political and institutional dynamics that sit behind the complexity of the global water crisis

Urban infrastructure as materialized consensus

© 2016 Taylor &amp; Francis Infrastructure that shapes and facilitates daily life, such as pathways, conduits and boundary walls, constitutes one of the most dynamic forms of architecture in both ancient and modern cities. Although infrastructure is conceived and designed with particular goals and capacities, its temporal and spatial scale means that it is a constant work in progress that engages numerous agents: civic authorities design and implement infrastructure; designated agencies maintain and repair infrastructure; and ordinary people utilize, modify, ignore or destroy it. Infrastructure can be thus analyzed as a materialization of ongoing communication, in which there are often conflicts among different constituents to achieve consensus. The linguistic concepts of expert language and turn-taking are utilized to assess three brief case studies: historical New Orleans; a multipurpose micro-park in Vienna, Austria; and the archaeological city of Sisupalgarh, India