Turbulent jets and eddies in the california current and inferred cross-shore transports

The instantaneous California Current is seen to consist of intense meandering current filaments (jets) intermingled with synoptic-mesoscale eddies. These quasi-geostrophic jets entrain cold, upwelled coastal waters and rapidly advect them far offshore; this behavior accounts for the elongated, cool surface features that are seen extending across the California Current region in satellite infrared imagery. The associated advective mechanism should provide significant cross-shore transports of heat, nutrients, biota, and pollutants. The dynamics of the current system should be crucially influenced by its highly variable structure.     

Aspiration of barium-impregnated polyethylene spheres by a dog

This case report describes an 11-year-old Belgian Malinois dog with acute onset of cough caused by aspiration of barium-impregnated polyethylene spheres (BIPS) and pneumonia following an episode of suspected gastric dilation. Although bronchoscopic retrieval of the BIPS was largely unsuccessful, the dog recovered uneventfully, with most of the BIPS being coughed out and swallowed over a 1-month period. Aspiration of BIPS should be considered a potential complication of their administration. Furthermore, endoscopic removal of aspirated BIPS is challenging and may not be indicated because of their inert nature and possible self-clearance.     

Myosin light chain phosphorylation does not modulate cross-bridge cycling rate in mouse skeletal muscle

An attempt was made to determine whether phosphorylation of the myosin light chain represents a thick filament-associated mechanism for modulating the rate of cross-bridge cycling in mouse skeletal muscle. When the degree of light chain phosphorylation was varied independently of tetanus duration, there was no correlation of phosphorylation with cross-bridge turnover rate, as measured by the shortening velocity of the muscle. It is concluded that in intact skeletal muscle phosphorylation of the myosin light chain does not in itself modulate cross-bridge cycling rate and that previously reported changes in cycling rate were due to other factors that may vary with tetanus duration.     

Physical variability in Prince William Sound during the SEA Study (1994–98)

From 1994 to 1998, a multidisciplinary ecosystem study (the Sound Ecosystem Assessment) examined the primary physical and biological factors that influence the production of pink salmon and Pacific herring in Prince William Sound (PWS), species that experienced population declines after the 1989 Exxon‐Valdez oil spill. Three physical processes are described that influence ecosystem processes: surface layer stratification; upper layer (<100 m) circulation; and exchange between PWS and the northern Gulf of Alaska (NGOA). Stratification formed first in the PWS nearshore regions in March, and subsequently in the northern central basin in April, primarily due to freshening. The northern stratified layer and the associated zonal density front persisted at least through June, but year‐to‐year differences occurred. In spring and summer, circulation in central PWS could be either cyclonic or anticyclonic. Drifter trajectories often linked central PWS to a nearshore bay or fjord, or one bay or fjord to another. September was characterized by a cyclonic circulation and isopycnal doming in central PWS, with little year‐to‐year variability. At Hinchinbrook Entrance, a main connection with the Gulf of Alaska, alternating inflows and outflows occurred in spring over all depths. In summer through early autumn (1995), in the absence of predominantly westward winds, the dominant exchange pattern was outflow above about 150 m and inflow below. In summer through early autumn (1996–98), there was also surface (<20 m) inflow at Montague Strait (the other main entrance). Northward transport at Hinchinbrook Entrance was maximum in late autumn through winter, with inflow above ~150 m and outflow below. Westward wind events over the shelf associated with the weather cycle drove inflow events at both Hinchinbrook Entrance and Montague Strait that may result in transport of zooplankton important to the PWS ecosystem.     

Low-temperature synthesis of zintl compounds with a single-source molecular precursor

Thermolysis of the heterobimetallic phosphinidene complex [Sb(PCy)3]2- Li6.6HNMe2 (Cy = C6H11) at 303 to 313 kelvin gives Zintl compounds containing (Sb7)3- anions. The complex thus constitutes a stable molecular single-source precursor to Zintl compounds and provides a potential low-temperature route to photoactive alkali metal antimonates. The new chemical reaction involved, which is driven thermodynamically by the formation of P-P bonds, has implications in the low-temperature synthesis of other technologically important materials (such as gallium arsenide).     

Rockfish (Sebastes) that are evolutionarily isolated are also large, morphologically distinctive and vulnerable to overfishing

In an age of triage, we must prioritize species for conservation effort. Species more isolated on the tree of life are candidates for increased attention. The rockfish genus Sebastes is speciose (>100 spp.), morphologically and ecologically diverse and many species are heavily fished. We used a complete Sebastes phylogeny to calculate a measure of evolutionary isolation for each species and compared this to their morphology and imperilment. We found that evolutionarily isolated species in the northeast Pacific are both larger-bodied and, independent of body size, morphologically more distinctive. We examined extinction risk within rockfish using a compound measure of each species’ intrinsic vulnerability to overfishing and categorizing species as commercially fished or not. Evolutionarily isolated species in the northeast Pacific are more likely to be fished, and, due to their larger sizes and to life history traits such as long lifespan and slow maturation rate, they are also intrinsically more vulnerable to overfishing. Finally, the set of northeast Pacific species that are both fished and most intrinsically vulnerable to fishing are among the most evolutionarily distinctive. These findings suggest that, at least for this clade, extra attention should be paid to evolutionary distinctiveness when prioritizing species for conservation.