Flagging greens: hydrobiid snails as substrata for the development of green algal mats (Enteromorpha spp.) on tidal flats of North Atlantic coasts

During the past 3 decades, dense mats of green algae (especially Enteromorpha spp.) have been recorded regularly from tidal flats worldwide. The development of green algal mats on tidal flats may be initiated by overwintering and regrowth of adult plants or by the formation and release of small propagules, i.e. vegetative fragments, zoospores and zygotes. On soft sediments, macroinvertebrates may constitute prime substrata for germination of algal spores. Hydrobud (mud-) snails are widespread along North Atlantic soft sediment shores and were identified previously as important substrata for Enteromorpha spp. germlings in 1 of our study areas. To test the generality of this phenomenon, we investigated the presence of Enteromorpha spp. gerrnlings attached to hydrobud snails from November 1995 to December 1996 on 6 tidal flats of North Atlantic coasts (Tralebergslule, Sweden; Konigshafen Bay, Germany; Mondego Estuary, Portugal; Ria Formosa, Portugal; Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada; Lowes Cove, Maine, USA). With 1 exception, hydrobiid snails were present in all areas studied, and intensive growth of Enteromorpha spp. occurred during summer. Throughout winter 1995/96, hardly any Enteromorpha spp. gerrnlings were found on snail shells, but over the following months germlings developed on up to 60% of the hydrobiid snails present. In 2 areas (Konigshafen, Germany; Lowes Cove, USA), germhng abundance on hydrobuds began to rise before the peak of green algal mat development. In Tralebergskile, Sweden, high mat abundance occurred simultaneous to and after increased germling abundance on Hydrobia ulvae. Densities of snails were very low, however, and hydrobuds appeared to be unimportant as substratum. No clear temporal pattern between high germling abundance on snails followed by mat development was found in the other 3 study areas (Ria Formosa, Portugal; Mondego Estuary, Portugal; Cole Harbour, Canada). In Lowes Cove, USA, gerrnlings and juveniles of Enteromorpha spp. first grew at the site with high Hydrobia abundance and were subsequently drifted to another site where they developed into full mats. We conclude that initiation of green algal mats by germination on Hydrobia spp. may be a general phenomenon, but that other modes of development also occur frequently. Pelagic dnft of overwintering thalli to new sites, followed by prolific growth, might be of similar or greater importance

“In Women’s Hands”: Feminism, Eugenics and Race in Interwar Denmark

Eugenics had popular appeal and expressions in early 20th-century Denmark. This article tells two stories of what eugenics looked like ‘in the hands’ of bourgeois Danish women as they promoted ‘racial hygiene’ through cultural production. The first story highlights the eugenic feminism of nationally acclaimed women’s rights advocate Thit Jensen through a reading of her play The Stork (1929). The second tells of the Copenhagen Housewife Association’s engagement with new media technology and race science through their eugenics radio Listener Group (1934). Read through a lens that pays especially close attention to race and class, I argue that this work identifies them as significant proponents of eugenic ideology and as contributors to the targeting of the poor and working class in the name of ‘racial hygiene’ – a decidedly racist project.Eugenics had popular appeal and expressions in early 20th-century Denmark. This article tells two stories of what eugenics looked like ‘in the hands’ of bourgeois Danish women as they promoted ‘racial hygiene’ through cultural production. The first story highlights the eugenic feminism of nationally acclaimed women’s rights advocate Thit Jensen through a reading of her play The Stork (1929). The second tells of the Copenhagen Housewife Association’s engagement with new media technology and race science through their eugenics radio Listener Group (1934). Read through a lens that pays especially close attention to race and class, I argue that this work identifies them as significant proponents of eugenic ideology and as contributors to the targeting of the poor and working class in the name of ‘racial hygiene’ – a decidedly racist project

High-throughput screening of tick-borne pathogens in Europe

Due to increased travel, climatic, and environmental changes, the incidence of tick-borne disease in both humans and animals is increasing throughout Europe. Therefore, extended surveillance tools are desirable. To accurately screen tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), a large scale epidemiological study was conducted on 7050 Ixodes ricinus nymphs collected from France, Denmark, and the Netherlands using a powerful new high-throughput approach. This advanced methodology permitted the simultaneous detection of 25 bacterial, and 12 parasitic species (including; Borrelia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Bartonella, Candidatus Neoehrlichia, Coxiella, Francisella, Babesia, and Theileria genus) across 94 samples. We successfully determined the prevalence of expected (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia helvetica, Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Babesia divergens, Babesia venatorum), unexpected (Borrelia miyamotoi), and rare (Bartonella henselae) pathogens in the three European countries. Moreover we detected Borrelia spielmanii, Borrelia miyamotoi, Babesia divergens, and Babesia venatorum for the first time in Danish ticks. This surveillance method represents a major improvement in epidemiological studies, able to facilitate comprehensive testing of TBPs, and which can also be customized to monitor emerging diseases

Erfolge mittels Rudererergometer und anaerobe leistungsmöglichkeit bei den Ruderern-studenten

The aim of the study presented was to assess the relationships between the 6-minute "all-out" rowing ergometer test with physical performance indices in college rowers. Ten male rowers (21.60+4.20 yrs; 186,90+5.64 cm; 84.10+6.59 kg; %body fat: 9.62+2.81%) performed a 6-minute "all-out" rowing ergometer test on a rowing ergometer (Concept II, USA) at the first measurement session. In addition, a graded exercise test at the intensities of 150, 200 and 250 W (6-minutes each) and a maximal 5x1 minute interval test were performed at separate measurement sessions. The heart rate (HR) was recorded at the end of each load during a graded exercise test. The individual physical working capacity (PWC) of the rowers was calculated at the maximum of HR recorded during a 6-minute "all-out" test. Blood samples for lactate (LA) determination were obtained from the fingertip before and immediately after each bout of exercise. The anaerobic threshold (AT) indices were determined by interpolation from the relationships between the LA concentration and the respective variable at a LA concentration of 4.0 mmol/l. The LA concentration in the blood was also determined before, immediately after and after 3 minutes and 5 minutes of recovery of the maximal 5 x 1 minute interval test. Significant correlations (p<0.05) were observed between the AT (W) and power (r=0.56) and the covered distance (r=0.55) of a 6-minute "all-out" test. In addition, the power and distance covered of the 6-minute "all-out" test were significantly related to the covered distance and power of all five trials of the maximum interval test (r=0.64-0.77). The stepwise multiple interval test indicated that the power of a 6-minute "all-out" test was explained by the mean power of a maximal 5 x 1 minute interval test at 82.75% (R2). In conclusion, the results of our study suggest that our proposed interval test has a high diagnostic value in the assessment of the anaerobic work capacity of rowers.Das Ziel dieser Untersuchung war, die Zusammenhange zwischen 6-Minuten Leistungstest mittels eines Rudererergometers und Indexen der körperlichen Leistungsmöglichkeit von Ruderern-Studenten zu erstellen. Zehn männliche Ruderer (21.60+/-4.20 Jahre; 186,90+/-5,64cm; 84,10+/-6,59kg; 9,62+/-2,81% Fettgewebe) wurden dem 6-Minuten Leistungstest am Rudererergometer (Concept II, USA) in der ersten Messung unterzogen. Zusätzlich wurden der progressive Belastungstest mit den Werten 150, 200 und 250 W (je 6 Minuten) und der Intervall-Leistungstest in der Zeitspanne von 5x1 Minute in abgesonderten Messungen durchgeführt. Die Herzfrequenz (Heart Rate - HR) wurde in der Endphase jeder Belastung des Stufentestes gemessen. Persönliche körperliche Arbeitsleistung (PWC - engl. physical working capacity) der Ruderer wurde nach maximal gemessener Herzfrequenz in der Zeitspanne des 6-Minuten Leistungtestes errechnet. Aus der Fingerkuppe wurden vor und nach jeder Leistung die Blutproben zur Feststellung des Milchsäurespiegels (LA) entnommen. Die Indexe der anaeroben Schwelle (anaerobic threshold - AT) wurden nach der vorgenommenen Interpolation der Wechselbeziehung zwischen dem LA-Spiegel und der entsprechenden Variable mit der Konzentration von 4,0 mmol/ festgestellt. Der LA-Spiegel wurde im Blut vorher, anschließend, 3 wie auch 5 Minuten nach dem Intervall-Leistungstest 5x1 gemessen. Es wurde eine bedeutende Wechselbeziehung (p<0,05) zwischen der anaeroben Schwelle (W) und dem Kraftaufwand (r=0,56) einerseits und der zurückgelegten Entfernung (r=0,55) in den Zeitspannen des Leistungtestes festgestellt. Der Kraftaufwand und die zurückgelegten Entfernung im Laufe des Leistungtestes hingen auch bedeutend von der zurückgelegten Entfernung und dem Kraftaufwandin allen fünf Zeitspannen des Intervall- Leistungtestes (r=0,64-0,77) ab, Der wicderholende Intervall-Test mit progressiver Belastung ‘beweist, dass sich der 82,75% (R2) Kraftaufwand, gemessen in 6-Minuten Leistungtest, über arithmetisches Mittel vom Kraftaufwand, gemessen im Leistungtest mit Intervallen von 5x1 Minute erklären lasst. Wir schlussfolgern, dass die Ergebnisse unserer Untersuchung darauf hinweisen, wie hoch der diagnostische Wert des vorgeschlagenen Intervall-Leistungtests bei der Einschätzung von Arbeitsleistung der Ruderer ist

An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics

For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types

Variability and connectivity of plaice populations from the Eastern North Sea to the Western Baltic Sea, and implications for assessment and management

An essential prerequisite of sustainable fisheries is the match between biologically relevant processes and management action. Various populations may however co-occur on fishing grounds, although they might not belong to the same stock, leading to poor performance of stock assessment and management. Plaice in Kattegat and Skagerrak have traditionally been considered as one stock unit. Current understanding indicates that several plaice components may exist in the transition area between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. A comprehensive review of all available biological knowledge on plaice in this area is performed, including published and unpublished literature together with the analyses of commercial and survey data and historical tagging data. The results suggest that plaice in Skagerrak is closely associated with plaice in the North Sea, although local populations are present in the area. Plaice in Kattegat, the Belts Sea and the Sound can be considered a stock unit, as is plaice in the Baltic Sea. The analyses revealed great heterogeneity in the dynamics and productivity of the various local components, and suggested for specific action to maintain biodiversity

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin