Effects of different mating scenarios on embryo viability in brown trout.

Mating with attractive or dominant males is often predicted to offer indirect genetic benefits to females, but it is still largely unclear how important such non-random mating can be with regard to embryo viability. We sampled a natural population of adult migratory brown trout (Salmo trutta), bred them in vitro in a half-sib breeding design to separate genetic from maternal environmental effects, raised 2098 embryos singly until hatching, and exposed them experimentally to different levels of pathogen stress at a late embryonic stage. We found that the embryos' tolerance to the induced pathogen stress was linked to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of their parents, i.e. certain MHC genotypes appeared to provide better protection against infection than others. We also found significant additive genetic variance for stress tolerance. Melanin-based dark skin patterns revealed males with 'good genes', i.e. embryos fathered by dark coloured males had a high tolerance to infection. Mating with large and dominant males would, however, not improve embryo viability when compared to random mating. We used simulations to provide estimates of how mate choice based on MHC or melanin-based skin patterns would influence embryos' tolerance to the experimentally induced pathogen stress.

Self-expanding mini-cannula for remote perfusion with pediatric scenarios.

The aim of this report is to address the benefits of the minimal invasive venous drainage in a pediatric cardio surgical scenario. Juvenile bovine experiments (67.4+/-11 kg) were performed. The right atrium was cannulated in a trans-jugular way by using the self-expandable (Smart Stat, 12/20F, 430 mm) venous cannula (Smartcannula LLC, Lausanne, Switzerland) vs. a 14F 250 mm (Polystan Lighthouse) standard pediatric venous cannula. Establishing the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the blood flows were assessed for 20 mmHg, 30 mmHg and 40 mmHg of driving pressure. Venous drainage (flow in l/min) at 20 mmHg, 30 mmHg, and 40 mmHg drainage load was 0.26+/-0.1, 0.35+/-0.2 and 0.28+/-0.08 for the 14F standard vs. 1.31+/-0.22, 1.35+/-0.24 and 1.9+/-0.2 for the Smart Stat 12/20F cannula. The 43 cm self-expanding 12/20F Smartcannula outperforms the 14F standard cannula. The results described herein allow us to conclude that usage of the self-expanding Smartcannula also in the pediatric patients improves the flow and the drainage capacity, avoiding the insufficient and excessive drainage. We believe that similar results may be expected in the clinical settings.

B2B Integration in Global Supply Chains: An Identification of Technical Integration Scenarios

The competitiveness of businesses is increasingly dependent on their electronic networks with customers, suppliers, and partners. While the strategic and operational impact of external integration and IOS adoption has been extensively studied, much less attention has been paid to the organizational and technical design of electronic relationships. The objective of our longitudinal research project is the development of a framework for understanding and explaining B2B integration. Drawing on existing literature and empirical cases we present a reference model (a classification scheme for B2B Integration). The reference model comprises technical, organizational, and institutional levels to reflect the multiple facets of B2B integration. In this paper we onvestigate the current state of electronic collaboration in global supply chains focussing on the technical view. Using an indepth case analysis we identify five integration scenarios. In the subsequent confirmatory phase of the research we analyse 112 real-world company cases to validate these five integration scenarios. Our research advances and deepens existing studies by developing a B2B reference model, which reflects the current state of practice and is independent of specific implementation technologies. In the next stage of the research the emerging reference model will be extended to create an assessment model for analysing the maturity level of a given company in a specific supply chain.

Particle exposure scenarios for research and production activities involving nanomaterials

Nanomaterials with structures in the nanoscale (1 to 100 nm) often have chemical, physical and bioactive characteristics different from those of larger entities of the same material. This is interesting for industry but raises questions about the health of exposed people. However, little is known so far about the exposure of workers to inhalable airborne nanomaterials. We investigated several activities in research laboratories and industry to learn about relevant exposure scenarios. Work process analyses were combined with measurements of airborne particle mass concentrations and number−size distributions. Background levels in research settings were mostly low, while in industrial production, levels were sometimes elevated, especially in halls near busy roads or in the presence of diesel fork lifts without particle filters. Peak levels were found in an industrial setting dealing with powders (up to 80,000 particles/cm³ and up to 15 mg/m³). Mostly low concentrations were found for activities involving liquid applications. However, centrifugation and lyophilization of nanoparticle containing solutions resulted in very high particle number concentrations (up to 300,000 particles/cm³), whereas no increases were seen for the same activities conducted with nanoparticle−free liquids. No significant increases of particle concentrations were found for processes involving nanoparticles bound to surfaces. Also no increases were observed in laboratories that were visualizing properties and structures of small amounts of nanomaterials. Conclusion: When studying exposure scenarios for airborne nanomaterials, the focus should not only be on processes involving nano−powders, but also on processes involving intensively treated nanoparticle−containing liquids. Acknowledgement: We thank Chantal Imhof, MSc and Guillaume Ferraris, MSc for their contributions.

Limitations and information needs for engineered nanomaterial-specific exposure estimation and scenarios: recommendations for improved reporting practices

The aim of this paper is to describe the process and challenges in building exposure scenarios for engineered nanomaterials (ENM), using an exposure scenario format similar to that used for the European Chemicals regulation (REACH). Over 60 exposure scenarios were developed based on information from publicly available sources (literature, books, and reports), publicly available exposure estimation models, occupational sampling campaign data from partnering institutions, and industrial partners regarding their own facilities. The primary focus was on carbon-based nanomaterials, nano-silver (nano-Ag) and nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2), and included occupational and consumer uses of these materials with consideration of the associated environmental release. The process of building exposure scenarios illustrated the availability and limitations of existing information and exposure assessment tools for characterizing exposure to ENM, particularly as it relates to risk assessment. This article describes the gaps in the information reviewed, recommends future areas of ENM exposure research, and proposes types of information that should, at a minimum, be included when reporting the results of such research, so that the information is useful in a wider context.

The birth of the Rheic Ocean - Early Palaeozoic subsidence patterns and subsequent tectonic plate scenarios

New plate-tectonic reconstructions of the Gondwana margin suggest that the location of Gondwana-derived terranes should not only be guided by the models, but should also consider the possible detrital input from some Asian blocks (Hunia), supposed to have been located along the Cambrian Gondwana margin, and accreted in the Silurian to the North-Chinese block. Consequently, the Gondwana margin has to be subdivided into a more western domain, where the future Avalonian blocks will be separated from Gondwana by the opening Rheic Ocean, whereas in its eastern continuation, hosting the future basement areas of Central Europe, different periods of crustal extension should be distinguished. Instead of applying a rather cylindrical model, it is supposed that crustal extension follows a much more complex pattern, where local back-arcs or intra-continental rifts are involved. Guided by the age data of magmatic rocks and the pattern of subsidence curves, the following extensional events can be distinguished: During the early to middle Cambrian, a back-arc setting guided the evolution at the Gondwana margin. Contemporaneous intra-continental rift basins developed at other places related to a general post-PanAfrican extensional phase affecting Africa Upper Cambrian formation of oceanic crust is manifested in the Chamrousse area, and may have lateral cryptic relics preserved in other places. This is regarded as the oceanisation of some marginal basins in a context of back-arc rifting. These basins were closed in a mid-Ordovician tectonic phase, related to the subduction of buoyant material (mid-ocean ridge?) Since the Early Ordovician, a new phase of extension is observed, accompanied by a large-scale volcanic activity, erosion of the rift shoulders generated detritus (Armorican Quartzite) and the rift basins collected detrital zircons from a wide hinterland. This phase heralded the opening of Palaeotethys, but it failed due to the Silurian collision (Eo-Variscan phase) of an intra-oceanic arc with the Gondwana margin. During this time period, at the eastern wing of the Gondwana margin begins the drift of the future Hunia microcontinents, through the opening of an eastern prolongation of the already existing Rheic Ocean. The passive margin of the remaining Gondwana was composed of the Galatian superterranes, constituents of the future Variscan basement areas. Remaining under the influence of crustal extension, they will start their drift to Laurussia since the earliest Devonian during the opening of the Palaeotethys Ocean. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Decompression scenarios in a new underground transportation system

BACKGROUND: The risks of a public exposure to a sudden decompression, until now, have been related to civil aviation and, at a lesser extent, to diving activities. However, engineers are currently planning the use of low pressure environments for underground transportation. This method has been proposed for the future Swissmetro, a high-speed underground train designed for inter-urban linking in Switzerland. HYPOTHESIS: The use of a low pressure environment in an underground public transportation system must be considered carefully regarding the decompression risks. Indeed, due to the enclosed environment, both decompression kinetics and safety measures may differ from aviation decompression cases. METHOD: A theoretical study of decompression risks has been conducted at an early stage of the Swissmetro project. A three-compartment theoretical model, based on the physics of fluids, has been implemented with flow processing software (Ithink 5.0). Simulations have been conducted in order to analyze "decompression scenarios" for a wide range of parameters, relevant in the context of the Swissmetro main study. RESULTS: Simulation results cover a wide range from slow to explosive decompression, depending on the simulation parameters. Not surprisingly, the leaking orifice area has a tremendous impact on barotraumatic effects, while the tunnel pressure may significantly affect both hypoxic and barotraumatic effects. Calculations have also shown that reducing the free space around the vehicle may mitigate significantly an accidental decompression. CONCLUSION: Numeric simulations are relevant to assess decompression risks in the future Swissmetro system. The decompression model has proven to be useful in assisting both design choices and safety management.

Predicting the future effectiveness of protected areas for bird conservation in Mediterranean ecosystems under climate change and novel fire regime scenarios

AimGlobal environmental changes challenge traditional conservation approaches based on the selection of static protected areas due to their limited ability to deal with the dynamic nature of driving forces relevant to biodiversity. The Natura 2000 network (N2000) constitutes a major milestone in biodiversity conservation in Europe, but the degree to which this static network will be able to reach its long-term conservation objectives raises concern. We assessed the changes in the effectiveness of N2000 in a Mediterranean ecosystem between 2000 and 2050 under different combinations of climate and land cover change scenarios. LocationCatalonia, Spain. MethodsPotential distribution changes of several terrestrial bird species of conservation interest included in the European Union's Birds Directive were predicted within an ensemble-forecasting framework that hierarchically integrated climate change and land cover change scenarios. Land cover changes were simulated using a spatially explicit fire-succession model that integrates fire management strategies and vegetation encroachment after the abandonment of cultivated areas as the main drivers of landscape dynamics in Mediterranean ecosystems. ResultsOur results suggest that the amount of suitable habitats for the target species will strongly decrease both inside and outside N2000. However, the effectiveness of N2000 is expected to increase in the next decades because the amount of suitable habitats is predicted to decrease less inside than outside this network. Main conclusionsSuch predictions shed light on the key role that the current N2000may play in the near future and emphasize the need for an integrative conservation perspective wherein agricultural, forest and fire management policies should be considered to effectively preserve key habitats for threatened birds in fire-prone, highly dynamic Mediterranean ecosystems. Results also show the importance of considering landscape dynamics and the synergies between different driving forces when assessing the long-term effectiveness of protected areas for biodiversity conservation.

Scenario-based assessment of future land use change on butterfly species distributions

Species distribution models (SDMs) are increasingly used to predict environmentally induced range shifts of habitats of plant and animal species. Consequently SDMs are valuable tools for scientifically based conservation decisions. The aims of this paper are (1) to identify important drivers of butterfly species persistence or extinction, and (2) to analyse the responses of endangered butterfly species of dry grasslands and wetlands to likely future landscape changes in Switzerland. Future land use was represented by four scenarios describing: (1) ongoing land use changes as observed at the end of the last century; (2) a liberalisation of the agricultural markets; (3) a slightly lowered agricultural production; and (4) a strongly lowered agricultural production. Two model approaches have been applied. The first (logistic regression with principal components) explains what environmental variables have significant impact on species presence (and absence). The second (predictive SDM) is used to project species distribution under current and likely future land uses. The results of the explanatory analyses reveal that four principal components related to urbanisation, abandonment of open land and intensive agricultural practices as well as two climate parameters are primary drivers of species occurrence (decline). The scenario analyses show that lowered agricultural production is likely to favour dry grassland species due to an increase of non-intensively used land, open canopy forests, and overgrown areas. In the liberalisation scenario dry grassland species show a decrease in abundance due to a strong increase of forested patches. Wetland butterfly species would decrease under all four scenarios as their habitats become overgrown

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation: Pawn or Global Player?,

This contribution aims at exploring the significance of the new generation of UNESCO conventions for the recognition of higher education qualifications. It discusses three possible scenarios and links them to the empirical findings of a study that compares the enabling conditions of the first generation of recognition conventions established in the 1970s and 1980s with the ones establishing the second generation today. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the paper argues that the changes illustrate a more general shift in the architecture of the global order and highlights a new role of UNESCO.

Les traces de pneumatiques en sciences forensiques : de l'analyse chimique à l'évaluation de la force probante

This work is focused on the development of a methodology for the use of chemical characteristic of tire traces to help answer the following question: "Is the offending tire at the origin of the trace found on the crime scene?". This methodology goes from the trace sampling on the road to statistical analysis of its chemical characteristics. Knowledge about the composition and manufacture of tread tires as well as a review of instrumental techniques used for the analysis of polymeric materials were studied to select, as an ansi vi cal technique for this research, pyrolysis coupled to a gas Chromatograph with a mass spectrometry detector (Py-GC/MS). An analytical method was developed and optimized to obtain the lowest variability between replicates of the same sample. Within-variability of the tread was evaluated regarding width and circumference with several samples taken from twelve tires of different brands and/or models. The variability within each of the treads (within-variability) and between the treads (between-variability) could be quantified. Different statistical methods have shown that within-variability is lower than between-variability, which helped differentiate these tires. Ten tire traces were produced with tires of different brands and/or models by braking tests. These traces have been adequately sampled using sheets of gelatine. Particles of each trace were analysed using the same methodology as for the tires at their origin. The general chemical profile of a trace or of a tire has been characterized by eighty-six compounds. Based on a statistical comparison of the chemical profiles obtained, it has been shown that a tire trace is not differentiable from the tire at its origin but is generally differentiable from tires that are not at its origin. Thereafter, a sample containing sixty tires was analysed to assess the discrimination potential of the developed methodology. The statistical results showed that most of the tires of different brands and models are differentiable. However, tires of the same brand and model with identical characteristics, such as country of manufacture, size and DOT number, are not differentiable. A model, based on a likelihood ratio approach, was chosen to evaluate the results of the comparisons between the chemical profiles of the traces and tires. The methodology developed was finally blindly tested using three simulated scenarios. Each scenario involved a trace of an unknown tire as well as two tires possibly at its origin. The correct results for the three scenarios were used to validate the developed methodology. The different steps of this work were useful to collect the required information to test and validate the underlying assumption that it is possible to help determine if an offending tire » or is not at the origin of a trace, by means of a statistical comparison of their chemical profile. This aid was formalized by a measure of the probative value of the evidence, which is represented by the chemical profile of the trace of the tire. - Ce travail s'est proposé de développer une méthodologie pour l'exploitation des caractéristiques chimiques des traces de pneumatiques dans le but d'aider à répondre à la question suivante : «Est-ce que le pneumatique incriminé est ou n'est pas à l'origine de la trace relevée sur les lieux ? ». Cette méthodologie s'est intéressée du prélèvement de la trace de pneumatique sur la chaussée à l'exploitation statistique de ses caractéristiques chimiques. L'acquisition de connaissances sur la composition et la fabrication de la bande de roulement des pneumatiques ainsi que la revue de techniques instrumentales utilisées pour l'analyse de matériaux polymériques ont permis de choisir, comme technique analytique pour la présente recherche, la pyrolyse couplée à un chromatographe en phase gazeuse avec un détecteur de spectrométrie de masse (Py-GC/MS). Une méthode analytique a été développée et optimisée afin d'obtenir la plus faible variabilité entre les réplicas d'un même échantillon. L'évaluation de l'intravariabilité de la bande de roulement a été entreprise dans sa largeur et sa circonférence à l'aide de plusieurs prélèvements effectués sur douze pneumatiques de marques et/ou modèles différents. La variabilité au sein de chacune des bandes de roulement (intravariabilité) ainsi qu'entre les bandes de roulement considérées (intervariabilité) a pu être quantifiée. Les différentes méthodes statistiques appliquées ont montré que l'intravariabilité est plus faible que l'intervariabilité, ce qui a permis de différencier ces pneumatiques. Dix traces de pneumatiques ont été produites à l'aide de pneumatiques de marques et/ou modèles différents en effectuant des tests de freinage. Ces traces ont pu être adéquatement prélevées à l'aide de feuilles de gélatine. Des particules de chaque trace ont été analysées selon la même méthodologie que pour les pneumatiques à leur origine. Le profil chimique général d'une trace de pneumatique ou d'un pneumatique a été caractérisé à l'aide de huitante-six composés. Sur la base de la comparaison statistique des profils chimiques obtenus, il a pu être montré qu'une trace de pneumatique n'est pas différenciable du pneumatique à son origine mais est, généralement, différenciable des pneumatiques qui ne sont pas à son origine. Par la suite, un échantillonnage comprenant soixante pneumatiques a été analysé afin d'évaluer le potentiel de discrimination de la méthodologie développée. Les méthodes statistiques appliquées ont mis en évidence que des pneumatiques de marques et modèles différents sont, majoritairement, différenciables entre eux. La méthodologie développée présente ainsi un bon potentiel de discrimination. Toutefois, des pneumatiques de la même marque et du même modèle qui présentent des caractéristiques PTD (i.e. pays de fabrication, taille et numéro DOT) identiques ne sont pas différenciables. Un modèle d'évaluation, basé sur une approche dite du likelihood ratio, a été adopté pour apporter une signification au résultat des comparaisons entre les profils chimiques des traces et des pneumatiques. La méthodologie mise en place a finalement été testée à l'aveugle à l'aide de la simulation de trois scénarios. Chaque scénario impliquait une trace de pneumatique inconnue et deux pneumatiques suspectés d'être à l'origine de cette trace. Les résultats corrects obtenus pour les trois scénarios ont permis de valider la méthodologie développée. Les différentes étapes de ce travail ont permis d'acquérir les informations nécessaires au test et à la validation de l'hypothèse fondamentale selon laquelle il est possible d'aider à déterminer si un pneumatique incriminé est ou n'est pas à l'origine d'une trace, par le biais d'une comparaison statistique de leur profil chimique. Cette aide a été formalisée par une mesure de la force probante de l'indice, qui est représenté par le profil chimique de la trace de pneumatique.