First recorded occurrence of the parasitic barnacle (Anelasma squalicola) on a Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) in the Canadian Arctic

A solitary Anelasma squalicola specimen was collected from the cloaca of a Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), the first time this association has been recorded. The specimen's identity was confirmed through morphological and genetic assessment (mitochondrial markers: COI and control region). A. squalicola is a species typically associated with deep-sea lantern sharks (Etmopteridae) and, until the present observation, had never been observed at a sexually mature size in the absence of a mating partner. Given the reported negative effects of this parasite on its hosts, monitoring Greenland sharks for additional cases is recommended.publishedVersio

Gorilla Park: A Sustainable Space for All (Mobility pilot project)

This project explores urban design and urban systems solutions to address issues of shared mobility, accessibility and urban fragmentation. It is a pilot project to create a park and a shared mobility hub in the borough of Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie in Montreal. This is to be a node of many in a metropolitan-wide shared mobility system. A shared mobility approach to city planning incorporates notions of Transportation Oriented Development (TOD) and Pedestrian Oriented Development (POD) and links it to notions of smart cities and autonomous transportation. The challenge at hand was to create a public space that incorporates these questions as well as notions of placemaking, community planning and open urbanisms. The project is part of an urban design studio taught in the Department of Geography Planning and Environment at Concordia University in Montreal, and it takes place in the context of the first edition of the CitéStudio Montreal program, which fosters collaborations between academics, students and the city government. The solutions explored in this project were conceived by the students of URBS333 - Urban Laboratory (class of 2019-2020) under the supervision of the instructor (S. De la Llata) and in collaboration with stakeholders and neighbours of Gorilla Park. The solutions are divided into five thematic axes (Sustainability, Mobility and Accessibility, Community Engagement, Hard Design and Soft Design)

A review of soil NO transformation: associated processes and possible physiological significance on organisms

NO emissions from soils and ecosystems are of outstanding importance for atmospheric chemistry. Here we review the current knowledge on processes involved in the formation and consumption of NO in soils, the importance of NO for the physiological functioning of different organisms, and for inter- and intra-species signaling and competition, e.g. in the rooting zone between microbes and plants. We also show that prokaryotes and eukaryotes are able to produce NO by multiple pathways and that unspecific enzymo-oxidative mechanisms of NO production are likely to occur in soils. Nitric oxide production in soils is not only linked to NO production by nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms, but also linked to extracellular enzymes from a wide range of microorganisms. Further investigations are needed to clarify molecular mechanisms of NO production and consumption, its controlling factors, and the significance of NO as a regulator for microbial, animal and plant processes. Such process understanding is required to elucidate the importance of soils as sources (and sinks) for atmospheric NO

Motor imagery during action observation: A brief review of evidence, theory and future research opportunities

Motor imagery (MI) and action observation (AO) have traditionally been viewed as two separate techniques, which can both be used alongside physical practice to enhance motor learning and rehabilitation. Their independent use has been shown to be effective, and there is clear evidence that the two processes can elicit similar activity in the motor system. Building on these well-established findings, research has now turned to investigate the effects of their combined use. In this article, we first review the available neurophysiological and behavioral evidence for the effects of combined action observation and motor imagery (‘AO+MI’) on motor processes. We next describe a conceptual framework for their combined use, and then discuss several areas for future research into AO+MI processes. In this review, we advocate a more integrated approach to AO+MI techniques than has previously been adopted by movement scientists and practitioners alike. We hope this early review of an emergent body of research, along with a related set of research questions, can inspire new work in this area. We are optimistic that future research will further confirm if, how, and when this combined approach to AO+MI can be more effective in motor learning and rehabilitation settings, relative to the more traditional application of AO or MI independently