Characteristics of a cetacean morbillivirus isolated from a porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

A virus isolated from a porpoise during the 1988 seal epizootic was shown to be a morbillivirus. In order to determine the relationship of the virus to phocine distemper virus (PDV) a battery of monoclonal antibodies raised against canine distemper virus (CDV), PDV or the porpoise isolate were assessed for their ability to bind to CDV, PDV or porpoise virus epitopes in indirect immunofluorescence assays and ELISAs. The porpoise isolate contained several unique epitopes and several epitopes present on CDV and PDV were absent on the porpoise isolate. The data presented in this study indicate that the porpoise virus is an antigenically distinct morbillivirus and as such has been tentatively named as delphinoid distemper virus (DDV).

A test for mucus removal in the chiton Lepidochitona cinerea (Linnaeus, 1767) (Polyplacophora: Chitonida: Ischnochitonidae)

Several methods have been proposed to ‘clean’ the soft tissues of molluscs of mucus, so that the surface cilia can be examined microscopically. We report the first empirical test of the effectiveness of methods for removing mucus in the pallial cavity surface of chitons. Three methods were compared, at several time intervals: the enzyme hyaluronidase, the mucolytic agent N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and seawater washing via the natural action of cilia in excised tissue. Treatment in NAC for 10 min produced the best results, and we recommend this protocol as a starting point for further investigation on mucus removal in a broader suite of taxa. We present the first description of the pallial surface cilia in the chiton Lepidochitona cinerea. During the course of this study, we also determined that these chitons were frequently infested with a ciliate protozoan parasite, Trichodina sp., which have been historically reported from chitons but never studied in detail. The parasites were absent where antimucus treatments were effective, but their abundance and large size (about 30-mm diameter) in less successful treatments obscured the view of the pallial cavity surface.

Incidence of colorectal cancer in a population-based cohort of patients with Barrett's oesophagus

Objective. Previous studies have shown a positive association between colorectal cancer and Barrett's oesophagus, but this association is disputed. No population-based studies have examined the incidence of this cancer in patients with Barrett's oesophagus. Material and methods. The present study comprised a population-based cohort of patients with Barrett's oesophagus (constructed using pathology reports of all oesophageal biopsies in Northern Ireland 1993-99; cohort subclassified according to whether specialized intestinal metaplasia (SIM) was present, absent, or not commented on in biopsies). Cases of colorectal cancer were identified by linking with the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry. The comparison group used was the general population in Northern Ireland. Results. A total of 2969 patients with Barrett's oesophagus were followed for a total of 14,014 person-years (mean 4.7 years). SIM was present in 1670 patients (56.2%), absent in 545 (18.4%) and not commented on in 754 (25.4%). Colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 39 patients; 22 patients had cancer diagnosed at least 6 months after diagnosis of Barrett's oesophagus. There was no increased risk of colorectal cancer: the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for cancer diagnosed at least 6 months after entry into the cohort was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.48-1.17); this risk did not alter with SIM status or gender. To assess a possible effect of diagnostic bias, we calculated SIRs for cancers occurring after at least 3 months, after at least 1 month and at any time after diagnosis of Barrett's oesophagus. These were 0.94 (0.57-1.30), 1.09 (0.69-1.48) and 1.46 (1.00-1.92), respectively. Conclusions. The incidence of colorectal cancer was not elevated in patients with Barrett's oesophagus. Diagnostic bias may explain why previous studies have found an association. © 2005 Taylor & Francis.

The lateritic profile of Balkouin, Burkina Faso: geochemistry, mineralogy and genesis

This study reports on the geochemical and mineralogical characterization of a lateritic profile cropping out in the Balkouin area, Central Burkina Faso, aimed at obtaining a better understanding of the processes responsible for the formation of the laterite itself and the constraints to its development. The lateritic profile rests on a Paleoproterozoic basement mostly composed of granodioritic rocks related to the Eburnean magmatic cycle passing upwards to saprolite and consists of four main composite horizons (bottom to top): kaolinite and clay-rich horizons, mottled laterite and iron-rich duricrust. In order to achieve such a goal, a multi-disciplinary analytical approach was adopted, which includes inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission and mass spectrometries (ICP-AES and ICP-MS respectively), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy.

The geochemical data, and particularly the immobile elements distribution and REE patterns, show that the Balkouin laterite is the product of an in situ lateritization process that involved a strong depletion of the more soluble elements (K, Mg, Ca, Na, Rb, Sr and Ba) and an enrichment in Fe; Si was also removed, particularly in the uppermost horizons. All along the profile the change in composition is coupled with important changes in mineralogy. In particular, the saprolite is characterized by occurrence of abundant albitic plagioclase, quartz and nontronite; kaolinite is apparently absent. The transition to the overlying lateritic profile marks the breakdown of plagioclase and nontronite, thus allowing kaolinite to become one of the major components upwards, together with goethite and quartz. The upper part of the profile is strongly enriched in hematite (+ kaolinite). Ti oxides (at least in part as anatase) and apatite are typical accessory phases, while free aluminum hydroxides are notably absent. Mass change calculations emphasize the extent of the mass loss, which exceeds 50 wt% (and often 70 wt%) for almost all horizons; only Fe was significantly concentrated in the residual system.

The geochemical and mineralogical features suggest that the lateritic profile is the product of a continuous process that gradually developed from the bedrock upwards, in agreement with the Schellmann classic genetic model. The laterite formation must have occurred at low pH (? 4.5) and high Eh (? 0.4) values, i.e., under acidic and oxidizing environments, which allowed strongly selective leaching conditions. The lack of gibbsite and bohemite is in agreement with the compositional data: the occurrence of quartz (± amorphous silica) all along the profile was an inhibiting factor for the formation of free aluminum hydroxides.

Examining the Neurocognitive Validity of Commercially Available, Smartphone-Based Puzzle Games

Cognitive assessment typically involves assessing a person’s cognitive performance in unfamiliar and ar-guably unnatural clinical surroundings. User-centred approaches to assessment and monitoring, driven by issues such as enjoyability and familiarity, are largely absent. Everyday technologies, for example, smartphones represent an opportunity to obtain an objective assessment of a person’s cognitive capabili-ties in a non-threatening, discreet and familiar way, e.g. by everyday puzzle games undertaken as a leisure activity at home. We examined the strength of relationships that exist between performance on common puzzle games and standard measures of neuropsychological performance. Twenty-nine participants, aged 50 - 65 years, completed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery and played three smart-phone-based puzzle games in triplicate: a picture puzzle [Matches Plus], a word puzzle [Jumbline] and a number puzzle [Sudoku]. As anticipated, a priori, significant correlations were observed between scores on a picture puzzle and visual memory test (r = 0.49; p = 0.007); a word puzzle and estimated verbal IQ (r = 0.53; p = 0.003) and verbal learning (r = 0.30; p = 0.039) tests; and a number puzzle and reason-ing/problem solving test (r = 0.42; p = 0.023). Further analyses making allowance for multiple compari-sons identified a significant unanticipated correlation (r = 0.49; p = 0.007) between number puzzle scores and a measure of nonverbal working memory. Performance on these smartphone-based games was in-dicative of relative cognitive ability across several cognitive domains at a fixed time point. Smart-phone-based, everyday puzzle games may offer a valid, portable measure of assessing and monitoring cognition in older adults.

Attention-based modulation of tactile stimuli: A comparison between prefrontal lesion patients and healthy age-matched controls

Objectives: To investigate the role of the prefrontal cortex in attention-based modulation of cortical somatosensory processing.

Methods: Six prefrontal stroke patients were compared with eleven neurologically intact older adults during a vibrotactile discrimination task. All subjects attended to stimuli on one digit while ignoring distracter stimuli on a separate digit of the same hand. Subjects were required to report infrequent targets on the attended digit only. Throughout testing electroencephalography was used to measure event-related potentials for both task-relevant and irrelevant stimuli.

Results: Prefrontal patients demonstrated significant changes in cortical somatosensory processing based on attention compared to age-matched controls. This was evident both in early unimodal somatosensory processing (i.e. P100) and in later cortical processing stages (i.e. long-latency positivity). Moreover, there was a tendency towards a tonic loss of inhibition over early somatosensory cortical processing (i.e. P50).

Conclusions: The attention-based modulation noted for neurologically intact older adults was absent in prefrontal lesion patients.

Significance: The present study highlights the important role of prefrontal regions in sustaining inhibition over early sensory cortical processing stages and in modifying somatosensory transmission based on task-relevance. Notably these deficits extend beyond those previously shown to occur as a function of age.

'Super-Chandrasekhar' Type Ia Supernovae at nebular epochs

We present a first systematic comparison of superluminous Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) at late epochs, including previously unpublished photometric and spectroscopic observations of SN 2007if, SN 2009dc and SNF20080723-012. Photometrically, the objects of our sample show a diverse late-time behaviour, some of them fading quite rapidly after a light-curve break at ∼ 150-200 d. The latter is likely the result of flux redistribution into the infrared, possibly caused by dust formation, rather than a true bolometric effect. Nebular spectra of superluminous SNe Ia are characterized by weak or absent [Fe III] emission, pointing at a low ejecta ionization state as a result of high densities. To constrain the ejecta and Ni masses of superluminous SNe Ia, we compare the observed bolometric light curve of SN 2009dc with synthetic model light curves, focusing on the radioactive tail after ∼60 d. Models with enough Ni to explain the light-curve peak by radioactive decay, and at the same time sufficient mass to keep the ejecta velocities low, fail to reproduce the observed light-curve tail of SN 2009dc because of too much γ -ray trapping.We instead propose a model with ∼1M of Ni and ∼2 M of ejecta, which may be interpreted as the explosion of a Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarf (WD) enshrouded by 0.6-0.7 M of C/O-rich material, as it could result from a merger of two massive C/O WDs. This model reproduces the late light curve of SN 2009dc well. A flux deficit at peak may be compensated by light from the interaction of the ejecta with the surrounding material.

Origin of British and Irish mammals: disparate post-glacial colonisation and species introductions

Global climate changes during the Quaternary reveal much about broader evolutionary effects of environmental change. Detailed regional studies reveal how evolutionary lineages and novel communities and ecosystems, emerge through glacial bottlenecks or from refugia. There have been significant advances in benthic imaging and dating, particularly with respect to the movements of the British (Scottish) and Irish ice sheets and associated changes in sea level during and after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Ireland has been isolated as an island for approximately twice as long as Britain with no evidence of any substantial, enduring land bridge between these islands after ca 15 kya. Recent biogeographical studies show that Britain's mammal community is akin to those of southern parts of Scandinavia, The Netherlands and Belgium, but the much lower mammal species richness of Ireland is unique and needs explanation. Here, we consider physiographic, archaeological, phylogeographical i.e. molecular genetic, and biological evidence comprising ecological, behavioural and morphological data, to review how mammal species recolonized western Europe after the LGM with emphasis on Britain and, in particular, Ireland. We focus on why these close neighbours had such different mammal fauna in the early Holocene, the stability of ecosystems after LGM subject to climate change and later species introductions.

There is general concordance of archaeological and molecular genetic evidence where data allow some insight into history after the LGM. Phylogeography reveals the process of recolonization, e.g. with respect to source of colonizers and anthropogenic influence, whilst archaeological data reveal timing more precisely through carbon dating and stratigraphy. More representative samples and improved calibration of the ‘molecular clock’ will lead to further insights with regards to the influence of successive glaciations. Species showing greatest morphological, behavioural and ecological divergence in Ireland in comparison to Britain and continental Europe, were also those which arrived in Ireland very early in the Holocene either with or without the assistance of people. Cold tolerant mammal species recolonized quickly after LGM but disappeared, potentially as a result of a short period of rapid warming. Other early arrivals were less cold tolerant and succumbed to the colder conditions during the Younger Dryas or shortly after the start of the Holocene (11.5 kya), or the area of suitable habitat was insufficient to sustain a viable population especially in larger species. Late Pleistocene mammals in Ireland were restricted to those able to colonize up to ca 15 kya, probably originating from adjacent areas of unglaciated Britain and land now below sea level, to the south and west (of Ireland). These few, early colonizers retain genetic diversity which dates from before the LGM. Late Pleistocene Ireland, therefore, had a much depleted complement of mammal species in comparison to Britain.

Mammal species, colonising predominantly from southeast and east Europe occupied west Europe only as far as Britain between ca 15 and 8 kya, were excluded from Ireland by the Irish and Celtic Seas. Smaller species in particular failed to colonise Ireland. Britain being isolated as an island from ca. 8 kya has similar species richness and composition to adjacent lowland areas of northwest continental Europe and its mammals almost all show strongest genetic affinity to populations in neighbouring continental Europe with a few retaining genotypes associated with earlier, western lineages.

The role of people in the deliberate introduction of mammal species and distinct genotypes is much more significant with regards to Ireland than Britain reflecting the larger species richness of the latter and its more enduring land link with continental Europe. The prime motivation of early people in moving mammals was likely to be resource driven but also potentially cultural; as elsewhere, people exploring uninhabited places introduced species for food and the materials they required to survive. It is possible that the process of introduction of mammals to Ireland commenced during the Mesolithic and accelerated with Neolithic people. Irish populations of these long established, introduced species show some unique genetic variation whilst retaining traces of their origins principally from Britain but in some cases, Scandinavia and Iberia. It is of particular interest that they may retain genetic forms now absent from their source populations. Further species introductions, during the Bronze and late Iron Ages, and Viking and Norman invasions, follow the same pattern but lack the time for genetic divergence from their source populations. Accidental introductions of commensal species show considerable genetic diversity based on numerous translocations along the eastern Atlantic coastline. More recent accidental and deliberate introductions are characterised by a lack of genetic diversity other than that explicable by more than one introduction.

The substantial advances in understanding the postglacial origins and genetic diversity of British and Irish mammals, the role of early people in species translocations, and determination of species that are more recently introduced, should inform policy decisions with regards to species and genetic conservation. Conservation should prioritise early, naturally recolonizing species and those brought in by early people reflecting their long association with these islands. These early arrivals in Britain and Ireland and associated islands show genetic diversity that may be of value in mitigating anthropogenic climate change across Europe. In contrast, more recent introductions are likely to disturb ecosystems greatly, lead to loss of diversity and should be controlled. This challenge is more severe in Ireland where the number and proportion of invasive species from the 19th century to the present has been greater than in Britain.

The not-so-Irish spurge: Euphorbia hyberna (Euphorbiaceae) and the Littletonian plant ‘steeplechase’

The disjunct distributions of the Lusitanian flora, which are found only in south-west Ireland and northern Iberia, and are generally absent from intervening regions, have been of great interest to biogeographers. There has been much debate as to whether Irish populations represent relicts that survived the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; approximately 21 kya), or whether they recolonized from southern refugia subsequent to the retreat of the ice and, if so, whether this occurred directly (i.e. the result of long distance dispersal) or successively (i.e. in the manner of a ‘steeplechase’, with the English Channel and Irish Sea representing successive ‘water-jumps’ that have to be successfully crossed). In the present study, we used a combined palaeodistribution modelling and phylogeographical approach to determine the glacial history of the Irish spurge, Euphorbia hyberna, the sole member of the Lusitanian flora that is also considered to occur naturally in south-western England. Our findings suggest that the species persisted through the LGM in several southern refugia, and that northern populations are the result of successive recolonization of Britain and Ireland during the postglacial Littletonian warm stage, akin to the ‘steeplechase’ hypothesis.

The influence of providing perches and string on activity levels, fearfulness and leg health in commercial broiler chickens

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of providing environmental enrichment in the form of perches and string on the behaviour and welfare of commercial broiler chickens. Houses containing ~23 000 broiler chickens were assigned to one of four treatments in a 2×2 factorial design. Treatments involved two levels of access to perches (P) (present (24/house) ‘+P’ or absent ‘−P’) and two levels of access to string (S) (present (24/house) ‘+S’ or absent ‘−S’). All houses contained windows, and 30 straw bales were provided from day 10 of the rearing cycle. Treatments were applied in one of four houses on a single farm, and were replicated over four production cycles. Behaviour and leg health were observed in weeks 3 to 5 of the rearing cycle. Production performance and environmental parameters were also measured. There was an interaction between perches and age in the percentage of birds observed lying, with higher percentages of birds observed lying in the +P treatment than in the −P treatment during weeks 4 and 5. There was also a significant interaction between string and age in the percentage of birds observed in locomotion, with higher percentages observed in locomotion in the −S treatment than in the +S treatment during weeks 4 and 5. There was also an interaction between string and age in average gait scores, with lower gait scores in the +S treatment than in the −S treatment during weeks 3 and 5 but not within week 4. Daytime observations showed that perches and strings were used frequently, with one bout of perching occurring approximately every 80 s/perch, and one bout of pecking at string occurring every 78 s/string on average. There was a significant effect of age on use of perches (P<0.001) and string (P<0.001), with perching peaking during week 5 and string pecking peaking during week 3. We conclude that commercial broilers in windowed houses with access to straw bales display an interest in additional enrichment stimuli in the form of perches and string, and therefore that these stimuli have the potential to improve welfare. In addition, provision of string as a pecking device appeared to positively influence walking ability. However, this effect was numerically small, was only shown in certain weeks and was not reflected in the other leg health measure (latency to lie). The results also showed an apparent negative effect of string and perches on the activity levels of birds (recorded away from the immediate vicinity of these enrichments) towards the end of the production cycle. These results emphasise the need for further research into optimum design and layout of enrichment stimuli for modern broilers in windowed houses to ensure that their provision leads to clear welfare benefits.

Mutational Analysis of the Rhodopsin Gene in Sector Retinitis Pigmentosa

Background: To determine the role of rhodopsin (RHO) gene mutations in patients with sector retinitis pigmentosa (RP) from Northern Ireland.

Design: A case series of sector RP in a tertiary ocular genetics clinic.

Participants: Four patients with sector RP were recruited from the Royal Victoria Hospital (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and Altnagelvin Hospital (Londonderry, Northern Ireland) following informed consent.

Methods: The diagnosis of sector RP was based on clinical examination, International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) standard electrophysiology, and visual field analysis. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leucocytes and the coding regions and adjacent flanking intronic sequences of the RHO gene were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified and cycle sequenced.

Main Outcome Measure: Rhodopsin mutational status.

Results: A heterozygous missense mutation in RHO (c.173C > T) resulting in a non-conservative substitution of threonine to methionine (p. Thr58Met) was identified in one patient and was absent from 360 control individuals. This non-conservative substitution (p.Thr58Met) replaces a highly evolutionary conserved polar hydrophilic threonine residue with a non-polar hydrophobic methionine residue at position 58 near the cytoplasmic border of helix A of RHO.

Conclusions: The study identified a RHO gene mutation (p.Thr58Met) not previously reported in RP in a patient with sector RP. These findings outline the phenotypic variability associated with RHO mutations. It has been proposed that the regional effects of RHO mutations are likely to result from interplay between mutant alleles and other genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors.

The politicization of indigenous identities in Peru

Until now, scholars have argued that, unlike other Latin American countries with sizable indigenous populations, indigenous politics are largely unimportant in Peru because indigenous-based parties or national-level movements are absent. Rather than focusing solely on the emergence of indigenous parties or movements, which ignores the larger consequence of individuals' indigenous identifications for electoral politics, we argue that it is more important to examine the emergence of indigenous political divisions and their effects on indigenous representation. Using data from the World Values Survey across the presidential elections of 1995, 2001, and 2006, we show that, as indigenous identity has become more carefully defined, indigenous voting divisions have emerged in Peru, and concomitantly, parties have begun to recognize and respond to these divisions.

Anatomic dissection of the arterial supply of the lips:an anatomical and analytical approach

Previous investigators have not described some of the new anatomic variations or provided quantitative and analytical data of the arterial anatomy of the lips in as much depth as in this study. Dissections of 14 different facial sides of cadavers were done. Through investigating the arterial supply of the upper and lower lips, measurements were performed and statistically analyzed. The main arterial supply of the upper lip was from the superior labial artery (SLA, mean external diameter, 1.8 mm [SD, 0.74 mm]); in addition, the subalar and septal branches contributed to its vascularization. The origin of the SLA was above the labial commissure in 78.6%. The subalar branch was not found but replaced by the alar artery that arose from the infraorbital artery in 1 specimen. The main arterial supply of the lower lip was derived from 3 branches of the facial artery, the inferior labial artery (mean external diameters, 1.4 mm [SD, 0.31 mm]) and the horizontal and vertical labiomental arteries. The inferior labial artery originated mostly below the labial commissure in 42.9% and formed a common trunk with the SLA in 28.6%. The horizontal labiomental artery was present in all, but vertical labiomental artery was absent in 21.4% of specimens. Overall, observed anatomic variations were classified into types I to VIII. Significant relations between the demographic variables and measured parameters were reported including the correlation coefficient among evaluated parameters. In conclusion, this study provides various information that aids in creating new flaps and supports the vascular base for clinical procedures in reconstructive surgery of the lip.

An anatomical study of the arterial and nerve supply of the infrahyoid muscles

A precise knowledge of the sources of the arterial and neural supply of the sternohyoid (SH), sternothyroid (STM), and superior belly of omohyoid (OM) is of value to surgeons using the infrahyoid muscles in reconstruction procedures of the head and neck. This study was designed to define the anatomical bases of the variable sources of the arterial and neural supply of these muscles. Fourteen cadavers were unilaterally dissected in the neck region, and the arterial pedicles of these muscles were followed and accurate measurements were taken. For the SH, two arterial pedicles (superior and inferior) originated from the superior thyroid artery ST and supplied the muscle in 57.1% of cases. The inferior pedicle was absent in 42.9% of cases. As regards the STM, one arterial pedicle from the ST supplied its upper end by multiple branches in 57.1% of cases. In 14.3% of cases, branches from the inferior thyroid artery (IT) supplied the STM in addition to its supply from the ST. As regards the OM, two arterial pedicles originated from the ST and supplied its upper and lower ends in 57.1% of cases. The main artery from the ST to the superior belly of OM entered at its superior portion. The ansa cervicalis (AC) innervated the infrahyoid muscles. SH usually had a double nerve supply. In 57.1% of cases, its superior part was innervated by the nerve to the superior belly of OM. Its inferior part received branches from the AC. In 35.7% of cases, its superior part received direct branches from the AC. As regards the STM, in (71.4%) of cases, a common trunk arose from the loop and supplied the inferior part of both the SH and STM. The nerve supply to the superior belly of OM originated from the AC below the loop in 64.3% of cases. These data will be useful for preserving the neuro-vascular supply of the infrahyoid muscles during flap preparation.

Challenging the SD benefits attributed to sport Mega-Events hosting

Sport Mega-event hosting faces opposition that is manifested with different intensity during the different phases of the event, from its inception as an idea to its delivery and legacy. Some Social Movements Organisations (SMOs) have acted as indefatigable monitors of the Sustainable Development (SD) dimension of sporting events in general and, in some of the most recent sport mega-events, in particular the Olympics, they have served as important advisors and facilitators. Nevertheless, in many cases we see enthusiastic supporters turning to vehemently challenging whatever positives have been associated with hosting the event. In addition, there is opposition to sport Mega-events in their entirety. That type of opposition tends to employ a holistic prism that manages to identify multiple interconnected negative aspects of hosting a sport mega-event and incorporate them into an anti-systemic discourse. It is important to bear in mind that irrespective of many proclamations to the opposite as far as megas are concerned (projects and/or events), a number of studies have demonstrated that citizen participation and democratic accountability in decision-making have been notoriously absent. After all, the idea of citizen participation in the planning of sport mega-event is essentially the public response to a plan conceived by others. There were, of course, some notable cases of democratic consultation at the early stages of bidding to host a sport mega-event but these more democratic approaches resulted in the failure of the bid (for e.g. Toronto 1996). The knowledge of this by the groups that initiated the hosting idea and the bidding process has led to discouraging in depth public consultation that may fit perfectly to the democratic process but not to the tight schedules of associated projects completion. That produces ‘autocracy against which opposition may arise’ (Hiller, 2000, p. 198). It is this democratic deficit that has led to important instances of social contestation and protest mobilizations by citizen groups as well as the more regular corps of social activists. From a perspective borrowed from the sociology of protest and social movements, sport mega-events hosting can operate as an issue that stimulates protest activities by an existing protest milieu and new actors as well as an important mobilizing resource. In fact, some scholars have also argued that the Olympic Games were an important frame for the transnational activism that was marked by anti-globalization protest in Seattle in 1999 (Cottrell & Nelson, 201; Lenskyj, 2008). In addition, it’s important not to lose sight of other acts dissent that take place in relatively close proximity, about a year before the event when most infrastructural and societal changes brought by hosting the event and impact start to become apparent by the host communities, like the rioting of August 2011 in the London Olympic Boroughs and the 2012 riots of June 2013 in Sao Paulo and other Brazilian cities. This paper starts by outlining the SD claims made in the bidding to host the summer Olympic Games by five prospective hosts (Sydney; Athens; Beijing; London and Rio) proceeds towards examining the opposition and challenges that was manifested in relation to these claims. In Particular it provides an assessment of protest-events over the aforementioned different phases of sport mega-events hosting. A different picture emerges for each of the host nation that is partly explained by local, national and global configuration of protest politics. Whereas the post-event legacy of the first two hosts of the Games can be assessed and that way see the validity of claims made by challengers in the other phases, in the other three cases, the implementation of Olympic Games Impact (OGI) studies offers the tool for discussing the post-event phase for Beijing and London and engage in a speculative exercise for the case of Rio. Judging by available findings, the paper concludes that the SD aspiration made in the bid documents are unlikely to be met and social contestation based on the same issues is likely to increase due to the current global economic crisis and BRICS, like China and Brazil, having entered the process of becoming global economic hegemons.