2,132 research outputs found
Comment on “Insulative capacity of the integument of the dugong (Dugong dugon): thermal conductivity, conductance and resistance measured by in vitro heat flux”
No full textCommunicated by U. Sommer.
This article presents original research to investigate the relationship between integumentary composition and predictive thermal capacity. The authors suggest that cold stress syndrome (CSS) is unlikely to occur in dugongs, a claim that is at odds with a recent study from our group where we described the local appearance of mortality cases consistent with this syndrome. Horgan et al. (2014) made two statements, in particular, which disregarded a diagnosis following observations by specialist veterinary pathologists, yet without, to our knowledge, accessing the material themselves and instead quoting ‘unpublished data’ to support their conclusions. Further, and importantly, Horgan et al. (2014) ignore the pathological changes we described in other organ systems, which were consistent with changes noted during CSS in manatees and led to our diagnosis.
Cold stress syndrome is an incompletely understood but clearly very complicated, multisystemic entity that has been described as affecting Florida manatees chronically exposed to cold water (Bossart et al. 2002). Florida and south-east Queensland (QLD) are very similar in climate, species composition and marine environment. In 2013, our group published an article comparing the lesions described in manatees with those we were seeing in many of the dugongs presenting to our post-mortem room during the colder months of the year in Queensland. This description was combined with presentation of supporting environmental data (Owen et al. 2013).
Horgan, Booth, Nichols and Lanyon have made statements contradicting our argument in their article, namely: “with no credible pathological evidence of CSS (cf. Owen et al. 2013)” and “Skin lesions suggested as characteristic of cold stress and reported for dugongs by Owen et al. (2013) are grossly and histologically different to those reported for the Florida manatee, are found in dugongs throughout the tropics (Woolford and Lanyon unpublished data) and are also found in dugongs in cooler waters outside the winter period (the latter point also reported by Owen et al. 2013). Each of these factors casts serious doubt as to these skin characteristics being thermally related”. These statements are not based on sound scientific principles.
In the former instance, this statement has been made without offering any supporting or qualifying evidence and is therefore an unsubstantiated opinion. The dugong samples used for Owen et al. (2013) were assessed and compared by experienced pathologists and experts in marine population health, one of whom (MF) is in the unique position of having first-hand experience with disease in both manatees in Florida and dugongs in southeast QLD. Data and the resulting interpretations in this article were also deemed as credible by multiple reviewers. The qualifying evidence in support of the second unsubstantiated statement by Horgan et al. (2014) is that dugongs do not exhibit cold stress at 15 °C, which has been linked to Bossart et al. (2002, 2004) studies on manatees. Neither of these articles have any reference to dugongs, raising question as to where this information was derived. Further, the evidence offered by Horgan et al. (2014) in this statement is logically questionable in the way it concludes dugongs cannot get cold stress and is insufficient, based on unpublished data and misleading for other studies into this syndrome.
It is inadequate to suggest that skin lesions in the two species are different without supportive data and a reasonable scientific basis. A major concern of this rebuttal of our work is that the authors are hinging their scientific arguments by making a statement about lesions in cases they have not seen (grossly or histologically) and are then using this unfounded opinion to dismiss peer-reviewed scientific data. In addition, the precise nature of these “differences” identified by the authors needs to be described in order for their significance to be determined by the reader. Even without this information, we are sceptical that diagnostically significant differences exist as skin has a very stereotypical and non-specific range of responses to any chronic injury. Chronic lesions that are essentially indistinguishable, particularly on gross examination, can be produced by a wide array of triggers. For this reason, even though the authors have noted similar lesions in “dugongs throughout the tropics”, these lesions could have a completely different cause to those reported in our study. Also, it is diagnostically dangerous to assume that an animal in one region requires the same conditions (in this case, the same low-temperature trigger point) as an animal in another region to express the clinical signs of a disease. We do not understand the influences of geography and species differences on precipitating environmental conditions, and it is important that researchers keep an open mind and report without bias. Finally, the authors’ suggestion that these lesions are seen in dugongs throughout the tropics is misleading given dugongs’ vast range and the nature of response to syndromes. The dugong’s range spans estimated tropical and subtropical coastal and island waters of some 40 countries encompassing approximately 860,000 km2 (Marsh et al. 2012) and would require a range of trigger points unique to each locale to manifest skin lesions. Even if the authors have noted these lesions in their study sites, they cannot extrapolate to all dugong habitat and aetiologies to draw their presented conclusions.
This article highlights how misleading it can be to examine one lesion in isolation rather than the animal as a whole and to make generalizations on syndromes without solid evidence, particularly in species where response to disease is not well documented or understood. Cold stress syndrome is also obviously a complicated disease, and a multifactorial aetiology is likely, given that some animals in a particular environment can be affected while others are not. Expecting a direct cause-and-effect relationship with water temperature risks oversimplifying the syndrome and will encourage future researchers to overlook data that could be vital to increase our understanding.
A holistic and multidisciplinary approach is required in order for us to progress our understanding of this entity. We hope researchers in this field are not swayed or discouraged by the opinion presented in Horgan, Booth, Nichols and Lanyon’s recent article and rather view the data presented as a potential piece in the CSS puzzle that requires a collegial effort to solve
Ocean-finding in marine turtles: the importance of low horizon elevation as an orientation cue
No full textSea finding behaviour in hatchling sea turtles is widely believed to be guided by orientation towards the brightest horizon and away from high silhouettes. We propose that the horizon profile at the lowest angle of elevation is a more important cue for ocean finding than light intensity. Examples of hatchling orientation occurring at natural nest sites, at preselected beach release sites, and within a walled wooden arena under various conditions in the field, are presented. We conclude that hatchlings orient as follows: (1) Hatchlings move towards the horizon line at the lowest angle of elevation; (2) Hatchlings move away from high silhouettes, in a direction that remains close to the horizon line at the lowest angle of elevation; (3) Should a conflict exist regarding the direction of lowest horizon elevation, hatchlings move towards the brightest lowest horizon. This refinement to current theory explains numerous instances of natural non-ocean-finding behaviour in marine turtles, which occur both by day and by night, and in the absence of artificial lighting. We propose that the disruption caused to hatchling orientation by artificial lighting close to nesting beaches occurs because bright lights mask the horizon line as a cue by making it impossible to discern, causing the hatchlings to move towards the only visible "horizon" — the artificial lights. Consequently, we recommend that managers of sea turtle rookeries where turtles have an ocean-finding problem should manipulate the beach profile to ensure the direction of the ocean matches the lowest angle of elevation, in combination with light reduction strategies — as the most effective means of preventing disrupted orientation
Sentimentalism in Col. Jack
No full textI argue in this paper that Daniel Defoe’s Col. Jack (1722) is a well-knit sentimental novel that shows the real eighteenth-century London where rampant poverty and destitution has rendered a large number of people to be criminals. To get a complete picture of sentimentalism in Col. Jack, I have taken a brief survey of the views of critics about Defoe and his work, social history of London and the time within which Col. Jack is placed. I also argue about secularism and sentimentalism in the novel, Col. Jack’s sentimentalism in the light of psychoanalytical theory, and Defoe’s realism and sentimentalism in Col. Jack. The discussion on ‘secularism and sentimentalism’ is not a critique of Defoe’s religious belief. Col. Jack is a fictional work in the form of a biographical sketch of a rogue struggling with sin-virtue lifestyle; and Defoe portrays just that. Applying psychoanalytical approach to look at the sentimentalism in Col. Jack, we find Freudian pleasure and reality principles and the phenomenon of Oedipus complex at work. The realism and sentimentalism in Col. Jack combine to provide complete picture of destitution and its effects, the necessity of reasoning and its effects, compassion and its effects, and the importance of consistent effort to change extenuating circumstances to make life useful for self and for others -- hallmark of sentimentalism. Col. Jack is all about this, and a well-reasoned sentimental commentary on the societal incongruities that either make a man a sinful creature for none of his fault, or provide opportunity to a man to be a vitreous, useful gentleman.M.A.Includes bibliographical referencesby Syed W. Rizv
Temporal changes in artificial light exposure of marine turtle nesting areas
No full textArtificial light at night poses a significant threat to multiple taxa across the globe. In coastal regions, artificial lighting close to marine turtle nesting beaches is disruptive to their breeding success. Prioritizing effective management of light pollution requires an understanding of how the light exposure of nesting areas changes over time in response to changing temporal and spatial distributions of coastal development. We analyzed multitemporal, satellite night-light data, in combination with linear mixed model analysis, to determine broadscale changes in artificial light exposure at Australian marine turtle nesting areas between 1993 and 2010. We found seven marine turtle management units (MU), from five species, have experienced significant increases in light exposure over time, with flatback turtles nesting in east Australia experiencing the fastest increases. The remaining 12 MUs showed no significant change in light exposure. Unchanging MUs included those previously identified as having high exposure to light pollution (located in western Australia and southern Queensland), indicating that turtles in these areas have been potentially exposed to high light levels since at least the early nineties. At a finer geographic scale (within-MU), nine MUs contained nesting areas with significant increases in light exposure. These nesting areas predominantly occurred close to heavily industrialized coastal areas, thus emphasizing the importance of rigorous light management in industry. Within all MUs, nesting areas existed where light levels were extremely low and/or had not significantly increased since 1993. With continued coastal development, nesting females may shift to these darker/unchanging 'buffer' areas in the future. This is valuable information that informs our understanding of the capacity and resilience of marine turtles faced with coastal development: an understanding that is essential for effective marine turtle conservation
Bedeutung und Bekämpfung von Schadinsekten an Winterweizen und Winterraps in Schleswig-Holstein, 1999-2001, und der Trend der Insektizid-Behandlungen von 1999-2004
No full textIn the average of 1999 to 2004 winter wheat covered 64 % of the agricultural land of Schleswig-Holstein (331.000 ha), winter oilseed rape 31 %. These two important crops (covering 95 % of the acreage) were attacked in 1999 to 2001 by a) wheat: cereal leaf beetles (Oulema spp.Col., Chrysomelidae) and by cereal aphids (mainly Sitobion avenae and Metopolophium dirhodum; Hom., Aphididae; b) Oilseed rape: by pollen beetles (Meligethes aeneus F.; Col., Nitidulidae) and by the cabbage seed weevil Ceutorrhynchus assimlis (Payk.) (Col., Curculionidae). Studies (with six field experiments per crop, at two sites, 1999 to 2001) were done by the first author in the course of the work on a PhD thesis (Kirch 2006) to clarify the economic importance of these pests, and to look for the validity of the action thresholds published. Additionally, 51 farmers were inquired for their insecticide use, 1999 to 2004.Winterweizen bedeckte 1999-2004 64 % der Ackerfläche Schleswig-Holsteins, Winterraps 31 %. Die wichtigsten Schädlinge an Winterweizen waren die drei Getreideblattlausarten (Hom., Aphididae)(Sitobion avenae und Metopolophium dirhodum, selten Rhopalosiphum padi) und die beiden Oulema-Arten (Getreidehähnchen)(O. melanopus und O. lichenis) (Col., Chrysomelidae). An Winterraps traten im Untersuchungszeitraum auf: Meligethes aeneus (F.) (Rapsglanzkäfer) (Col., Nitidulidae) und Ceutorrhynchus assimilis (Payk.) (Kohlschotenrüßler) (Col., Curculionidae). In beiden Kulturen wurden sechs Feldversuche durchgeführt, mit frühen und späten Insektizid-Applikationen (an je zwei Standorten, mit vierfacher Wiederholung). Bei Weizen waren die Parzellen 50 m² groß, bei Raps 90 m². Bei Winterweizen zeigten beide Schaderreger-Gruppen negative Einflüsse auf den Ertrag, wenn sie nicht bei Bekämpfungsschwellen bekämpft wurden. Sowohl der Getreidehähnchen - als auch der Blattlausbefall waren signifikant negativ mit dem Ertrag korreliert. Die ökonomische Auswertung ergab, dass im Untersuchungszeitraum – bei Beachtung der Bekämpfungsschwellen - die frühe Bekämpfung der Getreidehähnchen-Larven wirtschaftlicher war als die spätere der Getreideblattläuse. Bei Winterraps erwies sich die Bekämpfung des Kohlschotenrüsslers als ertraglich und ökonomisch vorteilhaft, selbst ohne Auftreten von Dasineura brassicae (Winn.), der Kohlschotenmücke. Die Bekämpfung des Rapsglanzkäfers hingegen war nur in einem von sechs Versuchen ertragsmäßig und ökonomisch erfolgreich. Die Probleme bei diesem Schädling sind 1. die zu niedrige Bekämpfungsschwelle und 2. die Resistenz gegenüber synthetischen Pyrethroiden. Wurden in Schleswig-Holstein 1999 75.000 ha Ackerfläche mit Insektiziden behandelt (22.7 % AF), stieg die Fläche bis 2004 auf 220.000 (66.5 % AF). Die Anteile der einzelnen Wirkstoffe haben sich verändert
Tagging of Biomedical Articles on CiteULike: A Comparison of User, Author and Professional Indexing
No full textThis paper examines the context of online indexing from the viewpoint of three different groups: users, authors, and professional indexers. User tags, author keywords and descriptors were collected from academic journal articles, which were both indexed in Pubmed and tagged on CiteULike, and analysed. Descriptive statistics, informetric measures, and thesaural term comparison shows that there are important differences in the use of keywords between the three groups in addition to similarities which can be used to enhance support for search and browse. While tags and author keywords were found that matched descriptors exactly, other terms which did not match but provided important expansion to the indexing lexicon were found. These additional terms could be used to enhance support for searching and browsing in article databases as well as to provide invaluable data for entry vocabulary and emergent terminology for regular updates to indexing systems. Additionally, the study suggests that tags support organisation by association to task, projects and subject while making important connections to traditional systems which classify into subject categories
Col. Carlos P. Romulo
No full textPhotograph used for a story in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper. Caption: "Col. Carlos P. Romulo, author of "I saw the Fall of the Philippines", has written "A living story of democracy" in Mother America, to be published on November 5th.
Coastal light pollution and marine turtles: assessing the magnitude of the problem
No full textGlobally significant numbers of marine turtles nest on Australian beaches; however,the human population of Australia is also heavily concentrated around coastal areas. Coastal development brings with it increases in artificial light. Since turtles are vulnerable to disorientation from artificial light adjacent to nesting areas, the mitigation of disruption caused by light pollution has become an important component of marine turtle conservation strategies in Australia. However, marine turtles are faced with a multitude of anthropogenic threats and managers need to prioritise impacts to ensure limited conservation resources can result in adequate protection of turtles. Knowledge of the extent to which nesting areas may be vulnerable to light pollution is essential to guide management strategies. We use geographical information system analysis to over-lay turtle nesting data onto night-time lights data produced by the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, to assess the proportion of marine turtles in Australia potentially at risk from light pollution. We also identify the Australian nesting sites which may face the greatest threat from artificial light. Our assessment indicates that the majority of nesting turtles appear to be at low risk, but population management units in Western Australia and Queensland are vulnerable to light pollution. The risk to turtles from light generated by industrial developments appears significantly higher than at any other location. Consequently, managers of turtle management units in regions of proposed or on-going industrial development should anticipate potentially disrupted turtle behaviour due to light pollution. Our methodology will be useful to managers of turtles elsewhere
Semiotinae, nueva subfamilia de Elateridae (Col.)
No full textThe author suggests for species of the genera Semiotus Eschsch., Semiotinus Pjatakowa and Oistus Cand. (Col. Elateridae) introduce the new subfamily Serniotinae.El autor sugiere para especies de los géneros Semiotus Eschsch., Semiotinus Pjatakowa y Oistus Cand. (Col. Elateridae) introducir la nueva subfamilia Serniotinae
Is sea-basing a viable method of providing logistic support to the UK amphibious force?
No full textMaritime power has traditionally been a central part of the UK’s defence planning and is well
suited to supporting a wide range of military operations. The littoral area has always created
problems for naval planners as most landings historically have had to endure a tactical
separation of the naval and land components, and hence an artificial seam between the Navy
and the Marines. With the end of the Cold War, amphibious operations are going to be more
difficult to conduct than in the past, and amphibious forces are going to have to adopt
manoeuvre warfare capabilities in order to successfully complete their missions. It is very
likely that amphibious forces will have to conduct operations against a numerically superior
enemy, who is on his own terrain, and be surrounded by a neutral, if not hostile populace. As
such, the concept of Operational Manoeuvre From The Sea (OMFTS) whereby the sea is used
as a manoeuvre space, and command and control is fast enough to cope with large amounts of
information, but at the same time allow subordinates maximum flexibility to use their
initiative, is increasingly attractive. It will be important not only for the combat elements to be
able to use this new concept, but the Combat Service Support (CSS) elements as well
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