Effects of climate change on reproduction,larval development, and adult health of coral trout (Plectropomus spp.)

Climate change is emerging as the single greatest threat to coral-reef ecosystems.The most immediate impacts will be a loss of diversity and changes to fish community composition and may lead to eventual declines in abundance and productivity of key fisheries species. A key component of this research is to assess effects of projected changes in environmental conditions (temperature and ocean acidity) due to climate change on reproduction, growth and development of coral trout (Plectropomus leopardis).Ultimately, this research will fill key knowledge gaps about climate change impacts on larger fishes, which are fundamental to optimizing resilience-based management, and in turn improve the adaptive capacity of industries and communities along the Great Barrier Reef

Wavelet analysis of epileptic spikes

Interictal spikes and sharp waves in human EEG are characteristic signatures of epilepsy. These potentials originate as a result of synchronous, pathological discharge of many neurons. The reliable detection of such potentials has been the long standing problem in EEG analysis, especially after long-term monitoring became common in investigation of epileptic patients. The traditional definition of a spike is based on its amplitude, duration, sharpness, and emergence from its background. However, spike detection systems built solely around this definition are not reliable due to the presence of numerous transients and artifacts. We use wavelet transform to analyze the properties of EEG manifestations of epilepsy. We demonstrate that the behavior of wavelet transform of epileptic spikes across scales can constitute the foundation of a relatively simple yet effective detection algorithm.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Cutting cardiovascular risk in barbershops

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jomh.2009.07.00

Composite Fermion Description of Correlated Electrons in Quantum Dots: Low Zeeman Energy Limit

We study the applicability of composite fermion theory to electrons in two-dimensional parabolically-confined quantum dots in a strong perpendicular magnetic field in the limit of low Zeeman energy. The non-interacting composite fermion spectrum correctly specifies the primary features of this system. Additional features are relatively small, indicating that the residual interaction between the composite fermions is weak. \footnote{Published in Phys. Rev. B {\bf 52}, 2798 (1995).}Comment: 15 pages, 7 postscript figure

An improved ovine reference genome assembly to facilitate in depth functional annotation of the sheep genome

BACKGROUND: The domestic sheep (Ovis aries) is an important agricultural species raised for meat, wool, and milk across the world. A high-quality reference genome for this species enhances the ability to discover genetic mechanisms influencing biological traits. Furthermore, a high-quality reference genome allows for precise functional annotation of gene regulatory elements. The rapid advances in genome assembly algorithms and emergence of sequencing technologies with increasingly long reads provide the opportunity for an improved de novo assembly of the sheep reference genome. FINDINGS: Short-read Illumina (55× coverage), long-read Pacific Biosciences (75× coverage), and Hi-C data from this ewe retrieved from public databases were combined with an additional 50× coverage of Oxford Nanopore data and assembled with canu v1.9. The assembled contigs were scaffolded using Hi-C data with Salsa v2.2, gaps filled with PBsuitev15.8.24, and polished with Nanopolish v0.12.5. After duplicate contig removal with PurgeDups v1.0.1, chromosomes were oriented and polished with 2 rounds of a pipeline that consisted of freebayes v1.3.1 to call variants, Merfin to validate them, and BCFtools to generate the consensus fasta. The ARS-UI_Ramb_v2.0 assembly is 2.63 Gb in length and has improved continuity (contig NG50 of 43.18 Mb), with a 19- and 38-fold decrease in the number of scaffolds compared with Oar_rambouillet_v1.0 and Oar_v4.0. ARS-UI_Ramb_v2.0 has greater per-base accuracy and fewer insertions and deletions identified from mapped RNA sequence than previous assemblies. CONCLUSIONS: The ARS-UI_Ramb_v2.0 assembly is a substantial improvement in contiguity that will optimize the functional annotation of the sheep genome and facilitate improved mapping accuracy of genetic variant and expression data for traits in sheep

Influence of production variables and starting material on charcoal stable isotopic and molecular characteristics

We present a systematic study on the effect of starting species, gas composition, temperature, particle size and duration of heating upon the molecular and stable isotope composition of high density (mangrove) and low density (pine) wood. In both pine and mangrove, charcoal was depleted in o13C relative to the starting wood by up to 1.6% and 0.8%, respectively. This is attributed predominantly to the progressive loss of isotopically heavier polysaccharides, and kinetic effects of aromatization during heating. However, the pattern of o13C change was dependant upon both starting species and atmosphere, with different structural changes associated with charcoal production from each wood type elucidated by Solid-State o13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. These are particularly evident at lower temperatures, where variation in the oxygen content of the production atmosphere results in differences in the thermal degradation of cellulose and lignin. It is concluded that production of charcoal from separate species in identical conditions, or from a single sample exposed to different production variables, can result in significantly different o13C of the resulting material, relative to the initial wood. These results have implications for the use of charcoal isotope composition to infer past environmental change

Faking like a woman? Towards an interpretative theorization of sexual pleasure.

This article explores the possibility of developing a feminist approach to gendered and sexual embodiment which is rooted in the pragmatist/interactionist tradition derived from G.H. Mead, but which in turn develops this perspective by inflecting it through more recent feminist thinking. In so doing we seek to rebalance some of the rather abstract work on gender and embodiment by focusing on an instance of 'heterosexual' everyday/night life - the production of the female orgasm. Through engaging with feminist and interactionist work, we develop an approach to embodied sexual pleasure that emphasizes the sociality of sexual practices and of reflexive sexual selves. We argue that sexual practices and experiences must be understood in social context, taking account of the situatedness of sex as well as wider socio-cultural processes the production of sexual desire and sexual pleasure (or their non-production) always entails interpretive, interactional processes

Using the set point concept to allow water distribution system skeletonization preserving water quality constraints

[EN] Water distribution networks were included in the catalogue of critical infrastructures by different institutions as the European Council. One of the vulnerabilities of a water distribution networks consists of the contamination due to accidental or provoked events. Therefore, it is increasingly common to develop water quality models which allow the study of these threats. Many hydraulic models use algorithms with a high computational cost. Therefore, any strategy to accelerate these algorithms is an important contribution to the problem. This paper proposes a method to simplify branched areas of the network without losing information regarding water quality.This article has been possible inside the actions developed by the researchers of UPV involved in the project “Mejora de las técnicas de llenado y operación de redes de abastecimiento de agua (OPERAGUA)”. The number reference of the project is DPI2009-13674.Martínez-Solano, FJ.; Iglesias Rey, PL.; Mora Meliá, D.; Fuertes Miquel, VS. (2014). Using the set point concept to allow water distribution system skeletonization preserving water quality constraints. Procedia Engineering. 2014(89):213-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2014.11.179S21321920148

Dog Burials Associated with Human Burials in the West Indies during the Early Pre-Columbian Ceramic Age (500 BC-600 AD)

Across the Caribbean, the widespread presence of canine remains at archaeological sites from the Saladoid period raises questions about the role of “man’s best friend.” Dog (Canis familiaris) remains have been found located in both refuse middens and burials adjacent to human graves in a number of sites in the French Antilles and Barbuda, West Indies. This paper will critically examine dog remains and discuss the varied duality of the dog’s role in the Saladoid world: from food source to lifelong companion. The importance of dogs within Amerindian sites from Saint Martin, the Guadeloupe archipelago, Martinique and Barbuda will be explored from a zooarchaeological perspective, concluding with a critical discussion of changes in cultural patterns, as seen through the decline in dog remains during the Troumassoid and Suazoid period at the sites in the French Antilles. Résumé Sépultures de chiens associées à des sépultures humaines dans les Petites Antilles à l’Âge du Néoindien ancien (500 av. – 600 ap. J.-C.). Dans les Antilles, la présence généralisée de restes de chiens sur les sites de la période céramique ancienne Saladoïde soulève des questions sur le rôle de ce « meilleur ami de l’homme ». En effet, des chiens (Canis familiaris) ont été trouvés aussi bien dans des zones de rejets, qu’enterrés aux côtés de sépultures humaines dans un certain nombre de sites des Petites Antilles. Ce document examinera ces restes de chiens de façon critique et décrira les morphologies particulières des chiens des sites amérindiens de l’île de Saint-Martin, l\u27archipel de la Guadeloupe, la Martinique et de l’île de Barbuda, dans une perspective archéozoologique. Une discussion critique portera sur l\u27évolution des changements des modèles culturels, comme celui de la chute drastique des chiens enterrés pendant les périodes archéologiques plus tardives, Troumassoïde et Suazoïde, des sites des Antilles françaises. Enfin, la discussion portera sur la dualité du rôle du chien dans le monde Saladoïde, à la fois source de nourriture et compagnon de vie