Sediment Microbiomes Associated with Critical Habitat of the Juvenile American Horseshoe Crab; Limulus Polyphemus

Plumb Beach, Brooklyn, New York in USA is an important horseshoe crab breeding and nursery ground that has experienced substantial anthropogenic influence, including pollution, erosion and subsequent restoration. Since little is known about the relationship between sediment microbial communities and juvenile horseshoe crab survival, next generation sequencing was used to characterize and compare the sediment microbiome of three distinct areas of Plumb Beach:- a tidal creek with abundant juveniles, East Beach with moderate number of juveniles, and West Beach- a highly disturbed area where juvenile crabs are rarely seen. The microbiome of juvenile crab intestinal content (both dissected gut content and fecal flush content) from the tidal creek site was also examined. The results showed that in our 2017 survey, the overall dominant sediment orders at all beach sites were Vibrionales (30%), Flavobacteriales (22%) and Alteromonadales (21%). Although alpha diversity was similar among the three beach sites, Bray-Curtis distances assessed by Permanova revealed significant differences in Beta diversity, with a unique microbial assemblage found in the tidal creek. Both crab gut and fecal flush samples did not sequence well, showing low species diversity and very high variability. This study is the first to use next generation sequencing to characterize Plumb Beach sediment microbes and the first attempt to examine the gut microbiome of juvenile horseshoe crabs. This information will contribute to understanding the relationships between sediment microbial assemblages and juvenile crab populations within this important urban habitat

Prélèvement et échantillonnage dans les petits bassins-versants ruraux

Cet article traite de la représentativité des prélèvements d'eau effectués dans le cadre de suivis de bassins versants ou de rivières.Les réflexions proposées sont en premier lieu basées sur des expérimentations de laboratoire et de terrain destinées à comparer divers systèmes et modalités de prélèvements. Les résultats obtenus montrent en particulier que les prélèvements de matières en suspension de dimensions > 100 µm sont peu fiables alors que ce type de particules présente, dans certain cas, une contribution non négligeable aux flux de phosphore total.Les suivis réalisés en divers points représentatifs de petits bassins expérimentaux fournissent des éléments de discussion complémentaires sur le choix des sites des prélèvements et sur les pas de temps de ceux-ci. Nous montrons entre autre, toute l'importance de saisir le début des crues dans les bassins à forte pollution ponctuelle et de considérer des suivis des périodes suffisamment longues pour intégrer les divers fonctionnements hydrochimiques du bassin versant étudié.Water and suspended matter sampling in hydrographic networks is studied through various sampling systems and procedures, and through devices used in fields and in laboratories (fig. 1).Large size particles tend to be underestimated whatever the sampling procedure (manual or automatic) (fig. 2, 3). On the other hand, the sampling for soluble elements and small site particles (less man 50 µm) is very reliable. This is observed in suspended matter concentrations, eg < 2 g.l-1.The largest particles of suspended matter sometimes contribute to nutrient transfer, e.g. phosphorous. This however depends upon the presence of soil microaggregates and nutrient geochemistry. Moreover, natural hydrological variations give rise to another problem for sampling, especially for suspended matter (fig. 7, 9, 10, table 2).Comparatively the variation due to preservation of water is of secondary importance (fig. 11).However, thanks to results from monitoring in experimental watersheds, it is possible to find the best sampling station and the hast time to carry out sampling (fig. 12, 13; fable 3).Duration of survey and intervals between each sample depend, of course, upon the objectives of the study, but also upon watershed characteristics. Considering these characteristics, we propose an example of sampling stategy in the text (table 6, fig. 5)

The local metallicity of gadolinium doped compound semiconductors

The local metallicities of Hf0:97Gd0:03O2, Ga0:97Gd0:03N, Eu0:97Gd0:04O and EuO films were studied through a comparison of the findings from constant initial state spectroscopy using synchrotron light. Resonant enhancements, corresponding to the 4d→4f transitions of Eu and Gd, were observed in some of the valence band photoemission features. The resonant photoemission intensity enhancements for the Gd 4f photoemission features are far stronger for the more insulating host systems than for the metallic system Eu0:96Gd0:04O. The evidence seems to suggest a correlation between the effective screening in the films and the resonant photoemission process

Implementation of the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules for dairy products: An approach to assess nitrogen emissions in a mass balanced dairy farm system

European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Government of Cataloni

GJ 1252 b: A 1.2 R\u3csub\u3e⊕\u3c/sub\u3e Planet Transiting An M3 Dwarf At 20.4 pc

We report the discovery of GJ 1252 b, a planet with a radius of 1.193 ± 0.074 R⊕ and an orbital period of 0.52 days around an M3-type star (0.381 ± 0.019 M⊕, 0.391 ± 0.020 R⊕) located 20.385 ± 0.019 pc away. We use Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) data, ground-based photometry and spectroscopy, Gaia astrometry, and high angular resolution imaging to show that the transit signal seen in the TESS data must originate from a transiting planet. We do so by ruling out all false-positive scenarios that attempt to explain the transit signal as originating from an eclipsing stellar binary. Precise Doppler monitoring also leads to a tentative mass measurement of 2.09 ± 0.56 M⊕. The host star proximity, brightness (V = 12.19 mag, K = 7.92 mag), low stellar activity, and the system\u27s short orbital period make this planet an attractive target for detailed characterization, including precise mass measurement, looking for other objects in the system, and planet atmosphere characterization

Limits on a Composite Higgs Boson

Precision electroweak data are generally believed to constrain the Higgs boson mass to lie below approximately 190 GeV at 95% confidence level. The standard Higgs model is, however, trivial and can only be an effective field theory valid below some high energy scale characteristic of the underlying non-trivial physics. Corrections to the custodial isospin violating parameter T arising from interactions at this higher energy scale dramatically enlarge the allowed range of Higgs mass. We perform a fit to precision electroweak data and determine the region in the (m_H, Delta T) plane that is consistent with experimental results. Overlaying the estimated size of corrections to T arising from the underlying dynamics, we find that a Higgs mass up to 500 GeV is allowed. We review two composite Higgs models which can realize the possibility of a phenomenologically acceptable heavy Higgs boson. We comment on the potential of improvements in the measurements of m_t and M_W to improve constraints on composite Higgs models.Comment: 9 pages, 2 eps figures. Shortened for PRL; some references elminate

Neglecting the Importance of the Decision Making and Care Regimes of Personal Support Workers: A Critique of Standardization of Care Planning Through the RAI/MDS

Purpose: The Resident Assessment Instrument–Minimum Data Set (RAI/MDS) is an interdisciplinary standardized process that informs care plan development in nursing homes. This standardized process has failed to consistently result in individualized care planning, which may suggest problems with content and planning integrity. We examined the decision making and care practices of personal support workers (PSWs) in relation to the RAI/MDS standardized process. Design and Methods: This qualitative study utilized focus groups and semi-structured interviews with PSWs (n = 26) and supervisors (n = 9) in two nursing homes in central Canada. Results: PSWs evidenced unique occupational contributions to assessment via proximal familiarity and biographical information as well as to individualizing care by empathetically linking their own bodily experiences and forging bonds of fictive kinship with residents. These contributions were neither captured by RAI/MDS categories nor relayed to the interdisciplinary team. Causal factors for PSW exclusion included computerized records, low status, and poor interprofessional collaboration. Intraprofessional collaboration by PSWs aimed to compensate for exclusion and to individualize care. Implications: Exclusive institutional reliance on the RAI/MDS undermines quality care because it fails to capture residents’ preferences and excludes input by PSWs. Recommendations include incorporating PSW knowledge in care planning and documentation and examining PSWs’ nascent occupational identity and their role as interprofessional brokers in long-term care