Feeding habits, daily ration and vertical migration of the cape horse mackerel off South Africa

Crustaceans, principally copepods and euphausiids, were most frequently found in the stomachs of Cape horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus capensis collected during demersal research surveys (1992–1995) in summer on the west coast and in winter on the south coast of South Africa. Fish (mainly pelagic) were infrequent (< 10%) in the diet of fish from both coasts. The feeding periodicity, rate of gut evacuation and vertical migration of horse mackerel were investigated from midwater and bottom trawl collections taken during five diel sampling periods between 1993 and 1995 at fixed positions on the South Coast. Horse mackerel feed only during the day, mostly in late afternoon prior to their ascent into midwater at around sunset. Based on the exponential rate of decline in stomach fullness throughout the night, the rate of gut evacuation by horse mackerel was estimated to be 0.22.h-1. Using the Elliott and Persson method, the daily ration was estimated as 3.8% of wet body mass. Horse mackerel appear to migrate vertically for reasons other than feeding, and selective advantages of this behaviour are discussed

Distribution patterns, stock size and life-history strategies of cape horse mackerel trachurus trachurus capensis, based on bottom trawl and acoustic surveys

Research surveys of Cape horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus capensis abundance on the south coast of South Africa are complicated because changes in the species’ vertical and horizontal distribution limit the valueof stock assessments based a single survey method. Annual bottom trawl surveys conducted in spring provide estimates of the abundance of fish close to the bottom over trawlable grounds. Between 1991 and 1994, hydroacoustic surveys conducted in spring have been used to estimate the pelagic portion of the stock, as well as the portion over untrawlable grounds. These two research datasets, as well as data from purse-seine, midwater and bottom trawl commercial landings, are reviewed to elucidate distribution patterns of horse mackerel and their migratory and spawning strategies. The problems and advantages of bottom trawl and acoustic surveys are discussed in the context of fluctuations in estimates of the size of the stock between 1991 and 1994 and the prevailing environmental conditions. It is concluded that combined acoustic and bottom trawl surveys are the only effective means of surveying horse mackerel, and that effort should be concentrated east of 22°E to assess the spawner stock. It is suggested that research effort directed at improving understanding of exchanges between West Coast (including Namibia) and South Coast population of horse mackerel, as well as of the role of verticalmigrations in modulating these exchanges, would be beneficial

Evaluation of Plant Functional Types Response to Grazing and Fertilizer Levels in Natural Grassland

We report a study on a natural grassland experiment with the objective of finding optimal plant functional types (PFTs) for the description of vegetation response to levels of grazing (ungrazed, grazed) and fertilizer (with, without). The experiment was a split-plot design in randomized blocks, with three replications and the grazing levels in the main plots. Vegetation description was based on species composition and on 12 plant morphology attributes (life-form, growth-form, stem tissue type, leaf cross section, leaf texture, leaf dorsal epidermal surface, leaf ventral epidermal surface, spininess, leaf resistance, leaf width, plant height). Cover-abundance of species was visually estimated. By using a measure of congruence, multivariate analysis and randomization testing, implemented in software SYNCSA, an optimal subset of the attributes was found (plant height, spininess and leaf cross section) that when used to define PFTs composition could express vegetation response to grazing more clearly than species composition did. The same procedure applied for the vegetation response to fertilizer could not find an optimal subset among the 12 attributes evaluated

Functional turnover and community assemblage during tropical forest succession

Changes in species composition during the succession of ecological communities potentially reflect the differential effects of environmental filters and limiting similarity on structuring communities. As ecological succession can represent community assembly in action, understanding how successional time affects the functional and phylogenetic structure of communities can reveal the influence of different factors on the assembly process. We analysed functional patterns of multiple traits related to the succession of tropical forests to answer if there are trait convergence and/or divergence with regeneration age, and if functional and phylogenetic diversity can be predicted by forest age. We compiled checklists from studies of 23 successional forests in Brazilian Atlantic Forest, ranging from 4 to 120 years old. We also compiled functional traits for a total of 355 species. We analysed the data by a method that includes scaling-up trait-based data to the community level and matrix correlations of multiple traits. We built linear models to show the relationship between each trait and diversity (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic) with successional time. We found no phylogenetic signal at the species pool and metacommunity levels, but significant trait divergence (tree guild, leaf slenderness, leaf area, pollination entomophilous generalist and pollination by vertebrate) and trait convergence (arboreal habitus, tree guild, leaf compoundness, pollination entomophilous generalist) patterns related to the successional gradient. Also, functional diversity increased during succession, with a significant increase in leaf slenderness and zoochoric dispersal and decrease in tree guild. Phylogenetic diversity also increased along the successional gradient. We found that the communities in the studied successional gradient are structured by both environmental (measured by trait convergence) and biotic (measured by trait divergence) filtering. The species turnover and diversification at taxonomic level are followed by well-defined patterns of trait turnover, revealing that community assembly is constrained by environmental filters at the beginning and by limiting similarity at the advanced stages of the succession

Five-Year Longitudinal Assessment (2008 to 2012) of E-101 Solution Activity against Clinical Target and Antimicrobial-Resistant Pathogens

This study summarizes the topical E-101 solution susceptibility testing results for 760 Gram-positive and Gram-negative target pathogens collected from 75 U.S. sites between 2008 and 2012 and 103 ESKAPE pathogens. E-101 solution maintained potent activity against all bacterial species studied for each year tested, with MICs ranging from <0.008 to 0.25 μg porcine myeloperoxidase (pMPO)/ml. These results confirm that E-101 solution retains its potent broad-spectrum activity against U.S. clinical isolates and organisms with challenging resistance phenotypes

Ensino em Ciências da Saúde, Meio Ambiente e esporte na natureza: um relato sobre as visitas técnicas no IFRJ-VR

O relato de experiência configura-se a partir de dois objetivos que se complementam: apresentar e divulgar as ações pedagógicas desenvolvidas no curso de Automação Industrial do Instituto Federal do Rio de Janeiro campus Volta Redonda no Ensino em Ciências da Saúde (Educação Física) e Meio Ambiente; segundo, discutir a interdisciplinaridade como um caminho possível para repensar a formação continuada de professores a partir do olhar reflexivo sobre as práticas pedagógicas no IFRJ-VR. A questão central funda-se na Educação ambiental e no entendimento da relação indissociável entre a sociedade e a natureza. O relato de experiência se estruturou por meio da ação interdisciplinar entre as áreas de Educação Física, Geografia, Biologia e Filosofia, implantadas no curso de Automação Industrial do IFRJ-VR na intenção de estabelecer outros olhares para a Educação Ambiental, acarretando possíveis alterações na concepção de currículo, dos processos teórico-metodológicos em decorrência da concepção do processo avaliativo e, finalmente, no processo de ensino no cotidiano escolar. As ações se estruturam a partir dos seguintes conceitos: modernidade, Lazer, Esporte na Natureza e Educação Ambiental, como eixos temáticos, e a interdisciplinaridade como método e como princípio filosófico-pedagógico norteador do processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Nesse sentido, a metodologia do trabalho se desenvolveu em dois momentos: Primeiro, na visita ao museu do Parque Nacional de Itatiaia, na intenção de permitir o acesso dos alunos a conhecimentos específicos e comportamentos adequados em uma Área de proteção Ambiental – APA; Segundo, na escalada do Morro da Urca na tentativa de uma interação dos múltiplos campos do saber envolvidos e a experiência da prática do esporte na natureza e toda a complexidade que envolve a referida prática esportiva

Comparison of the in vitro antibacterial activity of Ramizol, fidaxomicin, vancomycin, and metronidazole against 100 clinical isolates of Clostridium difficile by broth microdilution

This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (June 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyAntibiotic drug development remains a major challenge with few candidates in clinical development. Ramizol, a first-in-class styrylbenzene antibiotic, is under development for the treatment of Clostridium difficile associated disease. Here, we investigate the in vitro antibacterial activity of Ramizol in comparison to fidaxomicin, vancomycin and metronidazole against 100 clinical isolates of C. difficile by the broth microdilution method. We show there is no apparent impact of ribotype, toxin-production, or resistance to fidaxomicin, vancomycin or metronidazole on the activity of Ramizol. Moreover, we show Ramizol has a narrower MIC range translating to potentially better control over the therapeutic dose. Together, these results support the further development of Ramizol for the treatment of C. difficile associated disease.The authors acknowledge funding from Boulos & Cooper Pharmaceuticals for this research

A New Regional Cold War in the Middle East and North Africa: Regional Security Complex Theory Revisited

Since the 2003 Iraq war, the Middle East and North Africa has entered into a New Regional Cold War, characterised by two competing logics: on the one hand, the politicisation of sectarianism opposing a Saudi-led Sunni bloc against an Iran-led Shia bloc and, on the other, an intra-Sunni cleavage around the mobilisation of political Islam, embodied by the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters vs its opponents. Blending Buzan and Weaver’s regional security complex theory with Donnelly’s notion of ‘heterarchy’ and applying it to the cold wars the region has experienced, the similarities and differences between the Arab Cold War of the 1950s/60s and the New Regional Cold War reveal the increasing number of heterarchic features within the regional security complex: multiple and heterogeneous power centres, different power rankings, a more visible and relevant role of non-state and transnational actors, and the fragmentation of regional norms