A function-based typology for Earth’s ecosystems

As the United Nations develops a post-2020 global biodiversity framework for the Convention on Biological Diversity, attention is focusing on how new goals and targets for ecosystem conservation might serve its vision of ‘living in harmony with nature’(1,2). Advancing dual imperatives to conserve biodiversity and sustain ecosystem services requires reliable and resilient generalizations and predictions about ecosystem responses to environmental change and management(3). Ecosystems vary in their biota(4), service provision(5) and relative exposure to risks(6), yet there is no globally consistent classification of ecosystems that reflects functional responses to change and management. This hampers progress on developing conservation targets and sustainability goals. Here we present the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Ecosystem Typology, a conceptually robust, scalable, spatially explicit approach for generalizations and predictions about functions, biota, risks and management remedies across the entire biosphere. The outcome of a major cross-disciplinary collaboration, this novel framework places all of Earth’s ecosystems into a unifying theoretical context to guide the transformation of ecosystem policy and management from global to local scales. This new information infrastructure will support knowledge transfer for ecosystem-specific management and restoration, globally standardized ecosystem risk assessments, natural capital accounting and progress on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework

Evaluation of the Neutron Data Standards

With the need for improving existing nuclear data evaluations, (e.g., ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JEFF-3.3 releases) the first step was to evaluate the standards for use in such a library. This new standards evaluation made use of improved experimental data and some developments in the methodology of analysis and evaluation. In addition to the work on the traditional standards, this work produced the extension of some energy ranges and includes new reactions that are called reference cross sections. Since the effort extends beyond the traditional standards, it is called the neutron data standards evaluation. This international effort has produced new evaluations of the following cross section standards: the H(n,n), 6Li(n,t), 10B(n,α), 10B(n,), natC(n,n), Au(n,γ), 235U(n,f) and 238U(n,f). Also in the evaluation process the 238U(n,γ) and 239Pu(n,f) cross sections that are not standards were evaluated. Evaluations were also obtained for data that are not traditional standards: the Maxwellian spectrum averaged cross section for the Au(n,γ) cross section at 30 keV; reference cross sections for prompt γ-ray production in fast neutron-induced reactions; reference cross sections for very high energy fission cross sections; the 252Cf spontaneous fission neutron spectrum and the 235U prompt fission neutron spectrum induced by thermal incident neutrons; and the thermal neutron constants. The data and covariance matrices of the uncertainties were obtained directly from the evaluation procedure

Sorting of proteins to vacuoles in plant cells

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Non-invasive assessment of fecal glucocorticoid and androgen metabolites in the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis)

DATA AVAILABILITY : Data will be made available on request.The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is an endangered species endemic to the Upper Guinea Forest ecosystem in West Africa. We have limited information concerning the species’ reproduction and well-being under managed care. We therefore developed non-invasive methods for characterizing gonadal androgen and adrenal hormone profiles in pygmy hippos using fecal samples collected from 12 males and 12 females housed in North American zoological institutions. We aimed to: 1) identify and validate enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for measuring metabolites of corticosteroids and testosterone in feces; and 2) test whether gonadal activity is correlated with previous breeding history, season or type of housing. For glucocorticoids, several EIAs for measuring metabolites were investigated. A group-specific EIA exhibiting cross-reactivity with 11,17-dioxoandrostane (DOA) metabolites of cortisol most clearly reflected adrenocortical activity in response to pharmocological challenge with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in both males and females. However, day-to-day concentrations of this metabolite in the feces of pygmy hippos that did not undergo ACTH challenge were near the detection limits of the assay, making this EIA impractical for assessing glucocorticoid activity in this species. Another group-specific EIA, exhibiting cross-reactivity with 5α-pregnane-3β,11β,21-triol-20-one, produced biologically relevant data and evidence of an appropriate response to pharmacological challenge with exogenous ACTH. The testosterone metabolite assay C196 (Arbor Assays, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA) also produced biologically coherent data: adult males exhibited the highest mean androgen metabolite concentrations (477 ng/g), followed by adult females (259 ng/g) and juvenile males (160 ng/g). Proven breeding males had higher, but not significantly different, mean concentrations (472 ng/g) to unproven males (352 ng/g; P = 0.400). Similarly, adult males housed outdoors year-round in subtropical climates exhibited higher, but not statistically different mean concentrations (554 ng/g) to males in temperate climates that were housed indoors at least part of the year (412 ng/g; P = 0.208). There were, however, significant differences in mean concentrations among seasons for adult males, with higher values in spring (546 ng/g) and summer (542 ng/g) than in autumn (426 ng/g) and winter (388 ng/g, P = 0.003). In conclusion, we identified EIAs for the measurement of fecal metabolites of androgens and glucocorticoids that can be used for further studies to monitor gonadal activity in male pygmy hippos and adrenocortical activity in both sexes. We also identified a seasonal trend in male gonadal activity in this species under managed care in North America. Finally, our findings highlight an important consideration when using non-invasive methods for evaluating fecal cortisol metabolites: ACTH used for pharmacological validation of an EIA does not necessarily equate to biological relevance.The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is endangered in the wild and we have limited information concerning the reproduction and welfare of this species under managed care. In this study, we validated enzyme immunoassays for measuring fecal metabolites of gonadal androgens and glucocorticoids in pygmy hippos that can now be used to further characterize the biology of both wild and managed populations.The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians Wild Animal Health Fund; the Center for Conservation of Tropical Ungulates; Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium; the University of Western Australia (UWA), Convocation Postgraduate Research Travel Award; UWA Postgraduate Student’s Association Fieldwork and Data Collection Award; and a UWA Graduate Research School PhD Completion Scholarship.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/ygcen2024-06-28hj2023Mammal Research InstituteZoology and EntomologySDG-03:Good heatlh and well-beingSDG-15:Life on lan

Characterizing the reproductive biology of the female pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) through non-invasive endocrine monitoring

The pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) is endangered in the wild and very little is known about its reproductive biology. In zoological facilities, this species experiences a number of reproductive issues that complicate breeding management, including a high rate of stillbirths and failure of many pairs to reproduce. We conducted a comprehensive study to evaluate reproductive cycles and pregnancy in this species using enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for fecal hormone metabolite analysis. Fresh fecal samples were collected twice weekly for a one to three year period from 36 female pygmy hippos housed at 24 zoological institutions. Samples were analyzed in three separate laboratories. Three progestogen metabolite EIAs (Pg-diol: 5 beta-pregnane-3 alpha,20 alpha-diol 3HS:BSA; PdG: pregnanediol-3-glucuronide R13904; mono-P4: Quidel clone 425) and three estrogen metabolite ElAs (E2a: estradiol-17 beta-OH 17-HS:BSA; E2b: estradiol 17 beta R0008; Etc: estradiol 17 beta R4972) accurately reflected reproductive events. Average estrous cycle length was 31.8 +/- 7.4 days based on estrogen metabolite peaks and 30.9 +/- 73 days based on nadir to nadir progestogen metabolite concentrations. Cyclical patterns in both estrogen and progestogen metabolites were detected throughout the year, indicating a lack of seasonality. Estrogen metabolite peaks were also observed during pregnancy and lactation, suggesting that follicular development occurs during both reproductive states. Pregnancy was most reliably demonstrated by elevation in progestogen metabolites (Pg-diol or PdG) in the second half of gestation. Average gestation length based on breeding to calving date was 203 +/- 4 days for 15 pregnancies. This comprehensive overview of the reproductive biology of the female pygmy hippo provides valuable data for guiding long-term breeding management for this endangered species and serves as a baseline for future studies addressing the potential influence of social structure, diet, body condition, and other husbandry factors on estrous cycling and reproduction

Response of atmospheric biomarkers to NOx-induced photochemistry generated by stellar cosmic rays for Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of M-dwarf stars

Understanding whether M dwarf stars may host habitable planets with Earth-like atmospheres and biospheres is a major goal in exoplanet research. If such planets exist, the question remains as to whether they could be identified via spectral signatures of biomarkers. Such planets may be exposed to extreme intensities of cosmic rays that could perturb their atmospheric photochemistry. Here, we consider stellar activity of M dwarfs ranging from quiet up to strong flaring conditions and investigate one particular effect upon biomarkers, namely, the ability of secondary electrons caused by stellar cosmic rays to break up atmospheric molecular nitrogen (N(2)), which leads to production of nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) in the planetary atmosphere, hence affecting biomarkers such as ozone (O(3)). We apply a stationary model, that is, without a time dependence; hence we are calculating the limiting case where the atmospheric chemistry response time of the biomarkers is assumed to be slow and remains constant compared with rapid forcing by the impinging stellar flares. This point should be further explored in future work with time-dependent models. We estimate the NO(x) production using an air shower approach and evaluate the implications using a climate-chemical model of the planetary atmosphere. O(3) formation proceeds via the reaction O+O(2)+M→O(3)+M. At high NO(x) abundances, the O atoms arise mainly from NO(2) photolysis, whereas on Earth this occurs via the photolysis of molecular oxygen (O(2)). For the flaring case, O(3) is mainly destroyed via direct titration, NO+O(3)→NO(2)+O(2), and not via the familiar catalytic cycle photochemistry, which occurs on Earth. For scenarios with low O(3), Rayleigh scattering by the main atmospheric gases (O(2), N(2), and CO(2)) became more important for shielding the planetary surface from UV radiation. A major result of this work is that the biomarker O(3) survived all the stellar-activity scenarios considered except for the strong case, whereas the biomarker nitrous oxide (N(2)O) could survive in the planetary atmosphere under all conditions of stellar activity considered here, which clearly has important implications for missions that aim to detect spectroscopic biomarkers. Key Words: M dwarf—Atmosphere—Earth-like—Biomarkers—Stellar cosmic rays. Astrobiology 12, 1109–1122

History of Recorded Jazz: DTL1000, 1920-2020

We present the DTL1000 dataset, which was created in the “Dig That Lick” project and covers the history of recorded jazz with a sample of 1,750 improvisations extracted from 1,060 audio tracks. The dataset contains a mixture of collected (editorial metadata), manually annotated (structure, style), and automatically generated (main melody transcriptions of solos) data describing the recordings. The motivation for creating this dataset was the study of patterns in jazz improvisation, but there are many other applications for this resource. The accompanying paper presents the dataset creation process, data structure and contents with descriptive statistics and discusses the origin and process of the annotations, as well as general use cases and specifically the case of pattern analysis. These components and their combinations enable a number of use cases for jazz studies as well as algorithm development for music analysis. The DTL1000 dataset provides a rich resource for a variety of disciplines, and constitutes a contribution to a field where large datasets with rich annotations are scarce.The recorded legacy of jazz spans a century and provides a vast corpus of data documenting its development. Recent advances in digital signal processing and data analysis technologies enable automatic recognition of musical structures and their linkage through metadata to historical and social context. Automatic metadata extraction and aggregation give unprecedented access to large collections, fostering new interdisciplinary research opportunities. This project aims to develop innovative technological and music-analytical methods to gain fresh insight into jazz history by bringing together renowned scholars and results from several high-profile projects. Musicologists and computer scientists will together create a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of jazz in its social and cultural context. We exemplify our methods via a full cycle of analysis of melodic patterns, or "licks", from audio recordings to an aesthetically contextualised and historically situated understanding.</p