8 research outputs found
sFDvent: A global trait database for deepâsea hydrothermalâvent fauna
Motivation: Traits are increasingly being used to quantify global biodiversity patterns,
with trait databases growing in size and number, across diverse taxa. Despite growâ
ing interest in a traitâbased approach to the biodiversity of the deep sea, where the
impacts of human activities (including seabed mining) accelerate, there is no single reâ
pository for species traits for deepâsea chemosynthesisâbased ecosystems, including
hydrothermal vents. Using an international, collaborative approach, we have compiled
the first globalâscale trait database for deepâsea hydrothermalâvent fauna â sFDâ
vent (sDivâfunded trait database for the Functional Diversity of vents). We formed a
funded working group to select traits appropriate to: (a) capture the performance of
vent species and their influence on ecosystem processes, and (b) compare traitâbased
diversity in different ecosystems. Forty contributors, representing expertise across
most known hydrothermalâvent systems and taxa, scored species traits using online
collaborative tools and shared workspaces. Here, we characterise the sFDvent daâ
tabase, describe our approach, and evaluate its scope. Finally, we compare the sFDâ
vent database to similar databases from shallowâmarine and terrestrial ecosystems to
highlight how the sFDvent database can inform crossâecosystem comparisons. We
also make the sFDvent database publicly available online by assigning a persistent,
unique DOI.
Main types of variable contained: Six hundred and fortyâsix vent species names,
associated location information (33 regions), and scores for 13 traits (in categories:
community structure, generalist/specialist, geographic distribution, habitat use, life
history, mobility, species associations, symbiont, and trophic structure). Contributor
IDs, certainty scores, and references are also provided.
Spatial location and grain: Global coverage (grain size: ocean basin), spanning eight
ocean basins, including vents on 12 midâocean ridges and 6 backâarc spreading
centres.
Time period and grain: sFDvent includes information on deepâsea vent species, and
associated taxonomic updates, since they were first discovered in 1977. Time is not
recorded. The database will be updated every 5 years.
Major taxa and level of measurement: Deepâsea hydrothermalâvent fauna with speâ
ciesâlevel identification present or in progress.
Software format: .csv and MS Excel (.xlsx).This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Chimeric Agents Derived from the Functionalized Amino Acid, Lacosamide, and the α-Aminoamide, Safinamide: Evaluation of Their Inhibitory Actions on Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels, and Antiseizure and Antinociception Activities and Comparison with Lacosamide and Safinamide
The functionalized amino acid, lacosamide ((R)-2), and the α-aminoamide, safinamide ((S)-3), are neurological agents that have been extensively investigated and have displayed potent anticonvulsant activities in seizure models. Both compounds have been reported to modulate voltage-gated sodium channel activity. We have prepared a series of chimeric compounds, (R)-7â(R)-10, by merging key structural units in these two clinical agents, and then compared their activities with (R)-2 and (S)-3. Compounds were assessed for their ability to alter sodium channel kinetics for inactivation, frequency (use)-dependence, and steady-state activation and fast inactivation. We report that chimeric compounds (R)-7â(R)-10 in catecholamine A-differentiated (CAD) cells and embryonic rat cortical neurons robustly enhanced sodium channel inactivation at concentrations far lower than those required for (R)-2 and (S)-3, and that (R)-9 and (R)-10, unlike (R)-2 and (S)-3, produce sodium channel frequency (use)-dependence at low micromolar concentrations. We further show that (R)-7â(R)-10 displayed excellent anticonvulsant activities and pain-attenuating properties in the animal formalin model. Of these compounds, only (R)-7 reversed mechanical hypersensitivity in the tibial-nerve injury model for neuropathic pain in rats
Generation and Characterization of ALX-0171, a Potent Novel Therapeutic Nanobody for the Treatment of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important causative agent of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and elderly individuals. Its fusion (F) protein is critical for virus infection. It is targeted by several investigational antivirals and by palivizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody used prophylactically in infants considered at high risk of severe RSV disease. ALX-0171 is a trimeric Nanobody that binds the antigenic site II of RSV F protein with subnanomolar affinity. ALX-0171 demonstrated in vitro neutralization superior to that of palivizumab against prototypic RSV subtype A and B strains. Moreover, ALX-0171 completely blocked replication to below the limit of detection for 87% of the viruses tested, whereas palivizumab did so for 18% of the viruses tested at a fixed concentration. Importantly, ALX-0171 was highly effective in reducing both nasal and lung RSV titers when delivered prophylactically or therapeutically directly to the lungs of cotton rats. ALX-0171 represents a potent novel antiviral compound with significant potential to treat RSV-mediated disease.This work was supported by the Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Techniek (IWT), Belgium (grant numbers 100333 and 130562). Work in Madrid was partially supported by grant SAF2012-31217 to J.A.M. from Plan Nacional I+D+i
Spin-controlled generation of indistinguishable and distinguishable photons from silicon vacancy centres in silicon carbide
Development of quantum devices with indistinguishable photon generation and spin-based quantum information processing is necessary to realize remote quantum applications and networking. However, identification of suitable systems in scalable platforms has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we investigate the silicon vacancy centre in silicon carbide and demonstrate controlled emission of non-distinguishable and distinguishable photons using spin manipulation. On the basis of strong off-resonant excitation and collecting zero-phonon line photons, we show a two-photon interference contrast close to 90% in Hong-Ou-Mandel type experiments. Further, we exploit the systemâs intimate spin-photon relation to spin-control the colour and indistinguishability of consecutively emitted photons. This demonstration provides a deep insight into the systemâs spin-phonon-photon physics and underline the potential of the industrially compatible silicon carbide platform for measurement-based entanglement distribution and photonic cluster state generation
Aquatische Optische Technologien in Deutschland
Optische Technologien und Verfahren sind sowohl in der limnischen als auch marinen Forschung Deutschlands ĂŒber alle Bereiche und Skalen etabliert und entwickeln sich rasant weiter. Die Arbeitsgruppe âAquatische Optische Technologienâ (AOT) will Forschern und Anwendern eine
Plattform bieten, die Wissenstransfer fördert, der nationalen Entwicklergemeinschaft ein synergistisches Umfeld eröffnet und die internationale Sichtbarkeit der deutschen AktivitÀten in diesem Forschungsfeld erhöht.
Diese Zusammenfassung dokumentiert erstmalig die AOT-Verfahren und -Technologien, die von nationalen Forschungsinstitutionen eingesetzt werden. Wir erwarten, dass die Dokumentation einen Trend in Richtung institutsĂŒbergreifender Harmonisierung initiiert. Dies wird die Etablierung offener Standards, eine Verbesserung im Zugang zu Dokumentationen und gegenseitige technischer Hilfestellung bei (System-) Integrationen ermöglichen. Effizienz und LeistungsfĂ€higkeit der AOT-Entwicklung und Anwendung auf nationaler Ebene werden von diesen Bestrebungen profitieren. Weitere Arbeitsgruppen und Entwickler werden ausdrĂŒcklich ermutigt, Kontakt aufzunehmen, um in einer spĂ€teren Auflage berĂŒcksichtigt zu werden