Life cycle assessment standards

The newly emerging LCA standards provide an opportunity to review and improve upon the current LCA methodology. As more industrial practitioners enter the arena, the opportunity arises to not only demand environmental improvement from industrial service and product providers but also to fill LCA data gaps. A framework is suggested for improvement in the current LCA framework that focuses on the business relationships of the industrial practitioner. The framework seeks to promote environmental improvement from industrial sectors through the identification of state-of-the-art technologies used throughout a life cycle. Basing LCAs on the best performers in an industry will create a market for a high level of environmental performance, disperse the responsibility of inventory data gathering, and improve upon the advancements already anticipated through the widespread application of LCA.     

A SURVEY OF BLOOD PARASITES OF BIRDS IN THE MASCARENE ISLANDS, INDIAN OCEAN: WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES AND TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION

A survey was carried out on the prevalence of blood parasites in birds in the Mascarene Islands. Smears from 357 birds of 25 species in 12 families were examined, of which 150 (42%) were found to harbour blood parasites. The most common parasites were Leucocytozoon ; a new species, L. zosteropis , is described from the Grey White-eye Zosterops borbonica mauritiana. This parasite was observed in smears from 68 birds of three species: Z. borbonica, Z. chloronothos and Z. olivacea. Other species of Leucocytozoon identified were L. fringillinarum from fodies, sparrows and a bulbul and L. marchouxi from two doves.
Haemoproteus was found only in domestic pigeons Columba livia and identified as H. columbae. Plasmodium relictum, P. vaughani and an unidentified species with elongate gametocytes were found in Zosterops , and Plasmodium sp. of low infection observed in other hosts. Trypanosoma mayae is redescribed from the House Sparrow Passer domesticus and the Mauritius Fody Foudia rubra , and considered to be a valid species. A new species of trypanosome, Trypanosoma phedinae , is described from the Malagasy Swallow Phedina b. borbonica. Other birds were found to harbour low infections of unidentified species of trypanosomes. A small number of birds were infected with Atoxoplasma , haemogregarines and Rickettsia-like organisms. An unidentified organism with a predilection for eosinophils was observed in several Mascarene Swiftlets Collocalia francica.
The results are discussed in relation to the possible effects of the parasites on the birds of the Mascarene Islands and comparisons made with the results of similar surveys on other Indian Ocean Islands.     

Basolateral plasma membrane localization of ouabain-sensitive sodium transport sites in the secretory epithelium of the avian salt gland

The distribution of Na+ pump sites (Na+-K+-ATPase) in the secretory epithelium of the avian salt gland was demonstrated by freeze-dry autoradiographic analysis of [(3)H] ouabain binding sites. Kinetic studies indicated that near saturation of tissue binding sites occurred when slices of salt glands from salt-stressed ducks were exposed to 2.2 μM ouabain (containing 5 μCi/ml [(3)H]ouabain) for 90 min. Washing with label-free Ringer's solution for 90 min extracted only 10% of the inhibitor, an amount which corresponded to ouabain present in the tissue spaces labeled by [(14)C]insulin. Increasing the KCl concentration of the incubation medium reduced the rate of ouabain binding but not the maximal amount bound. In contrast to the low level of ouabain binding to salt glands of ducks maintained on a freshwater regimen, exposure to a salt water diet led to a more than threefold increase in binding within 9-11 days. This increase paralleled the similar increment in Na+-K+-ATPase activity described previously. [(3)H]ouabain binding sites were localized autoradiographically to the folded basolateral plasma membrane of the principal secretory cells. The luminal surfaces of these cells were unlabeled. Mitotically active peripheral cells were also unlabeled. The cell-specific pattern of [(3)H]ouabain binding to principal secretory cells and the membrane-specific localization of binding sites to the nonluminal surfaces of these cells were identical to the distribution of Na+-K+-ATPase as reflected by the cytochemical localization of ouabain-sensitive and K+-dependent nitrophenyl phosphatase activity. The relationship between the nonluminal localization of Na+-K+-ATPase and the possible role of the enzyme n NaCl secretion is considered in the light of physiological data on electrolyte transport in salt glands and other secretory epithelia.     

Intercellular communication in the rat anterior pituitary gland: an in vivo and in vitro study

The concept of "stimulus-secretion coupling" suggested by Douglas and co-workers to explain the events related to monamine discharge by the adrenal medulla (5, 7) may be applied to other endocrine tissues, such as adrenal cortex (36), pancreatic islets (4), and magnocellular hypothalamic neurons (6), which exhibit a similar ion-dependent process of hormone elaboration. In addition, they share another feature, that of joining neighbor cells via membrane junctions (12, 26, and Fletcher, unpublished observation). Given this, and the reports that hormone secretion by the pars distalis also involves a secretagogue-induced decrease in membrane bioelectric potential accompanied by a rise in cellular [Ca++] (27, 34, 41), it was appropriate to test the possibility that cells of the anterior pituitary gland are united by junctions.     

High-throughput screen identifies disulfiram as a potential therapeutic for triple-negative breast cancer cells: Interaction with IQ motif-containing factors

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents an aggressive subtype, for which radiation and chemotherapy are the only options. Here we describe the identification of disulfiram, an FDA-approved drug used to treat alcoholism, as well as the related compound thiram, as the most potent growth inhibitors following high-throughput screens of 3185 compounds against multiple TNBC cell lines. The average IC₅₀ for disulfiram was ~300 nM. Drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) analysis identified IQ motif-containing factors IQGAP1 and MYH9 as direct binding targets of disulfiram. Indeed, knockdown of these factors reduced, though did not completely abolish, cell growth. Combination treatment with 4 different drugs commonly used to treat TNBC revealed that disulfiram synergizes most effectively with doxorubicin to inhibit cell growth of TNBC cells. Disulfiram and doxorubicin cooperated to induce cell death as well as cellular senescence, and targeted the ESA⁺/CD24^-/low/CD44⁺ cancer stem cell population. Our results suggest that disulfiram may be repurposed to treat TNBC in combination with doxorubicin.     

Paedomorphic Facial Expressions Give Dogs a Selective Advantage

How wolves were first domesticated is unknown. One hypothesis suggests that wolves underwent a process of self-domestication by tolerating human presence and taking advantage of scavenging possibilities. The puppy-like physical and behavioural traits seen in dogs are thought to have evolved later, as a byproduct of selection against aggression. Using speed of selection from rehoming shelters as a proxy for artificial selection, we tested whether paedomorphic features give dogs a selective advantage in their current environment. Dogs who exhibited facial expressions that enhance their neonatal appearance were preferentially selected by humans. Thus, early domestication of wolves may have occurred not only as wolf populations became tamer, but also as they exploited human preferences for paedomorphic characteristics. These findings, therefore, add to our understanding of early dog domestication as a complex co-evolutionary process.