Species Richness and Patterns of Invasion in Plants, Birds, and Fishes in the United States*

We quantified broad-scale patterns of species richness and species density (mean # species/km²) for native and non-indigenous plants, birds, and fishes in the continental USA and Hawaii. We hypothesized that the species density of native and non-indigenous taxa would generally decrease in northern latitudes and higher elevations following declines in potential evapotranspiration, mean temperature, and precipitation. County data on plants (n = 3004 counties) and birds (n=3074 counties), and drainage (6 HUC) data on fishes (n = 328 drainages) showed that the densities of native and non-indigenous species were strongly positively correlated for plant species (r = 0.86, P < 0.0001), bird species (r = 0.93, P<0.0001), and fish species (r = 0.41, P<0.0001). Multiple regression models showed that the densities of native plant and bird species could be strongly predicted (adj. R² = 0.66 in both models) at county levels, but fish species densities were less predictable at drainage levels (adj. R² = 0.31, P<0.0001). Similarly, non-indigenous plant and bird species densities were strongly predictable (adj. R² = 0.84 and 0.91 respectively), but non-indigenous fish species density was less predictable (adj. R² = 0.38). County level hotspots of native and non-indigenous plants, birds, and fishes were located in low elevation areas close to the coast with high precipitation and productivity (vegetation carbon). We show that (1) native species richness can be moderately well predicted with abiotic factors; (2) human populations have tended to settle in areas rich in native species; and (3) the richness and density of non-indigenous plant, bird, and fish species can be accurately predicted from biotic and abiotic factors largely because they are positively correlated to native species densities. We conclude that while humans facilitate the initial establishment, invasions of non-indigenous species, the spread and subsequent distributions of non-indigenous species may be controlled largely by environmental factors. The U.S. Government’s right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Patient-Centred Care: Qualitative Findings on Health Professionals’ Understanding of Ethics in Acute Medicine

In recent years the literature on bioethics has begun to pose the sociological challenge of how to explore organisational processes that facilitate a systemic response to ethical concerns. The present discussion seeks to make a contribution to this important new direction in ethical research by presenting findings from an Australian pilot study. The research was initiated by the Clinical Ethics Committee of Redland Hospital at Bayside Health Service District in Queensland, Australia, and explores health professionals’ understanding of the nature of ethics and their experience with ethical decision-making within an acute medical ward. This study focuses on the actual experience, understanding and attitudes of clinical professionals in a general medical ward. In particular, the discussion explores the specific findings from the study concerned with how a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals define and operationalise the notion of ethics in an acute ward hospital setting. The key issue reported is that health professionals are not only able to clearly articulate notions of ethics, but that the notions expressed by a multi-disciplinary diversity of participants share a common definitional concept of ethics as patient-centred care. The central finding is that all professional groups indicated that there is a guiding principle to address their ethical sense of the ‘good’ or the ‘ought’ and that is to act in a way that furthered the interests of patients and their families. The findings affirm the importance of a sociological perspective as a productive new direction in bioethical research.     

Synthesis and SAR of 1,3-disubstituted cyclohexylmethyl urea and amide derivatives as non-peptidic motilin receptor antagonists

A series of 1,3-disubstituted cyclohexylmethyl urea and amide derivatives were synthesized as motilin receptor antagonists. Starting from known motilin antagonists, 1a and 1b, the cyclopentene scaffold was replaced and the four recognition elements optimized to arrive at a potent novel series.     

pH effect on the mechanical performance and phase mobility of thermally processed wheat gluten-based natural polymer materials

The mechanical properties, phase composition, and molecular motions of thermally processed wheat gluten- (WG-) based natural polymer materials were studied by mechanical testing, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The performance of the materials was mainly determined by the denaturization and cross-linking occurring in the thermal processing and the nature or amount of plasticizers used. The pH effect also played an important role in the materials when water was used as the only plasticizer (WG-w). Alkaline conditions modified the chemical structure of WG, possibly via deamidation; enhanced the thermal cross-linking of WG macromolecules to form a more stable aggregation structure; and promoted intermolecular interactions between water and all components in WG (proteins, starch, and lipid), resulting in a strong adhesion among different components and phases. The saponification of lipid under alkaline conditions also enhanced the hydrophilicity of lipid and the miscibility among lipid, water, and WG components. However, when glycerol was used with water as a plasticizer (WG-wg), the phase mobility and composition of the materials mainly depended on the content of glycerol when the water content was constant. During thermal processing under either acidic or alkaline conditions, glycerol was unlikely to thermally cross-link with WG as suggested previously. The advanced mechanical performance of the WG-wg materials was attributed to the nature of hydrogen-bonding interactions between glycerol and WG components in the materials. This caused the whole material to behave like a strengthened "cross-linked" structure at room temperature due to the low mobility of glycerol. The pH effect on phase mobility and compositions of WG-wg systems was not as significant as that for WG-w materials.     

Plasma levels of ursodeoxycholic acid in black bears, Ursus americanus: seasonal changes

To date, no other studies have examined the seasonal changes in circulating levels of various bile acids in the plasma of wild North American black bears, Ursus americanus. Using gas chromatography, bile acid concentrations were measured in plasma samples obtained during either early or late hibernation, and during summer active periods. Thus, specific compositional changes from individual animals were examined through a given year. Total bile acid concentrations in the plasma of these normal animals were found to range between 0.2 and 3.1 micromol/L (0.9 +/- 0.2 micromol/L, mean +/- SEM). Cholic, ursodeoxycholic and chenodeoxycholic acids were the major bile acid species identified. Ursodeoxycholic acid represented 28.0 +/- 2.6% of the total bile acid pool. Deoxycholic and lithocholic acids were found only in small amounts. In addition, total bile acid concentrations were lower in plasma samples obtained during hibernation compared with those obtained during summer active periods (0.6 +/- 0.1 and 1.2 +/- 0.4 micromol/L, respectively; p < 0.05). However, the relative proportion of ursodeoxycholic acid, was significantly greater in winter than in summer (31.5 +/- 3.2% and 22.2 +/- 4.5%, p < 0.05). Finally, taurine-conjugated bile acids were the predominant species in bear plasma, accounting for >67% of the total bile acids. These data demonstrate that ursodeoxycholic acid is a major bile acid in black bear plasma, mostly conjugated with taurine. Further, the finding of seasonal variation in plasma bile acid composition provides evidence to support the possible role that ursodeoxycholic acid may play in cellular protection in hibernating black bears.     

Lipids and glycosphingolipids in caveolae and surrounding plasma membrane of primary rat adipocytes.

We have made a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of the lipid composition of caveolae from primary rat fat cells and compared the composition of plasma membrane inside and outside caveolae. We isolated caveolae from purified plasma membranes using ultrasonication in carbonate buffer to disrupt the membrane, or extraction with nonionic detergent, followed by density gradient ultracentrifugation. The carbonate-isolated caveolae fraction was further immunopurified using caveolin antibodies. Carbonate-isolated caveolae were enriched in cholesterol and sphingomyelin, and the concentration was three- and twofold higher, respectively, in caveolae compared to the surrounding plasma membrane. The concentration of glycerophospholipids was similar suggesting that glycerophospholipids constitute a constant core throughout the plasma membrane. The composition of detergent-insoluble fractions of the plasma membrane was very variable between preparations, but strongly enriched in sphingomyelin and depleted of glycerophospholipids compared to carbonate-isolated caveolae; indicating that detergent extraction is not a suitable technique for caveolae preparation. An average adipocyte caveola contained about 22 x 10(3) molecules of cholesterol, 7.5 x 10(3) of sphingomyelin and 23 x 10(3) of glycerophospholipid. The glycosphingolipid GD3 was highly enriched in caveolae, whereas GM3, GM1 and GD1a were present inside as well as outside the caveolae membrane. GD1b, GT1b, GM2, GQ1b, sulfatide and lactosylceramide sulfate were not detected in caveolae.     

Offshore renewable energy and nature conservation: the case of marine tidal turbines in Northern Ireland

The global demand for renewable energy continues to increase rapidly and with it the necessity to develop and test new technologies to deliver the power. Offshore renewable energy sources that harness wind, wave or tidal power are of major interest. Technological advances in these directions have not been matched by a clear understanding of the environmental impacts of the new devices, with most existing research concentrated on the impacts of offshore wind farms. Decisions often continue to be made without the support of a clear evidence base. Here we use an underwater tidal turbine, SeaGen, constructed and operated within the Strangford Lough marine protected area in Northern Ireland, as a case study to explore the potential impacts of the turbine as points of concern and argumentation in the decision-making processes. We use information obtained from official documents and one-to-one interviews with the main stakeholders. Our results demonstrate that during the construction and operation of the turbine the perceptions and views of different stakeholders sometimes disagreed but were often surprisingly similar in relation to both likelihood and intensity of the potential impacts of the turbine on marine biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being in general. The overall consensus of views was refined and evolved under an adaptive management approach over the 10 years of the discussions and decision-making processes. The results are discussed in relation to cumulative gains in knowledge, future arrays of many underwater turbines and multiple use of oceans within social ecological systems to maintain the conservation of marine biodiversity.     

Colorectal carcinomas have a characteristic ganglioside pattern

The gangliosides in six colorectal and two pancreatic carcinomas were examined. Their concentration in the primary tumour and the metastases was 5-10 fold higher than in normal colon mucosa. This increase involved the simple gangliosides, GM3 and GD3, as well as complex mono- and disialogangliosides. Some complex monosialogangliosides were detected in all the colorectal and pancreatic carcinomas but neither in normal colon mucosa and pancreas nor in kidney and lung carcinomas.