Invasive species in China — an overview

China is a vast country with rich biodiversity, which makes China especially vulnerable to invasive species. It has a long history of introduction of non-native species, especially those with perceived beneficial impacts. Its rapid economic development, including an explosive growth in international trade and transportation, has increased the potential for new introductions. Currently, alien species are widespread in the country, occur in many ecosystems, represent most major taxonomic groups, and are introduced unintentionally as well as intentionally for cultivation. The paper lists various cases of invasive species which have caused significant threats or damages to local natural or artificial ecosystems, and indicates that two example industries (fresh water fisheries and lawn grasses) have brought or tend to bring in many invasive species and hence have caused or will cause changes and loss of biodiversity in local ecosystems. Based on these studies, it is suggested that China combat the problem through enhancing awareness, development of a database on invasive species, strengthening international co-operation, preparing case studies and introducing the necessary legislation, regulations and monitoring.     

Bolboforma — an overview

A summary of the present knowledge ofBolboforma is presented in this paper. The genusBolboforma contains a diverse group of marine, mostly single-chambered enigmatic microfossils (phytoplankton, possibly Chrysophyta) which produced calcitic monocrystalline spheroidal tests with or without inner cysts and with various types of ornamentation. The genusBolboforma occurs in the time interval between late Early Eocene to Late Pliocene, at middle and higher latitudes, and thus, has not been recorded in Quaternary to Recent Sediments. The genus is represented globally, but the first and the last occurrence of the genus appear to be spatially diachronous in both hemispheres.Bolboforma started in the southern hemisphere at the Campbell Plateau (SW Pazific) during the Early Eocene approximately 53 Ma ago, and the genus lived there until latest Miocene times (5.3 Ma at the Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Indian Ocean). The first occurrence ofBolboforma in the northern hemisphere is observed in Upper Eocene Sediments (ca. 36.5 Ma) in the Labrador Sea (North Atlantic), and its youngest occurrence is observed in the Hatton-Rockall Basin (North Atlantic) in the Late Pliocene at 2.84 Ma. Well established and common species permit the definition of nineteenBolboforma zones/subzones. Not all of these are observed in both hemispheres. In the southern hemisphere all four Paleogene zones, but only eight Neogene zones are present, in the northern hemisphere only one Paleogene zone, but fourteen Neogene zones have been determined. Bolboforma distribution, which appears to be broadly bipolar in temperate to cool regions at middle to higher latitudes, aso seems to be linked to the evolution of surface watermasses and their boundaries.      

The history of comparative anatomy in Jena — an overview

Summary Comparative anatomy and zoology both have long academic traditions in Jena. At first, the two subjects developed in parallel and had many similarites in research topics. This development is covered in the first part of the paper. The close relationship between the two subjects started to break apart when Carl Gegenbaur and Ernst Haeckel were active at Jena University. In 1865 Haeckel became the first full professor of zoology in Jena, and zoology became more independent from comparative anatomy. In the second part of our paper, we follow the developments in comparative anatomy in Jena from Gegenbaur’s immediate students up until the end of Hans B?ker’s tenure in Jena in the mid-1930s. Certain subjects are in focus throughout this period, for example vertebrate head morphology and development, (the “head problem”), the relationship between anatomy and biology, and evolutionary questions. Some of these subjects have remained important research topics in zoology and comparative anatomy in Jena until the present day.     

Building the mammalian cochlea — an overview

The mammalian cochlea is a highly intricate organ responsible for hearing. Numerous specialized cell types residing in the cochlear participate in processing and relaying sound information to the brain. In general, cells in the cochlea are divided into three major types: sensory, neural, and non-sensory. Sensory cells are a group of cells in the organ of Corti consisting of hair cells and supporting cells. Sensory hair cells play a primary role in detecting and processing sound in the form of vibrations. Neural cells are the neurons and glia in the spiral (cochlear) ganglion that relay the processed sound signals in the form of a neurotransmitter to the brain. Other non-sensory cells include all other cell types providing architectural and functional support. Building a functional cochlea requires tightly orchestrated, spatial and temporal regulation of gene expressions. Disruption of the normal gene expression patterns can cause developmental failure of the organ, which can lead to permanent hearing loss. Thus, comprehensive understanding of genes contributing to cochlear development is crucial for elucidating the pathological mechanisms of hearing loss. This article is intended to provide an overview of mammalian cochlear development, focusing on genes involved in its early patterning.     

Economics of wildlife management—an overview

This study makes an explorative overview on two main research topics in economics of wildlife management: determination of population sizes and policy design. The results point out a large and comprehensive research on each of these issues, in particular on the estimation of values and costs of wildlife, where this information is necessary for the determination of population size. A drawback is that most of the value and cost studies do not relate their estimates to wildlife population size, which limits their usability for efficient policy design. Most valuation studies estimate the recreational value of hunting, which can range between 13 and 545 USD/hunting day (in 2013 prices), and two thirds of the included studies have been applied to wildlife in the USA. A majority of the studies on the costs of wildlife management calculate losses from carnivore predation on livestock and ungulate damage to crops, while a few consider dispersal of diseases and the cost of traffic collisions. Unlike valuation studies, several of the cost estimates apply to wildlife in developing and emerging economies. With respect to policy design the literature, which is mainly theoretical, suggests economic incentives for conflict resolution, where those suffering from wildlife damages are compensated for their losses. However, there are some issues which remain to be addressed by economists: relating costs and benefits to wildlife populations; estimating values and costs of wildlife in developing countries; evaluating wildlife policies in practice; addressing implications of uncertainty in population size, costs, and benefits for policy design; and estimating transaction costs for implementation and enforcement of wildlife policies.     

Feeding habits ofMysis relicta — an overview

Mysis relicta has been recognized as an important component of many limnetic food webs. The first approach to studying the feeding habits ofM. relicta was the analysis of stomach contents. Assumptions regarding stomach content analysis have been tested and seasonal feeding estimates ofM. relicta have been reported recently. Laboratory grazing and/or predation experiments have recently been completed usingM. relicta primarily from Lakes Michigan and Tahoe.Mysis relicta is concluded to be opportunistic, capable of utilizing a variety of food resources. It may play an important role in structuring limnetic food webs.     

Rice field ecology and fish culture — an overview

Rice fields are an integral part of the landscape throughout most of the tropics. Rice is also grown widely in higher latitudes. Most rice cultivation is done in flooded fields where a temporary aquatic fauna is generated. Rice cultivation has sustained some of the oldest civilizations but the use of the aquatic phase for raising a crop of fish has not been practiced widely although fragmentary records indicate that rice and fish have been cultivated concurrently but rarely over 2 or 3 millennia. We have more reliable records of rice and fish culture in rice fields during the past 150 years.Rice cultivation is now very highly mechanized and uses high fertilizer and pesticide inputs and extensive irrigation facilities have been constructed to increase the area of rice cultivation and enhance yields. Rice cultivation also provides a suitable habitat for the breeding of mosquitoes, some of which are vectors for diseases. It appears that in regions outside the tropics aquatic pests of rice are also encountered. In the tropics indigenous fishes and other organisms including copepods act as biological control agents for mosquitoes and aquatic rice pests.The rice field is usually a successor of shallow marshes or a lowland area which can be supplied with adequate water. In addition deep water rice is grown in permanent marshes and rice is also grown in terraced hillsides, not to mention relatively dry localities where dry-land rice is cultivated. The marsh habitat is usually rich in plant and animal species. Some of these survive in rice fields. The water supplied to rice fields come via irrigation systems which bring a complement of plants, animals, and other organisms seasonally to colonize the rice field. The rice field is thus a new habitat, like a reservoir, with some similarities to a marsh but manipulated for cultivation of rice. This creates a unique, temporary and rapidly changing habitat which is often very productive and can be used to raise fish on an artisanal or intensive scale.Fish culture in rice fields has had a checkered history during the past 150 years when records are available. Its earlier history is obscure. Long-term records of fish culture activities are not available from any part of the world although apparently thriving enterprises seem to have existed in Japan, Italy, USSR and China. Attempts to culture fish in rice fields have been made on all continents except Australasia and Antarctica of course. At the present time the focus of rice-cultivation seems to have shifted to China, Indonesia, and Thailand. Whether this enterprise will endure even in these countries cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty.     

Sediment-associated contaminants — an overview of scientific bases for developing remedial options

The review article covers three major aspects of scientific research on sediment-associated contaminants during the last 20 years: (i) identification and monitoring of sources and distribution (sampling; sample preparation; analyses, mainly of non-residual fractions; estimation of pollution potential); (ii) study of processes and mechanisms of pollutant transfer (interactions between dissolved and particulate element species; particle environments; transport and diagenesis: colloids; surface microlayers; particle related processes; bioturbation; dredging operations; remobilization of toxic elements; bioaccumulation of organic chemicals: solid/dissolved distribution of contaminants); (iii) assessment of the environmental impact of particle-bound pollutations (chemical extraction sequence; sediment bioassay; combined chemical/biological test procedures). Enstead, empirical tests developed from multi-disciplinary research on biological, chemical and physical factors are applied for assessing the reactivity, mobility and bioavailability of sediment-bound pollutations and for estimating the validity of remedial measures.     

Adenosine and cardioprotection during reperfusion – an overview

Ischemic heart disease includes a number of entities that have been grouped in accordance with physiopathology and evolutive criteria. In recent years new ischemic syndromes have been described. Within the new ischemic syndromes, ventricular post-ischemic dysfunction – also known as stunned myocardium – is worth mentioning. In this route, several studies have suggested that reperfusion per se could cause cellular injury (reperfusion injury). In previous years, a protective effect on the injury caused by ischemia and reperfusion in the heart has been attributed to adenosine. These effects have been documented in different experimental in vivo and in vitro models. Thus, the administration of exogenous adenosine, or agonists of adenosine receptors prior to ischemia reduces the size of the infarction, improves the recovery of the ventricular function during reperfusion (attenuating stunning) and prolongs the time period to the ischemic contracture. However, focusing on a potential therapeutic application, it is of the utmost importance to find this protection and learn the mechanisms involved when procedures are applied during early reperfusion.We showed that adenosine, administered from the beginning of reperfusion, attenuated systolic and diastolic (myocardial stiffness) alterations of the stunned myocardium. This protective effect was mediated by the activation of A₁ adenosine receptors, and without modification on infarct size. According to some authors, adenosine can decrease the release of endothelin, during early reperfusion, and reduce an overload of Ca²⁺ that could cause a cellular lesion. Finally, ischemic preconditioning involves a series of intracellular events that are initiated with the activation of the A1 receptor, and end at the sensitive K⁺ ATP channels of the mitochondria. The phosphorylation and opening of these channels would cause the protective effect. Activation of this specific mechanism during reperfusion has not been studied extensively.     

Root (wilt) disease of coconut palms in South Asia – an overview

Root (wilt) disease (RWD) caused by phytoplasma is one of the most devasting diseases of coconut palms. The major symptoms of the disease in leaves are wilting and drooping and flaccidity; ribbing, paling/yellowing and necrosis of leaflets are typical symptoms of foliar diseases. Unopened pale yellow leaflets of spindle leaves are more susceptible to leaf rot disease, which is caused by Exerohilum rostratum and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. RWD is caused by phytoplasmas, the cell wall-less prokaryotes that are bounded by a “unit” membrane. In ultrathin sections, they appear as a complex multi-branched, beaded, filamentous or spheroidal pleomorphic bodies. The disease was transmitted by plant hoppers (Proutista moesta) and lace wing bug (Stephanitis typica). Phytoplasmas are generally present in the phloem sieve tubes and in the salivary glands of these insect vectors. Phytoplasmas cannot be cultured in vitro, and hence it is very difficult to identify them. Using polymerase chain reaction technique, group-specific primers have been applied to detect mixed-phytoplasma infections in a single host. RWD, is a non-lethal, debilitating disease, and hence an integrated approach for the management of this disease in coconut palms has been discussed in this study.     

Biogeography of the benthic marine algae of the North Atlantic Ocean—an overview

An overview of the biogeography of the benthic marine algae of the North Atlantic Ocean is presented. General and specific distribution patterns are discussed in the light of current knowledge of extant species, and of known events in the evolution of the North Atlantic Ocean. The close relationships between the Arctic, NW and NE Atlantic floras suggest their possible origin as a single flora in the early Oligocene Arctic Ocean, when it was isolated by the Bering Land Bridge and the Greenland-Scotland Ridge. Migration of the flora into the North Atlantic Ocean could have occurred with the subsidence of the Greenland-Scotland Ridge. The present day distribution patterns are the main clue to unravelling the past, and study of vicariant amphi-Atlantic taxa using a variety of experimental techniques will yield the most valuable information in attempts to interpret major biogeographical events in the North Atlantic Ocean.     

Black carrot polyphenols: effect of processing,storage and digestion—an overview

Black carrots represent a valuable source of polyphenols, in particular anthocyanins and phenolic acids, and has attracted the attention of the scientific community especially due to the unique profile of anthocyanin compounds, which are well distinguished for their role in health promotion and prevention of chronic diseases. Black carrots are often not consumed as such, instead they are processed into other products. In general, processed products of black carrot are stored for long term and the polyphenols are susceptible to degradation during storage. In addition, it is also important to determine how the digestion process affects polyphenols as this will, in turn, affect their bioavailability. Accordingly, the potential health-promoting effects of black carrot polyphenols depend on their processing history and their stability during storage as well as their absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. In this perspective, this review provides an overview of the findings on the effects of processing, storage and digestion on black carrot polyphenols.     

Solid state fermentation—An overview

Since ancient times many solid state fermentations have utilized fungi and bacteria, almost always in mixed culture. The discovery and development of penicillin led to extensive use of liquid fermentations using actinomycetes and fungi and to subsequent neglect of research on solid state fermentations and the use of mixed cultures. This paper reviews the types of solid state fermentations, equipment used, products made, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of solid state fermentations. Products resulting from old and new solid and liquid substrate fermentations are enumerated.     

« Biology/medicine 2.0 »: an overview

In the last decade, the applications known as "web 2.0" (Facebook, Youtube, Twitter…) have changed our daily life and gradually influence the field of research. This article aims at proposing a critical overview of these new services, and emphasizes the changes induced for researchers (practice of scientific publication, sharing and mutualization of research data and discussion between researchers…) especially in the field of biology/medicine. A focus is done on the limitations that prevent most of scientists from using these services in their common practice (lack of knowledge about these tools, time-consuming, fear of sharing data and ideas). Despite these restrictions, some mutations affecting researcher's information uses are unavoidable, and these new tools may rapidly contribute to scientific advances.     

Therapeutic bacteriophages as a rescue treatment for drug-resistant infections – an in vivo studies overview

Bacteriophages, highly prevalent in all environments, have found their use in medicine as an alternative or complement to antibiotics. The therapeutic use of bacteriophages was particularly popular in the 1920s and 1930s, until the discovery and introduction of antibiotics. Due to the dynamic growth of antibiotic resistance among bacterial strains, numerous international institutions (such as the FDA) have declared the search for novel treatment modalities to be of the highest priority. To date, bacteriophage therapy has not been registered for general use in Western countries. The regulation of biological medicinal products (within medicinal product regulation) does not contain a specific documentation frame for bacteriophages (only for vaccines, blood derived products, etc.) which, as active substances, need to meet specific requirements. Recently, the FDA allowed bacteriophage therapy to be used in the United States, via the Emergency Investigational New Drug scheme; clinical trials to compare the safety and efficacy of bacteriophage therapy are also permitted. To date, several therapeutic products of this type have made it to phase I or II; some clinical programmes have also been completed. This article cites numerous animal model studies and registered clinical trials, showing the safety and effectiveness of bacteriophage therapy, including infections caused by bacterial strains resistant to antibiotic treatment.