Land-use change is a major driver of biodiversity loss worldwide. Although biodiversity often shows a delayed response to land-use change, previous studies have typically focused on a narrow range of current landscape factors and have largely ignored the role of land-use history in shaping plant and animal communities and their functional characteristics. Here, we used a unique database of 220,000

A continuous-wave (CW) Scheimpflug underwater multi-spectral lidar system was constructed to monitor aquatic fauna with spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution. Utilizing a 1 W 414 nm diode laser and a detection set-up with a reflective grating, measurements of shrimp pleopod movements at fixed range, and the swimming of small fish trapped in a clear tube were performed in a 5 m ×0.6 m ×0.6 m w

This paper experimentally investigates heat dissipation of a heat pipe with phase change materials (PCMs) cooling in a multiple heat source system. Two heat sources are fixed at one end of the heat pipe. Considering that a heat sink cannot dissipate all the heat generated by two heat sources, various PCMs are used due to a large latent heat. Different materials in a container are wrapped outside o

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) forms a major part of the tropospheric submicron aerosol. Still, the exact formation mechanisms of SOA have remained elusive. Recently, a newly discovered group of oxidation products of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs), have been proposed to be responsible for a large fraction of SOA formation. To assess the potential of

Using particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate an improvement of the target-normal-sheath acceleration (TNSA) of protons in non-periodically nanostructured targets with micron-scale thickness. Compared to standard flat foils, an increase in the proton cutoff energy by up to a factor of two is observed in foils coated with nanocones or perforated with nanoholes. The latter nano-perforated foils

Anisotropic dynamics on the colloidal length scale is ubiquitous in nature. Of particular interest is the dynamics of systems approaching a kinetically arrested state. The failure of classical techniques for investigating the dynamics of highly turbid suspensions has contributed toward the limited experimental information available up until now. Exploiting the recent developments in the technique

The majority of studies in the field of timing and time perception have generally focused on sub- and supra-second time scales, specific behavioral processes, and/or discrete neuronal circuits. In an attempt to find common elements of interval timing from a broader perspective, we review the literature and highlight the need for cell and molecular studies that can delineate the neural mechanisms u

Reelin is a large extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein secreted by several neuronal populations in a specific manner in both the developing and the adult central nervous system. The extent of Reelin protein distribution and its functional role in the adult neocortex is well documented in different mammal models. However, its role in the adult spinal cord has not been well characterized and its

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale. Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consort

Purpose: This paper sets out to examine how CEOs’ talk of sustainability has developed in a period of increased expectations from society for companies to step up their transformation towards more sustainable businesses andbetter account for their progress and performance within the sustainability area.Design/methodology/approach: By adopting an interpretive textual approach, this paper provides a

Results are presented from the measurement by ATLAS of long-range (| Δ η| > 2) dihadron angular correlations in s=8 and 13 TeV pp collisions containing a Z boson. The analysis is performed using 19.4 fb - 1 of s=8 TeV data recorded during Run 1 of the LHC and 36.1 fb - 1 of s=13 TeV data recorded during Run 2. Two-particle correlation functions are measured as a function of relative azimuthal angl

Results are presented from the measurement by ATLAS of long-range (| Δ η| > 2) dihadron angular correlations in s=8 and 13 TeV pp collisions containing a Z boson. The analysis is performed using 19.4 fb - 1 of s=8 TeV data recorded during Run 1 of the LHC and 36.1 fb - 1 of s=13 TeV data recorded during Run 2. Two-particle correlation functions are measured as a function of relative azimuthal angl

We develop an optimization model with two decision variables to explore optimal migration mechanisms to facilitate optimal breeding timing in migratory songbirds. In the model, fitness is a function of date-dependent mortality, speed-dependent predation risk, and phenological match at arrival. The model determines the optimal combination of departure date for spring migration and migration speed,

Mercury is one of the most toxic elements threatening the biosphere, with levels steadily rising due to both natural and human activities. Selenium is an essential micronutrient, required for normal development and functioning of many organisms. While selenium is known to counteract mercury's toxicity under some conditions, to date information about the mercury-selenium relationship is fragmented

Industrial release of mercury into the local Minamata environment with consequent poisoning of local communities through contaminated fish and shellfish consumption is considered the classic case of environmental mercury poisoning. However, the mercury species in the factory effluent has proved controversial, originally suggested as inorganic, and more recently as methylmercury species. We used ne

BACKGROUND: Selenium is an essential element with a rich and varied chemistry in living organisms. It plays a variety of important roles ranging from being essential in enzymes that are critical for redox homeostasis to acting as a deterrent for herbivory in hyperaccumulating plants. Despite its importance there are many open questions, especially related to its chemistry in situ within living org

Humans are environmentally exposed to potentially toxic Cd and Hg species and to the Hg compound thimerosal (THI), an antibactericidal vaccine additive. Previous studies have revealed that Cd2+, Hg2+ and CH3Hg+ are taken up by red blood cells (RBCs) and bind to cytosolic glutathione (GSH) and/or hemoglobin (Hb). Since interactions in the cytosol of RBCs may be linked to their hemolysis, a more com

Selenium is an essential micronutrient for many organisms, and in vertebrates has a variety of roles associated with protection from reactive oxygen species. Over the past two decades there have been conflicting reports upon human health benefits and detriments arising from consumption of selenium dietary supplements. Thus, early studies report a decrease in the incidence of certain types of cance

The compounds of mercury can be more toxic than those of any other non-radioactive heavy element. Despite this, environmental mercury pollution and human exposure to mercury are widespread, and are increasing. While the unusual ability of selenium to cancel the toxicity of mercury compounds has been known for nearly five decades, only recently have some aspects of the molecular mechanisms begun to

In recent years larval stage zebrafish have been emerging as a standard vertebrate model in a number of fields, ranging from developmental biology to pharmacology and toxicology. The tyrosinase inhibitor 1-phenyl-2-thiourea (PTU) is used very widely with larval zebrafish to generate essentially transparent organisms through inhibition of melanogenesis, which has enabled many elegant studies in are