Spatial organization and intraspecific relationships of the southern water vole (Arvicola sapidus) in a Mediterranean mountain river: what is the role of habitat quality?

Cell and tissue morphogenesis depend on the production and spatial organization of tensional forces in the actin cytoskeleton. Actin network architecture is complex because it is made of distinct modules in which filaments adopt a variety of organizations. The assembly and dynamics of these modules is well described but the self-organisation rules directing the global network architecture are much less understood. Here we investigated the mechanism regulating the interplay between network architecture and the geometry of cell’s extracellular environment. We found that α-actinin, a filament crosslinker, is essential for network symmetry to be consistent with extracellular microenvironment symmetry. It appeared to be required for the interconnection of transverse arcs with radial fibres to ensure an appropriate balance between forces at cell adhesions and across the entire actin network. Furthermore, the connectivity of the actin network appeared necessary for the cell ability to integrate and adapt to complex patterns of extracellular cues as they migrate. Altogether, our study has unveiled a role of actin-filament crosslinking in the physical integration of mechanical forces throughout the entire cell, and the role of this integration in the establishment and adaptation of intracellular symmetry axes in accordance with the geometry of extracellular cues.

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Research of urban agglomerations in the aspect of implementation of the administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine (case study of Kharkiv region)

Human Geography Journal ◽

10.26565/2076-1333-2019-27-04 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Spatial Structure ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Weighted Average ◽

Evolutionary Potential ◽

Statistical Parameters ◽

Urban Agglomerations ◽

Territorial Structure

In the modern context of, one of the main tasks in the regional development management is to optimally realize the complex potential of the territories, which requires a comprehensive study of the spatial structure and evolutionary potential of agglomerations of all levels in order to identify disparities in their development, correct imbalances and optimize the spatial organization of the region. The first step to solve this problem is to identify the spatial structure and evaluate the interconnections of agglomerations sequentially, from local to regional level. This is becoming more relevant in the context of administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine. The purpose of this study is to analyze the prospects for the development of urban agglomerations and the organization of the administrative and territorial structure of Kharkiv region in view of the prevailing influence of the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv agglomeration. The basic theoretical and methodological starting points of the study of urban agglomerations are presented; their characteristics and parameters of boundary determination were defined. The essence of the method of modeling of integral influence function (IIF modeling) was revealed, the author's research methodology was substantiated. The tendencies of introduction of administrative and territorial reform in Ukraine were analyzed. It was established that Kharkiv region occupies mediocre places in terms of formation of the united territorial communities, there were 23 ones in the oblast (3 of them are city, 12 town, 8 rural ones) by the end of 2019. The scheme for dividing into enlarged districts has not yet been approved. According to different plans / proposals, the existing 27 districts of the oblast should be consolidated into nine, seven, six or four enlarged districts (counties). All of the above proposals were considered by the authors, it is established that the existing projects do not fully cover the main prevailing factors of allocation of competitive districts, do not take into account the role of historically formed system of settlement, spatial-statistical parameters, integral potential of territories, urbanization and agglomeration. The authors performed the IIF modeling and constructed the IIF surface of the weighted average settlement potential of Kharkiv region by the base radius of influence (2, 10, 20, and 30 km), which allowed to determine the features of the Kharkov agglomeration structure and the interaction of the settlements in the region by different radiuses of interaction, primary agglomerations, prospective growth points. On the basis of the obtained results of IIF modeling, the author's model of administrative and territorial division of Kharkiv region into eight enlarged districts was proposed, given the specific features of the settlement system and the correlation of area and population of the modeled administrative and territorial units. The scientifically grounded division of the region into enlarged districts (counties) and stimulation of their development will contribute to the most complete and rational use of the territories potential, increase of economic, human, investment potential, rise of the level and quality of life of the population, etc.

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Travelling to the described present: mago-space in the Strugatskys’ Monday starts on Saturday

Studia Rossica Posnaniensia ◽

10.14746/strp.2021.46.2.7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 93-104

Author(s):

Наталья Тулякова ◽

Наталья Никитина

Keyword(s):

Cultural Heritage ◽

Science Fiction ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Classical Literature ◽

Mental Space ◽

Mental Spaces ◽

Do So

Fantasy and science fiction genres extensively use imaginary settings and locations different from realistic ones but striving to look real. Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, pioneers of the science fiction genre in Russia, actively exploited the potential of both genres in their early tale, Monday starts on Saturday (1964), which combines features of the two space types. The present paper analyses the principles of creating ‘mago-space’ in the book. To do so, we look at the spatial organization of the events involved in the plot and the personages’ ideas regarding space. The research will enable us to clarify the role of space in conveying the authors’ message, which in this tale is quite explicit. We argue that the space changes significantly within the book, accompanying genre transformations and the development of the protagonist. Since the tale uses ‘mental sublocations’ as the main units of spatial organization, each part is determined by a certain type of cultural heritage. In the first part, it is the mental space of folklore and classical literature, in the second – that of mythology and science fiction, and in the final – philosophy and science. Mental spaces that coexist and follow various laws form a narrative which turns out to be a journey to the described present in the variety of its forms.

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Regeneration: Why junk DNA might matter

10.7287/peerj.preprints.27255 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Díaz-Castillo

Keyword(s):

Natural Variation ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Natural Phenomena ◽

Collective Knowledge ◽

Junk Dna ◽

Research Fields ◽

Biological Variables ◽

The Individual

The ability of certain natural species to restore or regenerate missing structures has been a recurrent source of inspiration to forge our collective knowledge, from being used to adorn mythological figures with superhuman powers to permitting controlled reproducible observations that help setting the bases of entire research fields such as experimental biology and regenerative medicine. In spite of being one of the oldest natural phenomena under study, what makes certain species able or unable to regenerate missing parts is still largely a mystery. Recent advancements towards the highly detailed characterization of the sequence, the spatial organization, and the expression of genomes is offering a new standpoint to address the study of the natural variation in regenerative responses. An intriguing observation that has not yet conveniently pursued is that species with remarkable regenerative abilities tend to have genomes loaded with junk DNA (jDNA), i.e., genetic elements presumed to be useless for the benefit of the individual, whereas species for taxa with limited regenerative abilities tend to have jDNA-poor genomes. Here, I use existing knowledge on the role of jDNA as genome evolution facilitator and its non-random chromosome and nuclear distributions to speculate about two non-excluding ways through which the variation in jDNA genomic content might end up enhancing or limiting regenerative responses. The present piece aims to go beyond the confines of correlational studies between biological variables and to lay sensible conceptual grounds for future hypothesis-driven attempts to substantiate the genomic determinants of the natural variation of regenerative responses.

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The rôle of transport in firms' spatial organization: evidence from the Spanish food processing industry

European Planning Studies ◽

10.1080/0965431042000212777 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 537-550 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Adelheid Holl

Keyword(s):

Food Processing ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Food Processing Industry ◽

Processing Industry

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Kainar: A Late 18th to Early 20th Century Ritual and Housing Complex in the Northern Ustyurt

Archaeology Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia ◽

10.17746/1563-0110.2021.49.4.109-119 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

pp. 109-119

Author(s):

S. E. Azhigali ◽

L. R. Turganbayeva

Keyword(s):

20Th Century ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Early 20Th Century ◽

Way Of Life ◽

Nomadic Pastoralists ◽

Permanent Settlement ◽

History Of ◽

Stone Carving ◽

Housing Complex

This is the fi rst description of a key Kazakh recent permanent settlement at Donyztau, in the northern Ustyurt. Such sites, evidencing major historical processes during the transition of nomadic pastoralists to a semi-sedentary lifestyle (mid-19th to early 20th century), are known as “ritual and housing complexes” (RHC). Kainar, a highly representative site, is viewed as a socio-cultural phenomenon and an integral architectural and landscape ensemble. The excavation history of RHCs in the Donyztau area and their evolution are discussed, and the role of ascetics such as Doszhan-Ishan Kashakuly is described. We highlight separate parts of the complex (the settlement and cemetery) and their elements. The architecture of the RHC is reconstructed with regard to structure, function, and continuity with the landscape. The layout of the site as a whole and of the madrasah with its typical elements are compared with those of similar sites in Central Asia and Kazakhstan. A reconstruction of the complex is proposed and the function of public halls is interpreted. The role of the cemetery and of its parts in the structure of the RHC is evaluated; the evolution of its spatial organization is traced. Types of memorial complexes are listed in terms of harmony with the landscape, archaic beliefs, architecture, and style, specifi cally stone carving. The historical and cultural signifi cance of Kainar as a source of knowledge about the transition to a semi-sedentary way of life and the Islamization of the steppe is discussed.

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Marine Heat Waves in the Peruvian Upwelling System: from 5-day localized warming to year-long El Niños

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-6383 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alice Pietri ◽

François Colas ◽

Mogollon Rodrigo ◽

Jorge Tam ◽

Dimitri Gutierrez

Keyword(s):

Hot Spots ◽

Harmful Algal Blooms ◽

Algal Blooms ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Coastal Upwelling ◽

Heat Waves ◽

Tropical Eastern Pacific ◽

Coastal System ◽

Upwelling System

<p>Extreme climatic events, such as marine heatwaves (MHWs), have been shown to globally increase in frequency and magnitude over the last decades, and can disrupt ecosystems significantly. Coastal upwelling systems, because they are biodiversity hot-spots and socioeconomic hubs, are particularly vulnerable to those rapidly developing anomalously warm marine events. The Peruvian coastal system in particular is highly exposed to climate variability because of its proximity to the equator. As such it is regularly impacted by El Ni&#241;o events whose variability has been related to the longest and most intense MHWs in the region. However the intensively studied El Ni&#241;o events tend to overshadow the MHWs of shorter duration that also have an important impact on the coastal environment as they can trigger other extreme events such as nearshore hypoxias and harmful algal blooms.&#160;</p><p>Using 38 years of satellite sea surface temperature data, we investigate the characteristics (spatial variability, frequency, intensity and duration) and evolution of MHWs in the South Tropical Eastern Pacific, with a focus on the Peru Coastal Upwelling System. The separation of events by duration allows to identify a spectrum, from El Ni&#241;o events to shorter scale MHWs. Results show that the statistical &#160;distribution of MHWs properties, their spatial organization and preferential season of occurrence varies significantly in function of their duration. Besides, when removing large El Ni&#241;o events, an increase of occurrences, duration and intensity is observed over the last 38 years, contrary to the reduction that is observed in the region when considering all MHWs. Finally, the possible drivers are discussed to disentangle the role of the local (wind stress) and remote (equatorial variability) forcing in function of the events duration.</p>

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Geometrical reorganization of Dectin-1 and TLR2 on single phagosomes alters their synergistic immune signaling

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1909870116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (50) ◽

pp. 25106-25114 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Wenqian Li ◽

Jun Yan ◽

Yan Yu

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Immune Regulation ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Innate Immune Responses ◽

Membrane Composition ◽

Intracellular Compartments ◽

Synergistic Regulation ◽

The Relationship

Receptors of innate immune cells function synergistically to detect pathogens and elicit appropriate immune responses. Many receptor pairs also appear “colocalized” on the membranes of phagosomes, the intracellular compartments for pathogen ingestion. However, the nature of the seemingly receptor colocalization and the role it plays in immune regulation are unclear, due to the inaccessibility of intracellular phagocytic receptors. Here, we report a geometric manipulation technique to directly probe the role of phagocytic receptor “colocalization” in innate immune regulation. Using particles with spatially patterned ligands as phagocytic targets, we can decouple the receptor pair, Dectin-1 and Toll-like receptor (TLR)2, to opposite sides on a single phagosome or bring them into nanoscale proximity without changing the overall membrane composition. We show that Dectin-1 enhances immune responses triggered predominantly by TLR2 when their centroid-to-centroid proximity is <500 nm, but this signaling synergy diminishes upon receptor segregation beyond this threshold distance. Our results demonstrate that nanoscale proximity, not necessarily colocalization, between Dectin-1 and TLR2 is required for their synergistic regulation of macrophage immune responses. This study elucidates the relationship between the spatial organization of phagocytic receptors and innate immune responses. It showcases a technique that allows spatial manipulation of receptors and their signal cross-talk on phagosomes inside living cells.

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OnTAD: hierarchical domain structure reveals the divergence of activity among TADs and boundaries

Genome Biology ◽

10.1186/s13059-019-1893-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Lin An ◽

Tao Yang ◽

Jiahao Yang ◽

Johannes Nuebler ◽

Guanjue Xiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Gene Regulation ◽

Domain Structure ◽

High Frequency ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Structural Units ◽

Regulatory Interactions ◽

Link Type ◽

Topologically Associating Domains

AbstractThe spatial organization of chromatin in the nucleus has been implicated in regulating gene expression. Maps of high-frequency interactions between different segments of chromatin have revealed topologically associating domains (TADs), within which most of the regulatory interactions are thought to occur. TADs are not homogeneous structural units but appear to be organized into a hierarchy. We present OnTAD, an optimized nested TAD caller from Hi-C data, to identify hierarchical TADs. OnTAD reveals new biological insights into the role of different TAD levels, boundary usage in gene regulation, the loop extrusion model, and compartmental domains. OnTAD is available at https://github.com/anlin00007/OnTAD.

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