Road crossings change functional diversity and trait composition of stream-dwelling macroinvertebrate assemblages

Functional diversity is regarded as a key concept in understanding the link between ecosystem function and biodiversity, and is therefore widely investigated in relation to human-induced impacts. However, information on how the intersection of roads and streams (hereafter road crossings, representing a widespread habitat transformation in relation to human development), influences the functional diversity of stream-dwelling macroinvertebrates is still missing. The general aim of our study was to provide a comprehensible picture on the impacts of road crossing structures on multiple facets of the functional diversity of stream-dwelling macroinvertebrates. In addition, we also investigated changes in trait structure. Our research showed that road crossing structures had negative impacts on functional richness and dispersion; i.e., functional diversification. However, we found no significant impact on functional divergence and evenness components. We found a decrease in functional redundancy at road crossing structures. This indicates a reduced ability of the community to recover from disturbances. Finally, we found that road crossings drive stream habitat and hydrological changes in parallel with modification of the trait composition of stream-dwelling macroinvertebrate assemblages. All these results suggest that road crossings cause notable changes in the functional diversity of stream-dwelling macroinvertebrate assemblages.

Attitude of elite tennis coaches working with athletes with intellectual disabilities participating in Special Olympics

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of research regarding the attitudes of coaches towards training athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID). This is particularly evident for coaches working with athletes with ID that are competing in the innovative Special Olympics (SO) Unified Sports programme. Research on the inclusive impact of sport plays a significant role, not only in sports development but also in the training of sports professionals and coaches, as a sufficient amount of special coaching experience is required to achieve inclusion. For this reason, this study was conducted among professionals coaching tennis with athletes with ID. The purpose of this study was to analyse the attitudes of tennis coaches working with athletes with ID in the SO tennis programme.

METHODS

The study was conducted on a sample of internationally recognised elite tennis coaches (n = 78) working with tennis players with ID at two international tennis competitions. A questionnaire and a structured interview were conducted with the coaches to examine the sociometric characteristics of the coaches involved in the research. Findings were then compared with views on professional statements for similarities and differences in their attitudes towards their athletes and their work.

RESULTS

Results indicated that coaches felt the most important criteria for a coach working successfully with athletes with ID were (1) a wide range of knowledge, (2) professional expertise, (3) social sensitivity, (4) positive attitude and (5) motivation. Results supported the existing theoretical findings that besides professional expertise and experience, a basic knowledge about disability is needed among coaches working with athletes with ID.

CONCLUSIONS

This research was unique in the international scene, in that, although the number of tennis coaches working within the movement of SO is relatively high, to this date, no scientific survey has been focused on them.

Elimination of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection using an inactivated vaccine in combination with a roll-over method in a Hungarian large-scale pig herd

Background

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes severe economic losses worldwide and only four countries in Europe are free from PRRSV. Complete depopulation–repopulation is the safest and fastest, but also the most expensive method for eradicating PRRSV from a population. Another possible way to eliminate an endemic PRRSV infection is to replace the infected breeding stock by gilts reared isolated and protected from PRRSV on an infected farm. With this method it is possible to maintain continuous production on the farm. The authors report the first successful elimination of PRRSV in a Hungarian large-scale pig farm by using an inactivated vaccine and performing segregated rearing of the offspring.

Case presentation

The study was performed on a PRRSV infected farm (Farm A) with 1475 sows. The clinical signs of reproductive failure had been eliminated previously by using an inactivated vaccine (Progressis^®, Ceva). At the beginning of the elimination programme, gilts intended for breeding were vaccinated at 60 and 90–100 days of age. After that, gilts selected for breeding were vaccinated at 6 months of age, on the 60–70th day of pregnancy and at weaning.

Approximately 1200 piglets from vaccinated sows were transported at 7 weeks of age to a closed, empty farm (Farm B) after being tested negative for PRRSV by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, and then were reared here until 14 weeks of age. At this age, all pigs were tested by PRRS ELISA. Seronegative gilts (n = 901) were subsequently transported from Farm B to a third, closed and empty farm (Farm C), and (having reached the breeding age) they were inseminated here after a second negative serological test (ELISA). At the same time, Farm A was depopulated, cleaned and disinfected. All pregnant gilts were transported from Farm C to Farm A after being re-tested negative for antibodies against PRRSV. Follow-up serology tests were performed after farrowing and results yielded only seronegative animals. Based on the subsequent negative test results, the herd was declared PRRSV free by the competent authority.

Conclusions

The presented farm was the first during the National PRRS Eradication Programme of Hungary to eradicate PRRSV successfully by vaccinating the sows with an inactivated vaccine and performing segregated rearing of the offspring. Production was almost continuous during the whole process of population replacement.

Fluorescence-Based Real-Time Analysis of Osteoclast Development

Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells of hematopoietic origin which are critically involved in physiological and pathological bone resorption. They develop from myeloid progenitors through characteristic gene expression changes and intercellular fusion. This process is directed by M-CSF and RANKL which are also able to trigger osteoclast development from bone marrow cells in vitro. Osteoclasts are conventionally visualized by histochemical staining followed by manual counting, which hinders kinetic studies and automated quantification. Here we describe two fluorescence-based assays for the real-time analysis of myeloid cell to osteoclast development (FRAMCO) in primary mouse bone marrow cell cultures. Both assays rely on red-to-green fluorescence conversion of the membrane-targeted tdTomato/membrane-targeted eGFP (mTmG) transgene by Cre recombinase driven by the osteoclast-specific cathepsin K promoter (Ctsk-Cre). In the first assay (FRAMCO1.1), osteoclast-specific gene expression triggers red-to-green color conversion of cells carrying both the Ctsk-Cre and mTmG transgenes. In the second assay (FRAMCO1.2), red-to-green fluorescence conversion is triggered by fusion of neighboring co-cultured bone marrow cells separately carrying either the Ctsk-Cre or the mTmG transgenes. The two assays were tested using a high-content confocal fluorescence imaging system, followed by automated quantification. The FRAMCO1.1 assay showed robust red-to-green fluorescence conversion of more than 50% of the culture (including mononuclear cells) within 3 days under osteoclastogenic conditions. The FRAMCO1.2 assay showed a less robust but still readily measurable red-to-green color conversion in multinuclear cells within 5 days of differentiation. The assays required both the Ctsk-Cre and the mTmG transgenes and gave no signals in parallel macrophage cultures. The proper functioning of the two assays was also confirmed at the DNA, mRNA and bulk protein level. The assay systems were validated using lisophosphatidylcholine, a previously reported inhibitor of preosteoclast fusion. Taken together, our assays allow high-throughput automated real-time analysis of two critical aspects of osteoclast development, facilitating the screening for novel drug candidates for the pharmacological control of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption.

Chronic Oral Selegiline Treatment Mitigates Age-Related Hearing Loss in BALB/c Mice

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), a sensorineural hearing loss of multifactorial origin, increases its prevalence in aging societies. Besides hearing aids and cochlear implants, there is no FDA approved efficient pharmacotherapy to either cure or prevent ARHL. We hypothesized that selegiline, an antiparkinsonian drug, could be a promising candidate for the treatment due to its complex neuroprotective, antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and dopaminergic neurotransmission enhancing effects. We monitored by repeated Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) measurements the effect of chronic per os selegiline administration on the hearing function in BALB/c and DBA/2J mice, which strains exhibit moderate and rapid progressive high frequency hearing loss, respectively. The treatments were started at 1 month of age and lasted until almost a year and 5 months of age, respectively. In BALB/c mice, 4 mg/kg selegiline significantly mitigated the progression of ARHL at higher frequencies. Used in a wide dose range (0.15-45 mg/kg), selegiline had no effect in DBA/2J mice. Our results suggest that selegiline can partially preserve the hearing in certain forms of ARHL by alleviating its development. It might also be otoprotective in other mammals or humans.

Combined effects of exposure to engineered silver nanoparticles and the water-soluble fraction of crude oil in the marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus

While it is likely that ENPs may occur together with other contaminants in nature, the combined effects of exposure to both ENPs and environmental contaminants are not studied sufficiently. In this study, we investigated the acute and sublethal toxicity of PVP coated silver nanoparticles (AgNP) and ionic silver (Ag⁺; administered as AgNO₃) to the marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus. We further studied effects of single exposures to AgNPs (nominal concentrations: low 15 μg L^-1 NPL, high 150 μg L^-1 NPH) or Ag⁺ (60 μg L^-1), and effects of co-exposure to AgNPs, Ag⁺ and the water-soluble fraction (WSF; 100 μg L^-1) of a crude oil (AgNP + WSF; Ag⁺+WSF). The gene expression and the activity of antioxidant defense enzymes SOD, CAT and GST, as well as the gene expression of HSP90 and CYP330A1 were determined as sublethal endpoints. Results show that Ag⁺ was more acutely toxic compared to AgNPs, with 96 h LC₅₀ concentrations of 403 μg L^-1 for AgNPs, and 147 μg L^-1 for Ag⁺. Organismal uptake of Ag following exposure was similar for AgNP and Ag⁺, and was not significantly different when co-exposed to WSF. Exposure to AgNPs alone caused increases in gene expressions of GST and SOD, whereas WSF exposure caused an induction in SOD. Responses in enzyme activities were generally low, with significant effects observed only on SOD activity in NPL and WSF exposures and on GST activity in NPL and NPH exposures. Combined AgNP and WSF exposures caused slightly altered responses in expression of SOD, GST and CYP330A1 genes compared to the single exposures of either AgNPs or WSF. However, there was no clear pattern of cumulative effects caused by co-exposures of AgNPs and WSF. The present study indicates that the exposure to AgNPs, Ag⁺, and to a lesser degree WSF cause an oxidative stress response in C. finmarchicus, which was slightly, but mostly not significantly altered in combined exposures. This indicated that the combined effects between Ag and WSF are relatively limited, at least with regard to oxidative stress.

Anti-PD-1 Therapy Does Not Influence Hearing Ability in the Most Sensitive Frequency Range, but Mitigates Outer Hair Cell Loss in the Basal Cochlear Region

The administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) often leads to immune-related adverse events. However, their effect on auditory function is largely unexplored. Thorough preclinical studies have not been published yet, only sporadic cases and pharmacovigilance reports suggest their significance. Here we investigated the effect of anti-PD-1 antibody treatment (4 weeks, intraperitoneally, 200 μg/mouse, 3 times/week) on hearing function and cochlear morphology in C57BL/6J mice. ICI treatment did not influence the hearing thresholds in click or tone burst stimuli at 4–32 kHz frequencies measured by auditory brainstem response. The number and morphology of spiral ganglion neurons were unaltered in all cochlear turns. The apical-middle turns (<32 kHz) showed preservation of the inner and outer hair cells (OHCs), whilst ICI treatment mitigated the age-related loss of OHCs in the basal turn (>32 kHz). The number of Iba1-positive macrophages has also increased moderately in this high frequency region. We conclude that a 4-week long ICI treatment does not affect functional and morphological integrity of the inner ear in the most relevant hearing range (4–32 kHz; apical-middle turns), but a noticeable preservation of OHCs and an increase in macrophage activity appeared in the >32 kHz basal part of the cochlea.

Inbreeding depression for kit survival at birth in a rabbit population under long-term selection

Background

Accumulation of detrimental mutations in small populations leads to inbreeding depression of fitness traits and a higher frequency of genetic defects, thus increasing risk of extinction. Our objective was to quantify the magnitude of inbreeding depression for survival at birth, in a closed rabbit population under long-term selection.

Methods

We used an information theory-based approach and multi-model inference to estimate inbreeding depression and its purging with respect to the trait ‘kit survival at birth’ over a 25-year period in a closed population of Pannon White rabbits, by analysing 22,718 kindling records. Generalised linear mixed models based on the logit link function were applied, which take polygenic random effects into account.

Results

Our results indicated that inbreeding depression occurred during the period 1992–1997, based on significant estimates of the z-standardised classical inbreeding coefficient z.F_L (CI_95% − 0.12 to − 0.03) and of the new inbreeding coefficient of the litter z.F_NEWL (CI_95% − 0.13 to − 0.04) as well as a 59.2% reduction in contributing founders. Inbreeding depression disappeared during the periods 1997–2007 and 2007–2017. For the period 1992–1997, the best model resulted in a significantly negative standardised estimate of the new inbreeding coefficient of the litter and a significantly positive standardised estimate of Kalinowski’s ancestral inbreeding coefficient of the litter (CI_95% 0.01 to 0.17), which indicated purging of detrimental load. Kindling season and parity had effects on survival at birth that differed across the three periods of 1992–1997, 1997–2007 and 2007–2017.

Conclusions

Our results support the existence of inbreeding depression and its purging with respect to kit survival at birth in this Pannon White rabbit population. However, we were unable to exclude possible confounding from the effects of parity and potentially other environmental factors during the study period, thus our results need to be extended and confirmed in other populations.

Prenatal cigarette smoke exposure slightly alters neurobehavioral development in neonatal rats: Implications for developmental origins of health and disease (DoHAD)

Numerous studies indicate that smoking during pregnancy exerts harmful effects on fetal brain development. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of maternal smoking during pregnancy on the early physical and neurobehavioral development of newborn rats. Wistar rats were subjected to whole-body smoke exposure for 2 × 40 min daily from the day of mating until day of delivery. For this treatment, a manual closed-chamber smoking system and 4 research cigarettes per occasion were used. After delivery the offspring were tested daily for somatic growth, maturation of facial characteristics and neurobehavioral development until three weeks of age. Motor coordination tests were performed at 3 and 4 weeks of age. We found that prenatal cigarette smoke exposure did not alter weight gain or motor coordination. Critical physical reflexes indicative of neurobehavioral development (eyelid reflex, ear unfolding) appeared significantly later in pups prenatally exposed to smoke as compared to the control group. Prenatal smoke exposure also resulted in a delayed appearance of reflexes indicating neural maturity, including hind limb grasping and forelimb placing reflexes. In conclusion, clinically relevant prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke results in slightly altered neurobehavioral development in rat pups. These findings suggest that chronic exposure of pregnant mothers to cigarette smoke (including passive smoking) results in persisting alterations in the developing brain, which may have long-lasting consequences supporting the concept of developmental origins of health and disease (DoHAD).

Modified Acid Phosphatase Assay for Assessing the Extent of Heating of Canned Picnics and Hams: Interlaboratory Study

Determination of acid phosphatase (E.C. 3.1.3.2.) activity in meat and meat products Is based on spectrophotometric measurement of free phenol released from phenyl phosphate substrate during enzyme catalysis under prescribed conditions. Precision parameters of a new modified phosphatase assay, proposed for determination of extent of heating of canned picnics and hams, were evaluated in an interlaboratory study with 10 (1 German, 2 Italian, and 7 Hungarian) participating laboratories. The test materials were 5 lean meat batters subjected to different heat treatments (i.e., with different levels of phosphatase activity). The materials were presented to participants as 10 randomly coded samples (2 blind replicates of each material). The interlaboratory study was then repeated with 3 test materials and 2 blind replicates (3 × 2) prepared in the same way. The repeatability relative standard deviation (RSDr), outliers excluded, varied from 2.2 to 10.7%, and the reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSDR) varied from 12.6 to 25.3%. Results were compared with other data in the literature. The sensitivity of the new modified phosphatase assay was also compared with that of the original procedure described in USDA Chemistry Laboratory Guidebook. A higher sensitivity was observed for the method described in this paper. However, the method’s reproducibility was poorer than that of common analytical methods. Although high, the variability may still be acceptable for determining phosphatase activity to assess extent of heat treatment of canned picnics and hams.

[The impact of a checklist on the short-term complications of airway management in adults]

Introduction: Airway management is an integral part of general anaesthesia, which may lead to severe short- and long-term complications. Aim: We assessed whether the application of a checklist for the steps of airway management reduces the number of complications in our institute. Method: In our observational, prospective, controlled study we made a checklist and a data collection sheet. Each airway management was performed for one month without the checklist and then for one month in the possession of the checklist. We evaluated the outcome of airway maneuvers and the occurrence of related early complications before and after the introduction of the checklist. The primary endpoint was the incidence of unexpected difficult airway. The secondary endpoints were difficult intubation, successful first intubation, aspiration, cardiac arrest, post-induction hypotension and desaturation, soft tissues/teeth injuries. Our results were also corrected for factors that affect the risk of complications (urgency of interventions, medical experience). Results: We did not find any difference in the frequency of acute complications before the introduction of the checklist (n = 439) and during the subsequent period (n = 423). At the primary endpoint (7.29% and 6.14%), there was no substantive difference (1.15%, 95% CI: -2.26%-4.56%, p = 0.5). No differences were found regarding the secondary and other endpoints. Following the correction of risk factors, there was no impact of the checklist on the incidence of complications. Conclusion: The introduction of the checklist in itself did not result in a significant change in the risk of short-term complications of airway management in our institution. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(26): 1025-1035.

Comparison of various advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of phenylurea herbicides

Various types of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as UV photolysis, ozonation, heterogeneous photocatalysis and their combinations were comparatively examined at the same energy input in a home-made reactor. The oxidative transformations of the phenylurea herbicides fenuron, monuron and diuron were investigated. The initial rates of transformation demonstrated that UV photolysis was highly efficient in the cases of diuron and monuron. Ozonation proved to be much more effective in the transformation of fenuron than in those of the chlorine containing monuron and diuron. In heterogeneous photocatalysis, the rate of decomposition decreased with increase of the number of chlorine atoms in the target molecule. Addition of ozone to UV-irradiated solutions and/or TiO2-containing suspensions markedly increased the initial rates of degradation. Dehalogenation of monuron and diuron showed that each of these procedures is suitable for the simultaneous removal of chlorinated pesticides and their chlorinated intermediates. Heterogeneous photocatalysis was found to be effective in the mineralization.

GRAIN: a computer program to calculate ancestral and partial inbreeding coefficients using a gene dropping approach

GRain is freely available software intended to enable and promote testing of hypotheses with respect to purging and heterogeneity of inbreeding depression. The program is based on a stochastic approach, the gene dropping method, and calculates various coefficients from large and complex pedigrees. GRain calculates, together with the 'classical' inbreeding coefficient, ancestral inbreeding coefficients proposed by Ballou, (1997) J. Hered., 88, 169 and Kalinowski et al., (2000) Conserv. Biol., 14, 1375 as well as an ancestral history coefficient (AHC ), defined here for the first time. AHC is defined as the number that tells how many times during pedigree segregation (gene dropping) a randomly taken allele has been in IBD status. Furthermore, GRain enables testing of heterogeneity and/or purging of inbreeding depression with respect to different founders/ancestors by calculating partial coefficients for all previously obtained coefficients.

The impact of TiO2 nanoparticles on uptake and toxicity of benzo(a)pyrene in the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis)

Nanoparticles are emerging contaminants of concern. Knowledge on their environmental impacts is scarce, especially on their interactive effects with other contaminants. In this study we investigated effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NP) on the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) and determined their influence on the bioavailability and toxicity of benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), a carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). Blue mussels were exposed to either TiO2NP (0.2 and 2.0 mg L(-1)) or B(a)P (20 μg L(-1)) and to the respective combinations of these two compounds. Aqueous contaminant concentrations, the uptake of Ti and B(a)P into mussel soft tissue, effects on oxidative stress and chromosomal damage were analyzed. The uncoated TiO2NP agglomerated rapidly in the seawater. The presence of TiO2NP significantly reduced the bioavailability of B(a)P, shown by lowered B(a)P concentrations in exposure tanks and in mussel tissue. The activities of antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were impacted by the various exposure regimes, indicating oxidative stress in the contaminant exposure groups. While SOD activity was increased only in the 0.2TiO2NP exposure group, CAT activity was enhanced in both combined exposure groups. The GPx activity was increased only in the groups exposed to the two single compounds. In hemocytes, increased chromosomal damage was detected in mussels exposed to the single compounds, which was further increased after exposure to the combination of compounds. In this study we show that the presence of TiO2NP in the exposure system reduced B(a)P uptake in blue mussels. However, since most biomarker responses did not decrease despite of the lower B(a)P uptake in combined exposures, the results suggest that TiO2NP can act as additional stressor, or potentially alters B(a)P toxicity by activation.

A 4-year study of a natural tick-borne encephalitis virus focus in Hungary, 2010-2013

A tick-borne encephalitis virus focus was identified in a former goat pasture that had been associated with a milk-borne encephalitis outbreak in 2007. Ticks and rodents were sampled monthly from April 2010 to October 2013 on two separate 0.5 ha sampling sites. At site 1, three tick-borne encephalitis virus strains were isolated from a total of 7,247 sampled ticks; 28 of the 539 tested sera (5.19%) were seropositive. At site 2, from the 2,369 sampled ticks, virus was not isolated, tests of 284 rodent sera resulted in 14 positives (4.93%). For survival, the virus needs a territory with continuously dense rodent and tick population, although observed TBEV prevalence was low both in ticks and in rodents. Sampling points of positive ticks and rodents did not coincided exactly, at a certain time only some m(2) territory is dangerous, these hot spots change unpredictably as positive ticks die or move on with their hosts.

Examination of calcium-binding protein expression in the inner ear of wild-type, heterozygous and homozygous pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)-knockout mice in kanamycin-induced ototoxicity

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide with diverse biological effects. It also occurs and exerts protective effects in sensory organs; however, little is known about its effects in the auditory system. Recently, we have shown that PACAP protects cochlear cells against oxidative-stress-induced apoptosis and homozygous PACAP-deficient animals show stronger expression of Ca(2+)-binding proteins in the hair cells of the inner ear, but there are no data about the consequences of the lack of endogenous PACAP in different ototoxic insults such as aminoglycoside-induced toxicity. In this study, we examined the effect of kanamycin treatment on Ca(2+)-binding protein expression in hair cells of wild-type, heterozygous and homozygous PACAP-deficient mice. We treated 5-day-old mice with kanamycin, and 2 days later, we examined the Ca(2+)-binding protein expression of the hair cells with immunohistochemistry. We found stronger expression of Ca(2+)-binding proteins in the hair cells of control heterozygous and homozygous PACAP-deficient mice compared with wild-type animals. Kanamycin induced a significant increase in Ca(2+)-binding protein expression in wild-type and heterozygous PACAP-deficient mice, but the baseline higher expression in homozygous PACAP-deficient mice did not show further changes after the treatment. Elevated endolymphatic Ca(2+) is deleterious for the cochlear function, against which the high concentration of Ca(2+)-buffers in hair cells may protect. Meanwhile, the increased immunoreactivity of Ca(2+)-binding proteins in the absence of PACAP provide further evidence for the important protective role of PACAP in ototoxicity, but further investigations are necessary to examine the exact role of endogenous PACAP in ototoxic insults.

The contribution of dominance and inbreeding depression in estimating variance components for litter size in Pannon White rabbits

In a synthetic closed population of Pannon White rabbits, additive (VA ), dominance (VD ) and permanent environmental (VPe ) variance components as well as doe (bF d ) and litter (bF l ) inbreeding depression were estimated for the number of kits born alive (NBA), number of kits born dead (NBD) and total number of kits born (TNB). The data set consisted of 18,398 kindling records of 3883 does collected from 1992 to 2009. Six models were used to estimate dominance and inbreeding effects. The most complete model estimated VA and VD to contribute 5.5 ± 1.1% and 4.8 ± 2.4%, respectively, to total phenotypic variance (VP ) for NBA; the corresponding values for NBD were 1.9 ± 0.6% and 5.3 ± 2.4%, for TNB, 6.2 ± 1.0% and 8.1 ± 3.2% respectively. These results indicate the presence of considerable VD . Including dominance in the model generally reduced VA and VPe estimates, and had only a very small effect on inbreeding depression estimates. Including inbreeding covariates did not affect estimates of any variance component. A 10% increase in doe inbreeding significantly increased NBD (bF d  = 0.18 ± 0.07), while a 10% increase in litter inbreeding significantly reduced NBA (bF l  = -0.41 ± 0.11) and TNB (bF l  = -0.34 ± 0.10). These findings argue for including dominance effects in models of litter size traits in populations that exhibit significant dominance relationships.

The binding of phenanthrene to engineered silver and gold nanoparticles

The steadily rising production and use of engineered nanoparticles (ENP) leads to their entry into the aquatic environment. In addition to the various adverse effects that have been seen for different organisms, ENP are suspected to influence the transport, bioavailability and toxic properties of a range of environmental contaminants that may adsorb to their surface. In this study, the binding properties of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon phenanthrene to stabilized silver and gold ENP were investigated using a novel mass balance based single-equilibrium approach. Only citrate coated gold ENP (AuNP(CIT)) were found to bind phenanthrene. No binding was observed for polyvinylpyrolidone coated silver ENP (AgNP(PVP)) nor citrate coated silver ENP (AgNP(CIT)) suggesting that the properties of the core material have a major influence on binding reactions. A binding coefficient K(b) was defined as the ratio between the concentration of phenanthrene associated to the AuNP(CIT) and that freely dissolved in the exposure medium. Temperature was not seen to significantly influence K(b) within an environmentally relevant range (4-25 °C). The presence of methanol significantly reduced or prevented the formation of the AuNP(CIT)-phenathrene complex. Results suggest that the binding is a low energy physio-sorption, likely associated to a partial displacement or specific arrangement of the citrate capping on the gold core.

Genetic parameters and genetic trends of reproduction traits in synthetic Pannon rabbits using repeatability and multi-trait animal models

Abstract. Genetic parameters and genetic trends of total number of born kits (TNB), and number of kits born alive (NBA) were estimated in Pannon White and Pannon Ka rabbits for the first four parities. REML and BLUP procedures were applied using repeatability and multi-trait animal models (PEST and VCE software). Heritability estimates were low for both traits and breeds and ranged between 0.060.43–0.07 (0.010.43–0.02) and 0.040.43–0.06 (0.020.43–0.02) for TNB and NBA, respectively (standard errors of estimates are given in brackets). The estimated permanent environmental effects showed higher relative importance compared to the additive genetic effects and they ranged between 0.070.43–0.13 (0.010.43–0.02) and 0.080.43–0.14 (0.010.43–0.02) for TNB and NBA, respectively. High genetic correlation coefficients were found between TNB and NBA (0.97±0.02, 0.96±0.02) for Pannon White and Pannon Ka, respectively. The genetic correlation coefficients estimated between TNB and between NBA of the successive parities (as separate traits) ranged between 0.640.43–0.97 (0.040.43–0.11) and 0.560.43–0.99 (0.030.43–0.10) for Pannon White and Pannon Ka, respectively. The estimated genetic trends for TNB and NBA were negligible for the Pannon White and small (0.030.43–0.02 [0.010.43–0.01]) for Pannon Ka. The mean squared errors (MSE) of the repeatability and multi-trait models were similar but the correlation coefficients of between the observed and predicted values were lower for the multi-trait (0.270.43–0.61) than for the repeatability models (0.43–0.65).

Half-life measurement of 66Ga with γ-spectroscopy

The half-life of (66)Ga, an isotope very important for high-energy efficiency calibration of γ-detectors, has been measured using γ-spectroscopy. In order to reduce systematic uncertainties, different source production methods and γ-counting conditions have been applied. A half-life value of t(1/2)=(9.312±0.032)h has been obtained in agreement with a recent measurement but in contradiction with some of the earlier results.

Integration of Multi-Level Copper Metallization into a High Performance Sub-0.25μM Technology

We report the integration of six levels of Cu interconnects using dual inlaid patterning in a 0.2 μm logic technology. A review of process technology as well as device performance shortcomings using conventional aluminum metallization has been presented. Two tantalum based barriers, TaNx and Ta-Si-N as well as a titanium based barrier, CVD TiN, have been evaluated for their applicability. The use of embedded barriers wherein the barrier is formed below the surface of the dielectric has also been discussed as a potential option. No degradation to the device front-end parametrics were found with the choice of an appropriate barrier. Planarization by Cu CMP introduces surface topography that needs to be minimized in order to process multiple levels of interconnects within specified sheet resistance distributions for a range of line widths. Excellent results with highly planarized levels of metallization have consistently been achieved through an optimization of the unit processes and device integration.

Investigation of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide in human gynecological and other biological fluids by using MALDI TOF mass spectrometry

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a multifunctional and pleiotropic neuropeptide. PACAP has diverse effects in the endocrine system, among others, it plays important roles in oogenesis, implantation and development of the nervous system. However, it is not known whether PACAP is present in the fluids of the human reproductive organs. The aim of the present study was to determine, by means of mass spectrometry and radioimmunoassay, whether PACAP is present in human amniotic fluid, ovarian follicular fluid and cervico-vaginal fluid. Samples were obtained from healthy adult volunteers. Our MALDI TOF and MALDI TOF/TOF spectrometry results show that PACAP38 is present in all of the follicular fluid samples, and PACAP-like immunoreactivity was also measured by radioimmunoassay. However, we did not find the characteristic peak representing the unmodified 38 amino acid form of the peptide in normal cervico-vaginal smear and amniotic fluid samples. Furthermore, we analyzed other body fluids for comparison, such as human nasal fluid, saliva and aqueous humor. PACAP was not found in these latter samples. In summary, the present study provides evidence for the presence of PACAP in human follicular fluid, suggesting a role in oocyte function, but determination of the exact physiological significance awaits further investigation.