An approximately 15,000-year record of El Nino-driven alluviation in southwestern ecuador

Debris flows have deposited inorganic laminae in an alpine lake that is 75 kilometers east of the Pacific Ocean, in Ecuador. These storm-induced events were dated by radiocarbon, and the age of laminae that are less than 200 years old matches the historic record of El Nino events. From about 15,000 to about 7000 calendar years before the present, the periodicity of clastic deposition is greater than or equal to 15 years; thereafter, there is a progressive increase in frequency to periodicities of 2 to 8.5 years. This is the modern El Nino periodicity, which was established about 5000 calendar years before the present. This may reflect the onset of a steeper zonal sea surface temperature gradient, which was driven by enhanced trade winds.     

Variations in the size of the soil biomass

In the surface 5 cm of a clay soil in 2 successive years the microbial biomass, as measured by a fumigation-respiration technique, was constant. The biomasses in two clay soils were approximately ten times greater than that in a silt loam. When straw from a preceding crop was chopped and left on the soil surface the biomass after 8 months was greater by a factor of two than that in soil where the straw had been burnt. Where soil had been kept in grass for 9 yr, the biomass was greater by a factor of three than that in soil of the same kind that had been in arable cultivation for the previous 4 yr. As the fumigation-respiration technique measured only the microbial and microfaunal contribution to the biomass, the total biomass can only be assessed by measuring the root contribution separately; when this was done the total biomass in the grassland was found to be greater by a factor of about six.     

Thrombolytic Therapy in Dogs and Cats

Objective: To review the thrombolytic agents most commonly used in humans, their mechanisms of action, potential uses, adverse effects, and reports of their use in dogs and cats.
Human data synthesis: Thrombolytic agents avaliable in human medicine include streptokinase, urokinase, tissueplasminogen activator (t-PA), single-chain urokinase plasma activator (scu-PA) and anisoylated plasminogen-strep-tokinase activator complex (APSAC). These agents were originally used for the management of proximal deep vein thrombosis and severe pulmonary embolism but more recently, use of these drugs has been extended to include the treatment of acute peripheral arterial disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke) and acute coronary thrombosis. The most predictable side effect associated with the use of thrombolytic therapy is hemorrhage.
Veterinary data synthesis: Clinical experience with thrombolytic agents in small animals is limited to streptokinase and t-PA. It is possible, that as in humans, canine and feline patients with PTE and right ventricular dysfunction may benefit from thrombolytic therapy but there are no veterinary studies to support this theory to date. Successful use of streptokinase has been documented in a small number of canine patients with systemic thromboembolism. ⁶³ Thrombolytic therapy is relatively efficacious in cats with aortic thromboemboli but is associated with a high mortality rate. ^59,60,64 With regard to use of t-PA in veterinary medicine, the small number of animals treated with varying protocols makes it impossible to provide safe and effective dose recommendations at this time.
Conclusions: Future goals for thrombolytic therapy in veterinary medicine include determination of more specific clinical indications, as well as design of effective protocols that minimize mortality and morbidity.     

Follow-up of mercury levels in fish,human hair and urine in the Madeira and Tapajós basins,Amazon, Brazil

Informal economy of gold mining has contaminated some important river basins in Amazon. Follow-up studies on critical compartments showed some areas with high Hg levels in fish as well as in human hair samples. Average Hg in piscivorous fish in the Madeira river itself was 846 ppb (N=284) with a maximum of 3921 ppb. Mercury in fish from non polluted areas in this basin shows high variability, even for single species. A seasonal variation in Hg content was observed, with higher values at the end of the dry season. In the upper Tapajós basin comparable values were found for fish but with a definite decreasing trend downstream. Average value for piscivorous fish in the whole Tapajós basin is 482 ppb (N=122) with a maximum value of 3770 ppb. Hair Hg was higher in fishing villages in the Tapajós (average: 17 ppm; with N=432 and maximum value of 176 ppm) than in the Madeira (average: 9 ppm; N=169; maximum 71 ppm), and data from some areas of the Tapajós suggest a decrease with time. Mercury was much higher in urine of goldshop workers in Santarém (low Tapajós) than in Alta Floresta (high Tapajbs) and show a decreasing trend in both cases, probably related to the significant decline in gold mining activities during the study period (1986–1994).     

Characterization ofSolanum tuberosum simple sequence repeats and application to potato culiwar identification

With the continued introduction of new potato cultivars, accurate identification is becoming difficult but is essential for maintaining cultivar integrity and Plant Breeders’ Rights. Hypervariable DNA sequences, referred to as simple sequence repeats (SSRs) or microsatellites, have been reported to be an excellent source of genetic markers. To determine the abundance, distribution, and composition of SSRs withinSolanium tuberosum, 252 sequences were searched for tetranucleotide and smaller SSRs with a minimum length of 20 nucleotides and a maximum discrepancy of two nucleotides. In total, 40 unique SSRs were observed in the 252S. tuberosum sequences examined and occurred at a frequency of one SSR every 8.1 kb. To assess the ability of site-specific amplified SSRs to identify potato cultivars, a simple (TCAC)_m and compound (TCAC)_m ? (CTT)_n SSR 5’ to the starch synthase gene and a compound (C)_p ? (CT)_q ? (AT)_r ? (G)_s SSR 5’ to the sequence encoding mature proteinase inhibitor I, were examined and shown to produce unique DNA profiles for 73 of 95 tetraploid cultivars. In total, 24 alleles were observed at these loci and the accurately sized amplified DNA products can be used to establish a database for cultivar identification. Site-specific amplified alleles were somatically stable and have been conserved in clonal variants of Russet Burbank independently maintained for almost seven decades, a characteristic essential for cultivar identification. As genetic markers, the abundant, informative, and easily examined site-specific amplified alleles of SSRs are ideal for quickly and accurately determining cultivar identity of S.tuberosum ssp.tuberosum.     

Identification and validation of cold responsive microRNAs of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hevea brasiliensis</Emphasis> using high throughput sequencing

Cold stress is one of the major abiotic factors that influence the productivity and geographical distribution of many agriculturally important crops like Hevea brasiliensis. Cultivation of H. brasiliensis in India is being extended to northeastern regions, where low temperature during winter adversely affects its survival, growth, and productivity. Developing cold-tolerant genotypes is a primary requisite to maximize the productivity under such challenging environmental conditions. However, lack of methods for early evaluation of cold tolerance in the newly developed clones and the extensive time required for assessing their tolerance in the field are major constraints for clonal selection. The present study was initiated with an objective to identify and characterize cold stress responsive miRNAs from H. brasiliensis that show stronger association with cold tolerance. Next generation sequencing using Illumina HiSeq method revealed the expression of 21 and 29 conserved miRNA (from clone RRIM 600) families in cold-stressed and control samples, respectively. Forty-two novel miRNAs were identified from this study. Upon differential expression analysis, eight conserved miRNAs were found commonly expressed in both the samples. When expression analyses were performed subsequently with six selected miRNAs in two Hevea clones (viz. RRII 105 and RRIM 600), miR169 showed a strong association with cold tolerance. miRNAs such as miR482 and miR159 also exhibited association with cold tolerance. This study suggests the possibility of employing these miRNAs as markers for cold tolerance after validation in more number of genotypes with varying levels of cold tolerance.     

Assessment of plastic ingestion by pole-caught pelagic predatory fish from O'ahu,Hawai'i

1. Although the frequency of occurrence of plastic ingestion in the large-sized dolphinfish and tunas taken by the Hawai'i longline fishery is very low (frequency of occurrence < 5% of sampled individuals), the ingestion of plastic in smaller-sized specimens caught with pole-and-line gear by commercial and recreational fishers has not been investigated.
2. This study examined ingestion of >0.25 mm marine plastic debris (MPD) by four predatory fish species caught by commercial fishers around the Main Hawaiian Islands, and documented ingestion in three species: 85.7% of albacore tuna (n = 7), 40.0% of skipjack tuna (n = 10) and 12.5% of dolphinfish (n = 8).
3. Yellowfin tuna (n = 10) did not contain any MPD, probably owing to the high proportion of empty stomachs (60%).
4. For skipjack tuna, the frequency of occurrence of MPD ingestion was significantly higher for the smaller-sized specimens caught with pole-and-line (40%), compared with the larger-sized specimens caught with longlines (0%).
5. For dolphinfish, the frequency of occurrence of MPD ingestion was similar for the similar-sized specimens caught with pole-and-line and with longlines.
6. The ingested MPD items were micro–meso plastics, between 1 and 25 mm. While most ingested items were fragments, albacore also ingested line and skipjack also ingested sheets.
7. The predatory fishes ingested light MPD items that float in sea water, but there were species-specific differences in their polymer composition: albacore contained more polypropylene and polyethylene, and skipjack contained more elastomers, characterized by a high percentage of ester plasticizers.
8. Altogether, these results suggest that albacore and skipjack tunas ingest plastic of different types and polymers. Yet more research is needed to understand how differences in vertical distribution, foraging ecology and diet influence the MPD sampled by these predatory fish species.