Peak radial growth of diffuse-porous species occurs during periods of lower water availability than for ring-porous and coniferous trees

Climate models project warmer summer temperatures will increase the frequency and heat severity of droughts in temperate forests of Eastern North America. Hotter droughts are increasingly documented to affect tree growth and forest dynamics, with critical impacts on tree mortality, carbon sequestration and timber provision. The growing acknowledgement of the dominant role of drought timing on tree vulnerability to water deficit raises the issue of our limited understanding of radial growth phenology for most temperate tree species. Here, we use well-replicated dendrometer band data sampled frequently during the growing season to assess the growth phenology of 610 trees from 15 temperate species over 6 years. Patterns of diameter growth follow a typical logistic shape, with growth rates reaching a maximum in June, and then decreasing until process termination. On average, we find that diffuse-porous species take 16-18 days less than other wood-structure types to put on 50% of their annual diameter growth. However, their peak growth rate occurs almost a full month later than ring-porous and conifer species (ca. 24 +/- 4 days; mean +/- 95% credible interval). Unlike other species, the growth phenology of diffuse-porous species in our dataset is highly correlated with their spring foliar phenology. We also find that the later window of growth in diffuse-porous species, coinciding with peak evapotranspiration and lower water availability, exposes them to a higher water deficit of 88 +/- 19 mm (mean +/- SE) during their peak growth than ring-porous and coniferous species (15 +/- 35 mm and 30 +/- 30 mm, respectively). Given the high climatic sensitivity of wood formation, our findings highlight the importance of wood porosity as one predictor of species climatic sensitivity to the projected intensification of the drought regime in the coming decades.Peer reviewe

An Inclusive Development Perspective on Development Studies in the Anthropocene

The chapter argues that Development Studies is being redefined in the context of the Anthropocene and the global Sustainable Development Goals in terms of inclusive development. Anthropocene scholarship requires Development Studies scholars to look at ecological issues, take a glocal approach, and go beyond North–South binaries in order to address vulnerability and inequality in a just manner. It argues that Development Studies scholarship needs to be transdisciplinary and post-normal and calls for research into social inclusiveness, ecological inclusiveness, and relational inclusiveness. It focuses on the quality of development and the need for context-specific short cuts to sustainable development. Finally, it argues that an inclusive development approach to Development Studies can use the Sustainable Development Goals platform to enhance a just interpretation and implementation of these goals

An epigenetic switch controls an alternative NR2F2 isoform that unleashes a metastatic program in melanoma

Altres ajuts: Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) NIH/NCI P30CA016087 (NIH/NCI); National Institute of Health S10 Grants NIH/ORIP S10OD01058 and S10OD018338; NCI/NIH R01CA202027, R01CA274100, P01CA206980, U54CA263001 (NYULH MetNet Center) and NYU Melanoma SPORE P50CA225450 (PI: I.O)Metastatic melanoma develops once transformed melanocytic cells begin to de-differentiate into migratory and invasive melanoma cells with neural crest cell (NCC)-like and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like features. However, it is still unclear how transformed melanocytes assume a metastatic melanoma cell state. Here, we define DNA methylation changes that accompany metastatic progression in melanoma patients and discover Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 2 Group F, Member 2 - isoform 2 (NR2F2-Iso2) as an epigenetically regulated metastasis driver. NR2F2-Iso2 is transcribed from an alternative transcriptional start site (TSS) and it is truncated at the N-terminal end which encodes the NR2F2 DNA-binding domain. We find that NR2F2-Iso2 expression is turned off by DNA methylation when NCCs differentiate into melanocytes. Conversely, this process is reversed during metastatic melanoma progression, when NR2F2-Iso2 becomes increasingly hypomethylated and re-expressed. Our functional and molecular studies suggest that NR2F2-Iso2 drives metastatic melanoma progression by modulating the activity of full-length NR2F2 (Isoform 1) over EMT- and NCC-associated target genes. Our findings indicate that DNA methylation changes play a crucial role during metastatic melanoma progression, and their control of NR2F2 activity allows transformed melanocytes to acquire NCC-like and EMT-like features. This epigenetically regulated transcriptional plasticity facilitates cell state transitions and metastatic spread

An epigenetic switch controls an alternative NR2F2 isoform that unleashes a metastatic program in melanoma

Melanocytes can de-differentiate into neural crest cell (NCC)- like states during metastatic melanoma progression. Here the authors compare DNA methylation profiles of NCCs and melanocytes, as well as primary and metastatic patient tissues and identify that DNA methylation changes of NR2F2 isoform 2 influence cell state transitions and melanoma metastatic spread

Researching the Affective Domain in Mathematics Education

This chapter backgrounds and critically reviews Australasian research in the affective domain in mathematics education from 2016–2019. It first locates the body of research within broader considerations of an affective domain and then explores the individual affective aspects of beliefs, self-efficacy, identity, attitudes, motivation and interest, feelings, anxiety and emotions, and engagement. Consideration is given to the methodologies used in research in the affective domain during this time period