Brominated Flame Retardants in Fish of Lake Geneva (Switzerland)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) andhexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) were determined in fish(Salmo trutta forma lacustris) from Lake Geneva. Bromi-nated flame retardants were detected in all nine samples withan average concentration for the sum of BDE-28, BDE-47,BDE-49, BDE-66, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-119, BDE-153,BDE-154 and BDE-209 of 207 ng per g lipid weight(ng g lw-1). The congener patterns were dominated by BDE-47. The average concentration of HBCD was 168 ng g lw-1

Creating room for citizen perspectives in ‘smart city’ Amsterdam through interactive theatre

The ‘smart city’ vision is popular, but it lacks citizen perspectives. The aim of this study was to gain insight into whether and how art-based citizen engagement can create more room for citizen perspectives in smart cities by developing and testing an art-based citizen engagement project in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. To that end, a combination of interactive theatre, interaction design and social research methods was used to bring together diverse publics and innovation professionals for joint exploration of increased dataveillance in cities. The events were studied through observations, and through interviews with participants and organisers. Data analysis was guided by the outcomes, processes and challenges of the responsible innovation dimensions: inclusion, reflexivity, anticipation and responsiveness (Stilgoe et al., 2013). The most important achievements of art-based citizen engagement were: engaging people who would not have engaged with the topic otherwise, encouraging participants to question common phrases and assumptions, exploring future social implications of technologies, and staging meaningful interactions between citizens and professionals. The most significant challenge was to involve citizens in a way that could influence innovation trajectories

A molecular insight into algal-oomycete warfare: cDNA analysis of <i>Ectocarpus siliculosus</i> infected with the basal oomycete <i>Eurychasma dicksonii</i>

Brown algae are the predominant primary producers in coastal habitats, and like land plants are subject to disease and parasitism. Eurychasma dicksonii is an abundant, and probably cosmopolitan, obligate biotrophic oomycete pathogen of marine brown algae. Oomycetes (or water moulds) are pathogenic or saprophytic non-photosynthetic Stramenopiles, mostly known for causing devastating agricultural and aquacultural diseases. Whilst molecular knowledge is restricted to crop pathogens, pathogenic oomycetes actually infect hosts from most eukaryotic lineages. Molecular evidence indicates that Eu. dicksonii belongs to the most early-branching oomycete clade known so far. Therefore Eu. dicksonii is of considerable interest due to its presumed environmental impact and phylogenetic position. Here we report the first large scale functional molecular data acquired on the most basal oomycete to date. 9873 unigenes, totalling over 3.5Mb of sequence data, were produced from Sanger-sequenced and pyrosequenced EST libraries of infected Ectocarpus siliculosus. 6787 unigenes (70%) were of algal origin, and 3086 (30%) oomycete origin. 57% of Eu. dicksonii sequences had no similarity to published sequence data, indicating that this dataset is largely unique. We were unable to positively identify sequences belonging to the RXLR and CRN groups of oomycete effectors identified in higher oomycetes, however we uncovered other unique pathogenicity factors. These included putative algal cell wall degrading enzymes, cell surface proteins, and cyclophilin-like proteins. A first look at the host response to infection has also revealed movement of the host nucleus to the site of infection as well as expression of genes responsible for strengthening the cell wall, and secretion of proteins such as protease inhibitors. We also found evidence of transcriptional reprogramming of E. siliculosus transposable elements and of a viral gene inserted in the host genome

Juggling roles, experiencing dilemmas: the challenges of SSH scholars in public engagement

The progressive introduction of emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology, has created a true testing ground for public engagement initiatives. Widespread experimentation has taken place with public and stakeholder dialogue and inclusive approaches to research and innovation (R&I) more generally. Against this backdrop, Social Science and Humanities (SSH) scholars have started to manifest themselves differently. They have taken on new roles in the public engagement field, including more practical and policy-oriented ones that seek to actively open the R&I system to wider public scrutiny. With public engagement gaining prominence, there has been a call for increased reflexivity among SSH scholars about their role in this field. In this paper, we study our own roles and stakes as SSH scholars in a European-funded public engagement project on responsible nanotechnology. We introduce a general role landscape and outline five distinct roles (engaged academic, deliberative practitioner, change agent, dialogue capacity builder, and project worker) that we-as SSH scholars-inhabited throughout the project. We discuss the synergistic potential of combining these five roles and elaborate on several tensions within the roles that we needed to navigate. We argue that balancing many roles requires explicit role awareness, reflexivity, and new competencies that have not been examined much in the public engagement literature so far. Our role landscape and exemplification of how it can be used to reflexively study one's own practices may be a useful starting point for scholars who are seeking to better understand, assess, or communicate about their position in the public engagement field.Science Communication and Societ

Safety and effectiveness of adalimumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis over 5 years of therapy in a phase 3b and subsequent postmarketing observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who had failed at least one disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) were treated with adalimumab (ADA) in the ReAct study with the option to continue treatment for 5 years in ReAlise. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term safety and effectiveness of ADA as prescribed from the first injection in ReAct to the last observation in ReAlise. METHODS: Patients received ADA alone or in combination with DMARDs according to usual clinical care practices. Adverse events (AEs) were tabulated by five time windows after the first ADA injection. Effectiveness measures included achievement of low disease activity (LDA), defined as Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) ≤11, or remission, (REM), defined as SDAI ≤3.3. RESULTS: Of the 6,610 ReAct patients, 3,435 (52%) continued in ReAlise. At baseline in ReAct, mean age was 54 years, mean DAS28 was 6.0 and mean HAQ DI was 1.64. The mean treatment duration was 1,016 days, representing 18,272 patient-years (PYs) of ADA exposure. Overall incidence rates of serious AEs and serious infections were 13.8 and 2.8 events (E)/100 PYs, respectively. Serious AEs occurred most frequently in the first 6 months and deceased thereafter. Standardised mortality ratio was 0.71 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.87) and standardised incidence ratio for malignancies was 0.64 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.76). LDA was achieved by 50% and REM by 21% of patients at last observation. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this large observational study of ADA in routine clinical practice were consistent with controlled trials, with no new safety concerns during a follow-up of more than 5 years. Effectiveness of ADA was maintained during long-term observation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00448383, NCT0023488

Overexpression of IL-1α in Skin Differentially Modulates the Immune Response to Scarification with Vaccinia Virus

Transepidermal inoculation of vaccinia virus (VV), or scarification, has been used effectively for the induction of specific and long-lasting immunity to smallpox and is superior to other routes of immunization. Scarification of individuals with atopic skin disease or immune deficiency, however, can lead to persistent viral replication and result in significant morbidity and mortality. These effects of scarification presumably reflect the unique immunological properties of skin and the immune cells resident in, or recruited to, the site of inoculation. To explore these phenomena, we utilized transgenic mice engineered to overexpress IL-1α, a critical mediator of cutaneous inflammation, in the epidermis. Following scarification with VV, both transgenic and wild-type mice develop local pox. At high doses of VV, IL-1α transgenic mice recruited immune cells to the inoculation site more rapidly and demonstrated enhanced T-cell and humoral immune responses. At limiting doses, however, IL-1α transgenic mice could effectively control virus replication without formation of pox lesions or activation of a memory response. This study suggests that IL-1 might be useful as an adjuvant to enhance antiviral immunity and promote safer vaccination strategies; however, understanding the balance of IL-1 effects on innate and adaptive immune functions will be critical to achieve optimal results

Bifurcations and stability of gap solitons in periodic potentials

We analyze the existence, stability, and internal modes of gap solitons in nonlinear periodic systems described by the nonlinear Schrodinger equation with a sinusoidal potential, such as photonic crystals, waveguide arrays, optically-induced photonic lattices, and Bose-Einstein condensates loaded onto an optical lattice. We study bifurcations of gap solitons from the band edges of the Floquet-Bloch spectrum, and show that gap solitons can appear near all lower or upper band edges of the spectrum, for focusing or defocusing nonlinearity, respectively. We show that, in general, two types of gap solitons can bifurcate from each band edge, and one of those two is always unstable. A gap soliton corresponding to a given band edge is shown to possess a number of internal modes that bifurcate from all band edges of the same polarity. We demonstrate that stability of gap solitons is determined by location of the internal modes with respect to the spectral bands of the inverted spectrum and, when they overlap, complex eigenvalues give rise to oscillatory instabilities of gap solitons.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures; updated bibliograph

Proporción diaria de alimento del diablillo antártico (pleuragramma antarcticum boulenger, 1902) en el este del mar de weddell

[EN] The daily ration of Pleuragramma antarcticum in the Eastern Weddell Sea was investigated from midwater and bottom trawl samples collected in the Antarctic in the summer of 1998. Using a gastric evacuation model that takes into account Weddell Sea temperature below zero and information on the prey type daily ration estimates were: 1.133% BW for immature fish of 10-16 cm and 0.484% BW for mature fish of 17-24 cm. The low daily ration intake was influenced by the low temperatures that limited the rate of gastric evacuation. This model seems more realistic than results from the classic Elliot & Persson and Eggers models that are also used in this paper, since their assumptions on feeding regularity are more rigid and they do not consider data of energy density of the prey[ES] La ración diaria de alimento de Pleuragramma antarcticum en el mar de Weddell es investigada en muestras de arrastres de fondo y pelágicas recogidas durante diferentes horas del día en el verano antártico de 1998. Utilizando un modelo de evacuación gástrica que tiene en cuenta la temperatura bajo del Mar de Weddell e información sobre el tipo de presa, las estimaciones de consumo diario fueron: 1.133% BW para peces inmaduros entre 10 -16 cm y 0.484% BW para peces maduros entre 17-24 cm. La baja ración diaria ingerida estuvo influida por las bajas temperaturas que limitan la tasa de evacuación gástrica. Este modelo parece más realista que los resultados de los modelos clásicos de Elliot & Persson and Eggers también empleados, ya que sus asunciones sobre su periodicidad de alimentación son más rígidas y no consideran datos de densidad energética de las presasThis work was conducted under the SCAR EASIZ programme, and was supported by the Alfred Wegener Institute and the Spanish Antarctic ProgrammePeer reviewe