Brain volumetric changes and cognitive ageing during the eighth decade of life

Later‐life changes in brain tissue volumes—decreases in the volume of healthy grey and white matter and increases in the volume of white matter hyperintensities (WMH)—are strong candidates to explain some of the variation in ageing‐related cognitive decline. We assessed fluid intelligence, memory, processing speed, and brain volumes (from structural MRI) at mean age 73 years, and at mean age 76 in a narrow‐age sample of older individuals (n = 657 with brain volumetric data at the initial wave, n = 465 at follow‐up). We used latent variable modeling to extract error‐free cognitive levels and slopes. Initial levels of cognitive ability were predictive of subsequent brain tissue volume changes. Initial brain volumes were not predictive of subsequent cognitive changes. Brain volume changes, especially increases in WMH, were associated with declines in each of the cognitive abilities. All statistically significant results were modest in size (absolute r‐values ranged from 0.114 to 0.334). These results build a comprehensive picture of macrostructural brain volume changes and declines in important cognitive faculties during the eighth decade of life

The role of Phytochrome-Interacting Factor 3 in regulating growth and development in hexaploid wheat

The development of chloroplasts requires tight control to prevent the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and seedling damage. Work with Arabidopsis indicates that gibberellin signalling plays an important role in photo-oxidative stress responses through targeted degradation of growth repressing DELLA proteins. In wheat, mutants of the DELLA protein RHT-1 were the basis of the semi-dwarf lines so crucial to the Green Revolution. These mutants, however, display adverse pleiotropic effects impacting on wheat physiology. Elucidating the downstream targets of RHT-1 could therefore provide a mechanism for targeting specific RHT-1 functions without off-target consequences. In Arabidopsis, one mechanism by which DELLAs function is through repressing the activity of the Phytochrome Interacting Factors (PIFs). PIFs are transcription factors that repress light responses in plants, leading to the promotion of growth and repression of chloroplast development. To determine the role of PIFs in regulating growth and chloroplast development in wheat we have searched the bread wheat genome for orthologues of known Arabidopsis and rice PIF genes. Annotation of wheat PIF gene sequences has been achieved through analysis of RNA-seq data and a specific PIF3 orthologue has been identified. A range of approaches have been used to manipulate TaPIF3 levels in order to study its function. Potential loss-of-function mutations in each of the three TaPIF3 homoeologues have been identified by TILLING and stacked to generate a TaPIF3 mutant. A wheat TaPIF3 overexpression line has also been generated. Phenotypic analysis of the TaPIF3 triple mutant and overexpression lines indicate a role for TaPIF3 in the regulation of stem elongation and ear length. These results suggest that TaPIF3 is a promising target for downstream regulation of wheat physiology. Furthermore, a heterologous complementation approach has been used to further characterise the function of TaPIF3

Tokdo or Takeshima? The Territorial Dispute Between Japan and the Republic of Korea

This Note analyzes Japan\u27s and the Republic of Korea’s competing claims to Liancourt in light of traditional public international law, specifically the 1982 Convention and customary law found in past decisions by the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”) and arbitral bodies (collectively “international adjudicatory bodies”). Part I of this Note provides not only a brief historical overview on Japanese-Korean relations, but also a detailed review of relevant public international law. It outlines important provisions of the 1982 Convention, discusses widely-recognized means of territorial acquisition, and summarizes relevant decisions of international adjudicatory bodies. Part II examines each country\u27s claim to Liancourt. The third and final part argues that according to current public international law, the Republic of Korea establishes a superior claim to Liancourt than does Japan. Accordingly, this Note concludes that the Republic of Korea should become Liancourt\u27s sovereign

Reproducibility in ecology and evolution: Minimum standards for data and code

We call for journals to commit to requiring open data be archived in a format that will be simple and clear for readers to understand and use. If applied consistently, these requirements will allow contributors to be acknowledged for their work through citation of open data, and facilitate scientific progress

Sharing and reporting benefits from biodiversity research

The most remarkable feature of our planet is the diversity of its life forms, ranging from viruses and nanobacteria to blue whales and giant sequoias to satanic leaf‐tailed geckos and leafy seadragons (look them up!). Life is found in essentially all environments on earth, and the number of species living on our planet is many times greater than we could have imagined a century ago. A well‐regarded estimate pegs the number of eukaryotic species on earth at 8.7 million (±1.3 million), of which fewer than 15% are currently described (Mora et al., 2011). The diversity of prokaryotes is less clear (and highly controversial), but an analysis of 1.6 billion 16S ribosomal RNA sequences estimated that 0.8–1.6 million prokaryotic operational taxonomic units exist globally (Louca et al., 2019). While we do not know how many species are currently extant, or have existed in the past, we do know that this biodiversity is valuable, providing food, fibre and medicine, furnishing ecosystem services such as water and air purification, nutrient cycling, pollination and carbon uptake, and contributing to technological innovations ranging from biotechnology to robotics to material science. Moreover, biodiversity underlies the cultural identity of human populations and is important to human health and well‐being. Geographically, species richness increases from the Polar Regions to the tropics in terrestrial and surface marine ecosystems. Thus, some countries, especially those in tropical and subtropical regions, are endowed with much greater biodiversity than others. Unfortunately, benefits arising from the access and utilization of this biodiversity have been unequally shared, with (paradoxically) biodiversity‐poor countries often accruing the lion's share of economic gains. There can be imbalances within countries as well, wherein some segments of the population obtain greater economic benefits from biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge than indigenous peoples. The “Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization,” which came into force in 2014, is an international agreement designed to ensure that the benefits arising from biodiversity are shared equitably (https://www.cbd.int/abs/). However, few scientific journals require compliance with the Nagoya Protocol or the reporting of benefits from biodiversity research. In this editorial, we (the editors of Molecular Ecology and Molecular Ecology Resources) express support for the Nagoya Protocol and the principle of benefit sharing. We believe that scientific journals publishing research on biodiversity can play an important role in implementing the Nagoya Protocol and in reporting on benefits generated from such research. Below, we provide background on the Nagoya Protocol, discuss the kinds of benefits that may arise from biodiversity research, describe the rationale for reporting on these benefits and introduce changes to the journals’ Data Accessibility Statements to incorporate the requirements and goals of the Nagoya Protocol.Peer reviewe