Foraging ranges of incubating sooty terns onychoprion fuscatus on Bird Island, Seychelles, during a transition from food plenty to scarcity, as revealed by GPS loggers

The foraging tracks of incubating Sooty Terns, nesting on Bird Island, Seychelles, were identified using GPS loggers attached to the central pair of rectrices. By chance, our 2014 study covered a transition from food abundance to food shortage. Incubation shifts during food abundance were mainly 1-2 d long but at the height of food shortage ranged 4-13 d, leading to temporary and permanent nest desertion by individuals left caring for the egg. The duration of foraging trips and the distance travelled also increased, from 151- 271 km for birds absent for 1-3 d, to 2 142-2 779 km by birds that were away from the colony for 4-10 d. This technique, coupled with spatial analyses that relate track paths and foraging locations to bathymetry, sea surface temperature and chlorophyll levels permitted more detailed investigations of the breeding birds’ use of their oceanic habitats. It also provides data to support and define areas to be recommended for Marine Protected Area status in Seychelles and elsewhere

Identification of a complete dibenzothiophene biodesulfurization operon and its regulator by functional metagenomics

Functional screening for aromatic ring oxygenases of an oil contaminated soil metagenome identified 25 different clones bearing monooxygenases coding genes. One fosmid bore an operon containing four tightly linked genes coding for a complete dibenzothiophene biodesulfurization pathway, which included the predicted monooxygenases DszC and DszA, the desulfinase DszB, and an FMN‐oxidoreductase designated DszE. The dszEABC operon provided Escherichia coli with the ability to use dibenzothiophene as the only sulfur source. Transcription of the operon is driven from a σN‐dependent promoter and regulated by an activator that was designated dszR. DszR has been purified and characterized in vitro and shown to be a constitutively active σN‐dependent activator of the group IV, which binds to two contiguous sequences located upstream of the promoter. The dsz promoter and dszE and dszR genes have apparently been recruited from an aliphatic sulfonate biodegradation pathway. If transcribed from a heterologous upstream promoter, the σN‐dependent promoter region functions as an ‘insulator’ that prevents translation of dszE, by binding with its ribosome binding site. Translational coupling, in turn, prevents translation of the downstream dszABC genes. The silencer combined with translational coupling thus represents an effective way of preventing expression of operons when spuriously transcribed from upstream promoters.This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Blue Growth: Unlocking the potential of Seas and Oceans) through the Project ‘INMARE’ under grant agreement No. 634486 and ERA‐IB 5 ‘METACAT’. This work was further funded by grants PCIN‐2014‐107 (within ERA NET IB2 grant nr. ERA‐IB‐14‐030—MetaCat), PCIN‐2017‐078 (within the Marine Biotechnology ERA‐NET (ERA‐MBT) funded under the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme, 2013–2017, Grant agreement 604814), BIO2014‐54494‐R and BIO2017‐85522‐R from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, formerly Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad

Investigation of nomophobia and smartphone addiction predictors among adolescents in Turkey: Demographic variables and academic performance

Most individuals spend a great amount of time on their smartphones. The intense usage of smartphones leads to some physical symptoms, good and bad feelings, pathological addiction, depression, symptoms such as fear-anxiety, productivity and low academic achievement. For this reason, prevention activities must be prioritized when dealing with the intense and uncontrolled usage of smartphones. The aim of this study is to determine nomophobia levels and smartphone addiction among 12-18 age group secondary and high school students and to investigate the demographic and academic variables predicting these levels. Designed with a relational model, the population of this research consists of 612 students studying at all levels of secondary school and high school. Personal information form and two different scales were used in the research. Descriptive analyses and hierarchical linear multiple regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data obtained by means of data collection in the research. As a result of the research, there is a significant relationship between smartphone addiction and nomophobia. In this study, Model 4 has been identified to be the most important predictor of smartphone addiction and nomophobia. In Model 4, variables related to smartphone usage are included in the analysis. Recommendations have been made according to the results of the study. (C) 2018 Western Social Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved