People should also look after the people: relational values of wildlife and collectively titled land in Ilkisongo Maasai group ranches in Southern Kenya

Categorically distinct instrumental values and non-instrumental “cultural” values of “nature” are central to ecosystemservices assessments and many wildlife conservation interventions alike. However, this approach to understanding the value of nature is at odds with social scientific understandings that see value as produced through social-ecological relations and processes. With a case study of Ilkisongo Maasai land users living in group ranches surrounding Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, we apply a relational values approach to highlight the processes of valuation that shape how different people within Maasai society come to have different shared values of wildlife and collectively titled land. First, we detail how wildlife conservation efforts in Amboseli have affected social relations through uneven conservation decision-making processes and unequal distribution of benefits from conservation. Second, we detail how conservation practices have directly influenced changing relationships between people and wildlife. Neglect of elders’ common stances on how relations “ought” to be maintained (both human-human and human-nonhuman relations), and many Maasai residents’ views of the “ownership” of wildlife by a minority have both fueled resentment. We show that an ironic, unintended outcome is that conservation projects, which are intended to increase the “value” of wildlife for local people as a way to foster “coexistence” of people and wildlife on collectively titled lands, are instead contributing to an increased desire by some Maasai for wildlife to be spatially separated from people and livestock. Simultaneously, current conservation projects do not build upon practices that in Maasai views, enabled historical sharing of land with wildlife. Inequality and lack of participation have been highlighted as key limitations of many community-based conservation and human-wildlife conflict mitigation initiatives. We instead focus on how wildlife conservation interventions have contributed to changing human-human and human-nonhuman relations and have in turn impacted long-term Maasai perceptions of wildlife. We argue that an expanded consideration of relational values that emphasizes the inseparability of culture and nature, but also includes a central consideration of power dynamics, might overcome some limitations of previous valuation approaches.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Monoclonal antibodies against sporangia and spores of Marteilla sp. (Protozoa: Ascetospora)

6 pages, 4 figures.Digestive glands of mussels Mytilus edulis from Brittany, France, infected with Marteilia sp. (Ascetospora) were used to purify the parasite. A modification of a previously used punfication protocol increased purification efficiency, permitting sporangial primordia and sporangia of Marteilia sp. to be obtained. Mouse (Balb/c) monoclonal antibodies were generated against this parasite. From the fusion, 26 monoclonal antibodies against Marteilia sp. were obtained. Antibodies from 6 clones reacted only with Marteilia sp. cells and not with normal host tissues. Four of these antibodies (1/1-3, 3/1-1, 4/1-1 and 6/2-3) reacted with the sporangia wall and two with the spore cytoplasm (9/1-1 and 12/5-1), Antibodies cross-reacted with Marteilia refringens from Mytilus galloprovincialis obtained in the Ría de Vigo, Spain.J.A.F.R. acknowledges Xunta de Galicia, Spain, for his with research fellowship at the IIM-CSIC and Caixa Galicia for his research fellowship at IFREMER - La Tremblade.Peer reviewe

SEIS: Insight's Seismic Experiment for Internal Structure of Mars.

By the end of 2018, 42 years after the landing of the two Viking seismometers on Mars, InSight will deploy onto Mars' surface the SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Internal Structure) instrument; a six-axes seismometer equipped with both a long-period three-axes Very Broad Band (VBB) instrument and a three-axes short-period (SP) instrument. These six sensors will cover a broad range of the seismic bandwidth, from 0.01 Hz to 50 Hz, with possible extension to longer periods. Data will be transmitted in the form of three continuous VBB components at 2 sample per second (sps), an estimation of the short period energy content from the SP at 1 sps and a continuous compound VBB/SP vertical axis at 10 sps. The continuous streams will be augmented by requested event data with sample rates from 20 to 100 sps. SEIS will improve upon the existing resolution of Viking's Mars seismic monitoring by a factor of ∼ 2500 at 1 Hz and ∼ 200 000 at 0.1 Hz. An additional major improvement is that, contrary to Viking, the seismometers will be deployed via a robotic arm directly onto Mars' surface and will be protected against temperature and wind by highly efficient thermal and wind shielding. Based on existing knowledge of Mars, it is reasonable to infer a moment magnitude detection threshold of M w ∼ 3 at 40 ∘ epicentral distance and a potential to detect several tens of quakes and about five impacts per year. In this paper, we first describe the science goals of the experiment and the rationale used to define its requirements. We then provide a detailed description of the hardware, from the sensors to the deployment system and associated performance, including transfer functions of the seismic sensors and temperature sensors. We conclude by describing the experiment ground segment, including data processing services, outreach and education networks and provide a description of the format to be used for future data distribution.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11214-018-0574-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Cap-Gly Proteins at Microtubule Plus Ends: Is EB1 Detyrosination Involved?

Localization of CAP-Gly proteins such as CLIP170 at microtubule+ends results from their dual interaction with α-tubulin and EB1 through their C-terminal amino acids −EEY. Detyrosination (cleavage of the terminal tyrosine) of α-tubulin by tubulin-carboxypeptidase abolishes CLIP170 binding. Can detyrosination affect EB1 and thus regulate the presence of CLIP170 at microtubule+ends as well? We developed specific antibodies to discriminate tyrosinated vs detyrosinated forms of EB1 and detected only tyrosinated EB1 in fibroblasts, astrocytes, and total brain tissue. Over-expressed EB1 was not detyrosinated in cells and chimeric EB1 with the eight C-terminal amino acids of α-tubulin was only barely detyrosinated. Our results indicate that detyrosination regulates CLIPs interaction with α-tubulin, but not with EB1. They highlight the specificity of carboxypeptidase toward tubulin

Custom Made Candy Plug for Distal False Lumen Occlusion in Aortic Dissection: International Experience

Objective: To evaluate early and midterm outcomes of the Candy Plug (CP) technique for distal false lumen (FL) occlusion in thoracic endovascular aortic repair for aortic dissection (AD) in a more real world cohort of patients from an international multicentre registry. Methods: A multicentre retrospective study was conducted of all consecutive patients from the contributing centres with subacute and chronic AD treated with the CP technique from October 2013 to April 2020 at 18 centres. Results: A custom made CP was used in 155 patients (92 males, mean age 62 ± 11 years). Fourteen (9%) presented with ruptured false lumen aneurysms. Technical success was achieved in all patients (100%). Clinical success was achieved in 138 patients (89%). The median hospital stay was 7 days (1 – 77). The 30 day mortality rate was 3% (n = 5). Stroke occurred in four patients (3%). Spinal cord ischaemia occurred in three patients (2%). The 30 day computed tomography angiogram (CTA) confirmed successful CP placement at the intended level in all patients. Early complete FL occlusion was achieved in 120 patients (77%). Early (30 day) CP related re-intervention was required in four patients (3%). The early (30 day) stent graft related re-intervention rate was 8% (n = 12). Follow up CTA was available in 142 patients (92%), with a median follow up of 23 months (6 – 87). Aneurysmal regression was achieved in 68 of 142 patients (47%); the aneurysm diameter remained stable in 69 of 142 patients (49%) and increased in five of 142 patients (4%). A higher rate of early FL occlusion was detected in the largest volume centre patients (50 [88%] vs. 70 [71%] from other centres; p = .019). No other differences in outcome were identified regarding volume of cases or learning curve. Conclusion: This international CP technique experience confirmed its feasibility and low mortality and morbidity rates. Aortic remodelling and false lumen thrombosis rates were high and support the concept of distal FL occlusion in AD using the CP technique

Tubulin binding cofactor C (TBCC) suppresses tumor growth and enhances chemosensitivity in human breast cancer cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Microtubules are considered major therapeutic targets in patients with breast cancer. In spite of their essential role in biological functions including cell motility, cell division and intracellular transport, microtubules have not yet been considered as critical actors influencing tumor cell aggressivity. To evaluate the impact of microtubule mass and dynamics on the phenotype and sensitivity of breast cancer cells, we have targeted tubulin binding cofactor C (TBCC), a crucial protein for the proper folding of α and β tubulins into polymerization-competent tubulin heterodimers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We developed variants of human breast cancer cells with increased content of TBCC. Analysis of proliferation, cell cycle distribution and mitotic durations were assayed to investigate the influence of TBCC on the cell phenotype. <it>In vivo </it>growth of tumors was monitored in mice xenografted with breast cancer cells. The microtubule dynamics and the different fractions of tubulins were studied by time-lapse microscopy and lysate fractionation, respectively. <it>In vitro </it>sensitivity to antimicrotubule agents was studied by flow cytometry. <it>In vivo </it>chemosensitivity was assayed by treatment of mice implanted with tumor cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TBCC overexpression influenced tubulin fraction distribution, with higher content of nonpolymerizable tubulins and lower content of polymerizable dimers and microtubules. Microtubule dynamicity was reduced in cells overexpressing TBCC. Cell cycle distribution was altered in cells containing larger amounts of TBCC with higher percentage of cells in G2-M phase and lower percentage in S-phase, along with slower passage into mitosis. While increased content of TBCC had little effect on cell proliferation <it>in vitro</it>, we observed a significant delay in tumor growth with respect to controls when TBCC overexpressing cells were implanted as xenografts <it>in vivo</it>. TBCC overexpressing variants displayed enhanced sensitivity to antimicrotubule agents both <it>in vitro </it>and in xenografts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results underline the essential role of fine tuned regulation of tubulin content in tumor cells and the major impact of dysregulation of tubulin dimer content on tumor cell phenotype and response to chemotherapy. A better understanding of how the microtubule cytoskeleton is dysregulated in cancer cells would greatly contribute to a better understanding of tumor cell biology and characterisation of resistant phenotypes.</p