Explore the vast range of titles available.

1. Stress has pervasive consequences for the well-being of animals. Currently, understanding how individuals cope with stressors is typically accomplished via short-term quantification of blood glucocorticoids released after activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. 2. We investigated whether the amount of corticosterone (CORT) deposited in growing feathers provides a long-term, integrated measure of HPA activity in birds using captive red-legged partridges Alectoris rufa as a model species. 3. We examined CORT levels in primary feathers induced to grow at the same time as stress series were performed with a capture and restraint protocol. Plasma CORT titres after stress-induced stimulation, but not baseline values, correlated with feather CORT. Feather levels showed the same pattern as plasma of decline across the breeding season, but more severely. 4. For females, CORT in naturally moulted flank feathers was highly and positively correlated with the number of eggs laid in the previous few months, but not clutch size of the following year. For males, the amount of black on a feather, known to be a social signal, was positively correlated with its CORT level. 5. The analysis of feather CORT is a novel methodology that allows for meaningful interpretations of how individuals respond to environmental perturbations and adjust to life-history stages. 6. The analysis of feather hormones has the unique advantages of allowing for experimentation and sampling at any time of the year with minimal investigator-induced impacts and artefacts, and shows the HPA activity of an individual with a flexible time frame from days to months depending on the length of time taken to grow the feather. As this technique can be applied to living or dead birds, or feathers picked up after moult, it provides the ultimate non-invasive physiological measure of considerable benefit in terms of animal welfare and sampling effort.

•Phase 1 study of HEPLISAV-B in hemodialysis patients.•Four doses of HEPLISAV-B induced high level of seroprotection and were well tolerated. Hemodialysis patients are at increased risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and are poorly responsive to HBV vaccines. Current vaccine recommendations for hemodialysis patients utilize more than twice the amount of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) used for healthy adults and achieve lower immune responses. An open-label, single-arm, multicenter trial was conducted among adults 18 years of age and older who were initiating or undergoing hemodialysis who had not previously received hepatitis B vaccine. Participants received four doses of HepB-CpG (HEPLISAV-B®) (20 mcg rHBsAg + 3000 mcg CpG 1018, a Toll-like receptor 9 agonist) administered at 0, 4, 8, and 16 weeks. Participants are being followed for 68 weeks. This paper reports the final immunogenicity analysis of the primary endpoint at study week 20 and an interim safety analysis. We enrolled 119 participants receiving hemodialysis who were followed for a median of 47.4 weeks. Of the 119 participants, 75 were in the per-protocol population. At week 20, the seroprotection rate (% with antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen [anti-HBs] ≥ 10 mIU/mL) was 89.3% and the percentage of participants with anti-HBs ≥ 100 mIU/mL was 81.3%. The anti-HBs geometric mean concentration was 1061.8 mIU/mL. HepB-CpG was well tolerated with no observed safety concerns. In patients receiving hemodialysis, HepB-CpG given as four doses was well tolerated and induced very high anti-HBs concentrations and seroprotection in a very high proportion of recipients.

Groundwater quality of Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India) has been assessed during different seasons of year 2012. Three physical (pH, EC, and TDS) and four chemical parameters (Ca 2+ , Cl − , TH, Mg 2+ and SO 4 2− ) from 18 bore wells were assessed. The results showed that pH of majority of groundwater samples indicates a slightly basic condition (7.99 post-monsoon and 8.35 pre-monsoon ). TH was slightly hard [322.11 mg/l pre-monsoon , 299.37 mg/l post-monsoon but lies under World Health Organization (WHO) upper limit]. EC, TDS, Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ concentrations were under WHO permissible limit during post-monsoon (1503.42 μS/cm, 1009.37, 66.58 and 32.42 mg/l respectively) and pre-monsoon (1371.58 μS/cm, 946.84, 71.79 and 34.79 mg/l, respectively). EC shows a good correlation with SO 4 2− ( R 2  = 0.59 pre-monsoon , 0.77 post-monsoon ) which indicates that SO 4 2− plays a major role in EC of ground water of bore wells. SO 4 2− has also showed positive correlations with TDS ( R 2  = 0.84 pre-monsoon , 0.95 post-monsoon ) and TH ( R 2  = 0.70 pre-monsoon , 0.75 post-monsoon ). The principal component analysis (PCA)/factor analysis (FA) was carried out; Factor 1 explains 59.154 and 69.278 % of the total variance during pre- and post-monsoon, respectively, with a strong positive loading on Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , SO 4 2− , TDS and a negative loading on pH. Factor 2 accounts for 13.94 and 14.22 % of the total variance during pre- and post-monsoon, respectively, and was characterized by strong positive loading of only pH and poor/negative loading of EC, Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , SO 4 2− , TDS and TH during pre- and post-monsoon. We recommend routine monitoring and thorough treatment before consumption. Further, this study has demonstrated the effectiveness of PCA/FA to assess the hydrogeochemical processes governing the groundwater chemistry in the area.

A review has been made to understand the hydrogeochemical behaviour of groundwater through statistical analysis of long term water quality data (year 2005–2013). Water Quality Index ( WQI ), descriptive statistics, Hurst exponent, fractal dimension and predictability index were estimated for each water parameter. WQI results showed that majority of samples fall in moderate category during 2005–2013, but monitoring site four falls under severe category (water unfit for domestic use). Brownian time series behaviour (a true random walk nature) exists between calcium ( Ca 2 + ) and electric conductivity (EC); magnesium ( Mg 2 + ) with EC; sodium ( Na + ) with EC; sulphate ( SO 4 2 - ) with EC; total dissolved solids (TDS) with chloride ( Cl - ) during pre- (2005–2013) and post- (2006–2013) monsoon season. These parameters have a closer value of Hurst exponent ( H ) with Brownian time series behaviour condition ( H = 0.5 ). The result of times series analysis of water quality data shows a persistent behaviour (a positive autocorrelation) that has played a role between Cl - and Mg 2 + , Cl - and Ca 2 + , TDS and Na + , TDS and SO 4 2 - , TDS and Ca 2 + in pre- and post-monsoon time series because of the higher value of H  (>1). Whereas an anti-persistent behaviour (or negative autocorrelation) was found between Cl - and EC, TDS and EC during pre- and post-monsoon due to low value of H . The work outline shows that the groundwater of few areas needs treatment before direct consumption, and it also needs to be protected from contamination.

The good quality of groundwater is important for the purpose of future planning and management. The present study has been undertaken to provide an overview on the status of groundwater quality through physicochemical parameters namely pH, alkalinity, total hardness, total dissolved solids, chloride, fluoride, nitrate, phosphate and iron through laboratory analysis. Samples have been collected from seven wells located in Chennai costal region of state Tamilnadu, India. The laboratory-based results shows that the mean value of pH is 7.29, alkalinity (308.57 mg/l), total hardness (285.71 mg/l), chloride (175.71 mg/l), iron (0.71 mg/l), nitrate (13.57 mg/l), phosphorus (2.71 mg/l) and total dissolved solids (924 mg/l), respectively. The geo-database water quality parameters were created in Geographical an Information System. Further, the kriging a geo-statistical method of interpolation is applied to know the health of groundwater in the then-sampled area. This interpolation method has been used to predict spatial distribution physicochemical parameters in the form of contour. Local planners and policy makers may utilize these results for efficient management of groundwater resources in this area.

The complex and specific interplay between thrips, tospoviruses, and their shared plant hosts leads to outbreaks of crop disease epidemics of economic and social importance. The precise details of the processes underpinning the vector-virus-host interaction and their coordinated evolution increase our understanding of the general principles underlying pathogen transmission by insects, which in turn can be exploited to develop sustainable strategies for controlling the spread of the virus through plant populations. In this review, we focus primarily on recent progress toward understanding the biological processes and molecular interactions involved in the acquisition and transmission of Tospoviruses by their thrips vectors.

Introduction: Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans are a potentially high-risk group for dietary exposure to methylmercury through fish consumption. However, blood mercury levels in this group have not been identified in recent reports of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years 1999-2002. Methods: We used NHANES data from 1999-2002 to obtain population estimates of blood mercury levels among women of childbearing age classified as belonging to the \"other\" racial/ethnic group (Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, and multiracial; n = 140). Blood mercury levels in this group were compared with those among all other women participants, classified as Mexican American, non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, and \"other\" Hispanic. Results: An estimated 16.59 ± 4.0% (mean ± SE) of adult female participants who self-identified as Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, or multiracial (n = 140) had blood mercury levels ≥ 5.8 μg/L, and 27.26 ± 4.22% had levels ≥ 3.5 μg/L. Among remaining survey participants (n = 3,497), 5.08 ± 0.90% had blood mercury levels ≥ 5.8 μg/L, and 10.86 ± 1.45% had levels ≥ 3.5 μg/L. Conclusions: Study subjects in NHANES who self-identified as Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, or multiracial had a higher prevalence of elevated blood mercury than all other racial/ethnic participants in the survey. Future studies should address reasons for the high mercury levels in this group and explore possible interventions for lowering risk of methylmercury exposure in this population.

Study of carbon isotopic composition of micro- and macrofossils and dissipated sedimentary matter (kerogens) extracted by acid maceration from the clay shales from three Riphean, Vendian, and Cambrian sections of the Siberian and East European platforms revealed identical δ 13 C org values for fossils from the same sample. Such similarity of carbon isotope signatures in the remains of various organisms (algae, animals, microbial mats) could be caused by the similar way of carbon isotope fractionation by marine and continental organisms in the late Precambrian and Early Cambrian.

Status transmission theory argues that leading educational institutions prepare individuals from privileged backgrounds for positions of prestige and power in their societies. We examine the educational backgrounds of more than 2,900 members of the U.S. cultural elite and compare these backgrounds to a sample of nearly 4,000 business and political leaders. We find that the leading U.S. educational institutions are substantially more important for preparing future members of the cultural elite than they are for preparing future members of the business or political elite. In addition, members of the cultural elite who are recognized for outstanding achievements by peers and experts are much more likely to have obtained degrees from the leading educational institutions than are those who achieve acclaim from popular audiences. By focusing on the extent to which industries and cultural domains depend on quickness and facility in the absorption and manipulation of complex and sophisticated symbolic media, our analysis leads to an important specification of the role of highly selective colleges and universities in elite formation.