Extent and Degree of Shoreline Oiling: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill,Gulf of Mexico,USA

The oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico was documented by shoreline assessment teams as stranding on 1,773 km of shoreline. Beaches comprised 50.8%, marshes 44.9%, and other shoreline types 4.3% of the oiled shoreline. Shoreline cleanup activities were authorized on 660 km, or 73.3% of oiled beaches and up to 71 km, or 8.9% of oiled marshes and associated habitats. One year after the spill began, oil remained on 847 km; two years later, oil remained on 687 km, though at much lesser degrees of oiling. For example, shorelines characterized as heavily oiled went from a maximum of 360 km, to 22.4 km one year later, and to 6.4 km two years later. Shoreline cleanup has been conducted to meet habitat-specific cleanup endpoints and will continue until all oiled shoreline segments meet endpoints. The entire shoreline cleanup program has been managed under the Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) Program, which is a systematic, objective, and inclusive process to collect data on shoreline oiling conditions and support decision making on appropriate cleanup methods and endpoints. It was a particularly valuable and effective process during such a complex spill.     

Genes important for survival or reproduction in Varroa destructor identified by RNAi

The Varroa mite,(Varroa destructor),is the worst threat to honey bee health worldwide.To explore the possibility of using RNA interference to control this pest, we determined the effects of knocking down various genes on Varroa mite survival and reproduction.Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)of six candidate genes (Da,Pros26S,RpL8, RpL11,RpPO and RpS13)were synthesized and each injected into Varroa mites,then mite survival and reproduction were assessed.Injection of dsRNA for Da (Daughterless)and Pros26S (Gene for proteasome 26S subunit adenosine triphosphatase)caused a significant reduction in mite survival,with 3.57%±1.94% and 30.03%±11.43% mites surviving at 72 h post-inj ection (hpi),respectively.Control mites injected with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-dsRNA showed survival rates of 81.95%±5.03% and 82.36 ±2.81%,respectively. Injections of dsRNA for four other genes (RpL8,RpL11,RpPO and RpS13)did not affect survival significantly,enabling us to assess their effect on Varroa mite reproduction.The number of female offspring per mite was significantly reduced for mites injected with dsRNA of each of these four genes compared to their GFP-dsRNA controls.Knockdown of the target genes was verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction for two genes important for reproduction (RpL8,RpL11)and one gene important for survival (Pros26S). In conclusion,through RNA interference,we have discovered two genes important for mite survival and four genes important for mite reproduction.These genes could be explored as possible targets for the control of Varroa destructor in the future.     

Spatial distribution of discards in mixed fisheries: species trade-offs,potential spatial avoidance and national contrasts

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - Since 2015, the European Union gradually implemented the landing obligation (LO). This prohibits at-sea discarding of species under total allowable catch...     

A spatially aware likelihood test to detect sweeps from haplotype distributions

The inference of positive selection in genomes is a problem of great interest in evolutionary genomics. By identifying putative regions of the genome that contain adaptive mutations, we are able to learn about the biology of organisms and their evolutionary history. Here we introduce a composite likelihood method that identifies recently completed or ongoing positive selection by searching for extreme distortions in the spatial distribution of the haplotype frequency spectrum along the genome relative to the genome-wide expectation taken as neutrality. Furthermore, the method simultaneously infers two parameters of the sweep: the number of sweeping haplotypes and the “width” of the sweep, which is related to the strength and timing of selection. We demonstrate that this method outperforms the leading haplotype-based selection statistics, though strong signals in low-recombination regions merit extra scrutiny. As a positive control, we apply it to two well-studied human populations from the 1000 Genomes Project and examine haplotype frequency spectrum patterns at the LCT and MHC loci. We also apply it to a data set of brown rats sampled in NYC and identify genes related to olfactory perception. To facilitate use of this method, we have implemented it in user-friendly open source software.     

The ecology of the banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) in Southeast Asia with implications for mesopredator release,zoonotic diseases,and conservation

Habitat loss and degradation threaten forest specialist wildlife species, but some generalist mesopredators exploit disturbed areas and human‐derived food, which brings them into closer contact with humans. Mesopredator release is also important for human health for known zoonotic disease reservoirs, such as Asian civets (Viverridae family), since this group includes the intermediator species for the SARS‐CoV‐1 outbreak. Here we use camera trapping to evaluate the habitat associations of the widespread banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) across its range in Southeast Asia. At the regional scale, banded civet detections among published studies were positively associated with forest cover and negatively associated with human population. At the local scale (within a landscape), hierarchical modeling of new camera trapping showed that abundance was negatively associated with forest loss and positively associated with distance to rivers. These results do not support mesopredator release and suggest a low likelihood overlap with humans in degraded habitats and, therefore, a low risk of zoonotic disease transmission from this species in the wild. We also estimate that banded civet distribution has contracted to under 21% of its currently recognized IUCN Red List range, only 12% of which falls within protected areas, and a precipitous recent decline in population size. Accordingly, we suggest the banded civet''s Red List status should be re‐evaluated in light of our findings.     

Role for the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia

Treatment of cancer patients with chemotherapeutics like cyclophosphamide often causes alopecia as a result of premature and aberrant catagen. Because the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signals anagen hair follicles to enter catagen, we hypothesized that EGFR signaling may be involved in cyclophosphamide-induced alopecia. To test this hypothesis, skin-targeted Egfr mutant mice were generated by crossing floxed Egfr and Keratin 14 promoter-driven Cre recombinase mice. Cyclophosphamide treatment of control mice resulted in alopecia while Egfr mutant skin was resistant to cyclophosphamide-induced alopecia. Egfr mutant skin entered catagen normally, as indicated by dermal papilla condensation and decreased follicular proliferation, but did not progress to telogen as did Egfr wild type follicles. Egfr mutant follicles responded with less proliferation, apoptosis, and fewer p53-positive cells after cyclophosphamide. Treatment of control mice with the EGFR inhibitors erlotinib or gefitinib similarly suppressed alopecia and catagen progression by cyclophosphamide. Secondary analysis of clinical trials utilizing EGFR-targeted therapies and alopecia-inducing chemotherapy also revealed evidence for involvement of EGFR in chemotherapy-induced alopecia. Taken together, our results demonstrated the involvement of EGFR signaling in chemotherapy-induced alopecia, which will help in the design of novel therapeutic regimens to minimize chemotherapy-induced alopecia.