Dracula’s ménagerie: A multispecies occupancy analysis of lynx,wildcat, and wolf in the Romanian Carpathians

1. The recovery of terrestrial carnivores in Europe is a conservation success story. Initiatives focused on restoring top predators require information on how resident species may interact with the re‐introduced species as their interactions have the potential to alter food webs, yet such data are scarce for Europe.
2. In this study, we assessed patterns of occupancy and interactions between three carnivore species in the Romanian Carpathians. Romania houses one of the few intact carnivore guilds in Europe, making it an ideal system to assess intraguild interactions and serve as a guide for reintroductions elsewhere.
3. We used camera trap data from two seasons in Transylvanian forests to assess occupancy and co‐occurrence of carnivores using multispecies occupancy models.
4. Mean occupancy in the study area was highest for lynx (Ψ_winter = 0.76 95% CI: 0.42–0.92; Ψ_autumn = 0.71 CI: 0.38–0.84) and wolf (Ψ_winter = 0.60 CI: 0.34–0.78; Ψ_autumn = 0.81 CI: 0.25–0.95) and lowest for wildcat (Ψ_winter = 0.40 CI: 0.19–0.63; Ψ_autumn = 0.52 CI: 0.17–0.78)
5. We found that marginal occupancy predictors for carnivores varied between seasons. We also found differences in predictors of co‐occurrence between seasons for both lynx‐wolf and wildcat‐wolf co‐occurrence. For both seasons, we found that conditional occupancy probabilities of all three species were higher when another species was present.
6. Our results indicate that while there are seasonal differences in predictors of occupancy and co‐occurrence of the three species, co‐occurrence in our study area is high.
7. Terrestrial carnivore recovery efforts are ongoing worldwide. Insights into interspecific relations between carnivore species are critical when considering the depauperate communities they are introduced in. Our work showcases that apex carnivore coexistence is possible, but dependent on protection afforded to forest habitats and their prey base.

     

Diversity and distribution of reptiles in Romania

The reptile fauna of Romania comprises 23 species, out of which 12 species reach here the limit of their geographic range. We compiled and updated a national database of the reptile species occurrences from a variety of sources including our own field surveys, personal communication from specialists, museum collections and the scientific literature. The occurrence records were georeferenced and stored in a geodatabase for additional analysis of their spatial patterns. The spatial analysis revealed a biased sampling effort concentrated in various protected areas, and deficient in the vast agricultural areas of the southern part of Romania. The patterns of species richness showed a higher number of species in the warmer and drier regions, and a relatively low number of species in the rest of the country. Our database provides a starting point for further analyses, and represents a reliable tool for drafting conservation plans.     

Effect of vertebrate predation on the spatio-temporal distribution of cladocerans in a temperature eutrophic lake

We analysed the spatio-temporal distribution of zooplankton along a profile of 10 stations from the shore to the pelagic zone from April to September 1988, the period when the larvae and juveniles Rutilus rutilus, the most abundant species in the Lake, are in the littoral zone. The digestive tracts of the young roach were analysed. They fed essentially on rotifers and on cladocerans. For comparison, zooplankton was also analysed at one littoral area without fish fry. There was an increase of cladoceran density from the vegetated nearshore zone to the offshore zone. Considering the density of Bosmina longirostris, Daphnia longispina, Chydorus sphaericus and Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, we observed a different distribution pattern in the course of the year. In the nearshore zone, the relative abundance of small species, Bosmina and Chydorus, was much higher than that of the larger Daphnia. From April to September, predation pressure mainly affected the smallest species: in contrast to the inshore station without fish fry, the density of Bosmina decreased in May in the littoral with fish. Chydorus was concentrated in the littoral between February and April, then grew into the pelagic zone, where predation pressure obviously was low during the warm season. The number of Daphnia, which was eaten by the fish fry at any time, remained low in the nearshore zone, which suggests that the presence of fish may cause Daphnia to avoid this zone. Ceriodaphnia which was not affected by this predation, was scarce in the nearshore zone during mid-summer. The low density of the cladocerans in the nearshore zone is likely associated with vertebrate predation by roach fry and juveniles, the result of such a process being either a depletion in density of the prey, or an avoidance behaviour.     

A Prospective Study of Romanian Agriculture Workers for Zoonotic Influenza Infections

Background

In this prospective study we sought to examine seroepidemiological evidence for acute zoonotic influenza virus infection among Romanian agricultural workers.

Methods

Sera were drawn upon enrollment (2009) and again at 12 and 24 months from 312 adult agriculture workers and 51 age-group matched controls. Participants were contacted monthly for 24 months and queried regarding episodes of acute influenza-like illnesses (ILI). Cohort members meeting ILI criteria permitted respiratory swab collections as well as acute and convalescent serum collection. Serologic assays were performed against 9 avian, 3 swine, and 3 human influenza viruses.

Results

During the two-year follow-up, a total of 23 ILI events were reported. Two subjects'' specimens were identified as influenza A by rRT-PCR. During the follow-up period, three individuals experienced elevated microneutralization antibody titers ≥1∶80 against three (one each) avian influenza viruses: A/Teal/Hong Kong/w312/97(H6N1), A/Hong Kong/1073/1999(H9N2), or A/Duck/Alberta/60/1976(H12N5). However, none of these participants met the criteria for poultry exposure. A number of subjects demonstrated four-fold increases over time in hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay titers for at least one of the three swine influenza viruses (SIVs); however, it seems likely that two of these three responses were due to cross-reacting antibody against human influenza. Only elevated antibody titers against A/Swine/Flanders/1/1998(H3N2) lacked evidence for such confounding. In examining risk factors for elevated antibody against this SIV with multiple logistic regression, swine exposure (adjusted OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.8) and tobacco use (adjusted OR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.1–2.9) were important predictors.

Conclusions

While Romania has recently experienced multiple incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza among domestic poultry, this cohort of Romanian agriculture workers had sparse evidence of avian influenza virus infections. In contrast, there was evidence, especially among the swine exposed participants, of infections with human and one swine H3N2 influenza virus.     

Graphene nanosheet reinforcement of polyurethane nanocomposite for green and sustainable photoluminescence,superhydrophobic, and anticorrosive paint

A simple and environmentally friendly method was developed for smart and efficient waterborne polyurethane (PUR) paint. Sugarcane bagasse was recycled into reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGONSs). Both lanthanide-doped aluminate nanoparticles (LAN; photoluminescent agent, 7–9 nm) and rGONSs (reinforcement agent) were integrated into a waterborne polyurethane to produce a novel photoluminescent, hydrophobic, and anticorrosive nanocomposite coating. Using ferrocene-based oxidation under masked circumstances, graphene oxide nanosheets were produced from sugarcane bagasse. The oxidized semicarbazide (SCB) nanostructures were integrated into polyurethane coatings as a drying, anticorrosion, and crosslinking agent. Polyurethane coatings with varying amounts of phosphor pigment were prepared and subsequently applied to mild steel. The produced paints (LAN/rGONSs@PUR) were tested for their hydrophobicity, hardness, and scratch resistance. Commission Internationale de l'éclairage (CIE) Laboratory parameters and photoluminescence analysis established the opacity and colourimetric properties of the nanocomposite coatings. When excited at 365 nm, the luminescent transparent paints emitted a strong greenish light at 517 nm. The anticorrosion characteristics of the coated steel were investigated. The phosphor-containing (11% w/w) polyurethane coatings displayed the most pronounced anticorrosion capability and long-persistent luminosity. The prepared waterborne polyurethane paints were very photostable and durable.     

A new topological method to measure protein structure similarity

A method for the quantitative evaluation of structural similarity between protein pairs is developed that makes use of a Delaunay-based topological mapping. The result of the mapping is a three-dimensional array which is representative of the global structural topology and whose elements can be used to construe an integral scoring scheme. This scoring scheme was tested for its dependence on the protein length difference in a pairwise comparison, its ability to provide a reasonable means for structural similarity comparison within a family of structural neighbors of similar length, and its sensitivity to the differences in protein conformation. It is shown that such a topological evaluation of similarity is capable of providing insight into these points of interest. Protein structure comparison using the method is computationally efficient and the topological scores, although providing different information about protein similarity, correlate well with the distance root-mean-square deviation values calculated by rigid-body structural alignment.     

Optimizing the spectrofluorimetric determination of cefdinir through a Taguchi experimental design approach

The aim of this work is to optimize a spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of cefdinir (CFN) using the Taguchi method. The proposed method is based on the oxidative coupling reaction of CFN and cerium(IV) sulfate. The quenching effect of CFN on the fluorescence of the produced cerous ions is measured at an emission wavelength (λ_em) of 358 nm after excitation (λ_ex) at 301 nm. The Taguchi orthogonal array L₉ (3⁴) was designed to determine the optimum reaction conditions. The results were analyzed using the signal‐to‐noise (S/N) ratio and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The optimal experimental conditions obtained from this study were 1 mL of 0.2% MBTH, 0.4 mL of 0.25% Ce(IV), a reaction time of 10 min and methanol as the diluting solvent. The calibration plot displayed a good linear relationship over a range of 0.5–10.0 µg/mL. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of CFN in bulk powder and pharmaceutical dosage forms. The results are in good agreement with those obtained using the comparison method. Finally, the Taguchi method provided a systematic and efficient methodology for this optimization, with considerably less effort than would be required for other optimizations techniques. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Uniparental Genetic Heritage of Belarusians: Encounter of Rare Middle Eastern Matrilineages with a Central European Mitochondrial DNA Pool

Ethnic Belarusians make up more than 80% of the nine and half million people inhabiting the Republic of Belarus. Belarusians together with Ukrainians and Russians represent the East Slavic linguistic group, largest both in numbers and territory, inhabiting East Europe alongside Baltic-, Finno-Permic- and Turkic-speaking people. Till date, only a limited number of low resolution genetic studies have been performed on this population. Therefore, with the phylogeographic analysis of 565 Y-chromosomes and 267 mitochondrial DNAs from six well covered geographic sub-regions of Belarus we strove to complement the existing genetic profile of eastern Europeans. Our results reveal that around 80% of the paternal Belarusian gene pool is composed of R1a, I2a and N1c Y-chromosome haplogroups – a profile which is very similar to the two other eastern European populations – Ukrainians and Russians. The maternal Belarusian gene pool encompasses a full range of West Eurasian haplogroups and agrees well with the genetic structure of central-east European populations. Our data attest that latitudinal gradients characterize the variation of the uniparentally transmitted gene pools of modern Belarusians. In particular, the Y-chromosome reflects movements of people in central-east Europe, starting probably as early as the beginning of the Holocene. Furthermore, the matrilineal legacy of Belarusians retains two rare mitochondrial DNA haplogroups, N1a3 and N3, whose phylogeographies were explored in detail after de novo sequencing of 20 and 13 complete mitogenomes, respectively, from all over Eurasia. Our phylogeographic analyses reveal that two mitochondrial DNA lineages, N3 and N1a3, both of Middle Eastern origin, might mark distinct events of matrilineal gene flow to Europe: during the mid-Holocene period and around the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, respectively.     

Seed size,number and strategies in annual plants: a comparative functional analysis and synthesis

Background and AimsPlants depend fundamentally on establishment from seed. However, protocols in trait-based ecology currently estimate seed size but not seed number. This can be rectified. For annuals, seed number should simply be a positive function of vegetative biomass and a negative function of seed size.MethodsUsing published values of comparative seed number as the ‘gold standard’ and a large functional database, comparative seed yield and number per plant and per m² were predicted by multiple regression. Subsequently, ecological variation in each was explored for English and Spanish habitats, newly calculated C-S-R strategies and changed abundance in the British flora.Key ResultsAs predicted, comparative seed mass yield per plant was consistently a positive function of plant size and competitive ability, and largely independent of seed size. Regressions estimating comparative seed number included, additionally, seed size as a negative function. Relationships differed numerically between regions, habitats and C-S-R strategies. Moreover, some species differed in life history over their geographical range. Comparative seed yield per m² was positively correlated with FAO crop yield, and increasing British annuals produced numerous seeds. Nevertheless, predicted values must be viewed as comparative rather than absolute: they varied according to the ‘gold standard’ predictor used. Moreover, regressions estimating comparative seed yield per m² achieved low precision.ConclusionsFor the first time, estimates of comparative seed yield and number for >800 annuals and their predictor equations have been produced and the ecological importance of these regenerative traits has been illustrated. ‘Regenerative trait-based ecology’ remains in its infancy, with work needed on determinate vs. indeterminate flowering (‘bet-hedging’), C-S-R methodologies, phylogeny, comparative seed yield per m² and changing life history. Nevertheless, this has been a positive start and readers are invited to use estimates for >800 annuals, in the Supplementary data, to help advance ‘regenerative trait-based ecology’ to the next level.     

Identification and cloning of TWIK-originated similarity sequence (TOSS): a novel human 2-pore K channel principal subunit

We have identified and cloned a new member of the mammalian tandem pore domain K+ channel subunit family, TWIK-originated similarity sequence, from a human testis cDNA library. The 939 bp open reading frame encodes a 313 amino acid polypeptide with a calculated Mr of 33.7 kDa. Despite the same predicted topology, there is a relatively low sequence homology between TWIK-originated similarity sequence and other members of the mammalian tandem pore domain K+ channel subunit family group. TWIK-originated similarity sequence shares a low (< 30%) identity with the other mammalian tandem pore domain K+ channel subunit family group members and the highest identity (34%) with TWIK-1 at the amino acid level. Similar low levels of sequence homology exist between all members of the mammalian tandem pore domain K+ channel subunit family. Potential glycosylation and consensus PKC sites are present. Northern analysis revealed species and tissue-specific expression patterns. Expression of TWIK-originated similarity sequence is restricted to human pancreas, placenta and heart, while in the mouse, TWIK-originated similarity sequence is expressed in the liver. No functional currents were observed in Xenopus laevis oocytes or HEK293T cells, suggesting that TWIK-originated similarity sequence may be targeted to locations other than the plasma membrane or that TWIK-originated similarity sequence may represent a novel regulatory mammalian tandem pore domain K+ channel subunit family subunit.