Trophic signatures of marine organisms in the Mediterranean as compared with other ecosystems

We compared several large marine ecosystems in terms of species numbers of fishes, sea birds, marine mammals, and cephalopods. We examined how these numbers were distributed by trophic level, from herbivores to top predators. We created group-specific trophic signatures as plots of number of species by trophic level, and used these to identify similarities and discrepancies between taxonomic groups and ecosystems. Preliminary results suggested that trophic signatures are similar for ecosystems previously known to share major features, and different for dissimilar ecosystems. In the Mediterranean, as well as in the other large marine ecosystems, fish clearly dominate the predatory trophic levels above 3.0. Preliminary signatures for cephalopods, marine mammals, and sea birds in the Mediterranean and in the North Sea indicate that these groups are restricted to trophic levels above 3.0, and are represented by many fewer species than are predatory fish. Notably, cephalopods are the only invertebrates present at higher trophic levels (>= 4). Invertebrates other than cephalopods are restricted to trophic levels below 3, with very few exceptions. Trophic signatures appear to be useful tools for better understanding of the roles that different groups of organisms play in different ecosystems. We also applied free-scale network theory to analyse the food web created by trophic links of fishes. Our preliminary results indicated that Mediterranean fishes are, on average, only two trophic links away from each other

A preliminary comparison of the trophic structure of some large marine ecosystems

Five large marine ecosystems are compared in respect to the signatures created by plots of number and average size of species by trophic level. Preliminary results suggest that these signatures are similar for similar ecosystems (here: Baltic Sea and Black Sea as examples of brackish, temperate ecosystems, and Caribbean and South China Sea as examples of tropical ecosystems), and different for different ecosystems (here: temperate vs tropical systems). Also, the shape and the position of the signatures appear to be predictable, as shown for the North Sea, which has a similar shape but intermediate position between the species-poor Baltic and Black Sea, and the species-rich tropical systems. Individual signatures can be interpreted and reveal special characteristics, as shown by the lower part of the Caribbean signature, which has a different trend then the other signatures, indicating that the Caribbean has relatively more herbivorous fishes. Fish data were extracted from www.fishbase.org. Preliminary signatures for cephalopods, marine mammals, and marine birds indicate the different roles of these groups in ecosystems. In the North Sea, vertebrates (fish, birds, marine mammals) and cephalopods are restricted to trophic levels above 3, with the exception of very few fish and bird species). Invertebrates are restricted to trophic levels below 3, again with very few exceptions

Deterministic coupling of a single silicon-vacancy color center to a photonic crystal cavity in diamond

Deterministic coupling of single solid-state emitters to nanocavities is the key for integrated quantum information devices. We here fabricate a photonic crystal cavity around a preselected single silicon-vacancy color center in diamond and demonstrate modification of the emitters internal population dynamics and radiative quantum efficiency. The controlled, room-temperature cavity coupling gives rise to a resonant Purcell enhancement of the zero-phonon transition by a factor of 19, coming along with a 2.5-fold reduction of the emitter's lifetime

Differences in Shedding of the Interleukin-11 Receptor by the Proteases ADAM9, ADAM10, ADAM17, Meprin α, Meprin β and MT1-MMP

Interleukin-11 (IL-11) has been associated with inflammatory conditions, bone homeostasis, hematopoiesis, and fertility. So far, these functions have been linked to classical IL-11 signaling via the membrane bound receptor (IL-11R). However, a signaling cascade via the soluble IL-11R (sIL-11R), generated by proteolytic cleavage, can also be induced. This process is called IL-11 trans-signaling. A disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) and neutrophil elastase were described as ectodomain sheddases of the IL-11R, thereby inducing trans-signaling. Furthermore, previous studies employing approaches for the stimulation and inhibition of endogenous ADAM-proteases indicated that ADAM10, but not ADAM17, can cleave the IL-11R. Herein, we show that several metalloproteases, namely ADAM9, ADAM10, ADAM17, meprin β, and membrane-type 1 matrix metalloprotease/matrix metalloprotease-14 (MT1-MMP/MMP-14) when overexpressed are able to shed the IL-11R. All sIL-11R ectodomains were biologically active and capable of inducing signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation in target cells. The difference observed for ADAM10/17 specificity compared to previous studies can be explained by the different approaches used, such as stimulation of protease activity or making use of cells with genetically deleted enzymes

Lockdown for All, Hardship for Some. Insights from the First Wave of the CoCo Project

How disruptive is Covid-19 to everyday life? How is the French population experiencing the lockdown? Is it magnifying existing inequalities and affecting social cohesion? The CoCo project sheds light on these pressing questions by comparing living conditions in France before and after the lockdown. This is the first of a series of research briefs that we will publish in the forthcoming weeks. We will explore this new experience of “sheltering-in-place” and its impact on family life, schooling, work, health and well-being. This brief explores how French society has coped with the first two weeks of the lockdown. We find that the virus has rapidly become a tangible threat, as more than forty percent of the population knows someone who has been infected. Despite this, three out of four persons say that they do not feel overly stressed out. In certain cases, the reaction has been almost philosophical -- long hours spent at home allow people to slow down and think about the meaning of life. More than anything else, it is having access to green spaces and nature which provides some relief to those attempting to cope with this home-based social organization. Still, some cracks have appeared. Women, foreign-born residents, and individuals facing financial hardship are subject to greater emotional strain than the rest of the population. Gender inequalities have been particularly reinforced during the lockdown: women have been spending even more time than usual cleaning and taking care of others. Although the Covid-19 virus tends to disproportionately strike men, the consequences of the lockdown more intenselyaffect women

Life after lockdown: Getting back on track or charting a new course?

How disruptive is Covid-19 to everyday life? How is the French population experiencing the lockdown? Is it magnifying inequalities and affecting social cohesion? The CoCo project sheds lights on these pressing questions by comparing living conditions in France before, during, and after the lockdown. This is the fourth of a series of research briefs, which now cover the entire lockdown period Has life under the lockdown been a parenthesis or is it the new normal? Beyond whether or not people began to resume their usual activities on 11 May, the consequences of the lockdown experience on people’s attitudes and opinions are the core of this policy brief. Did the lockdown trigger new sociopolitical orientations? Or did it instead accelerate ongoing trends

The Octant Module of the ATLAS Level-1 Muon to Central Trigger Processor Interface

The Muon to Central Trigger Processor Interface (MUCTPI) of the ATLAS Level-1 trigger receives data from the sector logic modules of the muon trigger at every bunch crossing and calculates the total multiplicity of muon candidates, which is then sent to the Central Trigger Processor where the final Level-1 decision is taken. The MUCTPI system consists of a 9U VME crate with a special backplane and 18 custom designed modules. We focus on the design and implementation of the octant module (MIOCT). Each of the 16 MIOCT modules processes the muon candidates from 13 sectors of one half-octant of the detector and forms the local muon candidate multiplicities for the trigger decision. It also resolves the overlaps between chambers in order to avoid double-counting of muon candidates that are detected in more than one sector. The handling of overlapping sectors is based on Look-Up-Tables (LUT) for maximum flexibility. The MIOCT also sends the information on the muon candidates over the custom backplane via the Readout Driver module to the Level-2 trigger and the DAQ systems when a Level-1 Accept is received. The design is based on state-of-the-art FPGA devices and special attention was paid to low-latency in the data transmission and processing

Identification of a blaVIM-1-Carrying IncA/C2 Multiresistance Plasmid in an Escherichia coli Isolate Recovered from the German Food Chain

Within the German national monitoring of zoonotic agents, antimicrobial resistance determination also targets carbapenemase-producing (CP) Escherichia coli by selective isolation from food and livestock. In this monitoring in 2019, the CP E. coli 19-AB01133 was recovered from pork shoulder. The isolate was assigned to the phylogenetic group B1 and exhibited the multi-locus sequence-type ST5869. Molecular investigations, including whole genome sequencing, of 19-AB01133 revealed that the isolate carried the resistance genes blaVIM-1, blaSHV-5 and blaCMY-13 on a self-transmissible IncA/C2 plasmid. The plasmid was closely related to the previously described VIM-1-encoding plasmid S15FP06257_p from E. coli of pork origin in Belgium. Our results indicate an occasional spread of the blaVIM-1 gene in Enterobacteriaceae of the European pig population. Moreover, the blaVIM-1 located on an IncA/C2 plasmid supports the presumption of a new, probably human source of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) entering the livestock and food chain sector