First assessment of the biogeochemistry of the Congo River and tributaries

Poster (2011, April 08)

First asteroseismic results from CoRoT

in Communications in Asteroseismology (2008), 156

About one year after the end of the first observational run and six months after the first CoRoT data delivery, we comment the data exploitation progress for different types of stars. We consider first ... [more ▼]

About one year after the end of the first observational run and six months after the first CoRoT data delivery, we comment the data exploitation progress for different types of stars. We consider first results to illustrate how these data of unprecedented quality shed a new light on the field of stellar seismology. [less ▲]

First birth of an animal from an extinct subspecies (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) by cloning

in Theriogenology (2009), 71

Two experiments have been performed to clone the bucardo, an extinct wild goat. The karyoplasts were thawed fibroblasts derived from skin biopsies, obtained and cryopreserved in 1999 from the last living ... [more ▼]

Two experiments have been performed to clone the bucardo, an extinct wild goat. The karyoplasts were thawed fibroblasts derived from skin biopsies, obtained and cryopreserved in 1999 from the last living specimen, a female, which died in 2000. Cytoplasts were mature oocytes collected from the oviducts of superovulated domestic goats. Oocytes were enucleated and coupled to bucardo's fibroblasts by electrofusion. Reconstructed embryos were cultured for 36h or 7d and transferred to either Spanish ibex or hybrid (Spanish ibex malex domestic goat) synchronized recipients. Embryos were placed, according to their developmental stage, into the oviduct or into the uterine horn ipsilateral to an ovulated ovary. Pregnancy was monitored through their plasmatic PAG levels. In Experiment 1, 285 embryos were reconstructed and 30 of them were transferred at the 3- to 6-cells stage to 5 recipients. The remaining embryos were further cultured to day 7, and 24 of them transferred at compact morula/blastocyst stage to 8 recipients. In Experiment 2, 154 reconstructed embryos were transferred to 44 recipients at the 3- to 6-cells stage. Pregnancies were attained in 0/8 and 7/49 of the uterine and oviduct-transferred recipients, respectively. One recipient maintained pregnancy to term, displaying very high PAG levels. One morphologically normal bucardo female was obtained by caesarean section. The newborn died some minutes after birth due to physical defects in lungs. Nuclear DNA confirmed that the clone was genetically identical to the bucardo's donor cells. To our knowledge, this is the first animal born from an extinct subspecies. [less ▲]

The First Cities in the Near East

Conference (2002, April 03)

The first community forests of Gabon : towards sustainable local forest management ?

in Nature et Faune (2011), 25(2), 40-45

Forest resources abound in Gabon. Species diversity and quality of trees in the Gabonese forests make it a very lucrative production niche. Even though international forest operators are well established ... [more ▼]

Forest resources abound in Gabon. Species diversity and quality of trees in the Gabonese forests make it a very lucrative production niche. Even though international forest operators are well established there and are making profit, the Gabonese rural communities have not yet developed their own operations. In view of their remoteness from decision-making centers, villagers often unlawfully lose, without being aware of it, a great deal of the riches in their villages. Today, the rural socio-economic component is not sufficiently integrated in the management factors of the resource, even though populations that depend on them daily are supposedly the best placed individuals to make wise use of them. In this sense, community forestry helps to promote sustainable use of forest resources at a scale that is at par with the needs of the community, and seeks to guarantee that profits are shared at village level. In Gabon, the process of legalization of community forests is ongoing since 2001. Pilot projects such as DACEFI (Development of Community Alternatives to Illegal Logging) strive to assist communities in securing their community forest. However their legalization is slow in coming, while logging activities in the rural forest estate are increasing, and the quality of the species is deteriorating continually. [less ▲]

The first definite record of a Valanginian ichthyosaur and its implications on the evolution of post-Liassic Ichthyosauria

in Cretaceous Research (2011), 32(2), 155-163

A complete ichthyosaur rostrum, with 124 associated teeth, was recently discovered in Laux-Montaux locality, department of Drôme, southeastern France. The associated belemnites and ammonites indicate a ... [more ▼]

A complete ichthyosaur rostrum, with 124 associated teeth, was recently discovered in Laux-Montaux locality, department of Drôme, southeastern France. The associated belemnites and ammonites indicate a late Valanginian age (Neocomites peregrinus Zone, Olcostephanus nicklesi Subzone) for this fossil, which consequently represents the first diagnostic ichthyosaur ever reported from Valanginian strata. This specimen also represents the first occurrence of Aegirosaurus outside the Tithonian (Upper Jurassic) lithographic limestones of Bavaria (southern Germany). Tooth morphology and wear pattern suggest that Aegirosaurus belonged to the “Pierce II/ Generalist” feeding guild, which was hitherto not represented in post-Liassic ichthyosaurs. Most Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs actually crossed the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary. [less ▲]

First detection of hydroxyl in the atmosphere of Venus

in Astronomy and Astrophysics (2008), 483

Context: Airglow emissions, such as previously observed from NO and O2(a-X) (0-0) on Venus, provide insight into the chemical and dynamical processes that control the composition and energy balance in the ... [more ▼]

Context: Airglow emissions, such as previously observed from NO and O2(a-X) (0-0) on Venus, provide insight into the chemical and dynamical processes that control the composition and energy balance in the upper atmospheres of planets. The OH airglow emission has been observed previously only in the Earth's atmosphere where it has been used to infer atomic oxygen abundances. The O2(a-X) (0-1) airglow emission also has only been observed in the Earth's atmosphere, and neither laboratory nor theoretical studies have reached a consensus on its transition probability. Aims: We report measurements of night-side airglow emission in the atmosphere of Venus in the OH (2-0), OH (1-0), O2(a-X) (0-1), and O2(a-X) (0-0) bands. This is the first detection of the first three of these airglow emissions on another planet. These observations provide the most direct observational constraints to date on H, OH, and O3, key species in the chemistry of Venus' upper atmosphere. Methods: Airglow emission detected at wavelengths of 1.40-1.49 and 2.6-3.14 mum in limb observations by the Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on the Venus Express spacecraft is attributed to the OH (2-0) and (1-0) transitions, respectively, and compared to calculations from a photochemical model. Simultaneous limb observations of airglow emission in the O2(a-X) (0-0) and (0-1) bands at 1.27 and 1.58 mum, respectively, were used to derive the ratio of the transition probabilities for these bands. Results: The integrated emission rates for the OH (2-0) and (1-0) bands were measured to be 100 ± 40 and 880±90 kR respectively, both peaking at an altitude of 96 ± 2 km near midnight local time for the considered orbit. The measured ratio of the O2(a-X) (0-0) and (0-1) bands is 78 ± 8. Conclusions: Photochemical model calculations suggest the observed OH emission is produced primarily via the Bates-Nicolet mechanism, as on the Earth. The observed ratio of the intensities of the O2(a-X) (0-0) and (0-1) bands implies the ratio of their transition probabilities is 63±6. [less ▲]

First detection of resistance to QOI fungicides in Mycosphaerella graminicola on winter wheat in Belgium

in Communications in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences (2003, May 06), 68(4b), 519-531

First epidemiological data on pathogenic leptospires isolated on the Azorean islands

in European Journal of Epidemiology (1997), 13

Insectivores (Erinaceus europaeus) and rodents (Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus and Mus musculus) from different islands of the Azores archipelago were found to carry three distinct Leptospira interrogans s ... [more ▼]

Insectivores (Erinaceus europaeus) and rodents (Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus and Mus musculus) from different islands of the Azores archipelago were found to carry three distinct Leptospira interrogans s.l. serovars (copenhageni, icterohaemorrhagiae and ballum) which have never been previously investigated there. The house mouse and the black rat were the major Leptospira reservoir showing isolation rates ranging from 0% for both species (in Graciosa) to 88 % and 33 %, respectively (in São Miguel). This study also showed that the majority of the animals with positive kidney cultures exhibited specific agglutinins agaibst the isolated strains of Leptospira. The observed isalation rates in the different islands, with a very interesting island variation in prevalence, suggest that small mammals, serving as sylvatic reservoirs of pathogenic leptospires, may represent an important risk to the health of humans and the livestock, particularly in the islands of Terceira and São Miguel. [less ▲]

First estimates of the contribution of CaCO3 precipitation to the release of CO2 to the atmosphere during young sea ice growth

in Journal of Geophysical Research. Oceans (2012), 118(1-12),

We report measurements of pH, total alkalinity, air-ice CO2 fluxes (chamber method) and CaCO3 content of frost flowers (FF) and thin landfast sea ice. As the temperature decreases, concentration of ... [more ▼]

We report measurements of pH, total alkalinity, air-ice CO2 fluxes (chamber method) and CaCO3 content of frost flowers (FF) and thin landfast sea ice. As the temperature decreases, concentration of solutes in the brine skim (BS) increases. Along this gradual concentration process, some salts reach their solubility threshold and start precipitating. The precipitation of ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) was confirmed in the FF and throughout the ice by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray analysis. The amount of ikaite precipitated was estimated to be 25 µmol kg-1 melted FF, in the FF and is shown to decrease from 19 µmol kg-1 to 15 µmol kg-1 melted ice in the upper part and at the bottom of the ice, respectively. CO2 release due to precipitation of CaCO3 is estimated to be 50 µmol kg-1 melted samples. The dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) normalized to a salinity of 10 exhibits significant depletion in the upper layer of the ice and in the FF. This DIC loss is estimated to be 2069 µmol kg-1 melted sample and corresponds to a CO2 release from the ice to the atmosphere ranging from 20 to 40 mmol m-2 d-1. This estimate is consistent with flux measurements of air-ice CO2 exchange. Our measurements confirm previous laboratory findings that growing young sea ice acts as a source of CO2 to the atmosphere. CaCO3 precipitation during early ice growth appears to promote the release of CO2 to the atmosphere however its contribution to the overall release by newly formed ice is most likely minor. [less ▲]