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At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS1989

Bone characteristics and metal concentrations in white suckers ( Catostomus commersoni ) from one neutral and three acidified lakes in Maine

The bone characteristics of white suckers, Catostomus commersoni , from four lakes in Maine were studied in relation to lake water quality and metal concentrations in fish. Green Lake had a neutral pH, high buffering capacity, and low aluminum concentrations, whereas the other three lakes had low pH, low buffering capacity, and elevated aluminum concentrations. The concentrations of aluminum in white suckers did not differ among the four lakes, but concentrations of cadmium, lead, and mercury were greater in fish from the three low-pH lakes. The vertebrae were weaker and more flexible in fish from the low-pH lakes than in those from neutral-pH Green Lake. The inferior mechanical properties of bone in fish from the low-pH lakes were probably a result of the significantly lower proline concentrations in collagen. Low pH of lake water or elevated whole-body concentrations of cadmium, lead, and mercury, either individually or combined, could have caused the inferior mechanical properties of bone of white suckers from the low-pH lakes.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS1993

Effects of dietary aluminum, calcium, and phosphorus on egg and bone of European starlings

Egg and bone of passerine birds nesting in acidified habitats may be affected by high levels of Al or P, or low levels of Ca. Nine treatments of three levels of dietary Al (target levels of 200, 1,000, and 5,000 μg/g) and three levels of Ca:P (target levels of NN = 1.3% Ca: 0.9% P; LL = 0.19 Ca:0.45 P; LH = 0.19 Ca: 1.65 P) were fed to 16–17 starling pairs during two breeding seasons. Eggs of starlings fed the LH diet were smaller and weighed less than eggs from the NN and LL treatments. Treatment effects on thickness, strength, and weight of eggshells were not consistent between seasons, probably because of differences in actual dietary levels of Al, Ca, and P or in incubation intervals. In one season, birds fed the highest Al diet had thicker eggshells than those from the other Al treatments (no effect from Ca:P); the following season, eggshells from the NN and LH treatments were thicker and stronger than those from the LL treatment. Eggshells from the NN treatment weighed more than those from the other Ca:P treatments. Starlings on the LH diet had the strongest femurs, but the effect was interactive with different levels of dietary Al. Effects of Ca:P on egg and bone were more evident than Al effects.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1979

Amino acid racemization dating of fossil bones, I. inter-laboratory comparison of racemization measurements

Enantiomeric measurements for aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and alanine in twenty-one different fossil bone samples have been carried out by three different laboratories using different analytical methods. These inter-laboratory comparisons demonstrate that D/L aspartic acid measurements are highly reproducible, whereas the enantiomeric measurements for the other amino acids show a wide variation between the three laboratories. At present, aspartic acid measurements are the most suitable for racemization dating of bone because of their superior analytical precision.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗
USGS1991

Acid precipitation and food quality: Effects of dietary Al, Ca and P on bone and liver characteristics in American black ducks and mallards

American black ducks ( Anas rubripes ) and mallards ( A. platyrhynchos ) were fed diets varying in concentrations of aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P) for 10 weeks to identify toxic effects of Al under conditions representative of areas with acid precipitation. Femur and liver tissues were analyzed for Al, Ca, and P concentrations and structural characteristics. At two weeks of age, both species demonstrated pronounced differences in femur Al and P concentrations and femur mass from dietary Al and interaction between Ca:P regimen and Al; Low Ca:Low P enhanced Al storage and decreased P and mass in femurs. Femur Ca was lowest in the Low Ca:Low P regimen but was not affected by dietary Al. At 10 weeks, femur and liver Al continued to vary with dietary Al. Elevated Al and reduced Ca lowered modulus of elasticity. Femur P increased with elevated dietary P in black ducks. Elevated dietary P negated some of the effects of dietary Al on femur mass in black ducks. Reduced Ca concentrations weakened bones of both species and lowered both Ca and P. An array of clinical signs including lameness, discoloration of the upper mandible, complete and greenstick fractures, and death were responses to elevated Al and Ca:P regimen. Black ducks seemed to display these signs over a wider range of diets than mallards. Diets of 1,000 mg/kg Al had toxic effects on both species, particularly when combined with diets low in Ca and P.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS1979

Bone development in black ducks as affected by dietary toxaphene

Black ducks, Anas rubripes, were exposed to dietary toxaphene concentrations of 0, 10, or 50 μg/g of food for 90 days prior to laying and through the reproductive season. Toxaphene did not affect reproduction or survival, but reduced growth and impaired backbone development in ducklings. Collagen, the organic matrix of bone, was decreased significantly in cervical vertebrae of ducklings fed 50 μg/g, and calcium conentrations increased in vertebrae of ducklings fed 10 or 50 μg/g. The effects of toxaphene were observed only in female ducklings. In contrast to effects on vertebrae, toxaphene exposure did not alter tibia development. Toxaphene residues in carcasses of these ducklings averaged slightly less than the dietary levels.

Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology↗
USGS2011

Meat and bone meal and mineral feed additives may increase the risk of oral prion disease transmission

Ingestion of prion-contaminated materials is postulated to be a primary route of prion disease transmission. Binding of prions to soil (micro)particles dramatically enhances peroral disease transmission relative to unbound prions, and it was hypothesized that micrometer-sized particles present in other consumed materials may affect prion disease transmission via the oral route of exposure. Small, insoluble particles are present in many substances, including soil, human foods, pharmaceuticals, and animal feeds. It is known that meat and bone meal (MBM), a feed additive believed responsible for the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), contains particles smaller than 20 μm and that the pathogenic prion protein binds to MBM. The potentiation of disease transmission via the oral route by exposure to MBM or three micrometer-sized mineral feed additives was determined. Data showed that when the disease agent was bound to any of the tested materials, the penetrance of disease was increased compared to unbound prions. Our data suggest that in feed or other prion-contaminated substances consumed by animals or, potentially, humans, the addition of MBM or the presence of microparticles could heighten risks of prion disease acquisition.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Pa↗
USGS2018

Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Wolfcamp Shale and Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, New Mexico and Texas, 2018

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous mean resources of 46.3 billion barrels of oil and 281 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin in the Permian Basin Province, southeast New Mexico and west Texas.

New Mexico, Texas↗
USGS2020

Structure contour and isopach maps of the Wolfcamp shale and Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, New Mexico and Texas

A series of structure contour and isopach maps for the Wolfcamp shale and the Bone Spring Formation of the Delaware Basin, Permian Basin Province, were generated in support of the U.S. Geological Survey 2018 assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources. The interpreted formation tops used to generate the maps are from the IHS Markit® PRODFit™ database, a commercial proprietary database. The maps in this report are reflective of the stratigraphic units on the IHS Markit type log from southeast Eddy County, New Mexico.

New Mexico, Texas↗
USGS1972

Uranium-series dating of bone from the Isimila prehistoric site, Tanzania

EXCAVATIONS in 1957 and 1958 at the Isimila prehistoric site, in Tanzania 1 , sampled Acheulian occurrences in horizons at various levels in the Isimila Beds which are approximately 18 m thick. No significant breaks were observed in the sedimentary sequence, although there are numerous local hiatuses.

Nature↗
USGS1975

Ages of fossil bones from British interglacial sites

THE time gap between the upper limit of radiocarbon dating (≈60,000 yr BP) and the lower limit of dates generally obtainable using the K–Ar method (≈250,000 yr BP) accounts for the scarcity of dates for the last two interglaciations (the Ipswichian and Hoxnian of Britain; the Eemian and Holsteinian of northern Europe). Accordingly, the ages of such important fossils as the Swanscombe and Steinheim skulls can only be guessed at. For that reason, the adaptation of a method that may date these interglacial periods is highly desirable. We discuss here the application of a uranium-series dating technique pertaining to that span of time.

Nature↗
USGS2018

High costs of infection: Alphavirus infection reduces digestive function and bone and feather growth in nestling house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Increasingly, ecoimmunology studies aim to use relevant pathogen exposure to examine the impacts of infection on physiological processes in wild animals. Alphaviruses are arthropod-borne, single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses (“arboviruses”) responsible for millions of cases of human illnesses each year. Buggy Creek virus (BCRV) is a unique alphavirus that is transmitted by a cimicid insect, the swallow bug, and is amplified in two avian species: the house sparrow ( Passer domesticus ) and the cliff swallow ( Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) . BCRV, like many alphaviruses, exhibits age-dependent susceptibility where the young are most susceptible to developing disease and exhibit a high mortality rate. However, alphavirus disease etiology in nestling birds is unknown. In this study, we infected nestling house sparrows with Buggy Creek virus and measured virological, pathological, growth, and digestive parameters following infection. Buggy Creek virus caused severe encephalitis in all infected nestlings, and the peak viral concentration in brain tissue was over 34 times greater than any other tissue. Growth, tissue development, and digestive function were all significantly impaired during BCRV infection. However, based on histopathological analysis performed, this impairment does not appear to be the result of direct tissue damage by the virus, but likely caused by encephalitis and neuronal invasion and impairment of the central nervous system. This is the first study to examine the course of alphavirus diseases in nestling birds and these results will improve our understanding of age-dependent infections of alphaviruses in vertebrate hosts.

PLoS ONE↗