Search

Simultaneous infection with multiple parasite species in an individual host is often observed in wild populations. The understanding of parasite species distribution across populations of wild animals is of basic and applied importance, because parasites can have pronounced effects on the dynamics of host population. Here, we quantified prevalence and endoparasite species richness in moose and explored sex-biased polyparasitism using diagnostic PCR method coupled with DNA sequencing of moose faecal samples from the Biebrza River valley, North-Eastern Poland. This is the largest moose population in Central Europe that has not been harvested for almost 20 years. We also evaluated the appropriate quantity of faeces for detecting DNA of parasite species. Faecal samples were screened for molecular markers of 10 different species of endoparasites. Endoparasite prevalence was high in the studied population. Almost all of the samples (98%) tested positive for at least one parasite species, and we found polyparasitism in the majority of the tested individuals. The number of different parasite species found in a single individual ranged from 0 to 9. The parasite species richness was significantly higher in male than in female individuals. The most prevalent were liver fluke Parafasciolopsis fasciolaemorpha and gastrointestinal nematodes Ostertargia sp. Of the ten endoparasite species detected, only the prevalence of the tapeworm Moniezia benedeni was significantly higher in males than in females. Additionally, we identified co-occurrence associations of parasite species, which tended to be random, but we noted some evidence of both positive and negative associations. Our findings promote applications of molecular methods for parasite species identification from non-invasively collected faecal samples in management and scientific study of moose population, which should include investigation of parasite status, and in health monitoring programs for other wild cervids., Graphical abstract Image 1

Extraterrestrial colonization is a certain eventuality that would be nearly impossible without the efficient and robust resources of recovering life support systems. Knowledge of inputs is necessary for the development of such systems, especially for the first stages of design such as mass balancing and the selection of unitary processes. One of the most important inputs is blackwater, as this stream is the most polluted and rich in resources and needs to be treated and reused. In the paper, data from space missions and terrestrial sources concerning the flows, concentrations and loads in urine and feces are compared and analyzed. It is shown that results obtained during space missions are scarce and for many parameters no information is available. It is also shown how gravity influences the elemental composition of urine and feces. In contrast, data from terrestrial sources are abundant. The presented analysis shows that data from space and terrestrial systems are convergent for many parameters and that the available terrestrial data for those parameters can be used for mass balancing and unitary process selection without a high risk.

In atomic nuclei, the spin-orbit interaction originates from the coupling of the orbital motion of a nucleon with its intrinsic spin. Recent experimental and theoretical works have suggested a weakening of the spin-orbit interaction in neutron-rich nuclei far from stability. To study this phenomenon, we have investigated the spin-orbit energy splittings of single-hole and single-particle valence neutron orbits of 132Sn. The spectroscopic strength of single-hole states in 131Sn was determined from the measured differential cross sections of the tritons from the neutron-removing 132Sn(d, t)131Sn reaction, which was studied in inverse kinematics at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The spectroscopic factors of the lowest 3/2+, 1/2+ and 5/2+ states were found to be consistent with their maximal values of (2j+1), confirming the robust N=82 shell closure at 132Sn. We compared the spin-orbit splitting of neutron single-hole states in 131Sn to those of single-particle states in 133Sn determined in a recent measurement of the 132Sn(d, p)133Sn reaction. We found a significant reduction of the energy splitting of the weakly bound 3p orbits compared to the well-bound 2d orbits, and that all the observed energy splittings can be reproduced remarkably well by calculations using a one-body spin-orbit interaction and a Woods–Saxon potential of standard radius and diffuseness. The observed reduction of spin-orbit splitting can be explained by the extended radial wavefunctions of the weakly bound orbits, without invoking a weakening of the spin-orbit strength. Keywords: Nuclear structure, Spin-orbit interaction, Transfer reactions, Doubly-magic nuclei, Shell model

Protected areas are the foundation of biodiversity conservation. However, due to their limited size, unfavourable shape, and isolation they often rarely provide sufficient protection. This problem particularly concerns large mammals, which play the role of key-species and usually have high spatial demands. Since 2001 the moose has been under a hunting ban in Poland after the species experienced a sharp decline due to overharvesting. As there are plans to reopen moose hunting in eastern Poland (excluding national parks and nature reserves), we analysed the potential impact of renewed hunting in areas neighbouring Biebrza and Polesie National Parks (eastern Poland) on moose populations inhabiting these protected areas and investigated the suitability of the existing buffer zones to provide additional protection to moose outside the park boundaries. Analyses were based on the tracking data derived from 33 GPS collared moose (24 – Biebrza NP and 9 – Polesie NP). All of the tracked moose utilized areas both inside and outside national parks. In the Biebrza PN, moose spent 46.9% of their time in areas surrounding the national park, whilst in Polesie NP the proportion was 64.5%. The highest utilization of areas outside both study sites occurred in autumn and winter (October–March), a period that considerably overlaps with the planned hunting season. The southern part of Biebrza NP and its official buffer zone covered 96.2% of all moose fixes, while Polesie NP, its official buffer zone and neighbouring landscape park covered 60.3% of moose records. The buffer zones proposed in this paper, whose widths were calculated on the basis of moose tracking data, would protect from 90.5 (Polesie) to 91.2% (Biebrza) of moose fixes. Proper delineation and adequate management plans in buffer zones would prevent the negative impacts of moose hunting, which has the potential to significantly influence ecotourism in national parks and their vicinity.

The structure of nuclei provides insight into astrophysical reaction rates that are difficult to measure directly. These studies are often performed with transfer reactions and β-decay measurements. These experiments benefit from particle-γ coincidence measurements which provide information beyond that of particle detection alone. The Hybrid Array of Gamma Ray Detectors (HAGRiD) of LaBr3(Ce) scintillators has been designed with this purpose in mind. The design of the array permits it to be coupled with particle detector systems, such as the Oak Ridge Rutgers University Barrel Array (ORRUBA) of silicon detectors and the Versatile Array of Neutron Detectors at Low Energy (VANDLE). It is also designed to operate with the Jet Experiments in Nuclear Structure and Astrophysics (JENSA) advanced target system. HAGRiD’s design avoids compromising the charged-particle angular resolution due to compact geometries which are often used to increase the γ efficiency in other systems. First experiments with HAGRiD coupled to VANDLE as well as ORRUBA and JENSA are discussed.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions have become an increasing problem in recent decades as they seriously affect both animals and road users, leading to fatalities, substantial economic losses, and high biodiversity costs. We used GPS tracking of 37 moose, traffic volume, weather conditions, and information on moose-vehicle collisions (MVCs) reported on the Internet to explain the temporal patterns of MVCs in Poland from 2003 to 2019. MVCs peaked in early autumn (September-October). In all seasons, the greatest MVC risk occurred during the few hours after dusk, while in early autumn, MVC risk was also elevated during the hours preceding dawn. Moose activity was the strongest positive predictor of MVCs, but moose presence near roads, traffic volume, fogginess, and lack of precipitation were also positively correlated with MVC risk. We conclude that introducing seasonally adjusted measures (e.g. speed limitations, temporary warning signs) could substantially reduce the number of MVCs.

Urine nitrification is one of the possibilities for the future recovery of water and elements for soilless crop production in space systems. The start-up of artificial urine nitrification was conducted for over 85 days in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Two free ammonia (FA) incidents occurred, which gave the opportunity to demonstrate the impressive ability of nitrifiers to resist temporary inhibition by FA without long lasting adverse effects. The failures led to very high FA concentrations of 280 and 84 gN-NH3/m3, respectively. Sludge was exposed to FA for 19 and 27 h. It was possible to restore nitrification with simple remedy actions (dilution and pH restoration). No inhibitory effects on the nitrification rate were seen after implementation of the remedy actions and the nitrification rate increased considerably (up to 300% of the pre-failure value) due to decrease in salinity. After a few days of normal operation and salt concentration, the nitrification rate returned to the pre-failure values in both cases.

GODDESS is a coupling of the charged-particle detection system ORRUBA to the gamma-ray detector array Gammasphere. This coupling has been developed in order to facilitate the high-resolution measurement of direct reactions in normal and inverse kinematics with stable and radioactive beams. GODDESS has been commissioned using a beam of 134 Xe at 10 MeV/A, in a campaign of stable beam measurements. The measurement demonstrates the capabilities of GODDESS under radioactive beam conditions, and provides the first data on the single-neutron states in 135 Xe, including previously unobserved states based on the orbitals above the N=82 shell closure.

A kinetic study of the reactions C 6 H 6 + CH 3 /C 2 H 5 = C 6 H 5 + CH 4 /C 2 H 6 was carried out in the temperature range of 300–2500 K using high levels of electronic structure theory, namely, CCSD(T)/CBS//BH&HLYP/cc-pVDZ, and canonical variational transition state theory (CVT) with corrections for small curvature tunneling (SCT) and hindered internal rotation (HIR) treatments. It is found that variational effect is not important and both SCT and HIR corrections noticeably affect the rate constants. Being in good agreement with literature data, the calculated results provide solid basis information for the investigation of the polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) + alkyl radical reaction, an important class in combustion and soot formation.

Isomerisation of α-alkyl (Me, n-Pr, i-Pr, Bn) N,N-dimethylhydrazone derivatives of 8-methyl-8-azabicyclo-[3.2.1]octane (tropane) gave two isomers (E,exo Z,exo) while of 9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (granatane) three isomers (E,exo Z,exo and E,endo), excepting 2-isopropyl granatane. Relative free energies of isomeric hydrazones, at B3LYP/6-31G(d), provided satisfactory reproduction of isomer distributions for granatanes only. The thermodynamically preferred configuration for the 2-alkyl substituent was exo. The granatanone N,N-dimethylhydrazone was deuterated in D2O significantly faster than the tropinone analogue. The differences in two hydrazone series were rationalised using calculated ΔG's of tautomeric enhydrazines. Deuteration (Li-azaenolate or in D2O) led to exo (axial) α-deutero hydrazones of tropinone and granatanone. Crystal structures of tropane derived hydrazones, tropinone, 2-benzyltropinone and 3-granatanone salts were reported and used for assignment of configurations. Crystallization provided E,endo configured α-methyl, α-benzyl tropane hydrazones contrary to 2-isopropyltropane (remained E,exo). Crystallographic analysis, NMR and DFT calculations allowed configurational assignment to all experimentally accessible diastereomers of α-alkylated tropinone and granatanone hydrazones.

Several N -substituted nortropane and norgranatane derivatives were synthesised from tropinone and granatanone. The equilibrium distributions of the axial and equatorial N- invertomers of the free amine forms of the prepared products in methanol and their protonated forms (hydrochlorides) in water were studied by low-temperature and room-temperature NMR spectroscopy. Theoretical distributions in the gas phase, methanol and water solvents were calculated using DFT methods and compared with inverse gated 13 C NMR experiments. DFT calculations provided results in reasonable agreement with experimental data. Equatorial invertomers dominated in N-tert -butyl- and N- benzylnortropinone, and the equatorial/axial ratio for N- ethyl- and N- phenethylnortropinone was close to 1. The axial invertomers dominated in all of the granatanone derivatives and the N- isopropyl- and N- phenylnortropane. Our experiments indicated that nitrogen protonation shifted the invertomer equilibrium towards equatorial forms. DFT calculations reproduced this effect for tropanes.

Tropinone (8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-3-one) metal (Li, Na, K, Mg) enolates were used to achieve α-alkylation. The reactions, regardless of the metal or conditions used, were low-yielding. N , N -Dimethylhydrazones of tropinone and granatanone (pseudopelletierine, 9-methyl-9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-3-one) were prepared and α-alkylated using n -butyllithium as the lithiating reagent. Lithium amides, including a polymer-supported lithium amide, were less effective. The reactions were modelled using DFT calculations at the B3LYP 6-31G(d) level and the CPCM solvent model, revealing that the face-selective alkylations of tropinone and granatanone hydrazones favoured the exo -isomers. Granatanone and α-isopropyl tropinone derivatives resisted typical mild hydrolytic hydrazone cleavage (aqueous trifluoroacetic acid) and required more forceful conditions ( p -TsOH, boiling dioxane). Using the hydrazone alkylation strategy, 16 α-alkyl derivatives (benzyl, methyl, propyl, isopropyl, allyl, pentyl, heptyl, p -methoxybenzyl) were prepared in 52–90% yields overall. For the α-alkylated tropinones and granatanones (10 examples), the DFT calculations and experimental thermodynamic distributions in base catalysed equilibrations showed that except for the α-isopropyl derivatives, the endo -isomers were more stable than the exo -isomers and were the major products. For 2-isopropyltropinone, the bulky substituent favoured the exo (axial) position in the bicyclic skeleton. The thermodynamic distribution for the α,α′-dibenzyl tropinone isomers was also evaluated.

Background Depression is common in CF. Light therapy is used to treat depression, but exposure in hospitalized CF patients has not been studied. To determine the potential for improvement in depressive symptoms in CF patients, we measured light exposure in hospitalized CF patients. Methods Light exposure was measured during hospitalization for 30 adult CF patients over 1 week. Depressive symptoms and quality of life were assessed simultaneously using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D>16 positive for depression) and the CFQ-R. Results 50% of patients were depressed, with a significant increase in length of stay between depressed and non-depressed patients (15.4 vs. 11.7 days, p=0.032). Only 23% of patients had >60 min of light exposure >1000 lx during 1 week, with average light exposure of 62 lx. There was no difference in light exposure between a new hospital room customized for natural light exposure and traditional rooms. Vitamin D was non-significantly decreased in depressed CF patients (25.1 vs. 32.6 ng/ml, p=0.052). Limitations The study was not blinded, which may affect patient light preferences. The cohort size was limited to a single center. Inclusion bias may be present as patients could refuse enrollment based on the nature of the study. Conclusions Hospitalized CF adults have a high incidence of depressive symptoms associated with longer hospitalizations. Hospital settings are associated with low light exposure and phototherapy may be an option for rapid treatment of depression in hospitalized CF patients.

Experimental diastereoselectivities of the direct solvent-less (neat) aldol reactions of tropinone (8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-3-one) and granatanone (pseudopelletierine, 9-methyl-9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-3-one) in the presence of catalytic amounts of water are most accurately reproduced by thermodynamic distributions of isomeric products calculated in the gas phase at the B3LYP/6-31g(d) level of theory. Less than 30% systematic errors, on average, exist in the predicted anti / syn -diastereomeric ratio ( dr ) for the solvent-less reaction of tropinone with several aromatic aldehydes. The CPCM-B3LYP/6-31g(d) method reproduces the anti / syn -diastereomeric ratio of the aqueous aldol reaction of tropinone with several aromatic aldehydes with reasonable deviation (0–88%), excellent (0–10)% agreement was found for the reactions of tropinone and granatanone with benzaldehyde. Qualitatively satisfactory agreement was also found for dr values in different solvents (DMF, THF, and Et 3 N). The density functional theory (DFT) results support the notion of the thermodynamic control of the reaction.

Tropane (8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane) and granatane (9-methyl-9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane) derivatives undergo fast N-methyl inversion. The distribution of axial and equatorial N-methyl invertomers of protonated and free amine forms in aqueous and methanol solutions was studied by room and low temperature NMR spectroscopy on tropinone, tropine, granatan-3-one (pseudopelletierine or pseudopelletrierin) and α-granatan-3-ol. Theoretical (DFT) distributions in both gas phase and solutions are also reported. Applicability of the computational model for the studied system was verified by comparison with invertomer distributions inferred from inverse-gated 13C NMR experiments. Among the tested functionals, the BH&HLYP/cc-pVDZ method yields the best agreement with experiment. Moreover, accounting for orbital relaxation upon immersion in the solution was found to be of importance in order to properly reproduce observed distributions.

A clear and relatively simple algorithm for generating a unique (canonical) form of the reaction mechanism is presented based on symbolic algebra and SMILES (Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System)/USMILES (Unique SMILES)language. This algorithm allows comparing and/or merging of different mechanisms and is useful for modeling complex reactions such as combustion. A computer program for generating the canonical form of the mechanism, called CANMECH (CANonizedMECHanism), is available from the authors. The only required input to the program is the text file that translates species names used in the original mechanism to its SMILES counterparts or any other form, containing connectivity information. The algorithm is illustrated with example mechanisms in the CHEMKIN format.

We show how to increase the order of one-dimensional discrete gradient numerical integrator without losing its advantages, such as exceptional stability, exact conservation of the energy integral and exact preservation of the trajectories in the phase space. The accuracy of our integrators is higher by several orders of magnitude as compared with the standard discrete gradient scheme (modified midpoint rule) and, what is more, our schemes have very high accuracy even for large time steps., 22 pages, 9 figures

The experiment was performed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL), at Michigan State University (USA).; We report on the first γ spectroscopy of 66Se and 65As from two-neutron removal at intermediate beam energies. The deduced excitation energies for the first-excited states in 66Se and 65As are compared to mean-field-based predictions within a collective Hamiltonian formalism using the Gogny D1S effective interaction and to state-of-the-art shell-model calculations restricted to the pf5/2 g9/2 valence space. The obtained Coulomb-energy differences for the first excited states in 66Se and 65As are discussed within the shell-model formalism to assess the shape-coexistence picture for both nuclei. Our results support a favored oblate ground-state deformation in 66Se and 65As. A shape transition for the ground state of even-odd As isotopes from oblate in 65As to prolate in 67,69,71As is suggested.

We report on the construction and commissioning of the high-efficiency CAESium-iodide scintillator ARray CAESAR, a device designed for in-beam γ ‐ray spectroscopy experiments utilizing fast beams of rare isotopes at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL) at Michigan State University (MSU). CAESAR consists of 192 CsI(Na) crystals, totaling 290 kg of active scintillator material. For 1 MeV γ rays, a full-energy-peak efficiency of 35% is achieved at an in-beam energy resolution of better than 10% FWHM after event-by-event Doppler reconstruction of the γ rays emitted by nuclei moving with velocities of v / c ∼ 0.3 – 0.4 . The spectral quality of the array allows for the identification of γ ‐ray transitions with intensities of several 10 counts in the full-energy peak and thus opens new avenues for the study of the most exotic nuclei available at the NSCL for in-beam spectroscopy.

The scintillator material LaBr 3 :Ce, which was discovered in 2001, has grown in popularity for a variety of applications in homeland security and nuclear medicine. In this paper we investigate its use for nuclear science spectroscopy applications in the context of in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy with fast ion beams. In such experiments, the Doppler broadening of the gamma-ray line measured with a finite-size detector in the laboratory fundamentally limits the achievable energy resolution. For a typical experiment this effect is of the order of 3%. With the intrinsic energy resolution of LaBr 3 :Ce better than 3% FWHM at 662 keV, and its favorable stopping power, it could be a nearly ideal scintillator for gamma-ray spectroscopy applications with fast beams. Results from in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements using two LaBr 3 :Ce scintillators are presented and compared to results from segmented germanium detectors. Results from these measurements suggest that LaBr 3 :Ce based scintillation arrays can provide a viable tool for many experiments. Additionally, we show that the excellent timing properties of LaBr 3 :Ce can significantly reduce background events in the gamma-ray spectra.

Summary A total of 472 red deer, Cervus elaphus , from 16 free-ranging populations in France were examined for genetic variability and differentiation at 7 enzyme loci known to be polymorphic in this species. In addiditon, 73 specimens from 14 populations were examined for mtDNA differentiation using 16 six-base cutting restriction enzymes which, on the basis of 69 restriction sites, yielded altogether 5 haplotypes showing a quite variable distribution. Genetic variability within populations was quite similar, especially as far as allozymes are concerned. However, both marker systems revealed considerable genetic differentiation even at a small geographic scale, possibly suggesting that habitat fragmentation has already caused genetic isolation of local populations.

In this paper we use the best currently available estimates for interstellar parameters to calculate several models of the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetized interstellar plasma in the presence of LISM neutral hydrogen. We show how the heliosphere may be modified by both the galactic magnetic field and neutral particles.

Calculations employing statistical adiabatic channel model show that the spin of a nucleus in a homonuclear molecule affects the rate of ion capture at low temperatures. Whereas for bosons in even electronic states with respect to permutation of the nuclear coordinates ( Σ + g , Σ − u ) the ion capture rate decreases as the spin increases, for fermions in such states the situation is reversed; the capture rate increases with increasing spin. For the odd Σ + u , Σ − g states the trends are reversed. Such trends are exhibited over the whole region of low temperatures. At very low temperatures the spin effects can become very large. If the effect of the reduced mass contributed by the Langevin rate constant can be ignored, the normal kinetic order at which the isotopomeric molecules capture an ion is reversed. For instance, C 2 T 2 +H + 3 occurs slower than does C 2 D 2 +H + 3 .

Calculations indicate that ion–molecule reactions in gases exhibit marked kinetic isotope effects. Whereas at high temperatures the effects are normal (the lighter molecule reacts faster than the heavier one), at low temperatures the reversed isotope effect is predicted: a heavier isotopomeric molecule reacts with an ion faster than the lighter one.