Modification and recovery of the shoreface of Matagorda Peninsula, Texas, following the landfall of Hurricane Claudette: the role of antecedent geology on short-term shoreface morphodynamics

Matagorda Peninsula is located along an interfluvial region of the central Texas coast in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The Pleistocene Beaumont Clay underlies the coastal plain and inner continental shelf and controls the general slope of the coast in this region. This clay surface also creates low accommodation space for the preservation of modern sediments. As a result, only a thin (1 m) layer of transgressive Holocene muddy sand extends throughout the lower shoreface. On 15 July, 2003, Hurricane Claudette (Category 1) made landfall on the peninsula. Following the storm, the shoreface was found to be an extensively eroded surface. Most obvious on this surface was an area containing numerous scour pits on the lower shoreface. These pits extended through the Holocene sediment and into the underlying Beaumont Clay. By the following July, the shoreface exhibited a relatively flat and featureless appearance. Rapid infilling of the pits was attributed to the high sediment supply to the area from converging longshore currents and by the relatively high accommodation space offered by the scoured areas. A large amount of sediment was removed from the lower shoreface where the formation of scour pits occurred. This sediment would have been available for depositionin storm layers both inshore and offshore of the scoured area. Within scour pits, accommodation space was high, resulting in sediment deposition and rapid infilling of the pits. Outside of the scour pits, accommodation space remained low and sediment deposition did not occur. Preservation potential of the sediment record on the shoreface was low and was controlled by cycles of erosion and deposition during storm events. Antecedent geology of the shoreface and the sedimentary processes occurring during and after the storm supported arguments against the assumptions used by the classic "profile of equilibrium" model. Finally, the heavily scoured surface represents a geohazard to development of nearshore regions

Communication between Swedish public administrations and other organizations within the context of nature and culture conservation

Communication is a fundamental part of human interaction. Organizations are constituted by people and therefore proper communication is a prerequisite for the organization's functionality. This thesis sets its goal in an analysis of this phenomenon between a number of organizations within the scope of cemeteries in Sweden. The main focus is on the relations between nature conservation and culture conservation. Semi-structured interviews with actors representing different levels of the hierarchy of the Swedish public administration as well as other organizations were conducted in order to investigate what the communication in the chosen topic looks like. The interviews were transcribed and categorized for the purpose of communication analysis. Several word categories comprising the respondents' answers were created in order to systematize all gained data. The most relevant parts of these answers were used as direct quotes to support the findings in the chapters Analysis and Discussion. These findings were interpreted by application of various theories regarding nature conservation, culture conservation and communication. We conclude that there is an insufficient communication concerning the Swedish cemeteries. Shortcomings in both vertical and horizontal communication have been identified as well as an unequal relation between nature conservation on one hand and culture conservation plus other values such as safety and aesthetic on the other

Genetic Distances and Admixture between Sire Lines of the Old Kladruber Horse

The objective of the study was to determine the genetic distances and admixture in sire lines of Old Kladruber horse (populations in the context of a currently conducted conservation program) base on microsatellite analysis. Basic molecular parameters were estimated. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.48 to 0.85. The expected heterozygosity estimated for the sire lines was higher than observed heterozygosity. The minor genetic differences between sire lines of Old Kladruber horse were observed. Differences between the sire lines were identified using discriminant analysis. The first discriminant function separates the individuals of black and grey variants. For the discriminant function, however, the differentiation between sire lines was not so significant. These results showed that the breeding strategy revision is suggested in Old Kladruber horse

Genetic Parameters for Linear Type Traits in Three Czech Draught Horse Breeds

Horse conformation is considered an indicator of performance, which plays an important role in breeding decisions. Genetic parameters were estimated for linear type traits in three draught horse breeds – Czech-Moravian Belgian horse, Silesian Noriker and Noriker. Traits were divided in six groups according to the region of the body. Observations on 946 Czech Moravian Belgian horses, 574 Silesian Norikers and 640 Norikers were analysed using a multi breed multitrait animal model. Fixed effects of sex, age at scoring, breed and contemporary group were considered. Genetic parameters were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood. Estimated heritability ranged from 0.05 to 0.59. Lowest values were estimated for stance of back pasterns and shape of back feet, while highest values were found for body measures. Estimations of genetic correlation between traits ranged from -0.53 to 0.98. The highest correlation was found between length of stride in walk and length of stride in trot. The estimated heritabilities and correlations suggest that a genetic improvement of analysed traits is feasible

Association of leptin, toll-like receptor 4, and chemokine receptor of interleukin 8 C-X-C motif single nucleotide polymorphisms with fertility traits in Czech Fleckvieh cattle

Objective The use of genetic markers can help to enhance reproduction in cattle, which is a very important trait for profitability in dairy production systems. This study evaluated the association between genotypes of leptin (LEP), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and chemokine receptor of interleukin 8 C-X-C motif (CXCR1) genes and fertility traits in Czech Fleckvieh cattle. Methods Phenotypic data from 786 Czech Fleckvieh cows raised on 5 farms in the Czech Republic were used, along with information from the 1st three parities. To determine genotype, the polymerase chain reaction– restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used. Results Except for LEP g.-963C>T, all studied genotype frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were distributed according to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Two LEP SNPs (g.-963C>T and c.357C>T) were associated with the age at the 1st calving, days open (DO), pregnancy rate after 1st service (PR), and calving interval (CLI). In LEP g.-963C>T the TT genotype heifers firstly calved 24 days earlier than CC genotype and the CT genotype cow showed a tendency for shorter DO and higher PR. In LEP c.357C>T we observed longer CLI and DO period in TT cows. In general, we can propose the TT genotype of g.-963C>T as favorable and the TT genotype of c.357C>T as unfavorable for a cow’s fertility. Heterozygotes in TLR4 c.-226C>G were significantly associated with shorter CLI, and presented a nonsignificant tendency to be associated with higher PR. In CXCR1 c.777 C>G, we did not observe any relationship of this SNP with reproduction. Conclusion Overall, the results showed that LEP could be an effective marker for improving reproduction in Czech Fleckvieh cattle. This study also provides novel insights into the relationship between TLR4 and CXCR1 SNPs and reproduction in dual-purpose cattle

Toxicity effects on metal sequestration by microbially-induced carbonate precipitation

Biological precipitation of metallic contaminants has been explored as a remedial technology for contaminated groundwater systems. However, metal toxicity and availability limit the activity and remedial potential of bacteria. We report the ability of a bacterium, Sporosarcina pasteurii, to remove metals in aerobic aqueous systems through carbonate formation. Its ability to survive and grow in increasingly concentrated aqueous solutions of zinc, cadmium, lead and copper is explored, with and without a metal precipitation mechanism. In the presence of metal ions alone, bacterial growth was inhibited at a range of concentrations depending on the metal. Microbial activity in a urea-amended medium caused carbonate ion generation and pH elevation, providing conditions suitable for calcium carbonate bioprecipitation, and consequent removal of metal ions. Elevation of pH and calcium precipitation are shown to be strongly linked to removal of zinc and cadmium, but only partially linked to removal of lead and copper. The dependence of these effects on interactions between the respective metal and precipitated calcium carbonate are discussed. Finally, it is shown that the bacterium operates at higher metal concentrations in the presence of the urea-amended medium, suggesting that the metal removal mechanism offers a defence against metal toxicity

The frontline antibiotic vancomycin induces a zinc starvation response in bacteria by binding to Zn(II).

Vancomycin is a front-line antibiotic used for the treatment of nosocomial infections, particularly those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Despite its clinical importance the global effects of vancomycin exposure on bacterial physiology are poorly understood. In a previous transcriptomic analysis we identified a number of Zur regulon genes which were highly but transiently up-regulated by vancomycin in Streptomyces coelicolor. Here, we show that vancomycin also induces similar zinc homeostasis systems in a range of other bacteria and demonstrate that vancomycin binds to Zn(II) in vitro. This implies that vancomycin treatment sequesters zinc from bacterial cells thereby triggering a Zur-dependent zinc starvation response. The Kd value of the binding between vancomycin and Zn(II) was calculated using a novel fluorometric assay, and NMR was used to identify the binding site. These findings highlight a new biologically relevant aspect of the chemical property of vancomycin as a zinc chelator.This work was supported by funding from the Royal Society, UK (516002.K5877/ROG), the Medical Research Council, UK (G0700141). A.Z. was supported from the Said foundation and Cambridge Trust.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep1960

Bio-Sensing of Cadmium(II) Ions Using Staphylococcus aureus†

Cadmium, as a hazardous pollutant commonly present in the living environment, represents an important risk to human health due to its undesirable effects (oxidative stress, changes in activities of many enzymes, interactions with biomolecules including DNA and RNA) and consequent potential risk, making its detection very important. New and unique technological and biotechnological approaches for solving this problems are intensely sought. In this study, we used the commonly occurring potential pathogenic microorganism Staphylococcus aureus for the determination of markers which could be used for sensing of cadmium(II) ions. We were focused on monitoring the effects of different cadmium(II) ion concentrations (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 μg mL−1) on the growth and energetic metabolism of Staphylococcus aureus. Highly significant changes have been detected in the metabolism of thiol compounds—specifically the protein metallothionein (0.79–26.82 mmol/mg of protein), the enzyme glutathione S-transferase (190–5,827 μmol/min/mg of protein), and sulfhydryl groups (9.6–274.3 μmol cysteine/mg of protein). The ratio of reduced and oxidized glutathione indicated marked oxidative stress. In addition, dramatic changes in urease activity, which is connected with resistance of bacteria, were determined. Further, the effects of cadmium(II) ions on the metabolic pathways of arginine, β-glucosidase, phosphatase, N-acetyl β-d-glucosamine, sucrose, trehalose, mannitol, maltose, lactose, fructose and total proteins were demonstrated. A metabolomic profile of Staphylococcus aureus under cadmium(II) ion treatment conditions was completed seeking data about the possibility of cadmium(II) ion accumulation in cells. The results demonstrate potential in the application of microorganisms as modern biosensor systems based on biological components

Bio-Sensing of Cadmium(II) Ions Using Staphylococcus aureus†

Cadmium, as a hazardous pollutant commonly present in the living environment, represents an important risk to human health due to its undesirable effects (oxidative stress, changes in activities of many enzymes, interactions with biomolecules including DNA and RNA) and consequent potential risk, making its detection very important. New and unique technological and biotechnological approaches for solving this problems are intensely sought. In this study, we used the commonly occurring potential pathogenic microorganism Staphylococcus aureus for the determination of markers which could be used for sensing of cadmium(II) ions. We were focused on monitoring the effects of different cadmium(II) ion concentrations (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 25 and 50 μg mL−1) on the growth and energetic metabolism of Staphylococcus aureus. Highly significant changes have been detected in the metabolism of thiol compounds—specifically the protein metallothionein (0.79–26.82 mmol/mg of protein), the enzyme glutathione S-transferase (190–5,827 μmol/min/mg of protein), and sulfhydryl groups (9.6–274.3 μmol cysteine/mg of protein). The ratio of reduced and oxidized glutathione indicated marked oxidative stress. In addition, dramatic changes in urease activity, which is connected with resistance of bacteria, were determined. Further, the effects of cadmium(II) ions on the metabolic pathways of arginine, β-glucosidase, phosphatase, N-acetyl β-d-glucosamine, sucrose, trehalose, mannitol, maltose, lactose, fructose and total proteins were demonstrated. A metabolomic profile of Staphylococcus aureus under cadmium(II) ion treatment conditions was completed seeking data about the possibility of cadmium(II) ion accumulation in cells. The results demonstrate potential in the application of microorganisms as modern biosensor systems based on biological components