Bulletin of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (BCSEE)
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Diverse patterns of larval coral reef fish vertical distribution and consequences for dispersal and connectivity
No full textMany populations rely on dispersal as a critical life history event, from seed dispersal in plants to migration behaviors in birds, insects, and fishes. Species traits alter dispersal propensity and distance, and these in turn influence fitness. Vertical distribution behaviors, as have been observed in many taxa of fish larvae, are assumed to influence planktonic transport. Particular attention has been paid to the potential adaptive benefit of increased retention near the parental population due to ontogenetic vertical migration (OVM), in which larvae move deeper with age. By combining a large observational dataset with individual-based modeling, we investigated the prevalence of OVM compared to other behaviors, and the effects of different vertical behaviors on dispersal and connectivity. We analyzed two years of monthly field observations of larval vertical distribution behaviors for 23 taxa of coral reef fish, with resolution across larval ontogeny. We found a diversity of behaviors both within and among coral reef fish families, with three prevalent patterns: surface dwelling, ontogenetic vertical migration (OVM), and wide vertical spread. Using generalized versions of these three behaviors, we modeled larval dispersal throughout the Caribbean Sea over 5 years, for two pelagic larval durations (PLDs) that are typical of coral reef fishes. Models of surface-dwelling behavior generally led to more long-distance dispersal, lower local retention, and higher population connectivity than the uniformly-distributed and OVM behaviors. These latter two behaviors with deeper distributions during all or part of the larval stage had similar outcomes for dispersal, connectivity, and local retention. Similar impacts of behavior on dispersal, connectivity, and retention were observed under both short and long PLD. We also found that the effects of vertical behavior on larval dispersal were stronger than the effects of seasonal or interannual variation in currents. Our results suggest that there are other advantages beyond higher local retention that contribute to the selection of a complex behavior such as OVM-these may include predator avoidance, temperature-driven metabolic changes, and directional swimming
Autologous Th2-polarized lymphocytes induce atopic dermatitis lesions in non-atopic human skin xenotransplants
No full textThe key signals that suffice to induce atopic dermatitis (AD) in human skin remain incompletely understood. Also, current mouse models reflect human AD only unsatisfactorily. Therefore, we have asked whether a humanized AD mouse model can be developed that reflects human AD more faithfully and permit to identify key signals that suffice to induce AD lesions in previously healthy human skin in vivo.
Healthy human skin from non-atopic donors was transplanted onto SCID/beige mice. After xenotransplant reinnervation by mouse sensory nerve fibers had occurred, mixed autologous human Th2 CD4+ and Tc2 CD8+ T cells that had been pretreated in vitro with IL-2, IL-4- and LPS were injected intradermally into the xenotransplants without skin barrier disruption.
Injected non-atopic xenotransplants rapidly developed a morphological, functional, and immunological phenocopy of human AD lesions regarding skin barrier defects, immunopathology including intraepidermal eosinophils, mast cell activation, increase of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, eotaxin-1 and type 2 cytokine circuits, and even showed characteristic neuroimmunological abnormalities such as ß2-adrenergic receptor downregulation. The experimentally induced AD lesions in human skin responded to standard AD therapy (topical dexamethasone or tacrolimus; systemic anti-IL-4Rα antibody [dupilumab]), and relapsed when neurogenic skin inflammation was induced by exposing mice to perceived stress.
This new animal model uniquely mimics the complexity of human AD and its clinical response to standard therapy and psychoemotional stressors in vivo, and shows that Th2-polarized lymphocytes associated with excessive IL-4Rα-mediated signaling suffice to induce human AD skin lesions, while atopy and epidermal barrier disruption are dispensable
Dictyota defense: Developing effective chemical protection against intense fish predation for outplanted massive corals
No full textThe incorporation of coral species with massive (., boulder, brain) morphologies into reef restoration is critical to sustain biodiversity and increase coral cover on degraded reef ecosystems. However, fragments and colonies of massive corals outplanted in Miami-Dade County, Florida, US, can experience intense predation by fish within the first week of outplanting, resulting in >70% mortality. Here, we tested for the first time the potential benefit of feeding corals powdered, a brown reef alga that is chemically defended against grazing, to determine if exposure tocan confer chemical protection to coral fragments and reduce the impacts of fish predation after outplanting. We found that feeding corals every 2 to 3 days for 2 months with dried and powderedprior to outplanting significantly reduced predation levels onandfragments (with less than 20% of the fragments experiencing predation up to 1-month post-outplanting). We also found that a single exposure toat a high concentration 1 to 2 days prior to outplanting significantly reduced predation for six coral species within the first 24 h following outplanting. Thus, feeding corals dryprior to outplanting appears to confer protection from fish predation during the critical first days to weeks after outplanting when predation impacts are commonly high. This simple and cheap method can be easily scaled up for corals keptprior to outplanting, resulting in an increase in restoration efficiency for massive corals in areas with high fish predation
Cross-diagnostic determinants of cognitive functioning: the muscarinic cholinergic receptor as a model system
No full textCognitive impairment is a predictor of disability across different neuropsychiatric conditions, and cognitive abilities are also strongly related to educational attainment and indices of life success in the general population. Previous attempts at drug development for cognitive enhancement have commonly attempted to remedy defects in transmitters systems putatively associated with the conditions of interest such as the glutamate system in schizophrenia. Recent studies of the genomics of cognitive performance have suggested influences that are common in the general population and in different neuropsychiatric conditions. Thus, it seems possible that transmitter systems that are implicated for cognition across neuropsychiatric conditions and the general population would be a viable treatment target. We review the scientific data on cognition and the muscarinic cholinergic receptor system (M1 and M4) across different diagnoses, in aging, and in the general population. We suggest that there is evidence suggesting potential beneficial impacts of stimulation of critical muscarinic receptors for the enhancement of cognition in a broad manner, as well as the treatment of psychotic symptoms. Recent developments make stimulation of the M1 receptor more tolerable, and we identify the potential benefits of M1 and M4 receptor stimulation as a trans-diagnostic treatment model
Religious Liberty for All? A Religious Right to Abortion
No full textOne of the most notable trends in recent Supreme Court jurisprudence is the expansion of religious liberty rights. The right to practice one's faith is a core feature of a democracy, but the Supreme Court has privileged that right over other equally critical ones, most notably the right to equal treatment. Thus, for example, the Court has held that for-profit companies have a religious right to exclude contraception from their health insurance plans and that nonprofit charities have a religious right to refuse to place foster children with same-sex couples. In these and similar cases, the religious beliefs aligned with conservative Christianity.But what if the religious liberty claim were not brought by a conservative Christian but by a progressive Christian, or not a Christian at all, and the religious belief collided with traditional Christian ideology? More precisely, what might be the result of a religious liberty challenge to an abortion ban? This question is not farfetched, as Jewish and other faith groups in multiple states are challenging restrictive abortion laws based upon religious freedom. These plaintiffs argue that their state's abortion ban impedes their ability to live out the commandments of their faith. Would the Supreme Court retrench its religious liberty doctrine in the face of these lawsuits? Or would expansive religious liberty exemptions be available for progressive views as well as conservative ones? Or neither? This Essay examines that question, as well as the implications of denying the progressive religious liberty claim.Part I outlines the ballooning of religious liberty rights, and how they have usually helped conservative white Christians at the expense of less powerful groups. Part II applies the current expansive doctrine to a claim for a religious right to abortion, arguing it should succeed given recent decisions. Part III suggests that, despite the current doctrine, the Court will likely reject the claim and discusses what this failure indicates about the future of the Supreme Court
The burden-sharing dilemma coercive diplomacy in US alliance politics
No full text"Presenting a theoretical explanation for why great power patrons pursue burden-sharing and why such efforts succeed or fail, this book challenges recent domestic frustration against a seeming lack of allied burden-sharing and offers insights into contemporary US alliance politics forefronted by conflicts and tensions in Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and elsewhere"--
Includes bibliographical references and inde
Induction of Posterior Vitreous Detachment Using Perfluorooctane Dissection in a Pediatric Patient
No full textBackground and Objective: Inducing a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) may be challenging, especially in pediatric patients with firm vitreo-retinal adherence. This case report will present an alternative method of PVD induction using adjunctive perfluorooctane (PFO). Materials and Methods: An 11-year-old boy underwent scleral buckle placement and 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy for macula-off retinal detachment. Triamcinolone acetonide was used for vitreous staining. A flexible loop was used to peel the hyaloid membrane from attached retina nasal to the optic nerve. A small hole was created in the posterior hyaloid, and a small PFO bubble was injected under the detached vitreous to further dissect it from the retina and propagate the vitreous detachment anteriorly. The vitrector was used to lift and complete the PVD peripherally. Results: PVD induction was obtained with no iatrogenic retinal breaks or postoperative complications. Conclusion: PVD induction using a stepwise PFO approach is a safe and effective alternative to conventional techniques. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2023;54:543–546.
Multi-decadal Records of the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning and Heat Transport Derived from in-situ and Satellite Observations and Recent Applications
No full textThe South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAMOC) observing system has evolved tremendously since 2007, and has substantially improved our understanding of the dynamics and variability of the upper, deep, and abyssal South Atlantic circulation from daily to interannual time-scales. However, the SAMOC daily time series derived from moored arrays are still relatively short and are only available at 11°S and 34.5°S. To expand the SAMOC time series in space and time, we derived monthly zonal trans-basin temperature (T) and salinity (S) sections since 1993 at four latitudes (20°S, 25°S, 30°S, and 34.5°S) based on historical relationships between T, S, and satellite sea level. The resulting meridional overturning circulation (MOC) and meridional heat transport (MHT) estimates at 20°S, 25°S, and 30°S are significantly correlated with each other at near zero lag, however correlations with the estimates at 34.5°S are somewhat lower. Although the overturning contribution dominates changes in the MHT at all four latitudes, the gyre contribution increases southward, reaching 30% of the explained MHT variability at 34.5°S. These 30-year monthly records indicate that the dominant mechanism controlling the MOC/MHT variability alternates between wind forcing and internal ocean dynamics. Therefore, both mechanisms must be monitored to fully capture changes in the MOC/MHT. These estimates demonstrate a linkage between the tropical Pacific forcing and heat content changes in the subtropical South Atlantic, as well as the impact of the MOC/MHT on extreme weather events, and provide context for measurements obtained from the SAMOC moored arrays.
The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023
Progress in research of etiology of childhood obesity based on interaction between genes and environment
No full textChildhood obesity is a global public health problem, which can not only endangers children's health, but also might be an important cause of chronic diseases in adulthood. In recent years, with the in-depth development of precision medicine research, more and more research evidences have shown that there are interactions between environmental factors, such as early intrauterine environment, children's diet, physical activity and children's gene factor on the incidence of childhood obesity, which can result in or inhibit the incidence and development of childhood obesity. This paper summarizes the progress in research in this field to reveal the effects and potential mechanisms of genetic factors and environmental factors on the incidence of childhood obesity in order to provide reference for the precise prevention and control of childhood obesity under different genetic backgrounds