Neural evolution in the bat-free habitat of Tahiti: partial regression in an anti-predator auditory system

Noctuid moths endemic to the mountains of Tahiti have evolved in an environment without bats and these insects have lost a defensive behaviour against these predators, the acoustic startle response (ASR). The ASR in noctuid moths is presumed to be activated by a single auditory receptor neuron (A2 cell) and we report that while this cell still exists in endemic species and possesses similar sensitivity thresholds compared to the A2 cell of recently introduced species, it exhibits reduced firing activity to ASR-evoking sounds. This partial neural regression suggests that the evolutionary disappearance of the ASR in these insects is incomplete and that sensoribehavioural integration decays gradually following the removal of stabilizing selective forces.     

Against the impairment argument: A reply to Hendricks

In an article of this journal, Perry Hendricks makes a novel argument for the immorality of abortion. According to his impairment argument, abortion is immoral because: (a) it is wrong to impair a fetus to the nth degree, such as causing the fetus to have fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS); (b) it is wrong to impair a fetus to the n+1 degree (to cause the fetus to be more impaired than to have FAS); (c) killing the fetus impairs the fetus to the n+1 degree (causes it to be more impaired than to have FAS); (d) abortion kills the fetus; (e) therefore, abortion is immoral. The impairment argument is a promising account for the wrongness of abortion because it does not rely on the controversial metaphysical premise that a fetus is a person. This article aims to show, that despite some immediate advantages over the rival theories of the immorality of abortion there is a reason to believe that the impairment argument is untenable. That is because there are goods that can be achieved by abortion but that cannot be achieved by impairing the fetus.     

A new species of soldierfish of the genusOstichthys and records ofO. archiepiscopus andO. sandix from Tahiti

Three species of the soldierfish genusOstichthys have been collected in the Society Islands at depths of 300–420 m:O. archiepiscopus andO. sandix are new records for the South Pacific, andO. ovaloculus is described as new from one specimen taken off Tahiti. It is distinctive in having XI, 16 dorsal rays, 15 pectoral rays, 38 lateral-line scales (other species of the genus with 27–30), 31/2 rows of scales above the lateral line, a straight dorsal head profile, long snout, and oval eye; color when fresh, bright red, the centers of scales whitish, resulting in longitudinal banding on the body.     

A Framework to Report the Production of Renewable Diesel from Algae

Recently, algae have received significant interest as a potential feedstock for renewable diesel (such as biodiesel), and many researchers have attempted to quantify this potential. Some of these attempts are less useful because they have not incorporated specific values of algal lipid content, have not included processing inefficiencies, or omitted processing steps required for renewable diesel production. Furthermore, the associated energy, materials, and costs requirements are sometimes omitted. The accuracy and applicability of these estimates can be improved by using data that are more specific, including all relevant information for renewable diesel production, and by presenting information with more relevant metrics. To determine whether algae are a viable source for renewable diesel, three questions that must be answered are (1) how much renewable diesel can be produced from algae, (2) what is the financial cost of production, and (3) what is the energy ratio of production? To help accurately answer these questions, we propose an analytical framework and associated nomenclature system for characterizing renewable diesel production from algae. The three production pathways discussed in this study are the transesterification of extracted algal lipids, thermochemical conversion of algal biomass, and conversion of secreted algal oils. The nomenclature system is initially presented from a top-level perspective that is applicable to all production pathways for renewable diesel from algae. Then, the nomenclature is expanded to characterize the production of renewable diesel (specifically, biodiesel) from extracted algal lipids in detail (cf. Appendix 2). The analytical framework uses the presented nomenclature system and includes three main principles: using appropriate reporting metrics, using symbolic notation to represent unknown values, and presenting results that are specific to algal species, growth conditions, and product composition.     

Lymphocutaneous Sporotrichosis in an Immunocompetent Patient: A Case Report from Extreme Southern Italy

Sporotrichosis is a mycotic infection rarely encountered in European countries, including Italy. We describe lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis in an immunocompetent 64-year-old male Italian mason. The patient had linear nodules along the right upper arm with severe lymphadenopathy in the same arm. Sporothrix schenckii was identified by phenotypic and molecular methods. Treatment with itraconazole and methylprednisolone followed by administration of itraconazole alone successfully cured the infection. To our knowledge, this is the first documented report of sporotrichosis from Calabria and Sicily, extreme southern Italy.     

Efficacy of Cryptdin-2 as an Adjunct to Antibiotics from Various Generations Against Salmonella

Emerging drug resistance in Salmonella coupled with the recent poor success rate of antibiotic discovery programs of the pharmaceutical industry is a cause for significant concern. It has forced the scientific community to look for alternative new classes of antimicrobial compounds. In this context, combinations of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and conventional antibiotics have gained interest owing to their versatile applications. The present study was therefore planned to evaluate the synergistic effects, if any, of cryptdin-2, a mouse Paneth cell alpha-defensin, in combination with four different antibiotics i.e. ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, cefotaxime and chloramphenicol, which are conventionally used against Salmonella. Minimum bactericidal concentrations of the selected antimicrobial agents were determined by micro and macro broth dilution assays. In-vitro synergy between the agents was evaluated by fractional bactericidal concentration index (checkerboard test) and time-kill assay. Cryptdin-2-ciprofloxacin, cryptdin-2-ceftriaxone and cryptdin-2-cefotaxime combinations were found synergistic as evident by in vitro assays. This synergism provides an additional therapeutic choice by allowing the use of conventional antibiotics in conjunction with AMPs against MDR Salmonella.