INTRODUCTION Four species of seals live in association with sea ice in Alaska; these are the ringed seal (Phoca hispida), spotted seal (P. largha), bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus), and ribbon seal (Histriophoca fasciata or Phoca fasciata). Ribbon seals, the focus of this paper, range from the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk eastward into the Bering Sea and northward into the Chukchi Sea....

The use of abradable and rub tolerant polymer seals to reduce leakage between rotating and stationary members in centrifugal compressors and steam turbines has increased over the years. Abradable materials such as mica-filled tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), nickel graphite, and aluminum alloy containing silicon/polyester are the most commonly used and have gained acceptance in the marketplace. This ...

Northern fur seals breeding on the Pribilof Islands are characterized by pelagic migrations that begin each fall and last approximately eight months. Previous studies have examined the early phases of the migration with respect to timing, location, and effects of ocean surface currents on movement. We used satellite telemetry and remotely sensed satellite data to examine relationships between o...

Many phocid seals are expert divers that remain submerged longer than expected based on estimates of oxygen storage and utilization. This discrepancy is most likely due to an overestimation of diving metabolic rate. During diving, a selective redistribution of blood flow occurs, which may result in reduced metabolism in the hypoperfused tissues and a possible decline in whole-body metabolism to...

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of treatment with lamotrigine (LTG) or carbamazepine (CBZ) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to demonstrate the use of the SEALS Inventory as a comparative tool in clinical trials. Two hundred and sixty patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy were randomized to 48 weeks of treatment with LTG (n = 131) or CBZ (n = 129). HRQOL was measure...

This review summarises the occurrence of herpesvirus infections in pinnipeds and data from investigations carried out by the authors. These data demonstrate that herpesvirus isolates collected from harbour seals (Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758) during the 1988 seal epidemic were almost indistinguishable from feline herpesvirus 1 and that Antarctic Weddell's seals (Leptonychotes weddelli Lesson, ...

BACKGROUND Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the Beaufort Sea enter hyperphagia in spring and gain fat reserves to survive periods of low prey availability. We collected information on seals killed by polar bears (n=650) and hunting attempts on ringed seal (Pusa hispida) lairs (n=1396) observed from a helicopter during polar bear mark-recapture studies in the eastern Beaufort Sea in spring in 19...

Although crabeater seals Lobodon carcinophaga are among the most abundant consumers of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, their diet has rarely been studied throughout most of the species’ range. Using δ13C and δ15N values in vibrissae from 53 seals, we examined the trophic ecology of crabeater seals from the western Antarctic Peninsula (wAP) in 2001, 2002 and 2007. We observed a wide variabili...

Monk seals in Cape Blanc (Western Sahara coast) suffered a mass mortality Turing May-July 1997 which was attributed to a morbilivirus. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis on tissues of seals killed during the outbreak and on related fauna showed peaks with retention times coincident with those of some saxitoxin derivatives but their identity of these toxins by mass spectromet...

We provide the first scientific report of influenza A virus involvement in a mass mortality event among harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) off the west coast of Sweden. Avian influenza A (H10N7) virus was detected in the lungs of two affected animals. This subtype has not been reported in seals to date, nor has influenza A-associated mortality been reported in seals in Europe. Circulation of avian ...