Features of the vertebral column and caudal fin skeleton for identifying Engraulis australis in food of the Australasian gannet Morus serrator, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand.

Identifying fish species from their bone remains is employed in identifying the prey of aquatic animals. However, diagnostic skeletal descriptions are scarce for fish species prey found in the food of piscivorous birds and other marine predators in New Zealand. The present article addresses this knowledge gap, providing a diagnostic description for the vertebral column and the skeleton of the caudal fin of the Australian anchovy Engraulis australis inhabiting coastal waters in and around the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. The vertebral column of E. australis is divided into four morphologically distinct regions more complicated than the classical division in abdominal and caudal parts only and the drawing of characteristic-looking vertebral profiles. Each of these four regions is associated with characteristic vertebral profiles. These morphological descriptive parameters express a morphotype that may be linked with the swimming mode of the Australian anchovy. The skeleton of the caudal fin of E. australis showed distinctive characteristics that will be useful as diagnostic criteria to identify specimens of the Australian anchovy and separate them from the skeletal elements of other fish species found in the food of gannets and other marine predators in future studies.

Ingestion of microplastics and mesoplastics by Trachurus declivis (Jenyns, 1841) retrieved from the food of the Australasian gannet Morus serrator: First documented report from New Zealand.

During the process of studying some morphological characters of fish found in the food of the Australasian gannet Morus serrator breeding at Horuhoru Rock and Mahuki islands in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, one carangid specimen of fish species Trachurus declivis out of the 25 fish specimens examined revealed seven small plastic particles in its stomach of different colours: black, red, blue, green, and transparent. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify the compositions of the particles as low and high density polyethylene, poly (methyl methacrylate), polypropylene, and a copolymer of butadiene, acrylonitrile, and methacrylamide. The plastic particles comprised several different shapes and sizes, ranging between 4.5 and 10 mm, and are therefore categorized as micro-and mesoplastic fragments.

Fluctuating asymmetry in the size of the otolith of Engraulis australis (Shaw, 1790) recovered from the food of the Australasian gannet, Morus serrator, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand.

The fluctuating asymmetry values of the two otolith parameters: length and width of Engraulis australis, recovered from the food of gannet, which inhabit colonies in islands at Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand was calculated in this study. The dissimilarity value of the otolith width was higher than that of the otolith length. An inclination of upsurge in the dissimilarity values with the fish length was noted for the otolith sizes studied. The dissimilarity value in the two otolith sizes was the lowest for fish having total length of 115-154 mm, and the highest for fish with length of 151-160 mm. The conceivable reason of the dissimilarity obtained could be related to diverse contaminants and their presence in the study location.

Preclinical toxicology and safety pharmacology of the first-in-class GADD45ß/MKK7 inhibitor and clinical candidate, DTP3.

Aberrant NF-κB activity drives oncogenesis and cell survival in multiple myeloma (MM) and many other cancers. However, despite an aggressive effort by the pharmaceutical industry over the past 30 years, no specific IκBα kinase (IKK)ß/NF-κB inhibitor has been clinically approved, due to the multiple dose-limiting toxicities of conventional NF-κB-targeting drugs. To overcome this barrier to therapeutic NF-κB inhibition, we developed the first-in-class growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible (GADD45)ß/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK)7 inhibitor, DTP3, which targets an essential, cancer-selective cell-survival module downstream of the NF-κB pathway. As a result, DTP3 specifically kills MM cells, ex vivo and in vivo, ablating MM xenografts in mice, with no apparent adverse effects, nor evident toxicity to healthy cells. Here, we report the results from the preclinical regulatory pharmacodynamic (PD), safety pharmacology, pharmacokinetic (PK), and toxicology programmes of DTP3, leading to the approval for clinical trials in oncology. These results demonstrate that DTP3 combines on-target-selective pharmacology, therapeutic anticancer efficacy, favourable drug-like properties, long plasma half-life and good bioavailability, with no target-organs of toxicity and no adverse effects preclusive of its clinical development in oncology, upon daily repeat-dose administration in both rodent and non-rodent species. Our study underscores the clinical potential of DTP3 as a conceptually novel candidate therapeutic selectively blocking NF-κB survival signalling in MM and potentially other NF-κB-driven cancers.

Community Attitudes and Practices of Urban Residents Regarding Predation by Pet Cats on Wildlife: An International Comparison.

International differences in practices and attitudes regarding pet cats' interactions with wildlife were assessed by surveying citizens from at least two cities in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, China and Japan. Predictions tested were: (i) cat owners would agree less than non-cat owners that cats might threaten wildlife, (ii) cat owners value wildlife less than non-cat owners, (iii) cat owners are less accepting of cat legislation/restrictions than non-owners, and (iv) respondents from regions with high endemic biodiversity (Australia, New Zealand, China and the USA state of Hawaii) would be most concerned about pet cats threatening wildlife. Everywhere non-owners were more likely than owners to agree that pet cats killing wildlife were a problem in cities, towns and rural areas. Agreement amongst non-owners was highest in Australia (95%) and New Zealand (78%) and lowest in the UK (38%). Irrespective of ownership, over 85% of respondents from all countries except China (65%) valued wildlife in cities, towns and rural areas. Non-owners advocated cat legislation more strongly than owners except in Japan. Australian non-owners were the most supportive (88%), followed by Chinese non-owners (80%) and Japanese owners (79.5%). The UK was least supportive (non-owners 43%, owners 25%). Many Australian (62%), New Zealand (51%) and Chinese owners (42%) agreed that pet cats killing wildlife in cities, towns and rural areas was a problem, while Hawaiian owners were similar to the mainland USA (20%). Thus high endemic biodiversity might contribute to attitudes in some, but not all, countries. Husbandry practices varied internationally, with predation highest where fewer cats were confined. Although the risk of wildlife population declines caused by pet cats justifies precautionary action, campaigns based on wildlife protection are unlikely to succeed outside Australia or New Zealand. Restrictions on roaming protect wildlife and benefit cat welfare, so welfare is a better rationale.

Assessment of a carbon dioxide laser for the measurement of thermal nociceptive thresholds following intramuscular administration of analgesic drugs in pain-free female cats.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential of a thermal carbon dioxide (CO2) laser to explore antinociception in pain-free cats. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental, prospective, blinded, randomized study. ANIMALS: Sixty healthy adult female cats with a (mean±standard deviation) weight of 3.3±0.6 kg. METHODS: Cats were systematically allocated to one of six treatments: saline 0.2 mL per cat; morphine 0.5 mg kg(-1); buprenorphine 20 µg kg(-1); medetomidine 2 µg kg(-1); tramadol 2 mg kg(-1), and ketoprofen 2 mg kg(-1). Latency to respond to thermal stimulation was assessed at baseline and at intervals of 15-30, 30-45, 45-60, 60-75, 90-105 and 120-135 minutes. Thermal thresholds were assessed using time to respond behaviourally to stimulation with a 500 mW CO2 laser. Within-treatment differences in response latency were assessed using Friedman's test. Differences amongst treatments were assessed using independent Kruskal-Wallis tests. Where significant effects were identified, pairwise comparisons were conducted to elucidate the direction of the effect. RESULTS: Cats treated with morphine (χ2=12.90, df=6, p=0.045) and tramadol (χ2=20.28, df=6, p=0.002) showed significant increases in latency to respond. However, subsequent pairwise comparisons indicated that differences in latencies at specific time-points were significant (p<0.05) only for tramadol at 60-75 and 90-105 minutes after administration (21.9 and 43.6 seconds, respectively) in comparison with baseline (11.0 seconds). No significant pairwise comparisons were found within the morphine treatment. Injections of saline, ketoprofen, medetomidine or buprenorphine showed no significant effect on latency to respond. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The CO2 laser technique may have utility in the assessment of thermal nociceptive thresholds in pain-free cats after analgesic administration and may provide a simpler alternative to existing systems. Further exploration is required to examine its sensitivity and comparative utility.

Electron-ion dissociative recombination rate constants relevant to the Titan atmosphere and the Interstellar Medium.

Following the arrival of Cassini at Titan in 2004, the Titan atmosphere has been shown to contain large complex polycyclic-aromatic hydrocarbons. Since Cassini has provided a great deal of data, there exists a need for kinetic rate data to help with modeling this atmosphere. One type of kinetic data needed is electron-ion dissociative recombination (e-IDR) rate constants. These data are not readily available for larger compounds, such as naphthalene, or oxygen containing compounds, such as 1,4 dioxane or furan. Here, the rate constants for naphthalene, 1,4 dioxane, and furan have been measured and their temperature dependencies are determined when possible, using the University of Georgia's Variable Temperature Flowing Afterglow. The rate constants are compared with those previously published for other compounds; these show trends which illustrate the effects which multi-rings and oxygen heteroatoms substitutions have upon e-IDR rate constants.

Understanding attitudes toward the control of nonnative wild and feral mammals: similarities and differences in the opinions of the general public, animal protectionists, and conservationists in New Zealand (aotearoa).

Lethal control is used extensively in New Zealand to control nonnative nonhuman mammals. Respondents were surveyed about 8 mammal groups considered pests and their attitudes toward their control and pest status. They also identified the most appropriate method of control for the 8 different mammals. Information was gathered from 3 groups of respondents: nonhuman animal protectionists, conservationists, and the general public. Conservationists routinely rated all animal groups as more severe pests than the general public or animal protectionists, who provided the lowest scores. Rats, stoats, brushtail possums, and rabbits were identified as the 4 most serious pests by all 3 groups. Conservationists were 5.7 and 2.6 times more likely to prefer a lethal method of control than protectionists and the general public, respectively. For all 3 groups an increase in pest score for a given animal saw a decline in importance placed upon the animal's welfare. This relationship was strong for the general public but weak for conservationists and animal protectionists. Understanding aspects of potentially opposing viewpoints may be invaluable in supporting the development of new welfare-focused control methods.

Dissociative electron-ion recombination of the interstellar species protonated glycolaldehyde, acetic acid, and methyl formate.

Recently, methyl formate, glycolaldehyde, and acetic acid have been detected in the Interstellar Medium, ISM. The rate constants, α(e), for dissociative electron-ion recombination of protonated gycolaldehyde, (HOCH(2)CHO)H(+), and protonated methyl formate, (HCOOCH(3))H(+), have been determined at 300 K in a variable temperature flowing afterglow using a Langmuir probe to obtain the electron density. The recombination rate constants at 300 K are 3.2 × 10(-7) cm(3) s(-1) for protonated methyl formate and 7.5 × 10(-7) cm(3) s(-1) for protonated glycolaldehyde. The recombination rate constant of protonated acetic acid could not be directly measured, but it appears to have a rate constant, α(e), on the 10(-7) cm(3) s(-1) scale. Several high- and low-temperature measurements for protonated methyl formate were made. In addition, an α(e) measurement at 220 K for protonated glycolaldehyde was performed. The astrochemical implications of the rates of recombination, α(e), and protonation routes are discussed.

What's in a name? Perceptions of stray and feral cat welfare and control in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

New Zealanders (n = 354) rated the acceptability of lethal and nonlethal cat control methods and the importance of conservation and welfare. Lethal control was more acceptable for feral cats than strays; for nonlethal control, the inverse was true. More than concern for the welfare of cats subjected to control, perceived conservation benefits, risk of disease transfer, and companion cat welfare dictated the acceptability of control measures. Similarly, the welfare consideration for groups of cats differed, transitioning from companion (highest) to feral (lowest). Differences in attitudes toward acceptability of control methods were evident. In particular, nonhuman animal professionals ranked lethal control as more acceptable than did nonanimal professionals. Cat caregivers (owners) considered both conservation and welfare issues of greater importance than did nonowners. Owners ranked the acceptability of nonlethal control methods higher for stray cats, but not feral, than did nonowners. This research indicates that the use of the terms stray and feral may have significant impact on cats in New Zealand. There is also a greater consideration of conservation values than of welfare in stray and feral cat control.

Laboratory chemistry relevant to understanding and modeling the ionosphere of Titan.

Laboratory data have a dual and critical role in interpreting information obtained from the Cassini spacecraft in its passes through the Titan ionosphere. Firstly, in situ mass spectra are obtained by Cassini and their conversion into atmospheric molecular composition requires chemical modeling to create agreement between the observed mass spectra and those determined from the models. Secondly, once agreement is obtained, then the chemical model can be considered to represent the evolution of the Titan atmosphere. As a contribution to these endeavors in the past, laboratory measurements have been made in the Selected Ion Flow Tube (SIFT) of the reactions of a series of ring molecules with the important ionospheric ion CH3+. These reactions showed that a dominant reaction channel is association. In the present study, this work has been extended to reactions of another important Titan ion C3H3+. These ion-molecule reactions have also been studied at room temperature using a SIFT. Reactions have been studied in detail with benzene, toluene and pyridine and show again that association is very important. The loss of ionization in the ionosphere is then controlled by electron-ion dissociative recombination of the association ions and their progeny. The recombination reactions have been studied as a function of temperature (300 to 550 K) using a flowing afterglow. These combined data have been used to develop a subset of the chemistry and test its viability. They have indicated that association of the important Titan ions with the abundant nitrogen, followed by switching of the nitrogen for the ring compounds, can build up larger species, perhaps resulting in multi-rings. Recombination of such species can affect the ionization balance and provide species which can contribute to the parallel neutral chemistry. Species are suggested that should be looked for in the in situ mass spectra.

Gas phase reactions of CH(3)(+) with a series of homo- and heterocyclic molecules.

In gas phase ion chemistry, the growth of larger molecules is known to occur through association of ions and neutrals. Where the ion attaches to the neutral is important because it can influence the possibility of additional associations, effectively enabling or terminating further molecular growth. This was investigated by using a Selected Ion Flow Tube (SIFT) at 300 K to study the reactions of CH(3)(+) with the following series of single-ring homocyclic and heterocyclic molecules: benzene (C(6)H(6)), cyclohexane (C(6)H(12)), pyridine (C(5)H(5)N), pyrimidine (C(4)H(4)N(2)), piperidine (C(5)H(11)N), 1,4-dioxane (C(4)H(8)O(2)), furan (C(4)H(4)O), pyrrole (C(4)H(5)N), and pyrrolidine (C(4)H(9)N). Most of the reactions, except for 1,4-dioxane, pyrrole, and pyrrolidine, proceed at the gas kinetic rate. In the ion product distributions, charge transfer, hydride ion abstraction, proton transfer, fragmentation, and association were observed. In particular, proton transfer is seen to be small in all cases even though these channels are energetically favorable. Association is appreciable when the molecules are aromatic (except for furan) and nonexistent when there are no pi electrons in the ring. CH(3)(+) ions are an important intermediate in molecular synthesis in interstellar clouds and in the Titan ionosphere and ring molecules have also been detected in these media. The significance of the studied reactions to these media is discussed.

Ion-molecule reactions of several ions with ethylene oxide and propenal in a selected ion flow tube.

The selected ion flow tube (SIFT) technique has been used to investigate the ion-molecule reactions of several ions with the neutral molecules ethylene oxide, CH(2)OCH(2)-c, and propenal, CH(2)CHCHO. Both molecules have been identified in hot-core star forming regions [] and have significance to astrochemical models of the interstellar (ISM) and circumstellar medium (CSM). Moreover, the molecules contain functional groups, such as the epoxide group (ethylene oxide) and an aldehyde group, which are part of a conjugated pi-electron system (propenal) whose reactivities have not been studied in detail in gas-phase ion-molecule reactions. The larger recombination energy ions, Ar(+) and N(2)(+), were reacted with the neutrals to give insight into general fragmentation tendencies. These reactions proceeded via dissociative charge-transfer yielding major fragmentation products of CH(3)(+) and HCO(+) for ethylene oxide and CH(2)CH(+) and HCO(+) for propenal. The amino acids glycine and alanine are of particular interest to astrobiology, especially if they can be synthesized in the gas phase. In an attempt to synthesize amino acid precursors, ethylene oxide and propenal were reacted with NH(n)(+) (n = 1-4) and HCNH(+). As might be expected from the proton detachment energies, NH(+), NH(2)(+), and HCNH(+) reacted via proton transfer. NH(3)(+) reacted with each molecule via H-atom abstraction to produce NH(4)(+), and NH(4)(+) reacted via a ternary association. All binary reactions proceeded near the gas kinetic rate. Several associated molecule switching reactions were performed and implications of these reactions to the structures of the association products are discussed Ikeda et al. and Hollis et al.

The treatment of temporomandibular disorders with stabilizing splints in general dental practice: one-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The authors evaluated temporomandibular disorder (TMD) outcomes in general dental practice one year after treatment with stabilizing splints (SS) or nonoccluding control splints (CS). METHODS: Seventy-two randomly allocated subjects completed initial treatment. The outcomes measures were a pain visual analog scale (VAS), muscle tenderness, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tenderness, interincisal opening, TMJ clicks and headaches. After initial treatment, 81 percent of the subjects were found to have been treated satisfactorily. The dentists referred the remaining subjects to a dental hospital. At one year, the authors recalled 52 of the original subjects for evaluation. RESULTS: Improvements after initial treatment were maintained at one year for all outcomes, except for TMJ clicking, which returned to pretreatment levels. Eighty-one percent of the subjects rated their treatment as either good or excellent in reducing jaw pain. The authors found that subjects were aware of more of their TMJ clicks than dentists observed at the one-year clinical examination, but most subjects thought their clicking or the associated pain had been reduced. Fifty-five percent subjects had used their splints in the previous six months, but only 31 percent of these had done so daily. There were no significant differences between splint groups. CONCLUSION: At one year, a good response to TMD treatment in general practice had been maintained, but many subjects still had clicking TMJs. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Trained dentists can manage TMD satisfactorily, with only a small proportion of patients needing specialist attention.

Electron molecular ion recombination: product excitation and fragmentation.

Electron-ion dissociative recombination is an important ionization loss process in any ionized gas containing molecular ions. This includes the interstellar medium, circumstellar shells, cometary comae, planetary ionospheres, fusion plasma boundaries, combustion flames, laser plasmas and chemical deposition and etching plasmas. In addition to controlling the ionization density, the process generates many radical species, which can contribute to a parallel neutral chemistry. Techniques used to obtain rate data and product information (flowing afterglows and storage rings) are discussed and recent data are reviewed including diatomic to polyatomic ions and cluster ions. The data are divided into rate coefficients and cross sections, including their temperature/energy dependencies, and quantitative identification of neutral reaction products. The latter involve both ground and electronically excited states and including vibrational excitation. The data from the different techniques are compared and trends in the data are examined. The reactions are considered in terms of the basic mechanisms (direct and indirect processes including tunneling) and recent theoretical developments are discussed. Finally, new techniques are mentioned (for product identification; electrostatic storage rings, including single and double rings; Coulomb explosion) and new ways forward are suggested.

C3H3+ isomers: temperature dependencies of production in the H3+ reaction with allene and loss by dissociative recombination with electrons.

A technique has been developed to simultaneously determine recombination rate coefficients, alpha e, and initial concentrations of ion types that coexist in a flowing afterglow plasma. This was tested using the H3(+) + allene reaction in which two different C3H3+ isomers are produced. Use of an electrostatic Langmuir probe enabled the C3H3+ isomer branching ratios for propargyl and cyclic C3H3+ from this allene reaction and their alpha e to be determined over the temperature range 172-489 K. The study showed that the cyclic C3H3+ to propargyl C3H3+ branching ratios from the allene reaction varied from 50/50 at 172 K to 18/82 at 489 K. Over this temperature range, the alpha e for both isomers change only slightly. The room temperature alpha e values for propargyl and cyclic C3H3+ are (1.15 +/- 0.2) x 10(-7) and (8.00 +/- 0.1) x 10(-7) cm3/s, respectively. The data are discussed relative to current theories and in relation to fuel-rich flame chemistry, interstellar molecular synthesis, and modeling of Titan's atmosphere.

Mechanisms of electron-ion recombination of N2H+/N2D+ and HCO+/DCO+ ions: temperature dependence and isotopic effect.

The temperature dependencies of the rate coefficients, alpha(e), for electron-ion dissociative recombination (DR) of N2H+/N2D+ and HCO+/DCO+ ions with electrons have been measured over the range 100-500 K. Also, optical emissions have been detected at approximately 100 K from the N2(B3(pi)g) electronically excited products of N2H+/N2D+ recombination. The measurements were carried out using the classic FALP technique combined with an optical monochromator. For N2H+, there was no variation of alpha(e) with temperature above 200 K, with an average value of alpha(e)(N2H+) = 2.8 x 10(-7) cm3 s(-1). The temperature variation for T approximately 100-300 K observed for alpha(e)(HCO+) is similar to that of N2H+ ions for T approximately 300-500 K. The smaller rate coefficient measured for DCO+ and N2D+ ions shows the influence of an isotope effect. The substantial enhancement of the vibrational level, upsilon' = 6, from the N2B state for N2H+ recombination over N2D+ recombination is consistent with previous result at 300 K and implies the influence of a tunneling mechanism of DR.