Reversible temperature-driven domain transition in bistable Fe magnetic nanostrips grown on Ru(0001)

© 2015 American Physical Society. High-aspect-ratio Fe nanostrips are studied with real-space micromagnetic imaging methods. We experimentally demonstrate reversible switching from essentially homogeneous single-domain states at room temperature to multidomain diamond states at elevated temperature. This temperature-dependent magnetic bistability can be understood and modeled by accounting for the temperature dependence of the magnetocrystalline, shape, and magnetoelastic anisotropies. These results show how the transition temperature between two magnetic domain states can be tailored by controlling epitaxial strain and particle geometry, which may generate new opportunities for magnetic memory and logic device design.Peer Reviewe

High-Efficient Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Astrocytes

The reprogramming of human somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells enables the possibility of generating patient-specific autologous cells for regenerative medicine. A number of human somatic cell types have been reported to generate hiPS cells, including fibroblasts, keratinocytes and peripheral blood cells, with variable reprogramming efficiencies and kinetics. Here, we show that human astrocytes can also be reprogrammed into hiPS (ASThiPS) cells, with similar efficiencies to keratinocytes, which are currently reported to have one of the highest somatic reprogramming efficiencies. ASThiPS lines were indistinguishable from human embryonic stem (ES) cells based on the expression of pluripotent markers and the ability to differentiate into the three embryonic germ layers in vitro by embryoid body generation and in vivo by teratoma formation after injection into immunodeficient mice. Our data demonstrates that a human differentiated neural cell type can be reprogrammed to pluripotency and is consistent with the universality of the somatic reprogramming procedure

DarkCideS 1.0, a global database for bats in karsts and caves

Tanalgo, Krizler C., Tabora, John Aries G., de Oliveira, Hernani Fernandes Magalhães, Haelewaters, Danny, Beranek, Chad T., Otálora-Ardila, Aída, Bernard, Enrico, Gonçalves, Fernando, Eriksson, Alan, Donnelly, Melissa, González, Joel Monzón, Ramos, Humberto Fernández, Rivas, Alberto Clark, Webala, Paul W., Deleva, Stanimira, Dalhoumi, Ridha, Maula, Jaycelle, Lizarro, Dennis, Aguirre, Luis F., Bouillard, Nils, Quibod, Ma. Niña Regina M., Barros, Jennifer, Turcios-Casco, Manfredo Alejandro, Martínez, Marcio, Ordoñez-Mazier, Diego Iván, Orellana, José Alejandro Soler, Ordoñez-Trejo, Eduardo J., Ordoñez, Danny, Chornelia, Ada, Lu, Jian Mei, Xing, Chen, Baniya, Sanjeev, Muylaert, Renata L., Dias-Silva, Leonardo Henrique, Ruadreo, Nittaya, Hughes, Alice Catherine (2022): DarkCideS 1.0, a global database for bats in karsts and caves. Scientific Data 9 (1): 155, DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01234-4, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01234-

Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms

Connecting the multiple dimensions of global soil fungal diversity

How the multiple facets of soil fungal diversity vary worldwide remains virtually unknown, hindering the management of this essential species-rich group. By sequencing high-resolution DNA markers in over 4000 topsoil samples from natural and human-altered ecosystems across all continents, we illustrate the distributions and drivers of different levels of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of fungi and their ecological groups. We show the impact of precipitation and temperature interactions on local fungal species richness (alpha diversity) across different climates. Our findings reveal how temperature drives fungal compositional turnover (beta diversity) and phylogenetic diversity, linking them with regional species richness (gamma diversity). We integrate fungi into the principles of global biodiversity distribution and present detailed maps for biodiversity conservation and modeling of global ecological processes

Testing a global standard for quantifying species recovery and assessing conservation impact.

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a "Green List of Species" (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species' progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species' viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics (conservation legacy, conservation dependence, conservation gain, and recovery potential). We tested the framework with 181 species representing diverse taxa, life histories, biomes, and IUCN Red List categories (extinction risk). Based on the observed distribution of species' recovery scores, we propose the following species recovery categories: fully recovered, slightly depleted, moderately depleted, largely depleted, critically depleted, extinct in the wild, and indeterminate. Fifty-nine percent of tested species were considered largely or critically depleted. Although there was a negative relationship between extinction risk and species recovery score, variation was considerable. Some species in lower risk categories were assessed as farther from recovery than those at higher risk. This emphasizes that species recovery is conceptually different from extinction risk and reinforces the utility of the IUCN Green Status of Species to more fully understand species conservation status. Although extinction risk did not predict conservation legacy, conservation dependence, or conservation gain, it was positively correlated with recovery potential. Only 1.7% of tested species were categorized as zero across all 4 of these conservation impact metrics, indicating that conservation has, or will, play a role in improving or maintaining species status for the vast majority of these species. Based on our results, we devised an updated assessment framework that introduces the option of using a dynamic baseline to assess future impacts of conservation over the short term to avoid misleading results which were generated in a small number of cases, and redefines short term as 10 years to better align with conservation planning. These changes are reflected in the IUCN Green Status of Species Standard

¿TENEMOS NECESIDAD DE UNA NUEVA ÉTICA?

Este ensayo centra su atención en la idea de que la manera en que se ex­plotan los recursos naturales y la energía se basa en una ética especí­fica. A continuación se presentan algunas reflexiones sobre la posible necesidad de una ética nueva, si es que se quiere cambiar la actual forma de relacionarse con la naturaleza.En el transcurso de las últimas décadas se nota un creciente interés en la ecología, así como en el uso de los recursos naturales y energéticos.

Fitness of a soil for growing vallenato mango in Guacoche, Cesar state

Se evaluó la aptitud del suelo de la Finca “La Estancia” ubicada en Guacoche, departamento del Cesar, para el cultivo de mango (Mangifera indica L.) variedad Vallenato. Se muestreó una hectárea de suelo con 16 calicatas para definir el perfil modal del suelo y describir sus propiedades. Se tomaron muestras disturbadas y no disturbadas de cada horizonte para análisis fisicoquímico según Manual No. 47 del Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario y la metodología establecida por el Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi (IGAC). El suelo fue clasificado como un Typic Dystrustepts, arenoso franco mixto isohipertérmico, de mediana fertilidad, según Claves de Taxonomía de Suelos de los Estados Unidos. El suelo no tiene limitaciones por sales, sodio o aluminio; localmente presentan niveles freáticos altos que pueden ocasionar pudrición de la raíz y facilitar la pérdida de fertilizantes con aplicación edáfica

Effect of three extenders in the preservation of alpaca semen

El presente trabajo tuvo el propósito de evaluar la eficiencia de tres dilutores: Trisglucosa, Tris-fructosa y un dilutor comercial de cerdo, en la conservación del semen de alpaca. Se utilizaron 12 machos que fueron entrenados por un mes en la colección de semen con vagina artificial y frazadilla eléctrica. Los animales fueron de la Sub-Estación Experimental Quimsachata del INIA, Puno. El semen tuvo las siguientes características: volumen de 2.7 ± 0.8 ml, viscosidad de 1.04 ± 0.3, motilidad de 54.0 ± 8.0%, pH con tendencia a la alcalinidad, concentración de 248,100 espermatozoides/ml, y el color que predominó fue el blanco lechoso. El tiempo promedio de cópula fue de 26.5 ± 3.8minutos. Se utilizó un factor de dilución de 1 en 2 para semen y dilutor, respectivamente. Las diluciones fueron evaluadas considerando lamotilidad individual como único parámetro para determinar la viabilidad espermática. El dilutor Tris-glucosamostró una viabilidad promedio de 5.8 ± 1.1 horas, el Tris-fructosa de 6.1 ± 2.5 horas y el dilutor comercial de cerdo de 5.5 ± 1.0 horas, sin haber diferencia estadística significativa entre dilutores