The assessment of vitellogenin as a biomarker of exposure to estrogenic compounds in two Australian perciformes

Vitellogenin (Vtg) is a yolk protein precursor that has been identified as a sensitive biomarker for exposure to estrogenic compounds. We evaluated specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies for reactivity with plasma Vtg from two Australian Perciformes, the tropical barramundi (Lates calcarifer) and the temperate black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri). Blood plasma from 17beta-estradiol exposed (E2) male barramundi (20 mg kg(-1)) and male black bream (2.5-5.0 mg kg(-1)) were sent to Biosense Laboratories (Norway) for cross-reactivity testing using their extensive anti-Vtg antibody selection. Indirect ELISA results determined barramundi plasma displayed the highest binding affinities to ND-3G2 (monoclonal-Mab) and PO-1 (polyclonal-Pab). Black bream was most cross-reactive with ND-1C8 (Mab) and PO-2 (Pab). Next, plasma was assessed for Vtg induction in E2-dosed (5 mg kg(-1)), hatchery-reared barramundi and black bream versus a non-injected control group. Vtg production was assessed by Western blot and indirect ELISA using ND-3G2 and ND-1C8 Mabs, respectively. A prominent band was identified in the range of 100-200 kDa for all female black bream and for all E2-treated barramundi and black bream males, which was confirmed as Vtg by Western blot. Indirect ELISA results for barramundi demonstrated highly significant differences in E2-dosed fish as compared to control fish (Student t, P<0.001). E2 male black bream were significantly different than control males (Student t, P<0.001) and control and E2 females displayed highly significant differences (Student t, P<0.001). These results indicate that exposure to 17beta-estradiol induces significant Vtg production in males of the two Australian Perciformes, with potential use as a biomarker for exposure to estrogenic compounds.     

Depth-stratified phytoplankton dynamics in Cyclone Opal, a subtropical mesoscale eddy

As part of E-Flux III cruise studies in March 2005, we investigated phytoplankton community dynamics in a cyclonic cold-core eddy (Cyclone Opal) in the lee of the Hawaiian Islands. Experimental incubations were conducted under in situ temperature and light conditions on a drift array using a two-treatment dilution technique. Taxon-specific estimates of growth, grazing and production rates were obtained from analyses of incubation results based on phytoplankton pigments, flow cytometry and microscopy. Cyclone Opal was sampled at a biologically and physically mature state, with an 80–100 m doming of isopycnal surfaces in its central region and a deep biomass maximum of large diatoms. Depth-profile experimentation defined three main zones. The upper (mixed) zone (0–40 m), showed little compositional or biomass response to eddy nutrient enrichment, but growth, grazing and production rates were significantly enhanced in this layer relative to the ambient community outside of the eddy. Prochlorococcus spp. dominated the upper mixed layer, accounting for 50–60% of its estimated primary production both inside and outside of Opal. In contrast, the deep zone of 70–90 m showed little evidence of growth rate enhancement and was principally defined by a 100-fold increase of large (>20-μm) diatoms and a shift from Prochlorococcus to diatom dominance (80%) of production. The intermediate layer of 50–60 m marked the transition between the upper and lower extremes but also contained an elevated biomass of physiologically unhealthy diatoms with significantly depressed growth rates and proportionately greater grazing losses relative to diatoms above or below. Microzooplankton grazers consumed 58%, 65% and 55%, respectively, of the production of diatoms, Prochlorococcus and the total phytoplankton community in Cyclone Opal. The substantial grazing impact on diatoms suggests that efficient recycling was the major primary fate of diatom organic production, consistent with the low export fluxes and selective export of biogenic silica, as empty diatom frustules, in Cyclone Opal.     

Effectiveness of land management measures to reduce coastal georisks, eastern Québec, Canada

Erosion and flooding are geohazards that pose a significant problem in eastern Québec, as they do throughout the world. To manage such risks, zoning to set limits on new construction projects is generally the first adaptation solution introduced in an area. However, very few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of zoning in terms of risk reduction. Offered here is a retrospective approach to evaluate the evolution of settlement in coastal areas before and during the progressive implementation of zoning laws and regulations in the Percé region of eastern Québec, Canada. It was possible to evaluate the evolution of the built environment and coastal hazards by using 6 series of aerial photographs (1934-2001) and archived processed in a GIS. The results show a significant change in coastal land use. At first land use was consistent with a fishery-based economy, and later with an economy based on the tourism industry. Such a transformation in human activity leads to changes in the typology of the built environment, and consequently to an increase in the value of buildings at risk. Due to widespread ignorance respecting the intensity of hazards and the rhythm of coastal evolution, a lack of understanding and acceptance of land management regulations, an excessive level of confidence respecting anti-erosion protective structures and conscious risk taking by property owners seeking to take advantage of the coast’s attractiveness among others for tourism purposes, the implementation of land use planning and development laws and regulations in the 1980s was not able to limit the number of buildings at risk in the coastal zone. In fact, a 133% increase in buildings at risk was observed between 1980 and 2001. Only one quarter of this increase can be attributed to the coastline’s movement caused by erosion, whereas 74% of the buildings newly at risk were new, built in a zone where building was prohibited. Poorly adapted measures that limited risks over an insufficient period were also observed. Such observations reveal a problem of governance respecting the management and prevention of natural coastal hazards. While it may be useful to redefine measures for the zoning of coastal risks with precision and based on criteria that take into account the dynamics of coastal hazards, zoning on its own is no guarantee of risk reduction. Such zoning measures must be developed and applied along with a strategy for communicating hazards and risk to all actors in the coastal zone. Due to the complexity of the problems involved, reinforcing adaptive capacities of coastal communities with respect to coastal hazards requires a process whose efficiency is ensured by close collaboration among the various actors (scientists, managers, levels of government, the general public).     

Heterogeneous agglutinitic glass and the fusion of the finest fraction (F3) model

Abstract— Evidence in favor of the model fusion of the finest fraction (F³) for the origin of lunar agglutinitic glass has been accruing. They include (1) theoretical expectations that shock pulses should engulf and melt smaller grains more efficiently than larger grains, (2) experimental results of impact shock, albeit at lower than presumed hypervelocity impacts of micrometeorites on the lunar regolith, and (3) new analyses confirming previous results that average compositions of agglutinitic glass are biased towards that of the finest fraction of lunar soils from which they had formed. We add another reason in support of the F³ model. Finer grains of lunar soils are also much more abundant. Hence, electrostatic forces associated with the rotating terminator region bring the finest grains that are obviously much lighter than courser grains to the surface of the Moon. This further contributes to the preferential melting of the finest fraction upon micrometeoritic impacts. New backscattered electron imaging shows that agglutinitic glass is inhomogeneous at submicron scale. Composition ranges of agglutinitic glass are extreme and deviate from that of the finest fraction, even by more than an order of magnitude for some components. Additionally, we show how an ilmenite grain upon impact would produce TiO₂‐rich agglutinitic glass in complete disregard to the requirements of fusion of the finest fraction. We propose an addition to the F³ model to accommodate these observations (i.e., that micrometeorite impacts indiscriminately melt the immediate target regardless of grain size or grain composition). We, therefore, suggest that (1) agglutinitic glass is the sum of (a) the melt produced by the fusion of the finest fraction of lunar soils and (b) the microvolume of the indiscriminate target, which melts at high‐shock pressures from micrometeoritic impacts, and that (2) because of the small volume of the melt and incorporating cold soil grains, the melt quenched so rapidly that it did not mix and homogenize to represent any preferential composition, for example, that of the finest fraction.     

Forensic identification of sixteen species of Chesapeake Bay sportfishes using mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis

A method for the genetic identification of sixteen species of Chesapeake Bay sportfishes was developed using restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of two mitochondrial (mt) DNA gene regions amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To facilitate molecular-based identifications we screened for genetic markers that revealed minimal intraspecific variation but consistently discriminated among the different species. Two mitochondrial markers were developed to provide redundancy for identifications, and 40 individuals of each species were screened with both markers. The primary marker was a region of mtDNA approximately 1,495 base-pairs (bp) in length that included part of the 12S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and crossed into the adjacent 16S rRNA gene. When digested with the restriction enzymeRsa I, this region provided unique restriction patterms for all sixteen species. The second marker was a region of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase 4 (ND4) gene approximately 1,700 bp in length and digested with the restriction enzymeBstO I. This marker also discriminated among all sixte en species, but revealed higher levels of intraspecific variation than the rRNA genes. An additional set of restriction profiles was obtained for this region using the enzymeAva II to provide identification in the event a novel restriction pattern might be encountered in future studies. Because a minimal amount of tissue is required for the PCR/RFLP analysis, these molecular markers should prove useful in identifying fishes both as adults and in their early life history stages.     

Geometry and brittle deformation of the subducting Nazca Plate, Central Chile and Argentina

We use data from the Chile Argentina Geophysical Experiment (CHARGE) broad-band seismic deployment to refine past observations of the geometry and deformation within the subducting slab in the South American subduction zone between 30°S and 36°S. This region contains a zone of flat slab subduction where the subducting Nazca Plate flattens at a depth of ∼100 km and extends ∼300 km eastward before continuing its descent into the mantle. We use a grid-search multiple-event earthquake relocation technique to relocate 1098 events within the subducting slab and generate contours of the Wadati-Benioff zone. These contours reflect slab geometries from previous studies of intermediate-depth seismicity in this region with some small but important deviations. Our hypocentres indicate that the shallowest portion of the flat slab is associated with the inferred location of the subducting Juan Fernández Ridge at 31°S and that the slab deepens both to the south and the north of this region. We have also determined first motion focal mechanisms for ∼180 of the slab earthquakes. The subhorizontal T -axis solutions for these events are almost entirely consistent with a slab pull interpretation, especially when compared to our newly inferred slab geometry. Deviations of T -axes from the direction of slab dip may be explained with a gap within the subducting slab below 150 km in the vicinity of the transition from flat to normal subducting geometry around 33°S.     

THE ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITY OF CARIBBEAN ISLAND NATIONS*

ABSTRACT. Within the hazards‐ and disaster‐research community consensus exists as to factors that magnify or attenuate the effects of extreme natural events on local places. But less agreement and understanding exist concerning the methods or techniques for comparing hazard vulnerability within or between places, especially small‐island developing states. Using two Caribbean nations, Saint Vincent and Barbados, as study sites, we asked which island has the greater level of hazard vulnerability, and why. Results indicate that, although neither island has a large portion of its population living in extremely hazardous locations, Barbados has many more residents in risk‐prone areas. The methods used in this research provide valuable tools for local emergency managers in assessing vulnerability, especially through the delineation of highly vulnerable hot spots. They can also help donor organizations interested in vulnerability reduction on islands use their resources more efficiently.     

Etch pit formation on iron silicate surfaces during siderophore-promoted dissolution

Understanding the effects of microbiota on mineral alteration requires the ability to recognize evidence of bacteria-promoted dissolution on mineral surfaces. Although siderophores are known to promote mineral dissolution, their effects on mineral surfaces are not well known. We have utilized atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Mirau vertical scanning interferometry (VSI) to investigate surfaces after incubation with the siderophore desferrioxamine-B mesylate (DFAM) and under colonies of bacteria. Iron-silicate glass planchets chemically similar to hornblende were incubated in buffered growth medium with siderophore-producing bacteria (Bacillus sp.) for 46 days with parallel abiotic experiments conducted with and without 240 μM DFAM, with and without 0.01 g l^− 1 of microbially produced extracellular polysaccharides (EPS, alginate or xanthan gum). Some glass planchets were protected by dialysis tubing from direct contact with the EPS. Weekly sampling and analysis of all filtered sample solutions showed negligible Fe and Al release in the control experiments and significant release of Fe and Al in the presence of DFAM, with negligible changes in pH. Concentration of Fe in the filtered solutions after incubation with bacteria was below detection, consistent with uptake of Fe by cells. Release of Fe, Al, and Si in control, xanthan-only, and alginate-only experiments was negligible. Release of these elements was enhanced in all experiments containing DFAM, and greatest in alginate + DFAM experiments.

AFM and VSI analyses reveal widespread, small etch pits and greater root mean squared roughness on siderophore-exposed surfaces and fewer, localized, larger etch pits on bacteria-exposed surfaces. This is the first documented case of etch pit development during siderophore-promoted dissolution. Roughness was not affected by the growth medium, alginate, or xanthan gum alone. The roughness trends among samples correlate with trends in Fe depletion documented by XPS. Enhanced dissolution and roughness cannot be attributed to direct contact with EPS because no significant chemical or physical differences were observed between surfaces directly exposed to EPS and those protected by dialysis tubing. Acetate released from the EPS may have enhanced the siderophore-promoted dissolution. Siderophores produced by Bacillus sp. may be responsible for some of the ‘biopits.’ The difference in size and distribution of the biopits may be related to colonization.     

“Where is home?” Here and there: transnational experiences of home among Canadian migrants in the United States

Using structured telephone interviews this research focuses on how Canadian migrants living in the United States experience and describe home. We argue that the globalisation of peoples’ lives, transnationalism and the concomitant creation of transnational social spaces have greatly affected the meaning of home for migrants. The understandings of home that result reflect the reality of living in social worlds that span two countries and the development of decentred multiple attachments and feelings of belonging in more than one place. In response to these circumstances Canadian migrants experience home as multi-dimensional, pluri-local, and characterized by regular movement across the U.S.–Canada border. When asked specifically about feeling at home upon re-entry to the U.S. many respondents answered yes. However, many interviewees qualified their answers by describing home in different ways and associating different aspects of their lives with each country. Canada as home was most often described in terms of family, while home in the U.S. was associated with work. Respondents also differentiated between feeling at home once they reached their residence as opposed to feeling unwelcome at the U.S. border.     

Herbicide contamination and the potential impact to seagrass meadows in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia

Low concentrations of herbicides (up to 70 ng l(-1)), chiefly diuron (up to 50 ng l(-1)) were detected in surface waters associated with inter-tidal seagrass meadows of Zostera muelleri in Hervey Bay, south-east Queensland, Australia. Diuron and atrazine (up to 1.1 ng g(-1) dry weight of sediment) were detected in the sediments of these seagrass meadows. Concentration of the herbicides diuron, simazine and atrazine increased in surface waters associated with seagrass meadows during moderate river flow events indicating herbicides were washed from the catchment to the marine environment. Maximum herbicide concentration (sum of eight herbicides) in the Mary River during a moderate river flow event was 4260 ng l(-1). No photosynthetic stress was detected in seagrass in this study during low river flow. However, with moderate river flow events, nearshore seagrasses are at risk of being exposed to concentrations of herbicides that are known to inhibit photosynthesis.