Zora

This mixed-media memoir uses a variety of forms from short epigrammatic essays to straightforward stories and graphic narratives to explore the author’s coming-of-age experiences augmented by chronic illness. Trying to succeed in the film industry, romance, and family situations, the young female narrator navigates the often unexpected or disappointing consequences of having an autonomic nervous system disorder. Relationships between conflicting identities emerge—between healthy versus sick self, projected/envisioned versus actual self, and tough versus vulnerable self—as the narrator journeys toward a more complete and accepting self-understanding

Current knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex and future research directions

The Cuvette Centrale is the largest tropical peatland complex in the world, covering approximately 145,000 km2 across the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It stores ca. 30.6 Pg C, the equivalent of three years of global carbon dioxide emissions and is now the first trans-national Ramsar site. Despite its size and importance as a global carbon store, relatively little is known about key aspects of its ecology and history, including its formation, the scale of greenhouse gas flows, its biodiversity and its history of human activity. Here, we synthesise available knowledge on the Cuvette Centrale, identifying key areas for further research. Finally, we review the potential of mathematical models to assess future trajectories for the peatlands in terms of the potential impacts of resource extraction or climate change

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Reconstructions of Neotropical Hydroclimate: A Compound-Specific Deuterium Isotope Approach.

The hydrogen isotope composition of leaf wax (δDwax) has been found to successfully record the isotopic composition of precipitation (δDp) and as a result has been used extensively in palaeohydrological research. Although widely applied across the globe, δDwax records remain scarce within the tropics, most specifically in northern South America. To resolve this gap in the literature, the δDwax values of three sediment cores obtained from Colombia – two from the Amazon Basin and the third from the high-altitude Páramo ecosystem of the Andes - were analysed to reconstruct past rainfall in northern South America. In the Amazonian sites, microbial degradation limited the extent of palaeohydrological data obtained from the cores, providing a precipitation record for the past ~2000 years. The records showed increased precipitation during the Little Ice Age and Medieval Climate Anomaly, contradicting other northern South American records. In contrast, the high-Andean δDwax record spanned ~85,000 years. δDwax values decrease by ~4‰ during the Last Glacial Maximum suggesting the rainfall slightly increased during this time. Additionally, δDwax during the Younger Dryas increased suggesting a slight reduction in precipitation. δDwax values indicate the climate became progressively drier throughout the early-to-mid-Holocene, with the highest δDwax occurring at 4200 cal yr BP (the 4.2 event). This was then followed by a dramatic reduction in δDwax into the Late Holocene, before increasing again into the youngest 2000 cal yr BP of the record. Interestingly, higher precipitation, inferred through a decrease in δDwax, coincides with a southward displacement of the ITCZ during the LGM and the LIA. The records suggest that, in northern South America, ITCZ movements may not be the sole cause of changes in precipitation

Australian Aboriginal peoples and giftedness: A diverse issue in need of a diverse response

For over thirty years sporadic research has attempted to address the underrepresentation of Aboriginal students in gifted programs. What emerges from the literature is the need for cultural understanding, flexibility and sensitivity when dealing with definitional issues of giftedness, and cultural inclusivity when designing talent development programs that respond to the particular needs of gifted learners from Aboriginal backgrounds. This article will explore these issues and highlight the need for schools to value the funds of knowledge Aboriginal students bring to their classrooms, which in turn will allow for more appropriate identification protocols and programs to be put in place for these students

Linking upwelling intensity and orbital-scale climate variability in South Africa's winter rainfall zone: Insights from a ca. 70,000-year hyrax midden record

International audienceThe climate of Africa's southwestern Cape is characterised by a strongly seasonal winter precipitation regime, with late Quaternary climate variability generally considered to have been driven by the position of the southern westerlies. This paper presents a unique ~70,000 year-long palaeoclimatic record from a rock hyrax midden from South Africa's winter rainfall zone, enabling the analysis of regional climate systems since the beginning of marine isotope stage 4. The data suggest that the last glacial period was relatively humid compared to the Holocene, likely due to cooler temperatures, more extensive Antarctic sea-ice extent and an equatorward displacement of the westerly storm track. However, orbital-scale climate variability associated with the 23 kyr precessional cycle primarily correlates with changes in upwelling intensity in the Benguela system, implying an important role for the blocking of tropical easterly flow in driving long-term climatic variability. These factors combined during glacial periods to significantly amplify rainfall seasonality in the southwestern Cape, bringing more winter rainfall via mid-latitude frontal systems, while reducing the proportion of summer rainfall, particularly during the glacial periods of the late Quaternary. The results therefore highlight the need to consider a complex suite of circulation systems and dynamics when inferring drivers of long-term environmental change in the region