Diving into the vertical dimension of elasmobranch movement ecology

Knowledge of the three-dimensional movement patterns of elasmobranchs is vital to understand their ecological roles and exposure to anthropogenic pressures. To date, comparative studies among species at global scales have mostly focused on horizontal movements. Our study addresses the knowledge gap of vertical movements by compiling the first global synthesis of vertical habitat use by elasmobranchs from data obtained by deployment of 989 biotelemetry tags on 38 elasmobranch species. Elasmobranchs displayed high intra- and interspecific variability in vertical movement patterns. Substantial vertical overlap was observed for many epipelagic elasmobranchs, indicating an increased likelihood to display spatial overlap, biologically interact, and share similar risk to anthropogenic threats that vary on a vertical gradient. We highlight the critical next steps toward incorporating vertical movement into global management and monitoring strategies for elasmobranchs, emphasizing the need to address geographic and taxonomic biases in deployments and to concurrently consider both horizontal and vertical movements

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

A História da Alimentação: balizas historiográficas

Os M. pretenderam traçar um quadro da História da Alimentação, não como um novo ramo epistemológico da disciplina, mas como um campo em desenvolvimento de práticas e atividades especializadas, incluindo pesquisa, formação, publicações, associações, encontros acadêmicos, etc. Um breve relato das condições em que tal campo se assentou faz-se preceder de um panorama dos estudos de alimentação e temas correia tos, em geral, segundo cinco abardagens Ia biológica, a econômica, a social, a cultural e a filosófica!, assim como da identificação das contribuições mais relevantes da Antropologia, Arqueologia, Sociologia e Geografia. A fim de comentar a multiforme e volumosa bibliografia histórica, foi ela organizada segundo critérios morfológicos. A seguir, alguns tópicos importantes mereceram tratamento à parte: a fome, o alimento e o domínio religioso, as descobertas européias e a difusão mundial de alimentos, gosto e gastronomia. O artigo se encerra com um rápido balanço crítico da historiografia brasileira sobre o tema

Inhibitive effect of sodium eperuate on zinc corrosion in alkaline solutions

International audienc

Childhood neurodegeneration associated with a specific UBTF variant: a new case report and review of the literature.

A new monogenic neurodegenerative disease affecting ribosomal metabolism has recently been identified in association with a monoallelic UBTF putative gain of function variant (NM_001076683.1:c.628G>A, hg19). Phenotype is consistent among these probands with progressive motor, cognitive, and behavioural regression in early to middle childhood. We report on a child with this monoallelic UBTF variant who presented with progressive disease including regression, episodes of subacute deterioration during febrile illnesses and a remarkable EEG pattern with a transient pattern of semi-periodic slow waves. This case further supports the phenotype-genotype correlation of neurodegeneration associated with UBTF c.628G>A. Moreover, it brings new insights into the clinical features and EEG that could possibly serve as diagnostic markers of this otherwise nonspecific phenotype

Étude théorique de la réactivité de cristaux moléculaires : hydrolyse de benzoxazinones et naphtoxazinones

Dans cette communication, nous montrons comment les différentes réactivités observées pour une réaction cristal gaz dans une même série de composés peuvent être interprétées par les différences dans leur arrangement cristallin et dans leur force de cohésion. Ces interprétations permettent une meilleure approche du mécanisme réactionnel. L’hydrolyse gazeuse de monocristaux de benzoxazinones 1 se fait d’une façon anisotrope, alors que celle de naphtoxazinones 2 se fait d’une façon isotrope. Le modèle théorique montre que les cristaux 1 contiennent des canaux parallèles à la direction de la réaction. Au contraire les cristaux 2 ne présentent pas de canaux. Des calculs évaluant la force de cohésion à la surface des cristaux 1 et 2 sont présentés

A role for the peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase B enzyme in the control of PPAR alpha-mediated upregulation of SREBP-2 target genes in the liver

Peroxisomal 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase B (Thb) catalyzes the final step in the peroxisomal beta-oxidation of straight-chain acyl-CoAs and is under the transcription control of the nuclear hormone receptor PPAR alpha. PPARa binds to and is activated by the synthetic compound Wy14,643 (Wy). Here, we show that the magnitude of Wy-mediated induction of peroxisomal beta-oxidation of radiolabeled (1-(14)C) palmitate was significantly reduced in mice deficient for Thb. In contrast, mitochondrial beta-oxidation was unaltered in Thb(-1-) mice. Given that Wy-treatment induced Acox1 and MFP-1/-2 activity at a similar level in both genotypes, we concluded that the thiolase step alone was responsible for the reduced peroxisomal beta-oxidation of fatty acids. Electron microscopic analysis and cytochemical localization of catalase indicated that peroxisome proliferation in the liver after Wy-treatment was normal in Thb(-/-) mice. Intriguingly, micro-array analysis revealed that mRNA levels of genes encoding cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes were upregulated by Wy in Wild-Type (WT) mice but not in Thb(-1-) mice, which was confirmed at the protein level for the selected genes. The non-induction of genes encoding cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes by Wy in Thb(-1-) mice appeared to be unrelated to defective SREBP-2 or PPARa signaling. No difference was observed in the plasma lathosterol/cholesterol ratio (a marker for de novo cholesterol biosynthesis) between Wy-treated WT and Thb(-1-) mice, suggesting functional compensation. Overall, we conclude that ThA and SCPx/SCP2 thiolases cannot fully compensate for the absence of ThB. In addition, our data indicate that ThB is involved in the regulation of genes encoding cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes in the liver, suggesting that the peroxisome could be a promising candidate for the correction of cholesterol imbalance in dyslipidemia

Ge-On-Insulator substrates formed by Ge condensation technique: fabrication, modeling and characterization.

International audienc