Macrobenthos Communities of Cambridge, McBeth and Itirbilung Fiords, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada

Thirty-eight marine invertebrates, including molluscs, echinoderms, polychaetes and several minor taxa, have been added to the previously described benthic macrofauna inhabiting Cambridge, McBeth and Itirbilung fiords in northeastern Baffin Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. The fiords lie fully within the marine arctic zone and organisms exhibiting panarctic distributions constitute the majority of species collected from them. Macrobenthic associations recorded in the fiords are comparable, both with respect to species composition and habitat, to benthic invertebrate associations occurring on the Baffin Island continental shelf and in east Greenland fiords, reflecting the broad environmental tolerances of the organisms constituting the benthic associations. Deposit-feeding organisms dominate the fiord macrobenthos, notably nuculanid bivalves, ophiuroid echinoderms and elasipod holothurians. The foraging and locomotory activities of these organisms may influence benthic community structure by reducing the abundance of sessile and/or tubiculous benthos.Key words: marine benthos, eastern Baffin Island, fiords, continental shelf, zoogeography, ecologyTrente-huit invertébrés marins, y compris des mollusques, des échinodermes, des polychètes et divers taxons mineurs ont été ajoutés à la macrofaune benthique décrite précédemment habitant les fjords Cambridge, McBeth et Itirbilung dans le nord-est de la terre de Baffin située dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest au Canada. Les fjords sont situés entièrement dans la zone arctique marine et des organismes affichant une distribution panboréale constituent la majorité des espèces recueillies dans ces fjords. Les associations macrobenthiques relevées dans les fjords sont comparables, sur le plan de la composition comme sur celui de l'habitat, aux associations d'invertébrés benthiques que l'on trouve sur le plateau continental de la terre de Baffin et dans les fjords du Groenland oriental, ce qui reflète la grande tolérance environnementale des organismes formant les associations benthiques. Les organismes qui se nourrissent sur le fond dominent le macrobenthos des fjords, en particulier les nucules, les ophiurides et les holothuries élasipodes. Les activités de pâturage et de locomotion de ces organismes peuvent influencer la structure de la communauté benthique en réduisant l'abondance du benthos sessile et/ou tubicole.Mots clés: benthos marin, terre de Baffin orientale, fjords, plateau continental, Zoogéographie, écologi

Estimation de l'évaporation des réservoirs hydroélectriques boréals en contexte de données limitées

De par le monde, la gestion des réservoirs hydroélectriques repose largement sur des modèles hydrologiques qui simulent les entrées et les sorties d’eau du système. L’évaporation sur ces réservoirs est typiquement négligée ou calculée de la même façon que l’évapotranspiration sur l’ensemble du bassin versant, bien que les processus régissant ces deux phénomènes diffèrent. Une meilleure quantification de l’évaporation suscite un intérêt grandissant, dû aux changements climatiques qui provoquent une augmentation des pertes en eau par évaporation sur les réservoirs. Cette étude examine divers modèles d’évaporation, et ce, en tenant compte de la réalité dans laquelle les modèles hydrologiques sont opérés de façon générale, c’est-à-dire avec une faible disponibilité de données d’entrée. L’étude se concentre principalement sur deux réservoirs situés dans la zone boréale canadienne, soit Eastmain-1 et Romaine-2. Un jeu de données observées d’évaporation obtenues grâce à la technique de covariance des tourbillons, est utilisé comme référence. De toutes les approches considérées, le modèle de transfert de masse avec un nombre de Dalton constant de 1,2 x 10⁻³ est le plus performant à un pas de temps horaire. Les cumuls journaliers sont également estimés avec une bonne précision autant lors du réchauffement de la masse d’eau que lors de la période de relâchement d’énergie. Des analyses de sensibilité montrent que l’utilisation de ce modèle avec des données limitées est possible, du moins pour les deux réservoirs étudiés. Ces données limitées consistent en la température de l’air et l’humidité relative prises sur la terre ferme à proximité du réservoir, la température de la surface de l’eau mesurée in situ et la vitesse du vent à une hauteur de 10 m prise depuis la berge du réservoir face aux vents dominants. L’application du modèle sur le lac Léman, situé dans une région plus tempérée, donne aussi de bons résultats.Hydroelectric reservoirs around the world are managed using hydrological models to calculate water inflows and outflows. Evaporation on these reservoirs is typically neglected or calculated in the same way as evapotranspiration over the entire watershed, although the processes governing the two phenomena are different. A better quantification of evaporation is of growing interest in Quebec and internationally due to climate change, which is causing an increase in water losses by evaporation on reservoirs. This study therefore examines various evaporation models for open water bodies, taking into account the practical context in which hydrological models are generally operated, that is with low availability of input data. The study focuses mainly on two reservoirs with contrasting morphometries and located in the Canadian boreal zone, Eastmain-1 and Romaine-2. For this purpose, a set of observed evaporation data obtained using a direct measurement technique called eddy covariance, is used as a reference. Of all the approaches considered, the mass transfer model with a constant Dalton number of 1.2 x 10⁻³ gives the most accurate estimation of evaporation at hourly time steps. Daily totals are also estimated with good accuracy both during the warming of the water body in spring and during the energy release period in fall. Sensitivity analysis show that the use of this model with limited data is possible, at least for the two reservoirs studied. These limited data consist of air temperature and relative humidity taken on land in the vicinity of the reservoir, water surface temperature measured in situ, and wind speed at a height of 10 m taken from the bank of the reservoir facing the prevailing winds. The application of the model on Lake Leman, located in a more temperate region, also gives good results

Zephyr: The Fourth Issue

This is the fourth issue of Zephyr, the University of New England\u27s journal of creative expression. Since 2000, Zephyr has published original drawings, paintings, photography, prose, and verse created by current and former members of the University community. Zephyr\u27s Editorial Board is made up exclusively of matriculating students.https://dune.une.edu/zephyr/1003/thumbnail.jp

Morphological features of distribution of branches of the ethmoid arteries on from the shape of the orbit

To study the topography of the lattice of the arteries of the labyrinth and their relationship to the form of the orbit was carried out anthropometric measurements by the method of V. N. Shevkunenko, A. M. Eselevich, T. V. Zolotareva, G. N. Toporov. To determine the shape of the orbit was measured by the following parameters: 1 - the height of the entrance to the eye socket - the distance between the upper and lower walls of the orbit; 2 - entrance width - the distance between the inner and outer walls of the orbit; 3 - the depth - the distance between the inner boundary of the entrance into the orbit to the optic canal

In Vivo Detection of Succinate by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy as a Hallmark of SDHx Mutations in Paraganglioma

International audiencePurpose: Germline mutations in genes encoding mitochon-drial succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) are found in patients with paragangliomas, pheochromocytomas, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and renal cancers. SDH inactivation leads to a massive accumulation of succinate, acting as an oncometabolite and which levels, assessed on surgically resected tissue are a highly specific biomarker of SDHx-mutated tumors. The aim of this study was to address the feasibility of detecting succinate in vivo by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Experimental Design: A pulsed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-MRS) sequence was developed, optimized, and applied to image nude mice grafted with Sdhb À/À or wild-type chromaffin cells. The method was then applied to patients with paraganglioma carrying (n ¼ 5) or not (n ¼ 4) an SDHx gene mutation. Following surgery, succinate was measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and SDH protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in resected tumors. Results: A succinate peak was observed at 2.44 ppm by 1 H-MRS in all Sdhb À/À-derived tumors in mice and in all paragangliomas of patients carrying an SDHx gene mutation, but neither in wild-type mouse tumors nor in patients exempt of SDHx mutation. In one patient, 1 H-MRS results led to the identification of an unsus-pected SDHA gene mutation. In another case, it helped define the pathogenicity of a variant of unknown significance in the SDHB gene. Conclusions: Detection of succinate by 1 H-MRS is a highly specific and sensitive hallmark of SDHx mutations. This non-invasive approach is a simple and robust method allowing in vivo detection of the major biomarker of SDHx-mutated tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 22(5); 1120–9. Ó2015 AACR

Epigenetically-Inherited Centromere and Neocentromere DNA Replicates Earliest in S-Phase

Eukaryotic centromeres are maintained at specific chromosomal sites over many generations. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, centromeres are genetic elements defined by a DNA sequence that is both necessary and sufficient for function; whereas, in most other eukaryotes, centromeres are maintained by poorly characterized epigenetic mechanisms in which DNA has a less definitive role. Here we use the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans as a model organism to study the DNA replication properties of centromeric DNA. By determining the genome-wide replication timing program of the C. albicans genome, we discovered that each centromere is associated with a replication origin that is the first to fire on its respective chromosome. Importantly, epigenetic formation of new ectopic centromeres (neocentromeres) was accompanied by shifts in replication timing, such that a neocentromere became the first to replicate and became associated with origin recognition complex (ORC) components. Furthermore, changing the level of the centromere-specific histone H3 isoform led to a concomitant change in levels of ORC association with centromere regions, further supporting the idea that centromere proteins determine origin activity. Finally, analysis of centromere-associated DNA revealed a replication-dependent sequence pattern characteristic of constitutively active replication origins. This strand-biased pattern is conserved, together with centromere position, among related strains and species, in a manner independent of primary DNA sequence. Thus, inheritance of centromere position is correlated with a constitutively active origin of replication that fires at a distinct early time. We suggest a model in which the distinct timing of DNA replication serves as an epigenetic mechanism for the inheritance of centromere position

Ovarian cancer risk factors by tumor aggressiveness : An analysis from the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium

Ovarian cancer risk factors differ by histotype; however, within subtype, there is substantial variability in outcomes. We hypothesized that risk factor profiles may influence tumor aggressiveness, defined by time between diagnosis and death, independent of histology. Among 1.3 million women from 21 prospective cohorts, 4,584 invasive epithelial ovarian cancers were identified and classified as highly aggressive (death in = 35 vs. 20 to <25 kg/m(2), 1.93 [1.46-2.56] and current smoking (vs. never, 1.30 [1.07-1.57]) were associated with increased risk of highly aggressive disease. Results were similar within histotypes. Ovarian cancer risk factors may be directly associated with subtypes defined by tumor aggressiveness, rather than through differential effects on histology. Studies to assess biological pathways are warranted.Peer reviewe

Short-term geriatric assessment units: 30 years later

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The increasing number of hospitalized elderly persons has greatly challenged decision makers to reorganize services so as to meet the needs of this clientele. Established progressively over the last 30 years, the short-term Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU) is a specialized care program, now implemented in all the general hospital centres in Quebec. Within the scope of a broader reflection upon the appropriate care delivery for elderly patients in our demographic context, there is a need to revisit the role of GAU within the hospital and the continuum of care. The objective of this project is to describe the range of activities offered by Quebec GAU and the resources available to them.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2004, 64 managers of 71 GAU answered a mail questionnaire which included 119 items covering their unit's operation and resources in 2002-2003. The clinical and administrative characteristics of the clientele admitted during this period were obtained from the provincial database Med-Echo. The results were presented according to the geographical location of GAU, their size, their university academic affiliation, the composition of their medical staff, and their clinical care profile.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, GAU programs admitted 9% of all patients aged 65 years and older in the surveyed year. GAU patients presented one or more geriatric syndromes, including dementia. Based on their clientele, three distinct clinical care profiles of GAU were identified. Only 19% of GAU were focused on geriatric assessment and acute care management; 23% mainly offered rehabilitation care, and the others offered a mix of both types. Thus, there was a significant heterogeneity in GAU's operation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The GAU is at the cutting edge of geriatric services in hospital centres. Given the scarcity of these resources, it would be appropriate to better target the clientele that may benefit from them. Standardizing and promoting GAU's primary role in acute care must be reinforced. In order to meet the needs of the frail elderly not admitted in GAU, alternative care models centered on prevention of functional decline must be applied throughout all hospital wards.</p

Genome-wide association study of Tourette Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a developmental disorder that has one of the highest familial recurrence rates among neuropsychiatric diseases with complex inheritance. However, the identification of definitive TS susceptibility genes remains elusive. Here, we report the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of TS in 1285 cases and 4964 ancestry-matched controls of European ancestry, including two European-derived population isolates, Ashkenazi Jews from North America and Israel, and French Canadians from Quebec, Canada. In a primary meta-analysis of GWAS data from these European ancestry samples, no markers achieved a genome-wide threshold of significance (p<5 × 10−8); the top signal was found in rs7868992 on chromosome 9q32 within COL27A1 (p=1.85 × 10−6). A secondary analysis including an additional 211 cases and 285 controls from two closely-related Latin-American population isolates from the Central Valley of Costa Rica and Antioquia, Colombia also identified rs7868992 as the top signal (p=3.6 × 10−7 for the combined sample of 1496 cases and 5249 controls following imputation with 1000 Genomes data). This study lays the groundwork for the eventual identification of common TS susceptibility variants in larger cohorts and helps to provide a more complete understanding of the full genetic architecture of this disorder