The devil in the deep: Expanding the known habitat of a rare and protected fish

The accepted geographic range of a species is related to both opportunity and effort in sampling that range. In deepwater ecosystems where human access is limited, the geographic ranges of many marine species are likely to be underestimated. A chance recording from baited cameras deployed on deep uncharted reef revealed an eastern blue devil fish (Paraplesiops bleekeri) at a depth of 51 m and more than 2 km further down the continental shelf slope than previously observed. This is the first verifiable observation of eastern blue devil fish, a protected and endemic southeastern Australian temperate reef species, at depths greater than the typically accepted depth range of 30 m. Knowledge on the ecology of this and many other reef species is indeed often limited to shallow coastal reefs, which are easily accessible by divers and researchers. Suitable habitat for many reef species appears to exist on deeper offshore reefs but is likely being overlooked due to the logistics of conducting research on these often uncharted habitats. On the basis of our observation at a depth of 51 m and observations by recreational fishers catching eastern blue devil fishes on deep offshore reefs, we suggest that the current depth range of eastern blue devil fish is being underestimated at 30 m. We also observed several common reef species well outside of their accepted depth range. Notably, immaculate damsel (Mecaenichthys immaculatus), red morwong (Cheilodactylus fuscus), mado (Atypichthys strigatus), white-ear (Parma microlepis) and silver sweep (Scorpis lineolata) were abundant and recorded in a number of locations at up to a depth of at least 55 m. This underestimation of depth potentially represents a large area of deep offshore reefs and micro habitats out on the continental shelf that could contribute to the resilience of eastern blue devil fish to extinction risk and contribute to the resilience of many reef species to climate change

Calcium binding activity of the epidermal growth factor-like domains of the apicomplexan microneme protein EtMIC4

Microneme proteins are secreted from apicomplexan parasites during invasion of host cells and they play crucial roles in parasite-host cell adhesion. EtMIC4 is a 240 kDa transmembrane protein from Eimeria tenella that contains 31 tandemly arranged epidermal growth factor (EGF), like repeats within its extracellular domain. The majority of these repeats have calcium binding (cb) consensus sequences. Little is known about cbEGFs in apicomplexan parasites but their presence in microneme proteins suggests that they may contribute to parasite-host interactions. To investigate the potential role of cbEGFs we have expressed and correctly refolded a cbEGF triplet from EtMIC4 (cbEGF7-9) and demonstrated that this triplet binds calcium. Circular dichroism spectroscopic analysis of cbEGF7-9 demonstrates that the molecule undergoes a gradual change in conformation with increasing levels of calcium. In the presence of calcium, the triplet becomes resistant to proteolytic degradation by a variety of proteases, a characteristic feature of cbEGF repeats from higher eukaryotic proteins, such as fibrillin, suggesting that calcium binding induces the formation of a rigid conformation. Moreover, mass spectrometric mapping of the cleavage sites that are protected by calcium shows that these sites are located both close to and distant from the calcium binding sites, indicating that protection is not due to steric hindrance by calcium ions, but rather due to the overall conformation adopted by the triplet in the presence of calcium. Thus, the tandemly-arranged cbEGF repeats within EtMIC4 provide a mechanism whereby, in the calcium-rich extracellular environment, the molecule could adopt a protease-resistant, rigid structure that could favour its interaction with host cell ligands

Attaining subclassical metrology in lossy systems with entangled coherent states

Quantum mechanics allows entanglement enhanced measurements to be performed, but loss remains an obstacle in constructing realistic quantum metrology schemes. However, recent work has revealed that entangled coherent states (ECSs) have the potential to perform robust subclassical measurements [J. Joo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 083601 (2011)]. Up to now no read-out scheme has been devised that exploits this robust nature of ECSs, but we present here an experimentally accessible method of achieving precision close to the theoretical bound, even with loss.We show substantial improvements over unentangled classical states and highly entangled NOON states for a wide range of loss values, elevating quantum metrology to a realizable technology in the near future

Effects of space shuttle launches STS-1 through STS-9 on terrestrial vegetation of John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Space Shuttle launches produce a cloud containing hydrochloric acid (HCl), aluminum oxide (Al203), and other substances. Acidities of less than 0.5 pH have been measured routinely in association with the launch cloud. In an area of about 22 ha regularly exposed to the exhaust cloud during most Shuttle launches, acute vegetation damage has resulted from the first nine Shuttle launches. Changes include loss of sensitive species, loss of plant community structure, reduction in total cover, and replacement of some species by weedy invaders. Community level changes define a retrogressive sequence. One-time impacts to strand and dune vegetation occurred after launches of STS-8 and STS-9. Acute vegetation damage occurred especially to sensitive species. Within six months, however, recovery was nearly complete. Sensitivity of species to the launch cloud was partially predicted by previous laboratory studies. Far-field acidic and dry fallout from the cloud as it rises to stabilization and moves with the prevailing winds causes vegetation spotting. Damage from this deposition is minor; typically at most 1% to 5% of leaf surface area is affected. No plant mortality or community changes have occurred from far-field deposition

Metal-insulator transition and electroresistance in lanthanum/calcium manganites La_<1-x>Ca_<x>MnO_<3> (x = 0-0.5) from voltage-current-temperature surfaces

Of the perovskites, ABX_, a subset of special interest is the family in which the A site is occupied by a lanthanide ion, the B site by a rare earth and X is oxygen, as such materials often exhibit a large change in electrical resistance in a magnetic field, a phenomenon known as "colossal" magnetoresistance (MR). Two additional phenomena in this family have also drawn attention: the metal-insulator transition (MIT) and electroresistance (ER). The MIT is revealed by measuring resistance as a function of temperature, and observing a change in the sign of the gradient. ER - the dependence of the resistance on applied current - is revealed by measuring resistance as a function of applied current. Up until now, the phenomena of MIT and ER have been treated separately. Here we report simultaneous observation of the MIT and ER in the lanthanum/calcium manganites. We accomplish this by measuring voltage-current curves over a wide temperature range (10-300 K) allowing us to build up an experimental voltage surface over current-temperature axes. These data directly lead to resistance surfaces. This approach provides additional insight into the phenomena of electrical transport in the lanthanum/calcium manganites, in particular the close connection of the maximum ER to the occurrence of the MIT in those cases of a paramagnetic insulator (PMI) to ferromagnetic metal (FMM) transition.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figure

Neoplasia in Three Aye-Ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

Tumours diagnosed in three aged captive aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis), held in two different institutions, are described. A cerebral glioblastoma was diagnosed based on histological and immunohistochemical findings in one of the animals following initial presentation with bilateral mydriasis, absent pupillary reflex, head tilt and ataxia. A second animal was humanely destroyed due to impaired locomotion associated with spondylosis and a post-mortem diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma was made based on histology with further confirmation with immunohistochemical labelling for cytokeratin 7. A third aye-aye suffering from dental disease was diagnosed with an oral squamous cell carcinoma following an excisional biopsy from a non-healing wound in the lip. Due to progression of the neoplasia the animal was humanely destroyed and post-mortem examination revealed the presence on an additional unilateral phaeochromocytoma

Multiparameter estimation in networked quantum sensors

We introduce a general model for a network of quantum sensors, and we use this model to consider the following question: When can entanglement between the sensors, and/or global measurements, enhance the precision with which the network can measure a set of unknown parameters? We rigorously answer this question by presenting precise theorems proving that for a broad class of problems there is, at most, a very limited intrinsic advantage to using entangled states or global measurements. Moreover, for many estimation problems separable states and local measurements are optimal, and can achieve the ultimate quantum limit on the estimation uncertainty. This immediately implies that there are broad conditions under which simultaneous estimation of multiple parameters cannot outperform individual, independent estimations. Our results apply to any situation in which spatially localized sensors are unitarily encoded with independent parameters, such as when estimating multiple linear or nonlinear optical phase shifts in quantum imaging, or when mapping out the spatial profile of an unknown magnetic field. We conclude by showing that entangling the sensors can enhance the estimation precision when the parameters of interest are global properties of the entire network

Grouping behavior of Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) and Tapanuli orangutans (Pongo tapanuliensis) living in forest with low fruit abundance

In contrast to the African great apes, orangutans (Pongo spp.) are semisolitary: Individuals are often on their own, but form aggregations more often than expected by chance. These temporary aggregations provide social benefits such as mating opportunities. When fruit availability is high, costs of aggregating should be lower, because competition is less pronounced. Therefore, average party size is expected to be higher when fruit availability is high. This hypothesis would also explain why orangutans in highly fruit‐productive habitats on Sumatra are more gregarious than in the usually less productive habitats of Borneo. Here, we describe the aggregation behavior of orangutans in less productive Sumatran habitats (Sikundur and Batang Toru), and compare results with those of previously surveyed field sites. Orangutans in Sikundur were more likely to form parties when fruit availability was higher, but the size of daily parties was not significantly affected by fruit availability. With regard to between‐site comparisons, average party sizes of females and alone time of parous females in Sikundur and Batang Toru were substantially lower than those for two previously surveyed Sumatran sites, and both fall in the range of values for Bornean sites. Our results indicate that the assessment of orangutans on Sumatra as being more social than those on Borneo needs revision. Instead, between‐site differences in sociality seem to reflect differences in average fruit availability

Fkh1 and Fkh2 bind multiple chromosomal elements in the S. cerevisiae genome with distinct specificities and cell cycle dynamics

Forkhead box (FOX) transcription factors regulate a wide variety of cellular functions in higher eukaryotes, including cell cycle control and developmental regulation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Forkhead proteins Fkh1 and Fkh2 perform analogous functions, regulating genes involved in cell cycle control, while also regulating mating-type silencing and switching involved in gamete development. Recently, we revealed a novel role for Fkh1 and Fkh2 in the regulation of replication origin initiation timing, which, like donor preference in mating-type switching, appears to involve long-range chromosomal interactions, suggesting roles for Fkh1 and Fkh2 in chromatin architecture and organization. To elucidate how Fkh1 and Fkh2 regulate their target DNA elements and potentially regulate the spatial organization of the genome, we undertook a genome-wide analysis of Fkh1 and Fkh2 chromatin binding by ChIP-chip using tiling DNA microarrays. Our results confirm and extend previous findings showing that Fkh1 and Fkh2 control the expression of cell cycle-regulated genes. In addition, the data reveal hundreds of novel loci that bind Fkh1 only and exhibit a distinct chromatin structure from loci that bind both Fkh1 and Fkh2. The findings also show that Fkh1 plays the predominant role in the regulation of a subset of replication origins that initiate replication early, and that Fkh1/2 binding to these loci is cell cycle-regulated. Finally, we demonstrate that Fkh1 and Fkh2 bind proximally to a variety of genetic elements, including centromeres and Pol III-transcribed snoRNAs and tRNAs, greatly expanding their potential repertoire of functional targets, consistent with their recently suggested role in mediating the spatial organization of the genome

Bone mineral density QTL at sexual maturity and end of lay

1. An F cross of a broiler male line and a White Leghorn layer line was used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for bone density at the onset of lay and at the end of the laying period. A total of 686 measures of humeral bone density were available for analysis.2. There was no evidence for epistasis.3. Genome-wide significant QTL for bone density at the onset of lay were identified on chromosomes 1 (311 cM) and 8 (2 cM) and on chromosomes 1 (311 cM), 3 (57 cM) and 8 (2 cM) with a covariate for the number of yellow follicles (a proxy for the concentration of circulating oestrogen).4. Evidence for only 4 chromosome-wide suggestive QTL were detected at the end of lay (72 weeks).5. Analysis of the combined data confirmed two genome-wide suggestive QTL on chromosome 1 (137 and 266 cM) and on chromosomes 8 (2 cM) and 9 (10 cM) in analyses with or without the covariate.6. Positive QTL alleles came from the broiler line with the exception of 2 suggestive QTL at the onset of lay on chromosomes 3 and 5 in an analysis with the covariate.7. In general, QTL acted additively, except that dominant effects were identified for three suggestive QTL at the onset of lay on chromosomes 3 (57 and 187 cM) and 5 (9 cM).8. The significant QTL in this study were at similar locations to QTL identified in a range of crosses in other publications, suggesting that they are prime candidates for the search for genes and mutations that could be used as selection criteria to improve bone strength and decrease fractures in commercial laying hens