Bayesian Network Analysis reveals resilience of the jellyfish Aurelia aurita to an Irish Sea regime shift

Abstract: Robust time-series of direct observations of jellyfish abundance are not available for many ecosystems, leaving it difficult to determine changes in jellyfish abundance, the possible causes (e.g. climate change) or the consequences (e.g. trophic cascades). We sought an indirect ecological route to reconstruct jellyfish abundance in the Irish Sea: since zooplankton are jellyfish prey, historic variability in zooplankton communities may provide proxies for jellyfish abundance. We determined the Bayesian ecological network of jellyfish–zooplankton dependencies using jellyfish- and zooplankton-abundance data obtained using nets during a 2-week cruise to the Irish Sea in 2008. This network revealed that Aurelia aurita abundance was dependent on zooplankton groups Warm Temperate and Temperate Oceanic as defined by previous zooplankton ecology work. We then determined historic zooplankton networks across the Irish Sea from abundance data from Continuous Plankton Recorder surveys conducted between 1970 and 2000. Transposing the 2008 spatial dependencies onto the historic networks revealed that Aurelia abundance was more strongly dependent over time on sea surface temperature than on the zooplankton community. The generalist predatory abilities of Aurelia may have insulated this jellyfish over the 1985 regime shift when zooplankton composition in the Irish Sea changed abruptly, and also help explain its globally widespread distribution

Pseudoneoplastic lesions of the testis and paratesticular structures

Pseudotumors or tumor-like proliferations (non-neoplastic masses) and benign mimickers (non-neoplastic cellular proliferations) are rare in the testis and paratesticular structures. Clinically, these lesions (cysts, ectopic tissues, and vascular, inflammatory, or hyperplastic lesions) are of great interest for the reason that, because of the topography, they may be relevant as differential diagnoses. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the pseudoneoplasic entities arising in the testis and paratesticular structures; emphasis is placed on how the practicing pathologist may distinguish benign mimickers and pseudotumors from true neoplasia. These lesions can be classified as macroscopic or microscopic mimickers of neoplasia

Ingle side /

Mode of access: Internet.From the Thomas A. Edison Collection of American Sheet Music

On with the tartan : a favorite Scotch song /

Mode of access: Internet.From the Thomas A. Edison Collection of American Sheet Music

Analysis of translation initiation using a translation control reporter system

The study of translational control has become increasingly important, as aberrant translation has been linked to the etiology of human diseases. Nevertheless, a convenient research tool to measure and quantify cellular translational activity has not been developed to date. Here we present a translation control reporter system (TCRS) for straightforward and accurate analysis of cellular translational activity. Our method relies on the expression of two unique reporter peptides from a single messenger RNA transcript. Using TCRS-expressing cell lines, changes in initiation of translation have been detected in response to translationally active drugs. Accordingly, TCRS may promote the discovery of novel agents that modulate translation. TCRS may also be used in the identification of signal transduction pathways that impinge on translation control. Furthermore, the modular design allows the exchange of regulatory cassettes for the examination of other putative cis-regulatory mRNA elements. The time required for the procedure depends on whether transient TCRS expression is used or stable TCRS-expressing cell lines have to be produced and will range from 5 to 14 d, respectively