Preliminary result of the relationship between the breathing frequency and dynamic body acceleration

March 5-6, 2009, Bangkok, ThailandIn this study, the relationship between the breathing frequency and the dynamic body acceleration (DBA) of one hatchery-reared loggerhead turtle Carretta carretta was examined using acceleration data loggers. Two acceleration data loggers (M190L-D2GT, W1000-3MPD3GT, Little Leonard, Japan) were attached on the lower-beak and carapace of a hatchery-reared loggerhead turtle, respectively. Breathing was successfully detected from the angle and depth of the beak-attached data logger and DBA, which has been used as an index of activity levels (Wilson et al., 2006), was calculated from the forward acceleration of the carapace-attached logger. There was a positive correlation between the DBA in the previous dive and the breathing frequency; the relationship was exponential. The result suggests that the number of breaths increased exponentially after a more active dive

A case of newly demonstrated coronary spasm 4 months after paclitaxel-eluting stent implantation for in-stent restenosis

SummaryA 56-year-old woman with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia was admitted to our hospital with acute inferior myocardial infarction. The patient had total occlusion of the right coronary artery (RCA) segment 2, and bare-metal stents were placed. Four months later, plain old balloon angioplasty was performed for in-stent restenosis. Follow-up coronary angiography (CAG) 6 months later showed in-stent total occlusion, so a stent-in-stent procedure was performed using paclitaxel-eluting stents (PESs). Four months later, the patient began complaining of early morning chest pain at rest. CAG showed no in-stent restenosis, so coronary spastic angina was suspected. Intracoronary infusion of ergonovine to the right and left coronary arteries revealed spasm of the RCA with total occlusion just proximal to the PES in segment 1. Her chest pain was reproduced with ST-elevation in leads II, III, and aVF, so the diagnosis of coronary spastic angina was made. Treatment with a Ca-channel blocker and nitrates relieved the symptoms. The PES was the probable cause of the coronary spasm

A validation of abstracted dive profiles relayed via the Argos satellite system: a case study of a loggerhead turtle

Satellite telemetry devices can record movement data of animals along with the environmental data. Such data are relayed remotely via satellite systems, but are constrained by the limited bandwidth availability. A satellite relay data logger (SRDL) that can abstract dive profiles and compress the data for transmission using a broken stick model (BSM) has been widely used in studies on dive behavior and physiology of marine animals. However, there is still uncertainty in the abstracted dive profiles. Here, we aimed to evaluate the certainty of abstracted dive profiles (via satellite communication) in terms of dive performance (dive depth, duration, and dive type) by comparing it with the actual dive data (from the retrieved tag) in a loggerhead turtle deployed with the SRDL throughout a 1.4-year foraging period. There was no significant difference in the maximum dive depth between the retrieved and satellite transmission data; however, there was a slight but significant difference in the dive duration. The dives from both datasets were classified into five types. Inconsistent dive classifications occurred in 1.7% of the data. There was no significant difference in the proportion of time spent diving between the retrieved and satellite transmission data for each type during the common recording period. In monthly scale comparisons, however, a significant difference was detected when the amount of data via satellite transmission was the smallest. Our results demonstrated that the dive data abstracted using BSM almost reconstructed the actual dive profiles with certainty in a loggerhead turtle, although slight inconsistencies were observed

Latitudinal cline in the foraging dichotomy of loggerhead sea turtles reveals the importance of East China Sea for priority conservation

Special Issue: Biological traits, geographic distributions and species conservation in aquatic ecosystems[Aim]Quantifying the importance of habitat areas for conservation of highly migratory marine species with complex life histories can be challenging. For example loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Japan forage both oceanically and neritically after their reproductive period. Here, we aimed to quantify the proportions of turtles using these two contrasting habitats (foraging dichotomy) to suggest priority conservation areas. [Location]North Pacific Ocean. [Methods]We examined the occurrence of foraging dichotomy at three nesting sites (Ishigaki, Okinoerabu Islands and Ichinomiya) based on stable isotope analysis of the egg yolks for 82 turtles and satellite tracking of post-nesting migration for 12 turtles. Moreover, we used the data of three other sites from previous studies (Yakushima Island, Minabe and Omaezaki). [Results]Two neritic foraging grounds (East China Sea and the coastal area of the Japanese archipelago), and an oceanic ground (North Pacific Ocean) were identified. We found a latitudinal cline with respect to the occurrence of foraging dichotomy; >84% of the females nesting at southern sites (Ishigaki and Okinoerabu Islands), 73% at middle sites (Yakushima Island and Minabe) and <46% at northern sites (Omaezaki and Ichinomiya) were neritic foragers; the proportion of oceanic foragers increased at northern sites. Based on the annual number of nests in the entire nesting region of Japan, satellite tracking and the latitudinal cline of foraging dichotomy, we estimated that 70% and 9% of annual nesting females in Japan utilize the neritic foraging habitat in the East China Sea and the coastal area of the Japanese archipelago, respectively, and that and 22% utilize the oceanic habitat of the North Pacific Ocean. [Main conclusions]The East China Sea represents a critical foraging habitat for the North Pacific populations of endangered loggerhead sea turtles. Our findings emphasize the need for international management to ensure their protection