The pros and cons of 'closer coöperation' within the EU. Argumentation and recommendations

Political Science; European Unio

Alimentación nocturna bajo iluminación artificial de la Gaviota Capucho-Café (Larus Maculipennis) en el muelle de Puerto Madryn (Chubut, Argentina)

Se describe la alimentación nocturna en un ambiente marino de la Gaviota Capucho Café (Larus maculipennis) en noviembre de 2009. Las gaviotas se congregaron durante la noche en el extremo de un muelle de 800 m de extensión en Puerto Madryn (Chubut, Argentina). Las aguas alrededor del extremo del muelle estaban iluminadas por potentes luces que atraían a muchas presas pequeñas a la superficie. Varios cientos de gaviotas, presumiblemente individuos reproductivos provenientes de una colonia cercana, se alimentaron diariamente en este sitio usando diferentes técnicas de alimentación y capturando presas de diferentes especies y tallas. Las presas potenciales fueron capturadas para su identificación a través de muestreos verticales con una red de plancton. Las presas que seguramente capturaron las gaviotas eran Isopoda de tamaño relativamente grande (Idothea sp.), Polychaeta (Platynereis sp.) y larvas de peces (Patagonotothen sp.), así como crustáceos de menor tamaño, mayormente Amphipoda (Phoxocephalidae) y Mysidacea. Las presas pequeñas fueron capturadas mientras las gaviotas nadaban, mediante el picoteo en superficie, mientras que las más grandes fueron capturadas sobrevolando bajo sobre la superficie y a través de zambullidas superficiales. Durante el día, solo unas pocas gaviotas se aventuraron dentro de la bahía, indicando que tomaron ventaja de la oportunidad de alimentación nocturna facilitada por la iluminación artificial. La clara ganancia a corto plazo de la explotación de esta novedosa oportunidad de alimentación podría ser compensada por posibles amenazas tales como una mayor vulnerabilidad a los predadores o la contaminación por derrame de hidrocarburos de los barcos amarrados junto al muelle.This paper describes nocturnal, marine feeding behaviour in the Brown-hooded Gull (Larus maculipennis) in November 2009. The gulls assembled at night at the end of a long pier, running 800 m offshore into the Golfo Nuevo, at Puerto Madryn, Chubut Province, Argentina. Powerful lights predictably lighted the water around the end of the pier and attracted many small prey animals to the surface. Several hundreds of gulls, presumed to be local breeders, came every night to feed on this bounty, using various feeding techniques and taking several prey species and sizes. Potential prey items were caught to be identified by vertical plankton hauls. The gulls most likely took relatively large Isopoda (Idothea sp.), Polychaeta (Platynereis sp.) and fish larvae (Patagonotothen sp.) as well as smaller crustaceans, mostly Amphipoda (Phoxocephalidae) and Mysidacea. The gulls caught small prey items while swimming, by rapid surface pecking, while they hunted the larger prey species by flying low over the water and performing shallow, vertical plunge-dives. During daylight, only few gulls ventured from land into the bay, indicating that they took advantage of the nocturnal feeding opportunity, facilitated by artificial lighting. The clear short-term gain of exploiting this novel foraging opportunity may be offset by potential threats such as increased vulnerability to predators or contamination by oil spills from ships moored along the pier.Fil: Leopold, Mardik F.. Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies; Países BajosFil: Philippart, Catharina J.M.. Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research; Países BajosFil: Yorio, Pablo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unido

Surface functionalisation of sol-gel-based bioactive glass scaffolds for drug delivery

ITN FP-7 project “GlaCERCo

Limitation of Ankle Mobility Challenges Gait Stability While Walking on Lateral Inclines

Exoskeletons often allow limited movement of the ankle joint. This could increase the chance of falling while walking, particularly on challenging surfaces, such as lateral inclines. In this study, the effect of a mobility limiting ankle brace on gait stability in the frontal plane was assessed, while participants walked on lateral inclines. The brace negatively affected gait stability when it was worn on the leg that was on the vertically lower side or ‘valley side’ of the lateral incline, which would indicate an increased risk of falling in that direction.</p

Oceans and Human Health: A Rising Tide of Challenges and Opportunities for Europe

The European Marine Board recently published a position paper on linking oceans and human health as a strategic research priority for Europe. With this position paper as a reference, the March 2014 Cornwall Oceans and Human Health Workshop brought together key scientists, policy makers, funders, business, and non governmental organisations from Europe and the US to review the recent interdisciplinary and cutting edge research in oceans and human health specifically the growing evidence of the impacts of oceans and seas on human health and wellbeing (and the effects of humans on the oceans). These impacts are a complex mixture of negative influences (e.g. from climate change and extreme weather to harmful algal blooms and chemical pollution) and beneficial factors (e.g. from natural products including seafood to marine renewable energy and wellbeing from interactions with coastal environments). Integrated approaches across disciplines, institutions, and nations in science and policy are needed to protect both the oceans and human health and wellbeing now and in the future

In vivo bioluminescence imaging and histopathopathologic analysis reveal distinct roles for resident and recruited immune effector cells in defense against invasive aspergillosis

BACKGROUND: Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a major cause of infectious morbidity and mortality in immune compromised patients. Studies on the pathogenesis of IA have been limited by the difficulty to monitor disease progression in real-time. For real-time monitoring of the infection, we recently engineered a bioluminescent A. fumigatus strain. RESULTS: In this study, we demonstrate that bioluminescence imaging can track the progression of IA at different anatomic locations in a murine model of disease that recapitulates the natural route of infection. To define the temporal and functional requirements of distinct innate immune cellular subsets in host defense against respiratory A. fumigatus infection, we examined the development and progression of IA using bioluminescence imaging and histopathologic analysis in mice with four different types of pharmacologic or numeric defects in innate immune function that target resident and recruited phagocyte subsets. While bioluminescence imaging can track the progression and location of invasive disease in vivo, signals can be attenuated by severe inflammation and associated tissue hypoxia. However, especially under non-inflammatory conditions, such as cyclophosphamide treatment, an increasing bioluminescence signal reflects the increasing biomass of alive fungal cells. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging studies allowed an in vivo correlation between the onset, peak, and kinetics of hyphal tissue invasion from the lung under conditions of functional or numeric inactivation of phagocytes and sheds light on the germination speed of conidia under the different immunosuppression regimens. Conditions of high inflammation -either mediated by neutrophil influx under corticosteroid treatment or by monocytes recruited during antibody-mediated depletion of neutrophils- were associated with rapid conidial germination and caused an early rise in bioluminescence post-infection. In contrast, 80% alveolar macrophage depletion failed to trigger a bioluminescent signal, consistent with the notion that neutrophil recruitment is essential for early host defense, while alveolar macrophage depletion can be functionally compensated

Surface functionalisation of sol-gel-based bioactive glass scaffolds for drug delivery

Bioactive glasses are widely used in bone tissue engineering (BTE) since they can develop strong bonds with bone through the formation of a hydroxyapatite (HA) layer1. Within these materials, sol-gel-based bioactive glasses (SGBGs) are attractive due to their enhanced bioactivity and resorbability and their capacity of being functionalised with a large variety of moieties2-3. Surface functionalisation is an interesting approach to load drugs into the material and allow their release in a controlled manner3. The aim of this study is the development of new SGBGs for 3D porous scaffolds and functionalisation of their surface by two different methods4-5 in order to enhance the drug delivery capability

Systematic review: probiotics in the management of lower gastrointestinal symptoms in clinical practice – an evidence-based international guide

Background Evidence suggests that the gut microbiota play an important role in gastrointestinal problems. Aim To give clinicians a practical reference guide on the role of specified probiotics in managing particular lower gastrointestinal symptoms/problems by means of a systematic review-based consensus. Methods Systematic literature searching identified randomised, placebo-controlled trials in adults; evidence for each symptom/problem was graded and statements developed (consensus process; 10-member panel). As results cannot be generalised between different probiotics, individual probiotics were identified for each statement. Results Thirty seven studies were included; mostly on irritable bowel syndrome [IBS; 19 studies; treatment responder rates: 18–80% (specific probiotics), 5–50% (placebo)] or antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD; 10 studies). Statements with 100% agreement and ‘high’ evidence levels indicated that: (i) specific probiotics help reduce overall symptom burden and abdominal pain in some IBS patients; (ii) in patients receiving antibiotics/Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy, specified probiotics are helpful as adjuvants to prevent/reduce the duration/intensity of AAD; (iii) probiotics have favourable safety in patients in primary care. Items with 70–100% agreement and ‘moderate’ evidence were: (i) specific probiotics help relieve overall symptom burden in some patients with diarrhoea-predominant IBS, and reduce bloating/distension and improve bowel movement frequency/consistency in some IBS patients and (ii) with some probiotics, improved symptoms have led to improvement in quality of life. Conclusions Specified probiotics can provide benefit in IBS and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea; relatively few studies in other indications suggested benefits warranting further research. This study provides practical guidance on which probiotic to select for a specific problem

Large-Scale Spatial Dynamics of Intertidal Mussel (<i>Mytilus edulis L.</i>) Bed Coverage in the German and Dutch Wadden Sea

Intertidal blue mussel beds are important for the functioning and community composition of coastal ecosystems. Modeling spatial dynamics of intertidal mussel beds is complicated because suitable habitat is spatially heterogeneously distributed and recruitment and loss are hard to predict. To get insight into the main determinants of dispersion, growth and loss of intertidal mussel beds, we analyzed spatial distributions and growth patterns in the German and Dutch Wadden Sea. We considered yearly distributions of adult intertidal mussel beds from 36 connected tidal basins between 1999 and 2010 and for the period 1968-1976. We found that in both periods the highest coverage of tidal flats by mussel beds occurs in the sheltered basins in the southern Wadden Sea. We used a stochastic growth model to investigate the effects of density dependence, winter temperature and storminess on changes in mussel bed coverage between 1999 and 2010. In contrast to expectation, we found no evidence that cold winters consistently induced events of synchronous population growth, nor did we find strong evidence for increased removal of adult mussel beds after stormy winter seasons. However, we did find synchronic growth within groups of proximate tidal basins and that synchrony between distant groups is mainly low or negative. Because the boundaries between synchronic groups are located near river mouths and in areas lacking suitable mussel bed habitat, we suggest that the metapopulation is under the control of larval dispersal conditions. Our study demonstrates the importance of moving from simple habitat suitability models to models that incorporate metapopulation processes to understand spatial dynamics of mussel beds. The spatio-dynamic structure revealed in this paper will be instrumental for that purpose