Interactions of fishes with particular reference to coelacanths in the canyons at Sodwana Bay and the St. Lucia Protected Area of South Africa

The deep demersal fish fauna at depths of 100–400min canyons off the St Lucia Marine Protected Area along the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal is compared with similar fish communities at the Comoro Islands and in the Indo-Pacific region. Fifty-four fish species were seen or photographed from the submersible Jago or by the discovery team of scuba divers in the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, habitat of the canyons off Sodwana Bay. An additional 94 fish species known from depths of 100–200 m along the coast of northern KwaZulu-Natal are likely to occur in the canyon habitat. The fish fauna of the Sodwana canyons shares at least 18 species with the deep demersal fish community off tropical coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific region. Thirty-seven of the Sodwana canyon fishes are also known from the coelacanth habitat in the Comoros

The South African coelacanths - an account on what is known after three submersible expeditions

Using the manned submersible Jago, the habits, distribution and number of coelacanths within all main submarine canyons of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park were studied during 47 survey dives, with a total bottom time of 166 hours at depths ranging from 46 to 359 m, between 2002 and 2004. Twenty-four individuals were positively identified from three of the canyons, primarily from inside caves at or close to the canyon edges at depths of 96-133 m with water temperatures between 16 and 22.5oC. The population size of coelacanths within the canyons is assumed to be relatively small; coelacanths are resident but not widespread nor abundant within the park

The asymptotic iteration method for the angular spheroidal eigenvalues with arbitrary complex size parameter c

The asymptotic iteration method is applied, to calculate the angular spheroidal eigenvalues $\lambda^{m}_{\ell}(c)$ with arbitrary complex size parameter $c$. It is shown that, the obtained numerical results of $\lambda^{m}_{\ell}(c)$ are all in excellent agreement with the available published data over the full range of parameter values $\ell$, $m$, and $c$. Some representative values of $\lambda^{m}_{\ell}(c)$ for large real $c$ are also given.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figur

FY2010 ANNUAL REVIEW E-AREA LOW-LEVEL WASTE FACILITY PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT AND COMPOSITE ANALYSIS

The E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility (ELLWF) consists of a number of disposal units described in the Performance Assessment (PA)(WSRC, 2008b) and Composite Analysis (CA)(WSRC, 1997; WSRC, 1999): Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Vault, Intermediate Level (IL) Vault, Trenches (Slit Trenches [STs], Engineered Trenches [ETs], and Component-in-Grout [CIG] Trenches), and Naval Reactor Component Disposal Areas (NRCDAs). This annual review evaluates the adequacy of the approved 2008 ELLWF PA along with the Special Analyses (SAs) approved since the PA was issued. The review also verifies that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 low-level waste (LLW) disposal operations were conducted within the bounds of the PA/SA baseline, the Savannah River Site (SRS) CA, and the Department of Energy (DOE) Disposal Authorization Statement (DAS). Important factors considered in this review include waste receipts, results from monitoring and research and development (R&D) programs, and the adequacy of controls derived from the PA/SA baseline. Sections 1.0 and 2.0 of this review are a summary of the adequacy of the PA/SA and CA, respectively. An evaluation of the FY2010 waste receipts and the resultant impact on the ELLWF is summarized in Section 3.1. The results of the monitoring program, R&D program, and other relevant factors are found in Section 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4, respectively. Section 4.0 contains the CA annual determination similarly organized. SRS low-level waste management is regulated under DOE Order 435.1 (DOE, 1999a) and is authorized under a DAS as a federal permit. The original DAS was issued by the DOE-Headquarters (DOE-HQ) on September 28, 1999 (DOE, 1999b) for the operation of the ELLWF and the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF). The 1999 DAS remains in effect for the regulation of the SDF. Those portions of that DAS applicable to the ELLWF were superseded by revision 1 of the DAS on July 15, 2008 (DOE, 2008b). The 2008 PA and DAS were officially implemented by the facility on October 31, 2008 and are the authorization documents for this FY2010 Annual Review. Department of Energy Headquarters approval of the 2008 DAS was subject to numerous conditions specified in the document. Two of those conditions are to update the ELLWF closure plan and monitoring plan to align with the conceptual model analyzed in the PA. Both of these conditions were met with the issuance of the PA Monitoring Plan (Millings, 2009a) and the Closure Plan (Phifer et al, 2009a). The PA Monitoring Plan was approved by DOE on July 22, 2009 and the Closure Plan was approved by DOE on May 21, 2009. Both will be updated as needed to remain consistent with the PA. The DAS also specifies that the maintenance plan include activities to resolve each of the secondary issues identified in the DOEHQ review of the 2008 PA that were not completely addressed either with supplemental material provided to the review team or in final revisions to the PA. These outstanding issues were originally documented in the 2008 update of the PA/CA Maintenance Plan (WSRC, 2008a) and in subsequent PA/CA Maintenance Plans (most recently SRNS, 2010a) as required and are actively being worked

Mass Balance: A Key to Advancing Monitored and Enhanced Attenuation for Chlorinated Solvents

Monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and enhanced attenuation (EA) are two environmental management strategies that rely on a variety of attenuation processes to degrade or immobilize contaminants and are implemented at appropriate sites by demonstrating that contaminant plumes have low risk and are stable or shrinking. The concept of a mass balance between the loading and attenuation of contaminants in a groundwater system is a powerful framework for conceptualizing and documenting the relative stability of a contaminant plume. As a result, this concept has significant potential to support appropriate implementation of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and enhanced attenuation (EA). For mass balance to be useful in engineering practice, however, it is necessary to quantify it in practical ways that facilitate overall site remediation and which are consistent with existing regulatory guidance. Two divergent philosophies exist for quantifying plume stability--empirical and deterministic. The first relies on historical contaminant concentration data and bulk geochemical information from a monitoring well network and documents plume stability using trend analysis and statistical tools. This empirical approach, when feasible, provides powerful and compelling documentation of plume behavior and mass balance. It provides an interpretation on a relevant scale under field conditions. It integrates the operative attenuation processes measured by observing their actual impact on the plume. The power of the empirical approach was recognized early in the development of MNA guidance and protocols and it is currently the basis of the three lines of evidence used in MNA studies. The empirical approach has some weaknesses, however. It requires a relatively long period of undisturbed historical data. Thus it cannot be effectively applied to sites where active remediation was initiated quickly and is currently operating. It cannot be used as a tool to determine how much source removal is needed or when to turn off active remediation and transition to MNA. It cannot be used to evaluate potential enhancement options (unless a long period of post enhancement monitoring is planned). It provides only indirect information about process and treats the plume as a ''black box''. The empirical approach has the advantage that, when sufficient monitoring data are available, the attenuation capacity can be defined inexpensively and with a high degree of certainty. Alternatively, a deterministic approach can be used to assess mass balance and plume stability. In this approach, the physical, chemical, and biological attenuation processes are used to assess contaminant loading and attenuation. The deterministic approach has the advantage that, when sufficient hydrologic, geochemical, and microbiological data are available, it is possible to project how a system will respond to contaminant removal actions or enhancements of natural attenuation processes. The ''black box'' of the plume is taken apart, quantified, and put back together again. The disadvantage of the deterministic approach is that it is difficult to measure all or most of the relevant hydrologic, geochemical, and biological parameters with any certainty. Case studies over the past decade demonstrate that empirical and deterministic approaches to MNA/EA are not mutually exclusive. These studies document that improved decision support and efficiency result by combining these methods based on the individual challenges presented by a given site. Whenever possible, the empirical approach is used to quantify mass loading and attenuation capacity (mass of contaminant/unit time) at particular sites. This is the most effective way to demonstrate the efficiency of ongoing natural attenuation processes in accordance with current regulatory guidance. But in addition, the monitoring well networks needed to apply the empirical approach can also yield estimates of the hydrologic, geochemical, and biological parameters needed to apply deterministic models. These models can then be used to estimate how contaminant behavior will change over time, as contaminant mass is removed, or if attenuation mechanisms are enhanced by engineering methods. The dual use of these empirical and deterministic approaches can help integrate the use of MNA and EA for overall site remediation

Association of Accelerometry-Measured Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Events in Mobility-Limited Older Adults: The LIFE (Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders) Study.

BACKGROUND:Data are sparse regarding the value of physical activity (PA) surveillance among older adults-particularly among those with mobility limitations. The objective of this study was to examine longitudinal associations between objectively measured daily PA and the incidence of cardiovascular events among older adults in the LIFE (Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders) study. METHODS AND RESULTS:Cardiovascular events were adjudicated based on medical records review, and cardiovascular risk factors were controlled for in the analysis. Home-based activity data were collected by hip-worn accelerometers at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 months postrandomization to either a physical activity or health education intervention. LIFE study participants (n=1590; age 78.9±5.2 [SD] years; 67.2% women) at baseline had an 11% lower incidence of experiencing a subsequent cardiovascular event per 500 steps taken per day based on activity data (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.84-0.96; P=0.001). At baseline, every 30 minutes spent performing activities ≥500 counts per minute (hazard ratio, 0.75; confidence interval, 0.65-0.89 [P=0.001]) were also associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular events. Throughout follow-up (6, 12, and 24 months), both the number of steps per day (per 500 steps; hazard ratio, 0.90, confidence interval, 0.85-0.96 [P=0.001]) and duration of activity ≥500 counts per minute (per 30 minutes; hazard ratio, 0.76; confidence interval, 0.63-0.90 [P=0.002]) were significantly associated with lower cardiovascular event rates. CONCLUSIONS:Objective measurements of physical activity via accelerometry were associated with cardiovascular events among older adults with limited mobility (summary score >10 on the Short Physical Performance Battery) both using baseline and longitudinal data. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01072500

Residual lung lesions after completion of chemotherapy for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: should we operate?

The significance of residual lung metastasis from malignant gestational trophoblastic neoplasm (GTN) after the completion of chemotherapy is unknown. We currently do not advocate resection of these masses. Here, we investigate the outcome of these patients. Patients with residual lung abnormalities after the completion of treatment for GTN were compared to those who had a complete radiological resolution of the disease. None of the residual masses post-treatment were surgically removed. In all, 76 patients were identified. Overall 53 (70%) patients had no radiological abnormality on CXR or CT after completion of treatment. Eight (11%) patients had residual disease on CXR alone 15 patients had residual disease on CT (19%). During follow-up, two patients (2.6%) relapsed. One of these had had a complete radiological response post-treatment whereas the other had residual disease on CT. Patients with residual lung lesions after completing treatment for GTN do not appear to have an increased chance of relapse compared to those with no residual abnormality. We continue to recommend that these patients do not require pulmonary surgery for these lesions

Systematic Screening of Drosophila Deficiency Mutations for Embryonic Phenotypes and Orphan Receptor Ligands

This paper defines a collection of Drosophila deletion mutations (deficiencies) that can be systematically screened for embryonic phenotypes, orphan receptor ligands, and genes affecting protein localization. It reports the results of deficiency screens we have conducted that have revealed new axon guidance phenotypes in the central nervous system and neuromuscular system and permitted a quantitative assessment of the number of potential genes involved in regulating guidance of specific motor axon branches. Deficiency “kits” that cover the genome with a minimum number of lines have been established to facilitate gene mapping. These kits cannot be systematically analyzed for phenotypes, however, since embryos homozygous for many deficiencies in these kits fail to develop due to the loss of key gene products encoded within the deficiency. To create new kits that can be screened for phenotype, we have examined the development of the nervous system in embryos homozygous for more than 700 distinct deficiency mutations. A kit of ∼400 deficiency lines for which homozygotes have a recognizable nervous system and intact body walls encompasses >80% of the genome. Here we show examples of screens of this kit for orphan receptor ligands and neuronal antigen expression. It can also be used to find genes involved in expression, patterning, and subcellular localization of any protein that can be visualized by antibody staining. A subset kit of 233 deficiency lines, for which homozygotes develop relatively normally to late stage 16, covers ∼50% of the genome. We have screened it for axon guidance phenotypes, and we present examples of new phenotypes we have identified. The subset kit can be used to screen for phenotypes affecting all embryonic organs. In the future, these deficiency kits will allow Drosophila researchers to rapidly and efficiently execute genome-wide anatomical screens that require examination of individual embryos at high magnification

Chronic hepatitis c genotype-4 infection: role of insulin resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and different HCV genotypes show characteristic variations in their pathological properties. Insulin resistance (IR) occurs early in HCV infection and may synergize with viral hepatitis in HCC development. Egypt has the highest reported rates of HCV infection (predominantly genotype 4) in the world; this study investigated effects of HCV genotype-4 (HCV-4) on prevalence of insulin resistance in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and HCC in Egyptian patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fifty CHC patients, 50 HCC patients and 20 normal subjects were studied. IR was estimated using HOMA-IR index and HCV-4 load determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Hepatitis B virus was excluded by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Standard laboratory and histopathological investigations were undertaken to characterize liver function and for grading and staging of CHC; HCC staging was undertaken using intraoperative samples.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HCC patients showed higher IR frequency but without significant difference from CHC (52% vs 40%, p = 0.23). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed HOMA-IR index and International Normalization Ratio independently associated with fibrosis in CHC; in HCC, HbA1c, cholesterol and bilirubin were independently associated with fibrosis. Fasting insulin and cholesterol levels were independently associated with obesity in both CHC and HCC groups. Moderate and high viral load was associated with high HOMA-IR in CHC and HCC (p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>IR is induced by HCV-4 irrespective of severity of liver disease. IR starts early in infection and facilitates progression of hepatic fibrosis and HCC development.</p