Commercial fishery disturbance of the global ocean biological carbon sink

Plankton drive a major sink of carbon across the global oceans. Dead plankton, their faeces and the faeces of plankton feeders, form a huge rain of carbon sinking to the seabed and deep ocean, reducing atmospheric CO2 levels and thus helping to regulate the climate. Any change in plankton communities, ecosystems or habitats will perturb this carbon sink, potentially increasing atmospheric CO2. Fishing is a major cause of ocean ecosystem disturbance affecting all trophic levels including plankton, but its potential impact on the carbon sink is unknown. As both fisheries and the carbon sink depend on plankton there is spatial overlap of these fundamental ecosystem services. Here we provide the first global maps of this spatial overlap. Using an upper quartile analysis, we show that 21% of the total upper ocean carbon sink (export) and 39% of fishing effort globally are concentrated in zones of intensive overlap, representing 9% of the ocean surface area. This overlap is particularly evident in the Northeast Atlantic suggesting this region should be prioritised in terms of research and conservation measures to preserve the high levels of sinking carbon. Small pelagic fish dominate catches here and globally, and their exploitation could reduce important faecal pellet carbon sinks and cause trophic cascades affecting plankton communities. There is an urgent need to recognise that, alongside climate change, fishing might be a critical influence on the ability of the ocean to sequester atmospheric CO2. Improved understanding of this influence, and how it will change with the climate, will be important for realising a sustainable balance of the twin needs for productive fisheries and strong carbon sinks

The Production of Hospitable Space: Commercial Propositions and Consumer Co-Creation in a Bar Operation

This paper examines the processes through which a commercial bar is transformed into a hospitable space. Drawing on a study of a venue patronized by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual/transgender consumers, it considers how social and commercial forms of hospitality are mobilized. The paper argues that hospitable space has an ideological, normative and situational dimension. More specifically, it suggests the bar’s operation is tied to a set of ideological conceptions, which become the potential basis of association and disassociation among consumers. It examines the forces and processes that shape who participates in the production and consumption of hospitality and how. Finally, it considers the situational, emergent nature of hospitality and the discontinuous production of hospitable space. Rather than focusing exclusively on host-guest or provider-customer relations, which dominates existing work on hospitality, the paper examines how consumers’ perceptions, actions and interactions shape the production of hospitality. By doing so the paper offers an alternative approach to understanding queer spaces, bar operation as well as hospitality

Alternative particle formation pathways in the eastern tropical North Pacific's biological carbon pump

A fraction of organic carbon produced in the oceans by phytoplankton sinks storing 5‐15 gigatonnes of carbon annually in the ocean interior. The accepted paradigm is that rapid aggregation of phytoplankton cells occurs forming large, fresh particles which sink quickly; this concept is incorporated into ecosystem models used to predict the future climate. Here we demonstrate a slower, less efficient export pathway in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific. Lipid biomarkers suggest the large, fast‐sinking particles found beneath the mixed layer are compositionally distinct from those found in the mixed layer and thus not directly and efficiently formed from phytoplankton cells. We postulate they are formed from the in situ aggregation of smaller, slow‐sinking particles over time in the mixed layer itself. This export pathway is likely widespread where smaller phytoplankton species dominate. Its lack of representation in biogeochemical models suggests they may be currently over‐estimating the ability of the oceans to store carbon if large, fast‐sinking, labile particles dominate simulated particle export. Plain Language Summary The oceans are one of the largest sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide on our planet. One method by which this occurs is through the production of organic material (phytoplankton ‐ plant‐like cells) in the surface ocean, which capture atmospheric carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Eventually, the phytoplankton die and sink out of the surface ocean, transporting huge amounts of carbon to the deep ocean where it is stored for centuries or even millennia. Our current understanding is that generally, most organic material sinks quickly as large, fast‐sinking (100s of metres per day) particles (clumps of dead phytoplankton cells). However in our study in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean we were able to show that a different and much slower process occurs where phytoplankton first aggregate to smaller, slower sinking detrital particles and eventually form, very degraded larger particles that sink to the deep. This has consequences for estimating ocean carbon storage as smaller particles are respired much quicker than larger particles. Thus where they are an important part of this carbon sink, such as in the Equatorial Pacific, the proportion phytoplankton‐captured atmospheric carbon dioxide being stored in the deep ocean is likely reduced

Derivation of a Protein Risk Score for Cardiovascular Disease Among a Multiracial and Multiethnic HIV+ Cohort

Background Cardiovascular disease risk prediction models underestimate CVD risk in people living with HIV (PLWH). Our goal is to derive a risk score based on protein biomarkers that could be used to predict CVD in PLWH. Methods and Results In a matched case-control study, we analyzed normalized protein expression data for participants enrolled in 1 of 4 trials conducted by INSIGHT (International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials). We used dimension reduction, variable selection and resampling methods, and multivariable conditional logistic regression models to determine candidate protein biomarkers and to generate a protein score for predicting CVD in PLWH. We internally validated our findings using bootstrap. A protein score that was derived from 8 proteins (including HGF [hepatocyte growth factor] and interleukin-6) was found to be associated with an increased risk of CVD after adjustment for CVD and HIV factors (odds ratio: 2.17 [95% CI: 1.58-2.99]). The protein score improved CVD prediction when compared with predicting CVD risk using the individual proteins that comprised the protein score. Individuals with a protein score above the median score were 3.10 (95% CI, 1.83-5.41) times more likely to develop CVD than those with a protein score below the median score. Conclusions A panel of blood biomarkers may help identify PLWH at a high risk for developing CVD. If validated, such a score could be used in conjunction with established factors to identify CVD at-risk individuals who might benefit from aggressive risk reduction, ultimately shedding light on CVD pathogenesis in PLWH

Attenuation of particulate organic carbon flux in the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean, is controlled by zooplankton fecal pellets

The Southern Ocean (SO) is an important CO2 reservoir, some of which enters via the production, sinking and remineralization of organic matter. Recent work suggests the fraction of production that sinks is inversely related to production in the SO, a suggestion we confirm from 20 stations in the Scotia Sea. The efficiency with which exported material is transferred to depth (transfer efficiency) is believed to be low in high latitude systems. However, our estimates of transfer efficiency are bimodal, with stations in the seasonal ice zone showing intense losses and others displaying increases in flux with depth. Zooplankton fecal pellets dominated organic carbon flux and at stations with transfer efficiency >100 % fecal pellets were brown, indicative of fresh phytodetritus. We suggest that active flux mediated by zooplankton vertical migration and the presence of sea ice regulate the transfer of organic carbon into the oceans interior in the Southern Ocean

Platelet-Associated Matrix Metalloproteinases Regulate Thrombus Formation and Exert Local Collagenolytic Activity

Objective Platelets are increasingly implicated in processes beyond hemostasis and thrombosis, such as vascular remodeling. Members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family not only remodel the extracellular matrix but also modulate platelet function. Here, we made a systematic comparison of the roles of MMP family members in acute thrombus formation under flow conditions and assessed platelet-dependent collagenolytic activity over time. Approach and Results Pharmacological inhibition of MMP-1 or MMP-2 (human) or deficiency in MMP-2 (mouse) suppressed collagen-dependent platelet activation and thrombus formation under flow, whereas MMP-9 inhibition/deficiency stimulated these processes. The absence of MMP-3 was without effect. Interestingly, MMP-14 inhibition led to the formation of larger thrombi, which occurred independently of its capacity to activate MMP-2. Platelet thrombi exerted local collagenolytic activity capable of cleaving immobilized dye-quenched collagen and fibrillar collagen fibers within hours, with loss of the majority of the platelet adhesive properties of collagen as a consequence. This collagenolytic activity was redundantly mediated by platelet-associated MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-14 but occurred independently of platelet -granule release (Nbeal2(-/-) mice). The latter was in line with subcellular localization experiments, which indicated a granular distribution of MMP-1 and MMP-2 in platelets, distinct from -granules. Whereas MMP-9 protein could not be detected inside platelets, activated platelets did bind plasma-derived MMP-9 to their plasma membrane. Overall, platelet MMP activity was predominantly membrane-associated and influenced by platelet activation status. Conclusions Platelet-associated MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-14 differentially modulate acute thrombus formation and at later time points limit thrombus formation by exerting collagenolytic activity

Live SIV vaccine correlate of protection: immune complex-inhibitory Fc receptor interactions that reduce target cell availability

Principles to guide design of an effective vaccine against HIV are greatly needed, particularly to protect women in the pandemic’s epicentre in Africa. We have been seeking these principles by identifying correlates of the robust protection associated with SIVmac239Δnef vaccination in the SIV-rhesus macaque animal model of HIV-1 transmission to women. We have identified one correlate of SIVmac239Δnef protection against vaginal challenge as a resident mucosal system for SIV-gp41 trimer antibody production and neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-mediated concentration of these antibodies on the path of virus entry to inhibit establishment of infected founder populations at the portal of entry. Here we identify as a second protection correlate, blocking CD4+ T cell recruitment to inhibit local expansion of infected founder populations. Virus-specific immune complex interactions with the inhibitory FcγRIIb receptor in the epithelium lining the cervix initiate expression of genes that block recruitment of target cells to fuel local expansion. Immune complex-FcγRIIb receptor interactions at mucosal frontlines to dampen the innate immune response to vaginal challenge could be a potentially general mechanism for the mucosal immune system to sense and modulate the response to a previously encountered pathogen. Designing vaccines to provide protection without eliciting these transmission-promoting innate responses could contribute to developing an effective HIV-1 vaccine

Live SIV vaccine correlate of protection: immune complex-inhibitory Fc receptor interactions that reduce target cell availability

Principles to guide design of an effective vaccine against HIV are greatly needed, particularly to protect women in the pandemic’s epicentre in Africa. We have been seeking these principles by identifying correlates of the robust protection associated with SIVmac239Δnef vaccination in the SIV-rhesus macaque animal model of HIV-1 transmission to women. We have identified one correlate of SIVmac239Δnef protection against vaginal challenge as a resident mucosal system for SIV-gp41 trimer antibody production and neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-mediated concentration of these antibodies on the path of virus entry to inhibit establishment of infected founder populations at the portal of entry. Here we identify as a second protection correlate, blocking CD4+ T cell recruitment to inhibit local expansion of infected founder populations. Virus-specific immune complex interactions with the inhibitory FcγRIIb receptor in the epithelium lining the cervix initiate expression of genes that block recruitment of target cells to fuel local expansion. Immune complex-FcγRIIb receptor interactions at mucosal frontlines to dampen the innate immune response to vaginal challenge could be a potentially general mechanism for the mucosal immune system to sense and modulate the response to a previously encountered pathogen. Designing vaccines to provide protection without eliciting these transmission-promoting innate responses could contribute to developing an effective HIV-1 vaccine

Zinc intake, status and indices of cognitive function in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In developing countries, deficiencies of micronutrients are thought to have a major impact on child development; however, a consensus on the specific relationship between dietary zinc intake and cognitive function remains elusive. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between zinc intake, status and indices of cognitive function in children and adults. A systematic literature search was conducted using EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases from inception to March 2014. Included studies were those that supplied zinc as supplements or measured dietary zinc intake. A meta-analysis of the extracted data was performed where sufficient data were available. Of all of the potentially relevant papers, 18 studies met the inclusion criteria, 12 of which were randomised controlled trials (RCTs; 11 in children and 1 in adults) and 6 were observational studies (2 in children and 4 in adults). Nine of the 18 studies reported a positive association between zinc intake or status with one or more measure of cognitive function. Meta-analysis of data from the adult’s studies was not possible because of limited number of studies. A meta-analysis of data from the six RCTs conducted in children revealed that there was no significant overall effect of zinc intake on any indices of cognitive function: intelligence, standard mean difference of <0.001 (95% confidence interval (CI) –0.12, 0.13) P=0.95; executive function, standard mean difference of 0.08 (95% CI, –0.06, 022) P=0.26; and motor skills standard mean difference of 0.11 (95% CI –0.17, 0.39) P=0.43. Heterogeneity in the study designs was a major limitation, hence only a small number (n=6) of studies could be included in the meta-analyses. Meta-analysis failed to show a significant effect of zinc supplementation on cognitive functioning in children though, taken as a whole, there were some small indicators of improvement on aspects of executive function and motor development following supplementation but high-quality RCTs are necessary to investigate this further