The relationship of bispectral index values to conscious state: an analysis of two volunteer cohort studies.

Background: The ability of current depth-of-anaesthesia monitors to differentiate subtle changes in the conscious state has not been well characterised. We examine the variability in bispectral index (BIS) scores associated with disconnected conscious and unconscious states as confirmed by a novel serial awakening paradigm.

Methods: Seventy adult participants, given propofol or dexmedetomidine, had a cumulative 1381 electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings across two centres.

Ecological interactions and unique resource partitioning between dolphins in the ultraoligotrophic eastern Mediterranean Sea.

This study delves into the eco-dynamics of three dolphin species in the ultra-oligotrophic waters off the southern Israeli Mediterranean coast - two neritic: the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and one pelagic: the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba). It utilizes compound-specific stable isotope analysis of individual amino acids to investigate carbon and nitrogen source variability and trophic positioning among the three species. Muscle samples from stranded individuals were analyzed for carbon (δC) and nitrogen (δN) isotopic ratios of amino acids, with ΔδN (Glutamate-Phenylalanine) acting as an indicator of relative trophic position.

Serum chemistry, thyroxine concentration, and blood cell morphology of wild, young Blackchin Guitarfish Glaucostegus cemiculus sampled on the eastern Mediterranean coastline.

Objective: The Blackchin Guitarfish Glaucostegus cemiculus is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and is critically endangered, but relevant routine laboratory data are unavailable. Our objectives were to determine the packed cell volume (PCV), comprehensive serum chemistry analytes, and serum total thyroxine (sTT4) concentration; compare serum albumin and serum globulin concentrations as measured by two different methods; and describe the blood cell morphology of healthy, free-ranging Blackchin Guitarfish.

Methods: Wild Blackchin Guitarfish were captured using a seine net.

Shark shuffle: segregated co-occurrence of multiple dusky and sandbar lineages at a human-altered habitat in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Requiem sharks (genus Carcharhinus) have previously been reported to form large aggregations around marine infrastructures in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. While this behaviour may offer fitness advantages at the individual level, the implications of extended residency at human-altered habitats for population persistence have yet to be assessed. In this work, we investigated the phylogeographic and demographic composition of sharks near a coal-fired power and desalination station in Israel.

Observational study on the non-linear response of dolphins to the presence of vessels.

With the large increase in human marine activity, our seas have become populated with vessels that can be overheard from distances of even 20 km. Prior investigations showed that such a dense presence of vessels impacts the behaviour of marine animals, and in particular dolphins. While previous explorations were based on a linear observation for changes in the features of dolphin whistles, in this work we examine non-linear responses of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) to the presence of vessels.