Aerial surveys vs hunting statistics to monitor deer density : the example of Anticosti Island (Québec, Canada)

Cervid densities have recently increased in many parts of North America and Europe. To design sustainable harvesting strategies, a good understanding of deer population dynamics and reliable estimates of population densities are required. This is especially true on Anticosti Island, Québec, Canada, where sport hunting is the main source of income, and where long-lasting impacts of white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus on the forest ecosystem have been reported due to high deer densities. We compared white-tailed deer densities estimated in 2001 on the basis of an extensive aerial survey of 512 plots, each 3.5 km long by 60 m wide, with indices based on hunting statistics in 24 hunting zones on the island. We found a positive correlation between the number of deer seen per hunter day and the density of deer estimated by the aerial survey, but this correlation was highly influenced by the four locations with the highest densities of deer. We detected no significant correlation between deer density estimated by the aerial survey within each hunting zone and the number of deer harvested per hunter day. Our results underline the need for comparative studies addressing the validity of density indices based on hunting statistics to monitor variations in cervid population numbers

17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 modulates breast cancer protein profile and impacts cell migration

INTRODUCTION: Human 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (17β-HSD1) is a steroid-converting enzyme that has long been known to play critical roles in estradiol synthesis and more recently in dihydrotestosterone (DHT) inactivation, showing a dual function that promotes breast cancer cell proliferation. Previously, we reported the first observation of the influence of the enzyme on endogenous estrogen-responsive gene expression. Here, we demonstrate the impact of 17β-HSD1 expression on the breast cancer cell proteome and investigate its role in cell migration. METHODS: 17β-HSD1 was stably transfected in MCF7 cells and the proteome of the generated cells overexpressing 17β-HSD1 (MCF7-17βHSD1 cells) was compared to that of the wild type MCF7 cells. Proteomics study was performed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry analysis of differentially expressed protein spots. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to investigate the transcription of individual gene. The effect of 17β-HSD1 on MCF7 cell migration was verified by a wound-healing assay. RESULTS: Proteomic data demonstrate that the expression of more than 59 proteins is modulated following 17β-HSD1 overexpression. 17β-HSD1 regulates the expression of important genes and proteins that are relevant to cell growth control, such as BRCA2 and CDKN1A interacting protein (BCCIP) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) which are down- and upregulated in MCF7-17βHSD1 cells, respectively. RT-qPCR data reveal that 17β-HSD1 increases the mRNA levels of estrogen receptors (ER) alpha and beta by 171 and 120%, respectively, while decreasing that of the androgen receptor by 64%. Interestingly, 17β-HSD1 increases the mRNA transcript (by 3.6 times) and the protein expression of the metastasis suppressor gene nm23-H1 and the expression of the two enzymes are closely correlated. We have further shown that 17β-HSD1 expression is associated with an increase of MCF7 cell migration. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the regulation of important genes, we have demonstrated for the first time that 17β-HSD1 increases breast cancer cell migration, in spite of its positive regulation of the antimetastatic gene NM23. This is also correlated to its stimulation of breast cancer cell growth, further confirming its targeting in ER positive breast cancer. The novel findings in this study suggest several directions for future research on the contribution of 17β-HSD1 to breast cancer progression and related treatment

Prospectives

Tiré de: Prospectives, vol. 23, no 4, déc. 1987Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 24 janv. 2013

Identification of equivalent topography in an open channel flow using Lagrangian data assimilation

International audienceWe present a Lagrangian data assimilation experiment in an open channel flow above a broad-crested weir. The observations consist of trajectories of particles transported by the flow and extracted from a video film, in addition to classical water level measurements. However, the presence of vertical recirculations on both sides of the weir actually conducts to the identification of an equivalent topography corresponding to the lower limit of a surface jet. In addition, results on the identification of the Manning coefficient may allow to detect the presence of bottom recirculations

PARASO, a circum-Antarctic fully coupled ice-sheet–ocean–sea-ice–atmosphere–land model involving f.ETISh1.7, NEMO3.6, LIM3.6, COSMO5.0 and CLM4.5

We introduce PARASO, a novel five-component fully coupled regional climate model over an Antarctic circumpolar domain covering the full Southern Ocean. The state-of-the-art models used are the fast Elementary Thermomechanical Ice Sheet model (f.ETISh) v1.7 (ice sheet), the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) v3.6 (ocean), the Louvain-la-Neuve sea-ice model (LIM) v3.6 (sea ice), the COnsortium for Small-scale MOdeling (COSMO) model v5.0 (atmosphere) and its CLimate Mode (CLM) v4.5 (land), which are here run at a horizontal resolution close to 1/4°. One key feature of this tool resides in a novel two-way coupling interface for representing ocean–ice-sheet interactions, through explicitly resolved ice-shelf cavities. The impact of atmospheric processes on the Antarctic ice sheet is also conveyed through computed COSMO-CLM–f.ETISh surface mass exchange. In this technical paper, we briefly introduce each model's configuration and document the developments that were carried out in order to establish PARASO. The new offline-based NEMO–f.ETISh coupling interface is thoroughly described. Our developments also include a new surface tiling approach to combine open-ocean and sea-ice-covered cells within COSMO, which was required to make this model relevant in the context of coupled simulations in polar regions. We present results from a 2000–2001 coupled 2-year experiment. PARASO is numerically stable and fully operational. The 2-year simulation conducted without fine tuning of the model reproduced the main expected features, although remaining systematic biases provide perspectives for further adjustment and development.This research has been supported by the Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique – FNRS (grant no. O0100718F).Peer ReviewedArticle signat per 23 autors/es: Charles Pelletier (1), Thierry Fichefet (1), Hugues Goosse (1), Konstanze Haubner (2), Samuel Helsen (3), Pierre-Vincent Huot (1), Christoph Kittel (4), François Klein (1), Sébastien Le clec'h (5), Nicole P. M. van Lipzig (3), Sylvain Marchi (3), François Massonnet (1), Pierre Mathiot (6,7), Ehsan Moravveji (3,8), Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro (9), Pablo Ortega (9), Frank Pattyn (2), Niels Souverijns (3,10), Guillian Van Achter (1), Sam Vanden Broucke (3), Alexander Vanhulle (5), Deborah Verfaillie (1), and Lars Zipf (2) // (1) Earth and Life Institute (ELI), UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium / (2) Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium / (3) Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium / (4) Laboratory of Climatology, Department of Geography, SPHERES, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium / (5) Earth System Science and Departement Geografie, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, (6) Met Office, Exeter, United Kingdom / (7) Université Grenoble Alpes/CNRS/IRD/G-INP, IGE, Grenoble, France / (8) ICTS, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium / (9) Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain / (10) Environmental Modelling Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, BelgiumPostprint (published version

Challenges and considerations for in-flight monitoring of pilots and crews

Human functional state assessment research has employed neurological, physiological and behavioral monitoring for several decades, but few real world applications have emerged in safety systems. For instance, physiological monitoring of flight crews is done experimentally, but is generally not available for normal operations despite safety incentives. This presentation will address critical challenges in research and development of monitoring solutions, and how they can be overcome. We will consider three applications: health monitoring in exploration class space mission crews; vigilance monitoring in civilian commercial airline crews; and pilot state assessment in military flight training