Dispersal mode and assessments of recovery on the shores of Gruinard, the 'anthrax island'

Formaldehyde run-off was an unintended impact of the anthrax decontamination procedure on the island of Gruinard. The death of intertidal organisms was observed where formaldehyde reached the shore during 1986. The extent to which shores on Gruinard have recovered was assessed with survey work in 2000. Recovery estimates were based on the hypothesis that the process of recolonization is partly dependent on species' dispersal capability. Underdevelopment of the assemblage of species lacking planktonic dispersal stages (direct developers) is therefore evidence that the process of recolonization is ongoing, rather than complete. A novel multivariate test showed that, when comparing quadrats from Gruinard and nearby mainland shores, assemblages of direct developing molluscs were significantly more distinct than assemblages of molluscs with planktonic dispersal stages. The average densities of species with direct development were generally lower on Gruinard than on mainland shores. While some species with direct development have similar densities on Gruinard and on the surrounding shores, the recovery of the overall assemblage was still incomplete after 14 years. In contrast, the harvested species, Littorina littorea, appeared to benefit from the absence of humans visiting Gruinard's shores. Populations of L. littorea on Gruinard contained significantly higher proportions of large individuals. Depending on the dispersal capabilities of different species, Gruinard is either still in recovery or acts as a reserve.

DISTORTION MAPS FROM PREFERENTIAL HYPERACUITY PERIMETRY ARE HELPFUL IN MONITORING FUNCTIONAL RESPONSE TO LUCENTIS THERAPY

Purpose: To use preferential hyperacuity perimetry to obtain a quantitative measure of central visual field distortion that would aid in the monitoring of functional responsiveness to ranibizumab treatment.

Manual mapping of drumlins in synthetic landscapes to assess operator effectiveness

Mapped topographic features are important for understanding processes that sculpt the Earth’s surface. This paper presents maps that are the primary product of an exercise that brought together 27 researchers with an interest in landform mapping wherein the efficacy and causes of variation in mapping were tested using novel synthetic DEMs containing drumlins. The variation between interpreters (e.g. mapping philosophy, experience) and across the study region (e.g. woodland prevalence) opens these factors up to assessment. A priori known answers in the synthetics increase the number and strength of conclusions that may be drawn with respect to a traditional comparative study. Initial results suggest that overall detection rates are relatively low (34–40%), but reliability of mapping is higher (72–86%). The maps form a reference dataset.

DNA methylation subgroups and the CpG island methylator phenotype in gastric cancer: a comprehensive profiling approach

BACKGROUND: Methylation-induced silencing of promoter CpG islands in tumor suppressor genes plays an important role in human carcinogenesis. In colorectal cancer, the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) is defined as widespread and elevated levels of DNA methylation and CIMP+ tumors have distinctive clinicopathological and molecular features. In contrast, the existence of a comparable CIMP subtype in gastric cancer (GC) has not been clearly established. To further investigate this issue, in the present study we performed comprehensive DNA methylation profiling of a well-characterised series of primary GC.

METHODS: The methylation status of 1,421 autosomal CpG sites located within 768 cancer-related genes was investigated using the Illumina GoldenGate Methylation Panel I assay on DNA extracted from 60 gastric tumors and matched tumor-adjacent gastric tissue pairs. Methylation data was analysed using a recursively partitioned mixture model and investigated for associations with clinicopathological and molecular features including age, Helicobacter pylori status, tumor site, patient survival, microsatellite instability and BRAF and KRAS mutations.

RESULTS: A total of 147 genes were differentially methylated between tumor and matched tumor-adjacent gastric tissue, with HOXA5 and hedgehog signalling being the top-ranked gene and signalling pathway, respectively. Unsupervised clustering of methylation data revealed the existence of 6 subgroups under two main clusters, referred to as L (low methylation; 28% of cases) and H (high methylation; 72%). Female patients were over-represented in the H tumor group compared to L group (36% vs 6%; P = 0.024), however no other significant differences in clinicopathological or molecular features were apparent. CpG sites that were hypermethylated in group H were more frequently located in CpG islands and marked for polycomb occupancy.

CONCLUSIONS: High-throughput methylation analysis implicates genes involved in embryonic development and hedgehog signaling in gastric tumorigenesis. GC is comprised of two major methylation subtypes, with the highly methylated group showing some features consistent with a CpG island methylator phenotype.

The inclusion and juridification of victims on the Island of Ireland

Concern for crime victims has been a growing political issue in improving the legitimacy and success of the criminal justice system through the rhetoric of rights. Since the 1970s there have been numerous reforms and policy documents produced to enhance victims’ satisfaction in the criminal justice system. Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have seen a sea-change in more recent years from a focus on services for victims to a greater emphasis on procedural rights. The purpose of this chapter is to chart these reforms against the backdrop of wider political and regional changes emanating from the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights, and to critically examine whether the position of crime victims has actually ameliorated.

While separated into two legal jurisdictions, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as common law countries have both grappled with similar challenges in improving crime victim satisfaction in adversarial criminal proceedings. This chapter begins by discussing the historical and theoretical concern for crime victims in the criminal justice system, and how this has changed in recent years. The rest of the chapter is split into two parts focusing on the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Both parts examine the provisions of services to victims, and the move towards more procedural rights for victims in terms of information, participation, protection and compensation. The chapter concludes by finding that despite being different legal jurisdictions, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland have introduced many similar reforms for crime victims in recent years.