Genetic diversity of the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes at a continental scale in Europe

BACKGROUND: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a severe helminth disease affecting humans, which is caused by the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. AE represents a serious public health issue in larger regions of China, Siberia, and other regions in Asia. In Europe, a significant increase in prevalence since the 1990s is not only affecting the historically documented endemic area north of the Alps but more recently also neighbouring regions previously not known to be endemic. The genetic diversity of the parasite population and respective distribution in Europe have now been investigated in view of generating a fine-tuned map of parasite variants occurring in Europe. This approach may serve as a model to study the parasite at a worldwide level. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The genetic diversity of E. multilocularis was assessed based upon the tandemly repeated microsatellite marker EmsB in association with matching fox host geographical positions. Our study demonstrated a higher genetic diversity in the endemic areas north of the Alps when compared to other areas. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The study of the spatial distribution of E. multilocularis in Europe, based on 32 genetic clusters, suggests that Europe can be considered as a unique global focus of E. multilocularis, which can be schematically drawn as a central core located in Switzerland and Jura Swabe flanked by neighbouring regions where the parasite exhibits a lower genetic diversity. The transmission of the parasite into peripheral regions is governed by a "mainland-island" system. Moreover, the presence of similar genetic profiles in both zones indicated a founder event.

Percutaneous left-ventricular support with the Impella-2.5-assist device in acute cardiogenic shock: results of the Impella-EUROSHOCK-registry

BACKGROUND Acute cardiogenic shock after myocardial infarction is associated with high in-hospital mortality attributable to persisting low-cardiac output. The Impella-EUROSHOCK-registry evaluates the safety and efficacy of the Impella-2.5-percutaneous left-ventricular assist device in patients with cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS This multicenter registry retrospectively included 120 patients (63.6±12.2 years; 81.7% male) with cardiogenic shock from acute myocardial infarction receiving temporary circulatory support with the Impella-2.5-percutaneous left-ventricular assist device. The primary end point evaluated mortality at 30 days. The secondary end point analyzed the change of plasma lactate after the institution of hemodynamic support, and the rate of early major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events as well as long-term survival. Thirty-day mortality was 64.2% in the study population. After Impella-2.5-percutaneous left-ventricular assist device implantation, lactate levels decreased from 5.8±5.0 mmol/L to 4.7±5.4 mmol/L (P=0.28) and 2.5±2.6 mmol/L (P=0.023) at 24 and 48 hours, respectively. Early major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events were reported in 18 (15%) patients. Major bleeding at the vascular access site, hemolysis, and pericardial tamponade occurred in 34 (28.6%), 9 (7.5%), and 2 (1.7%) patients, respectively. The parameters of age >65 and lactate level >3.8 mmol/L at admission were identified as predictors of 30-day mortality. After 317±526 days of follow-up, survival was 28.3%. CONCLUSIONS In patients with acute cardiogenic shock from acute myocardial infarction, Impella 2.5-treatment is feasible and results in a reduction of lactate levels, suggesting improved organ perfusion. However, 30-day mortality remains high in these patients. This likely reflects the last-resort character of Impella-2.5-application in selected patients with a poor hemodynamic profile and a greater imminent risk of death. Carefully conducted randomized controlled trials are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of Impella-2.5-support in this high-risk patient group.

Effects of two traits of the ecological state equation on our understanding of species coexistence and ecosystem services

Species coexistence has been a fundamental issue to understand ecosystem functioning since the beginnings of ecology as a science. The search of a reliable and all-encompassing explanation for this issue has become a complex goal with several apparently opposing trends. On the other side, seemingly unconnected with species coexistence, an ecological state equation based on the inverse correlation between an indicator of dispersal that fits gamma distribution and species diversity has been recently developed. This article explores two factors, whose effects are inconspicuous in such an equation at the first sight, that are used to develop an alternative general theoretical background in order to provide a better understanding of species coexistence. Our main outcomes are: (i) the fit of dispersal and diversity values to gamma distribution is an important factor that promotes species coexistence mainly due to the right-skewed character of gamma distribution; (ii) the opposite correlation between species diversity and dispersal implies that any increase of diversity is equivalent to a route of “ecological cooling” whose maximum limit should be constrained by the influence of the third law of thermodynamics; this is in agreement with the well-known asymptotic trend of diversity values in space and time; (iii) there are plausible empirical and theoretical ways to apply physical principles to explain important ecological processes; (iv) the gap between theoretical and empirical ecology in those cases where species diversity is paradoxically high could be narrowed by a wave model of species coexistence based on the concurrency of local equilibrium states. In such a model, competitive exclusion has a limited but indispensable role in harmonious coexistence with functional redundancy. We analyze several literature references as well as ecological and evolutionary examples that support our approach, reinforcing the meaning equivalence between important physical and ecological principles.

The Yanque prospect (Peru): from polymetallic Zn-Pb mineralization to a nonsulfide deposit

The Yanque nonsulfide Pb-Zn deposit (inferred resources 12.5 Mt @ 3.7% Pb and @ 3.5% Zn) is located in the Andahuaylas-Yauri ore province (Cuzco, southern Peru). The deposit occurs within a base metal mineralized district, centered on the medium-sized Dolores porphyry copper. A thorough geological, mineralogical and geochemical study has carried out in order to define: the relationships between the Dolores Cu-porphyry ore and the Yanque Zn-Pb polymetallic mineralization, and the characteristics of the economic nonsulfide concentrations. Both sedimentary and igneous rocks constitute the backbone of the Yanque-Dolores area. The sedimentary lithologies belong to the Soraya, Mara and Ferrobamba Fms. (upper Jurassic-middle Cretaceous). The Yanque orebody is hosted by the Mara Fm., which prevailingly consists of a siliciclastic sedimentary breccia. The original sulfide mineralization consisted of galena, pyrite and sphalerite. The host rock has been affected by a strong hydrothermal alteration, characterized by prevailing sericite/illite, as in the typical porphyry-related phyllic-argillic alteration stage, and by minor kaolinite, dolomite and quartz. Minor element geochemistry, characterized by Sb, As, Mn, Ag and locally also by Cu, points to magmatic-hydrothermal related mineralizing fluids. The Pb isotopic compositions from Dolores and Yanque sulfides are similar, and are typical of the Tertiary magmatically-derived ores in this part of Peru. The hydrothermally altered rocks at Yanque have the same Pb isotopic compositions as the sulfides, thus confirming the hypothesis that the Yanque primary Zn-Pb mineralization may have been produced by hydrothermal circulation related to the emplacement of the Dolores Cu-porphyry, as it is the case of other porphyry Cu systems associated with polymetallic mineralization elsewhere. However, no simple genetic model for the mineralization involving just one fluid circulation episode is able to explain the data. The Yanque economic nonsulfide ore association consists of sauconite, hemimorphite, smithsonite and cerussite, which result from the weathering and alteration of the original sulfide mineralization. Zinc is allocated mainly in sauconite (Zn-smectite), rather than in carbonates: a factor strictly related to the prevailing siliciclastic character of the host rock. Distinctive features of the Yanque orebody are the comparable ore grades for both Pb and Zn (3.5% Zn and 3.7% Pb), and the inverse supergene chemical zoning. In fact, contrary to other supergene ores of this type, zinc prevails in the top zone of the Yanque deposit, whereas lead content increases with depth. Considering the different mobility of the two metals in solution, it may be assumed that most of the primary zinc that was the source for the Yanque nonsulfides was originally located far from the position occupied by the galena mineralization, whose remnants have been observed on site. Zinc sulfides may have been originally contained in the eroded rock volumes that surrounded the actual deposit: the zinc-rich solutions have possibly migrated through the siliciclastic Mara Fm. and precipitated the nonsulfide minerals by porosity filling and replacement processes. In this sense, the Yanque secondary Zn-Pb deposit could be considered as a special type of “Exotic” mineralization.

Europeanization in parliament and in the press

Europeanization challenges national democratic systems. As part and parcel of the broader internationalization of politics, Europeanization is associated with a shift from policymaking within majoritarian, elected representative bodies towards technocratic decisions among non-majoritarian and non-elected bodies (Kohler-Koch and Rittberger 2008, Lavenex 2013). It is thus said to weaken the influence of citizens and parliaments on the making of policies and to undermine democratic collective identity (Lavenex 2013, Schimmelfennig 2010). The weakening of national parliaments has been referred to as “de-parliamentarisation” (Goetz and Meyer-Sahling 2008) and has nurtured a broader debate regarding the democratic deficit in the EU. While not being a member of the EU, Switzerland has not remained unaffected by these changes. As discussed in the contribution by Fischer and Sciarini, state executive actors take the lead in Switzerland's European policy. They are responsible for the conduct of international negotiations, they own the treaty making power, and it is up to them to decide whether they wish to launch a negotiation with the EU. In addition, the strong take-it or leave-it character of Europeanized acts limits the room for manoeuver of the parliamentary body also in the ratification phase. Among the public, the rejection of the treaty on the European constitution has definitely closed the era of “permissive consensus” (Hooghe and Marks 2009). However, the process of European unification remains far remote from the European public. In Switzerland, the strongly administrative character of international legislation hinders public discussion (Vögeli 2007). In such a context, the media may serve as cue for the public: By delivering information about the extent and nature of Europeanized policymaking, the media enable citizens to form their own opinions and to hold their representatives accountable. In this sense media coverage may not only be considered an indicator of the information delivered to the public, but it may also enhance the democratic legitimacy of Europeanized policymaking (for a similar argument, see Tresch and Jochum 2005). While the previous contributions to this debate have examined the Europeanization of Swiss (primary and secondary) legislation, we take a closer look at two additional domestic arenas that are both supposed to be under pressure due to Europeanization: The parliament and the media. To that end, we rely on data gathered in a research project that two of us carried out in the context of the NCCR Democracy.1 While this project was primarily interested in the mediatization of decision-making processes in Switzerland, it also investigated the conditional role played by internationalization/Europeanization. For our present purposes, we shall exploit the two data-sets that were developed as part of a study of the political agenda-setting power of the media (Sciarini and Tresch 2012, 2013, Tresch et al. 2013): A data-set on issue attention in parliamentary interventions (initiatives, motions, postulates,2 interpellations and questions) and a data-set on issue attention in articles from the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ). The data covers the years 1995 to 2003 and the coding of issues followed the classification system developed in the “Policy Agendas Project” (Baumgartner and Jones 1993).

Martina Chapanay : figura legendaria de las Lagunas de Guanacache

A partir de la lectura del romance "La santa de las travesías" de Julio Fernández Peláez, se pretende analizar cómo distintos aspectos del personaje histórico Martina Chapanay evolucionan hacia lo legendario conviertiéndola de bandolera en protectora y benefactora de la zona de la Lagunas de Guanacache. La biografía novelada de Mabel Pagano, Martina la montonera del Zonda brinda importantes datos históricos que permiten seguir el itinerario de la protagonista para lograr la conversión. Este cambio puede analizarse en tres momentos complementarios entre sí: en el primero la protagonista aparece como profunda conocedora de la región cuyana, en el segundo se presenta a Martina como bandolera y jefa de un grupo de salteadores, y en el tercer momento el pueblo ve en ella la posesión de dones misteriosos que le confieren una autoridad sobrenatural. La historia y las tradiciones se mezclan en la memoria popular para crear este personaje de leyenda.

Geochemistry of dikes and lavas from the north wall of the Hess Deep Rift

An investigation of ~1-m.y.-old dikes and lavas from the north wall of the Hess Deep Rift (2°15'N, 101°30'W) collected during Alvin expeditions provides a detailed view of the evolution of fast spreading oceanic crust. The study area encompasses 25 km of an east-west flow line, representing ~370,000 years of crustal accretion at the East Pacific Rise. Samples analyzed exhibit depleted incompatible trace element abundances and ratios [(La/Sm)N < 1]. Indices of fractionation (MgO), and incompatible element ratios (La/Sm, Nb/Ti) show no systematic trends along flow line. Rather, over short (<4 m) and long (~25 km) distances, significant variations are observed in major and trace element concentrations and ratios. Modeling of these variations attests to the juxtaposition of dikes of distinct parental magma compositions. These findings, combined with studies of segmentation of the subaxial magma chamber and lateral magma transport in dikes along rift-dominated systems, suggest a more realistic model of the magmatic system underlying the East Pacific Rise relative to the commonly assumed twodimensional model. In this model, melts from a heterogeneous mantle feed distinct portions of a segmented axial magma reservoir. Dikes emanating from these distinct reservoirs transport magma along axis, resulting in interleaved dikes and host lavas with different evolutionary histories. This model suggests the use of axial or flow line lava compositions to infer the evolution of axial magma chambers should be approached with caution because dikes may never erupt lava or may transport magma significant distances along axis and erupt lavas far from their axial magma chamber of origin.

Lithologic and geochemical composition of samples from the Circum Superior Belt, North America

The ca. 1880 Ma Circum-Superior Large Igneous Province (LIP) consists of a number of discontinuous segments known to cover a significant portion of the margin of the Superior Province craton in North America. New geochemical and isotopic data from western segments of this LIP support a common origin for the these segments and suggest that magmatism in the Lake Superior region may have been fed through the ~ 600 km long Pickle Crow dyke from a source north of the Fox River Belt in northeastern Manitoba. The Fox River Belt, Pickle Crow dyke and sections of the Hemlock Formation in the Lake Superior region possess trace element signatures which are similar to those of more recent oceanic plateaux. The Hemlock Formation displays a heterogeneous geochemical signature. This chemical heterogeneity can in part be explained by lithospheric contamination and possibly by source heterogeneity. The tectonomagmatic setting in which these igneous rocks were formed could have involved a mantle plume. Evidence supporting a plume origin includes high MgO volcanic rocks, high calculated degrees of partial melting and geochemical signatures similar to those of oceanic plateaux.

Extractable hydrocarbon and carbon isotope geochemistry of Lower Cretaceous sediments of the Exmouth Plateau

The organic geochemical character of rocks selected from Aptian, Valanginian, and Berriasian clay stone and siltstone sequences encountered in Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Holes 762C and 763C on the Exmouth Plateau was determined by means of a variety of analytical procedures. These sequences represent distal portions of the Mesozoic Barrow delta, in which petroleum source rocks and reservoirs exist on the Australian continent. The organic matter at the ODP sites is thermally immature type III material. Biomarker hydrocarbon compositions are dominated by long-chain, waxy n-alkanes and by C29 steranes, which reflect the land-plant origin of organic matter. Organic carbon d13C values ranged from -26 per mil to -28 per mil, consistent with a C3 land-plant source. Kerogen pyrolysate compositions and hopane isomerization ratios revealed progressively larger contributions of recycled organic matter as the depth of the deltaic sedimentary layers became greater.

Dissolved organic carbon investigations from the Kara Sea

Based on observations during four scientific expeditions to the Kara Sea and the Siberian rivers Ob and Yenisei we determined the discharge, distribution and characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Surface concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) ranged from 151 IlM C in the northern Kara Sea to 939 IlM C in the river Ob. The estimated annual mean DOC concentration in the Yenisei (681 IlM C) was slightly higher than in the Ob (640 IlM C). Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations typically varied between 5 and 15 IlM N with higher values in the rivers. Freshwater discharge and DOC concentrations experienced pronounced seasonal variations strongly affecting the spatial and temporal distribution of DOM in the Kara Sea. The largely conservative distribution of DOC and DON along the salinity gradient indicated the predominantly refractory character of riverine DOM. This observation was consistent with laboratory experiments, which showed only minor losses due to flocculation processes and bacterial consumption. Optical properties and relatively high C/N ratios (19 to 51) of DO M suggest that a large fraction of river DOM is of terrestrial origin and that phytoplankton contributed little to DOM on the Kara Sea shelf during the sampling periods. Together, the rivers Ob and Yenisei discharge about 8 Tg DOC yr- I into the Kara Sea. Due to the absence of efficient removal mechanisms in these estuaries the majority of riverine DOM appears to pass the estuarine mixing zone and is transported towards the Arctic Ocean.

(Supplementary Table 1) Proportions of methane (C1) to ethane (C2) and the stable isotope composition of methane (d13CCH4) of gas and oil collected by gas bubble sampler during cruise M 114 in the southern Gulf of Mexico

Hydrocarbon seepage is a widespread process at the continental margins of the Gulf of Mexico. We used a multidisciplinary approach, including multibeam mapping and visual seafloor observations with different underwater vehicles to study the extent and character of complex hydrocarbon seepage in the Bay of Campeche, southern Gulf of Mexico. Our observations showed that seafloor asphalt deposits previously only known from the Chapopote Knoll also occur at numerous other knolls and ridges in water depths from 1230 to 3150 m. In particular the deeper sites (Chapopopte and Mictlan knolls) were characterized by asphalt deposits accompanied by extrusion of liquid oil in form of whips or sheets, and in some places (Tsanyao Yang, Mictlan, and Chapopote knolls) by gas emission and the presence of gas hydrates in addition. Molecular and stable carbon isotopic compositions of gaseous hydrocarbons suggest their primarily thermogenic origin. Relatively fresh asphalt structures were settled by chemosynthetic communities including bacterial mats and vestimentiferan tube worms, whereas older flows appeared largely inert and devoid of corals and anemones at the deep sites. The gas hydrates at Tsanyao Yang and Mictlan Knolls were covered by a 5-to-10 cm-thick reaction zone composed of authigenic carbonates, detritus, and microbial mats, and were densely colonized by 1-2 m-long tube worms, bivalves, snails, and shrimps. This study increased knowledge on the occurrences and dimensions of asphalt fields and associated gas hydrates at the Campeche Knolls. The extent of all discovered seepage structure areas indicates that emission of complex hydrocarbons is a widespread, thus important feature of the southern Gulf of Mexico.

The secret to legal foretelling: generic and inter-generic aspects of vagueness in contracts, patents and regulations

In this genre analysis research paper, we compare U.S. patents, contracts, and regulations on technical matters with a focus upon the relation between vagueness and communicative purposes and subpurposes of these three genres. Our main interest is the investigation of intergeneric conventions across the three genres, based on the software analysis of three corpora (one for each genre, 1 million words per corpus). The result of the investigation is that intergeneric conventions are found at the level of types of expressed linguistic vagueness, but that intergeneric conventions at the level of actual formulations are rare. The conclusion is that at this latter level the influence from the situation type underlying the individual genre is more important than the overarching legal character of the genres, when we talk about introducing explicit vagueness in the text.

The protein product of the het-s heterokaryon incompatibility gene of the fungus Podospora anserina behaves as a prion analog

The het-s locus of Podospora anserina is a heterokaryon incompatibility locus. The coexpression of the antagonistic het-s and het-S alleles triggers a lethal reaction that prevents the formation of viable heterokaryons. Strains that contain the het-s allele can display two different phenotypes, [Het-s] or [Het-s*], according to their reactivity in incompatibility. The detection in these phenotypically distinct strains of a protein expressed from the het-s gene indicates that the difference in reactivity depends on a posttranslational difference between two forms of the polypeptide encoded by the het-s gene. This posttranslational modification does not affect the electrophoretic mobility of the protein in SDS/PAGE. Several results suggest a similarity of behavior between the protein encoded by the het-s gene and prions. The [Het-s] character can propagate in [Het-s*] strains as an infectious agent, producing a [Het-s*] → [Het-s] transition, independently of protein synthesis. Expression of the [Het-s] character requires a functional het-s gene. The protein present in [Het-s] strains is more resistant to proteinase K than that present in [Het-s*] mycelium. Furthermore, overexpression of the het-s gene increases the frequency of the transition from [Het-s*] to [Het-s]. We propose that this transition is the consequence of a self-propagating conformational modification of the protein mediated by the formation of complexes between the two different forms of the polypeptide.

Airborne minerals and related aerosol particles: Effects on climate and the environment

Aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the troposphere and exert an important influence on global climate and the environment. They affect climate through scattering, transmission, and absorption of radiation as well as by acting as nuclei for cloud formation. A significant fraction of the aerosol particle burden consists of minerals, and most of the remainder— whether natural or anthropogenic—consists of materials that can be studied by the same methods as are used for fine-grained minerals. Our emphasis is on the study and character of the individual particles. Sulfate particles are the main cooling agents among aerosols; we found that in the remote oceanic atmosphere a significant fraction is aggregated with soot, a material that can diminish the cooling effect of sulfate. Our results suggest oxidization of SO2 may have occurred on soot surfaces, implying that even in the remote marine troposphere soot provided nuclei for heterogeneous sulfate formation. Sea salt is the dominant aerosol species (by mass) above the oceans. In addition to being important light scatterers and contributors to cloud condensation nuclei, sea-salt particles also provide large surface areas for heterogeneous atmospheric reactions. Minerals comprise the dominant mass fraction of the atmospheric aerosol burden. As all geologists know, they are a highly heterogeneous mixture. However, among atmospheric scientists they are commonly treated as a fairly uniform group, and one whose interaction with radiation is widely assumed to be unpredictable. Given their abundances, large total surface areas, and reactivities, their role in influencing climate will require increased attention as climate models are refined.