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Long‐Term depth records of satellite‐tagged northern bottlenose whales reveal extraordinary dive capabilities
Get PDFFunding: This work was supported by Rannís Icelandic Research Fund, 207081. French Ministry of Defence. Statoil Petroleum ASA. Netherlands Ministry of Defence. US Office of Naval Research, N00014-15-1-2533, N00014-16-1-3059. US Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, SERDP award RC-2337. University of Iceland's Recruitment Fund, Postdoctoral grant.Studying the baseline behavior of deep‐diving mammals can substantially improve our understanding of these species' ecology and provide important benchmarks to evaluate effects of changes in climate and anthropogenic activities. Despite being the most abundant beaked whale in the Arctic and subarctic, information on the behavior of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) is limited. This study used records from 13 satellite tags deployed off Jan Mayen in June–July 2014–2016 to provide an extensive description of the dive behavior of Hyperoodon for the Nordic Seas. A total of 8372 dives, collected over 224 days (or 5376 h), were analyzed. The whales performed extreme dives of up to 2288 m deep and 98 min long—deeper and longer than previously reported for behavior in presumed undisturbed contexts. Individuals spent on average 18% of the time at depths shallower than 40 m, and 22%, 47%, and 12% in epi‐, meso‐, and bathypelagic dives, respectively. Epipelagic dives averaged 123 m (s.d.: 46 m) in depth and 11 min (5 min) in duration. Mesopelagic dives averaged 441 m (217 m) and 24 min (11 min) and were performed at a mean rate of 1.46 h−1. Bathypelagic dives averaged 1487 m (366 m) and 55 min (13 min) and were performed at a mean rate of 0.23 h−1. The distribution of dive depths was less bimodal than typically reported for other beaked whales, and all dive profiles contained periods of continuous, consecutive deep dives. Benthic diving occurred at meso‐ and especially bathypelagic depths and was individual specific, varying from 8% to 51% of the animal's bathypelagic dives. Overall, our findings demonstrate that northern bottlenose whales have extraordinary capabilities to dive, and presumably feed, throughout the water column including at the sea floor. High rates of deep dives highlight the importance of the Iceland and Norwegian Seas to this population of deep‐sea predators.Peer reviewe
Explanations of the difference between prohibitive balancing and permissive balancing
Get PDFBalanced epistemic reasons for beliefs that p and ¬p combine towards a prohibition on either belief while balanced reasons for two incompatible actions combine to permit either action. This “combinatorial contrast” needs explaining. After showing that a straightforward explanation is inadequate, I consider various accounts for this contrast. Stephanie Leary’s explanation is insufficient for prohibitive balancing of epistemic reasons due to its lack of reasons for suspension. John Brunero’s explanation incorporates reasons for suspension but cannot accommodate reasons against suspension. A general point, which applies to any explanatory attempt that focuses on prohibitive balancing, is that a successful explanation for prohibitive balancing needs reasons for suspension that are both strong enough and weak enough to give correct verdicts. Tucker’s explanation is also prone to doubts from this general requirement, as well as other problems, including those similar to those found in the previous two explanations.Peer reviewe
Managing sustainability alliances : a goal-directed framework
Get PDFTo address climate change, firms are increasingly forming sustainability alliances. Pursuing sustainability via such alliances is challenging as it means working with multifaceted and not necessarily compatible goals. Moreover, it often requires collaboration among heterogeneous partners outside traditional industrial contexts as well as dealing with wicked problems. This article presents a multiple-case study of eight sustainability alliances in Sweden, identifying managerial challenges and solutions over three phases where such alliances unfold. It offers a framework, tailored to each phase, to help companies fulfill their goals by proactively addressing the challenges posed by the pursuit of sustainability through alliances.Peer reviewe
Activation of neurotoxic astrocytes due to mitochondrial dysfunction triggered by POLG mutation
Get PDFFunding: This work was supported by funding from the Norwegian Research Council (project number: 229652), Norwegian Research Council through its Centres of Excellence funding scheme (project number: 262613), and Rakel og Otto Kr.Bruuns legat.Mitochondrial diseases are associated with neuronal death and mtDNA depletion. Astrocytes respond to injury or stimuli and damage to the central nervous system. Neurodegeneration can cause astrocytes to activate and acquire toxic functions that induce neuronal death. However, astrocyte activation and its impact on neuronal homeostasis in mitochondrial disease remain to be explored. Using patient cells carrying POLG mutations, we generated iPSCs and then differentiated these into astrocytes. POLG astrocytes exhibited mitochondrial dysfunction including loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, energy failure, loss of complex I and IV, disturbed NAD+/NADH metabolism, and mtDNA depletion. Further, POLG derived astrocytes presented an A1-like reactive phenotype with increased proliferation, invasion, upregulation of pathways involved in response to stimulus, immune system process, cell proliferation and cell killing. Under direct and indirect co-culture with neurons, POLG astrocytes manifested a toxic effect leading to the death of neurons. We demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction caused by POLG mutations leads not only to intrinsic defects in energy metabolism affecting both neurons and astrocytes, but also to neurotoxic damage driven by astrocytes. These findings reveal a novel role for dysfunctional astrocytes that contribute to the pathogenesis of POLG diseases.Peer reviewe
The developmental origins of joint attention : infants’ early joint attention bids
Get PDFFunding: This research was funded by a Scholarship from the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews to the first author.There are theoretical debates about the definition of joint attention, and empirical debates about when it emerges in development. Here we addressed both debates by investigating the emergence of infants' communicative joint attention bids: looks to their partner's face, accompanied by communicative facial expressions and/or vocalizations, to attempt to initiate joint attention to a referent. We tested 25 infants monthly, longitudinally, between 6 and 10 months using both novel joint attention elicitation tests and free play observations. Even when using a conservative definition of joint attention involving communication, results indicated that a substantial percentage of infants (44%) had already begun to produce joint attention bids by 6 months, with the vast majority (92%) having done so before 9 months. Joint attention bids emerged gradually, with increasing consistency, and were seen earlier in the novel elicitation tests than in free play, suggesting that previous work focusing on free play might have underestimated infants' joint attention. We discuss the implications of these findings for theories of joint attention and communication.Peer reviewe
Topologies of the dead and the 2016 Peace Accord in Colombia: : mass graves, forensic inhumations, and illegal burials
Get PDFThis paper (number 3) in the research project “Burying the Dead” follows the introductory comments and typology of previous papers (Aguilar, 2024a & Aguilar, 2024b) However, it moves the material context of cemeteries from India and Chile assuming the diverse context of contemporary Colombia. Within Colombia, indigenous cemeteries existed in pre-Columbian times but since the colonisation of Spain Catholic cemeteries became the norm for the territories of today’s Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Thus, this paper describes some of the cemeteries in Bogotá, Medellin, and Cali but concentrates on the topology of the dead, the mapping of mass graves, forensic inhumations, and illegal burials that have taken place within Colombia in the past fifty years of internal violence. The location of those sites of the dead and enforced disappearances have been regulated by the 2016 Peace Accord signed between the state of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armes Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and the creation of state institutions such as the Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz (JEP). This paper outlines how the 2016 Peace Accord has worked institutionally by following the excavations in Medellin, Area 13, particularly in La Escombrera where human remains corresponding to Operation Orión (2002) were found in 2024. This paper considers the Peace Accord a very positive one but contests the possibility that a time limit can be given to such massive national operation of finding the dead, assessing responsibility, burial, and legal compensations. Indeed, the paper is only an introduction to further papers on the topology of the dead and enforced disappearances in different regions of Colombia. Acknowledgement: Research in Colombia and conversations with government personnel was implement through three visits to Bogotá between 2022 and 2023 related to my research on the peace accord and the period of politics under President Gustavo Petro, and an international collaboration on the foundation of an indigenous university in Colombia. Visits to Colombia were funded by a generous grant by the Milarepa Foundation for Dialogue with Asia of Chile.Peer reviewe
Mechanical regulation of mitochondrial morphodynamics in cancer cells by extracellular microenvironment
Get PDFFunding: The authors would like to thank the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) (Grant number: 22-18634S). The authors acknowledge the MH CZ - DRO Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine – IKEM, IN 00023001. The work was partially supported by the Strategy AV21 "Breakthrough technologies for the future – sensing, digitization, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies". GJS the financial support from UiO:Life Science (Project MORGI-20493) is gratefully acknowledged.Recently, it has been recognized that physical abnormalities (e.g. elevated solid stress, elevated interstitial fluid pressure, increased stiffness) are associated with tumor progression and development. Additionally, these mechanical forces originating from tumor cell environment through mechanotransduction pathways can affect metabolism. On the other hand, mitochondria are well-known as bioenergetic, biosynthetic, and signaling organelles crucial for sensing stress and facilitating cellular adaptation to the environment and physical stimuli. Disruptions in mitochondrial dynamics and function have been found to play a role in the initiation and advancement of cancer. Consequently, it is logical to hypothesize that mitochondria dynamics subjected to physical cues may play a pivotal role in mediating tumorigenesis. Recently mitochondrial biogenesis and turnover, fission and fusion dynamics was linked to mechanotransduction in cancer. However, how cancer cell mechanics and mitochondria functions are connected, still remain poorly understood. Here, we discuss recent studies that link mechanical stimuli exerted by the tumor cell environment and mitochondria dynamics and functions. This interplay between mechanics and mitochondria functions may shed light on how mitochondria regulate tumorigenesis.Peer reviewe
Hallmark molecular and pathological features of POLG disease are recapitulated in cerebral organoids
Get PDFFunding: Norwegian Research Council. Grant Numbers: 262613, #62613. Rakel og Otto Kr.Bruuns legat. Grant Numbers: #809432, #103816102. L. Meltzers Høyskolefond. Grant Number: 103517133.In this research, a 3D brain organoid model is developed to study POLG-related encephalopathy, a mitochondrial disease stemming from POLG mutations. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with these mutations is utilized to generate cortical organoids, which exhibited typical features of the diseases with POLG mutations, such as altered morphology, neuronal loss, and mitochondiral DNA (mtDNA) depletion. Significant dysregulation is also identified in pathways crucial for neuronal development and function, alongside upregulated NOTCH and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. Metformin treatment ameliorated many of these abnormalities, except for the persistent affliction of inhibitory dopamine-glutamate (DA GLU) neurons. This novel model effectively mirrors both the molecular and pathological attributes of diseases with POLG mutations, providing a valuable tool for mechanistic understanding and therapeutic screening for POLG-related disorders and other conditions characterized by compromised neuronal mtDNA maintenance and complex I deficiency.Peer reviewe
Harnessing plant-derived terpenoids for novel approaches in combating bacterial and parasite infections in veterinary and agricultural settings
Get PDFFunding: This research was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Industrial Transformation Research Hub for Medicinal Agriculture (IH180100006). JSP is supported by a Sylvia and Charles Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship. Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions.The rising resistance to conventional antimicrobial therapies in veterinary contexts poses a formidable challenge. While various innovative treatment strategies for pathogenic infections have emerged, their success still needs to be improved, warranting continued research. Recent investigations into natural products as potential sources for biologically active therapeutics have gained traction. Phytochemicals present a promising alternative in combating a spectrum of pathogens, including bacteria, fungi and parasites. One such class of phytochemicals with mounting potential is the structurally diverse terpenes. These chemicals contribute to plants’ characteristic odour and medicinal effects and have been widely investigated in the scientific literature for their exceptional antibacterial activity. Their efficacy is demonstrated through diverse mechanisms, encompassing damage to bacterial membranes, suppression of virulence factors, and interference with enzymes, toxins, and biofilm formation. This review comprehensively examines terpenes’ in vitro and in vivo activity and their derivatives against pathogens, elucidating their potential against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the underlying mechanisms specific to each terpene class. The findings underscore the burgeoning potential of terpene therapy as a viable alternative or supplementary approach to conventional antibiotics in addressing bacterial and parasitic infections in livestock and companion animals.Peer reviewe
Joel 2:17 and the calamities of Joel 1:2-2:11
Get PDFThe relationship between the calamities of Joel 1:2-2:11 remains an unsettled problem. This article contributes to discussion of the problem by attending to what the speakers in the text envision as the outcome of those calamities. Joel 2:17 is proposed as an interpretive aid, and suggestions that the wording there is ambiguous or polysemous are examined; a close analysis of syntax there and of the valence of transformative נת״נ affirms the reading of the ancient versions over against claims of inclarity or wordplay. Although the locust plague is juxtaposed and metaphorically intermingled with the invading army, the text’s speakers at this point envision the outcome of the calamities not only as agricultural disaster but also as foreign domination. While in the text the agricultural disaster is a fait accompli, the second calamity may still be averted. The possibilities of agricultural restoration and foreign domination become literary goads; the addressees are spurred to act in their own self-interest, which is entangled with the deity’s.Peer reviewe
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