Monitoring acid waters in the U.K.: an overview of the U.K. Acid Waters Monitoring Network and summary of the first interpretative exercise

1. The U.K. Acid Waters Monitoring Network (AWMN) was established in 1988. It comprises eleven lake and eleven stream sites located throughout the U.K. in areas sensitive to acidification. The principal objective of the AWMN is to provide a long-term, high-quality chemical, biological and palaeolimnological record which, in conjunction with the U.K. precipitation monitoring networks, will facilitate the assessment of trends within U.K. surface waters.
2. The first interpretation of results generated by the AWMN (April 1988–March 1993) has recently been completed and is summarized. During this period there have been no sustained changes in atmospheric deposition in the U.K. Trends are recognized in certain chemical and/or biological parameters at individual AWMN sites, but despite some (regional) patterns no regional trends toward increasing or decreasing acidification are apparent. The data comprise an excellent baseline with which future changes may be compared.
3. The methodology of the AWMN is reviewed and some amendments are suggested in the light of the first 5 years experience. These include: additional determinations for nitrogen species and total phosphorus; changes to the frequency of macrophyte and palaeolimnological sampling; new emphasis on data generated by sediment traps at lake sites; and the addition of extra sites to address better the full extent of acid-sensitive surface waters revealed by the national critical loads mapping programme, and to pay particular attention to the acidifying role of nitrogen.
4. The contribution of AWMN data to other national and international environmental monitoring programmes is highlighted. In addition, AWMN sites provide data to develop and validate critical loads models and dynamic models of acidification, and could also be used to monitor the impact of other air pollutants such as trace metals and persistent organic compounds on the freshwater environment.     

The Predicament of Chukotka's Indigenous Movement: Post-Soviet Activism in the Russian Far North

The Predicament of Chukotka's Indigenous Movement: Post-Soviet Activism in the Russian Far North . Patty A. Gray. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 276 pp.     

FENESTRATE BRYOZOAN GENERA BASED ON SPECIES FROM IRELAND ORIGINALLY DESCRIBED BY FREDERICK M'COY IN 1844

Abstract:  A large number of fenestrate bryozoan species were named in 'A Synopsis of the Characters of the Carboniferous Limestone Fossils of Ireland' by Frederick M'Coy (1844). At the same time, M'Coy named the bryozoan genera Ichthyorachis , Ptylopora and Polypora , each of which by monotypy or by subsequent designation was based on new species within that work. Subsequently, d' Orbigny (1849) named Fenestrellina with the type species Fenestella crassa M'Coy, 1844 as type species; Miller (1961) named Parafenestella with the type species Fenestella formosa M'Coy, 1844 as type species; and Wyse Jackson (1988) named Baculopora with the type species Vincularia megastoma M'Coy, 1844. We re-describe here in more detail than previously the fenestrate type species originally published in M'Coy (1844), provide diagnoses of the genera, and compare the nineteenth century genera with more recently named genera that have been discriminated specifically from them.     

Microclimatic factors influencing refugium suitability for Rhodnius prolixus

Abstract.  Rehydration in the triatomine bug Rhodnius prolixus (Stål) is dependent on the blood meal, and water balance regulation is crucial for survival of starving bugs. In an experimental arena with zones at different climatic conditions, starved R. prolixus nymphs prefer a cooler and more humid zone, stopping there more often and for longer periods. This is probably a behavioural adaptation to limit water loss and reduce metabolic rate. In the Venezuelan State of Portuguesa, temperature and humidity were monitored in three kinds of potential refugia during the dry season: (i) in a palm roof; (ii) in a crack of the wall of a house; and (iii) in a palm tree crown. Fluctuations in temperature and saturation deficit are not very different inside and outside the palm roof except during a few hours of the day when the sun is at its zenith. In the crack of the wall, the diurnal temperature range is reduced to 6.5 °C compared with 12.4 °C outside, and the saturation deficit varies by only 7.6 hPa compared with 28.6 hPa outside. In the palm tree crown, the daily temperature range is only 4.2 °C compared with 13.8 °C outside, and the saturation deficit is permanently < 5 hPa. The microclimatic conditions in the palm tree crown would appear to be ideal for starving R. prolixus , but this kind of refugium generally harbours low densities of bugs, probably related to a combination of predation, pathogens and lower mean temperature within the crown. Such biotic and abiotic constraints play a lesser role in the less ideal palm roof and wall crack refugia where bugs can proliferate as long as hosts are readily available nearby.     

Generation of Zika virus–specific T cells from seropositive and virus-naïve donors for potential use as an autologous or “off-the-shelf” immunotherapeutic

BackgroundZika virus (ZIKV) infection can cause severe birth defects in newborns with no effective currently available treatment. Adoptive transfer of virus-specific T cells has proven to be safe and effective for the prevention or treatment of many viral infections, and could represent a novel treatment approach for patients with ZIKV infection. However, extending this strategy to the ZIKV setting has been hampered by limited data on immunogenic T-cell antigens within ZIKV. Hence, we have generated ZIKV-specific T cells and characterized the cellular immune responses against ZIKV antigens.MethodsT-cell products were generated from peripheral blood of ZIKV-exposed donors, ZIKV-naive adult donors and umbilical cord blood by stimulation with pentadecamer (15mer) overlapping peptide libraries spanning four ZIKV polyproteins (C, M, E and NS1) using a Good Manufacturing Practice–compliant protocol.ResultsWe successfully generated T cells targeting ZIKV antigens with clinically relevant numbers. The ex vivo–expanded T cells comprised both CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells that were able to produce Th1-polarized effector cytokines and kill ZIKV-infected HLA-matched monocytes, confirming functionality of this unique T-cell product as a potential “off-the-shelf” therapeutic. Epitope mapping using peptide arrays identified several novel HLA class I and class II–restricted epitopes within NS1 antigen, which is essential for viral replication and immune evasion.DiscussionOur findings demonstrate that it is feasible to generate potent ZIKV-specific T cells from a variety of cell sources including virus naïve donors for future clinical use in an “off-the-shelf” setting.     

The metabolic acclimation of Arabidopsis thaliana to arsenate is sensitized by the loss of mitochondrial LIPOAMIDE DEHYDROGENASE2, a key enzyme in oxidative metabolism

Mitochondrial lipoamide dehydrogenase is essential for the activity of four mitochondrial enzyme complexes central to oxidative metabolism. The reduction in protein amount and enzyme activity caused by disruption of mitochondrial LIPOAMIDE DEHYDROGENASE2 enhanced the arsenic sensitivity of Arabidopsis thaliana. Both arsenate and arsenite inhibited root elongation, decreased seedling size and increased anthocyanin production more profoundly in knockout mutants than in wild‐type seedlings. Arsenate also stimulated lateral root formation in the mutants. The activity of lipoamide dehydrogenase in isolated mitochondria was sensitive to arsenite, but not arsenate, indicating that arsenite could be the mediator of the observed phenotypes. Steady‐state metabolite abundances were only mildly affected by mutation of mitochondrial LIPOAMIDE DEHYDROGENASE2. In contrast, arsenate induced the remodelling of metabolite pools associated with oxidative metabolism in wild‐type seedlings, an effect that was enhanced in the mutant, especially around the enzyme complexes containing mitochondrial lipoamide dehydrogenase. These results indicate that mitochondrial lipoamide dehydrogenase is an important protein for determining the sensitivity of oxidative metabolism to arsenate in Arabidopsis.