Relative Stability of Core Groups in Pollination Networks in a Biodiversity Hotspot over Four Years

Plants and their pollinators form pollination networks integral to the evolution and persistence of species in communities. Previous studies suggest that pollination network structure remains nested while network composition is highly dynamic. However, little is known about temporal variation in the structure and function of plant-pollinator networks, especially in species-rich communities where the strength of pollinator competition is predicted to be high. Here we quantify temporal variation of pollination networks over four consecutive years in an alpine meadow in the Hengduan Mountains biodiversity hotspot in China. We found that ranked positions and idiosyncratic temperatures of both plants and pollinators were more conservative between consecutive years than in non-consecutive years. Although network compositions exhibited high turnover, generalized core groups – decomposed by a k-core algorithm – were much more stable than peripheral groups. Given the high rate of turnover observed, we suggest that identical plants and pollinators that persist for at least two successive years sustain pollination services at the community level. Our data do not support theoretical predictions of a high proportion of specialized links within species-rich communities. Plants were relatively specialized, exhibiting less variability in pollinator composition at pollinator functional group level than at the species level. Both specialized and generalized plants experienced narrow variation in functional pollinator groups. The dynamic nature of pollination networks in the alpine meadow demonstrates the potential for networks to mitigate the effects of fluctuations in species composition in a high biodiversity area

Frequency and antimicrobial resistance patterns of bacteria implicated in community urinary tract infections: a ten-year surveillance study (2000-2009)

BACKGROUND Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious diseases at the community level. In order to assess the adequacy of the empirical therapy, the prevalence and the resistance pattern of the main bacteria responsible for UTI in the community (in Aveiro, Portugal) was evaluated throughout a ten-year period. METHODS In this retrospective study, all urine samples from patients of the District of Aveiro, in ambulatory regime, collected at the Clinical Analysis Laboratory Avelab during the period 2000-2009 were analysed. Samples with more than 105 CFU/mL bacteria were considered positive and, for these samples, the bacteria were identified and the profile of antibiotic susceptibility was characterized. RESULTS From the 155597 samples analysed, 18797 (12.1%) were positive for bacterial infection. UTI was more frequent in women (78.5%) and its incidence varied with age, affecting more the elderly patients (38.6%). Although E. coli was, as usual, the most common pathogen implicated in UTI, it were observed differences related to the other bacteria more implicated in UTI relatively to previous studies. The bacteria implicated in the UTI varied with the sex of the patient, being P. aeruginosa a more important cause of infection in men than in women. The incidence of the main bacteria changed over the study period (P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp and Providencia spp increased and Enterobacter spp decreased). Although E. coli was responsible for more than an half of UTI, its resistance to antibiotics was low when compared with other pathogens implicated in UTI, showing also the lowest percentage of multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates (17%). Bacteria isolated from females were less resistant than those isolated from males and this difference increased with the patient age. CONCLUSIONS The differences in sex and age must be taken into account at the moment of empirical prescription of antimicrobials. From the recommended antimicrobials by the European Association of Urology guidelines, the first line drugs (pivmecillinam and nitrofurantoin) and the alternative antibiotic amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (AMX-CLA) are appropriate to treat community-acquired UTI, but the fluoroquinolones should not be suitable to treat male infections and the trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) shall not be used in the treatment of UTI at this level.Thanks are due to the University of Aveiro, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) for funding the Microbiology Research Group (Project Pest-C/MAR/LA0017/2011) and to Clinical Analysis Laboratory Avelab (Portugal) for supplying the data.publishe

Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research

Geosteranes: Identification and synthesis of a novel series of 3-substituted steranes

A novel series of 3-alkyl and 3-carboxyalkyl-5 beta(H)-steranes 7-10 along with a full homologous series of carboxyalkyl-sterane (C-1 to C-6) 4-6 with 3 alpha(H)5 alpha(H) configuration have been identified in marine-evaporitic oils from Fazenda Belim, Potiguar Basin (Brazil) on the basis of mass spectral interpretation. The synthesis of enantiomerically pure 3 alpha-alkyl-5 beta(H)-cholestane and 3 beta-alkyl-5 alpha(H)-cholestane standards and their coinjection with petroleum fractions confirmed the structural assignments. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.264198478779

3-alkyl and 3-carboxyalkyl steranes in marine evaporitic oils of the Potiguar Basin, Brazil

The geochemical characterization of marine evaporitic oils from the Fazenda Belem oil field, Potiguar Basin, Brazil showed good correlation between both acidic and neutral fractions, and led to the identification of several biomarkers including the homologous series of 3-alkyl- and 3-carboxyalkyl-5 alpha(H) steranes and also the new series of 3-alkyl- and 3-carboxyalkyl-5 beta(H) steranes. These compounds were identified using GC/MS and their structures were confirmed by coinjection with synthetic standards. A minor series of 4-carboxyalkyl steranes was also detected. The analysis of the acidic biomarkers allowed a more accurate evaluation of maturation, biodegradation and migration of the studied oils. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.1584167112

Evidence for euphotic zone anoxia during the deposition of Aptian source rocks based on aryl isoprenoids in petroleum, Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, northeastern Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Four crude oil samples from the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, northeastern Brazil, were analyzed using full scan gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-qMS) for biomarkers, in order to correlate them using aromatic carotenoids thereby enhancing knowledge about the depositional environment of their source rocks. The geochemical parameters derived from saturated fractions of the oils show evidence of little or no biodegradation and similar thermal maturation (Ts/(Ts + Tm) for terpanes, C-29 alpha beta beta/(alpha beta beta + alpha alpha alpha), C-27, and C-29 20S/(20S + 20R) for steranes). Low pristane/phytane ratios and the abundance of gammacerane and beta-carotane are indicative of an anoxic and saline depositional environment for the source rocks. Moreover, we identified a large range of diagenetic and catagenetic products of the aromatic carotenoid isorenieratene, including C-40, C-33, and C-32 diaryl isoprenoids and aryl isoprenoid derivatives with short side chains and/or additional rings. These results indicate anoxia in the photic zone during the deposition of the source rocks. (c) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.6394104Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)PETROBRASUFPIConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Propyl ergostanoic acids: Possible new indicator for oil biodegradation

Representative oils having similar maturity, derived from a saline lacustrine source rock and accumulated at different depths in stacked reservoirs in the Campos Basin, Brazil were selected for study Geological conditions allowed the development of distinct extents of biodegradation that Increase from the deeper to the shallower reservoirs as shown by increased sulfur content, decreased saturated hydrocarbons and lower APl gravity. Gas chromatography (GC). GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC-MS-MS show the presence of hopanoic acids with the C(32) beta beta R biological configuration and a suite of 3-propylsteranoic acids with the carboxylic function in the C-17 side chain, suggesting that the compounds are proxies for biodegradation Systematic variation in the relative abundance of these new biomarkers with the extent of biodegradation were also observed To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of 3-propylergostanoic compounds in geological samples (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved414325339Petroleo Brasileiro S.A (Petrobras