scholarly journals Shining light on recent advances in microbial mercury cycling

FACETS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 858-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Grégoire ◽  
Alexandre J. Poulain
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Mercury Cycling ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Oxidation Reduction ◽  
New Findings ◽  
The Face ◽  
Global Pollutant ◽  
Analytical Tools

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant emitted primarily as gaseous Hg0 that is deposited in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems following its oxidation to HgII. From that point, microbes play a key role in determining Hg’s fate in the environment by participating in sequestration, oxidation, reduction, and methylation reactions. A wide diversity of chemotrophic and phototrophic microbes occupying oxic and anoxic habitats are known to participate directly in Hg cycling. Over the last few years, new findings have come to light that have greatly improved our mechanistic understanding of microbe-mediated Hg cycling pathways in the environment. In this review, we summarize recent advances in microbially mediated Hg cycling and take the opportunity to compare the relatively well-studied chemotrophic pathways to poorly understood phototrophic pathways. We present how the use of genomic and analytical tools can be used to understand Hg transformations and the physiological context of recently discovered cometabolic Hg transformations supported in anaerobes and phototrophs. Finally, we propose a conceptual framework that emphasizes the role that phototrophs play in environmental Hg redox cycling and the importance of better characterizing such pathways in the face of the environmental changes currently underway.

SENSECO: Optical synergies for spatiotemporal sensing of scalable ecophysiological traits. (COST Action CA17134)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Pacheco-Labrador ◽  
Helge Aasen ◽  
Agnieszka Bialek ◽  
Marco Celesti ◽  
Maria Pilar Cendrero-Mateo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Sensors ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Cost Action ◽  
Ecophysiological Traits ◽  
Recent Advances

<p>Vegetation in terrestrial ecosystems controls a significant part of the gas and energy exchanges at the atmosphere-biosphere-pedosphere interface. Continuous spatial information about vegetation status (biophysical properties) and photosynthetic rates are needed to understand and model the responses of terrestrial ecosystems to environmental changes induced by human activity. This information is therefore critical to climate change monitoring, adaptation and mitigation. </p><p>Earth Observation (EO) allows the collection spatially continuous Earths surface reflectance at ecologically relevant scales. Recent advances in EO are bringing the chance to retrieve from space a subtle emission from vegetation originated at the core of the photosynthetic machinery of the plants: the chlorophyll sun-induced fluorescence (F). The upcoming Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) mission from the European Space Agency (ESA) will be the first EO mission dedicated to the exploitation of this signal for the study of vegetation photosynthetic activity. FLEX will fly in tandem with Sentinel-3 (S3). This multi-sensor approach brings new opportunities to test the potential of synergistic use of multi-source data to capture scalable ecophysiological traits. The information provided by FLEX-S3 tandem together with observations from other Copernicus missions will boost the development of novel data analytical techniques, still to be realized. The development of these techniques will requires the combination of EO data with drone-based proximal sensing and tower-based eddy covariance (EC) observations. Together with modeling, this approach will allow solving critical and still open spatiotemporal scaling questions. Recent advances allow nowadays the synergistic use, processing and interpretation of data provided by multiple optical sensors featuring different spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions. The implementation of these techniques requires of the collaboration of the remote sensing, EC, and modeling communities; this need has motivated the development of a network within recently approved COST Action SENSECO. </p><p>SENSECO aims to ensure the multi-scale compatibility of EO measurements and protocols dedicated to the study of ecophysiological properties. This is needed to enable the synergistic use of multi-sensor data, as well as to ensure the transfer and exchange of knowledge on scaling approaches within the European communities. SENSECO achieves his objectives via dedicated expert workshops, training schools and short term scientific missions.</p>

scholarly journals Demographic history and genomic response to environmental changes in a rapid radiation of wild rats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deyan Ge ◽  
Anderson Feijó ◽  
Zhixin Wen ◽  
Alexei V Abramov ◽  
Liang Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Rapid Radiation ◽  
Protein Functions ◽  
Wild Rats ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Genomic Response

Abstract For organisms to survive and prosper in a harsh environment, particularly under rapid climate change, poses tremendous challenges. Recent studies have highlighted the continued loss of megafauna in terrestrial ecosystems and the subsequent surge of small mammals, such as rodents, bats, lagomorphs, and insectivores. However, the ecological partitioning of these animals will likely lead to large variation in their responses to environmental change. In the present study, we investigated the evolutionary history and genetic adaptations of white-bellied rats (Niviventer Marshall, 1976), which are widespread in the natural terrestrial ecosystems in Asia but also known as important zoonotic pathogen vectors and transmitters. The southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QHTP) was inferred as the origin center of this genus, with parallel diversification in temperate and tropical niches. Demographic history analyses from mitochondrial and nuclear sequences of Niviventer demonstrated population size increases and range expansion for species in Southeast Asia, and habitat generalists elsewhere. Unexpectedly, population increases were seen in N. eha, which inhabits the highest elevation among Niviventer species. Genome scans of nuclear exons revealed that among the congeneric species, N. eha has the largest number of positively selected genes. Protein functions of these genes are mainly related to olfaction, taste and tumor suppression. Extensive genetic modification presents a major strategy in response to global changes in these alpine species.

scholarly journals Thioredoxin-dependent control balances the metabolic activities of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Wittmann ◽  
Neha Sinha ◽  
Bernhard Grimm
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Tetrapyrrole Biosynthesis ◽  
Nuclear Gene Expression ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Organ Specific ◽  
Intracellular Compartments ◽  
The Face ◽  
Metabolic Activities ◽  
The Impact

AbstractPlastids are specialized organelles found in plants, which are endowed with their own genomes, and differ in many respects from the intracellular compartments of organisms belonging to other kingdoms of life. They differentiate into diverse, plant organ-specific variants, and are perhaps the most versatile organelles known. Chloroplasts are the green plastids in the leaves and stems of plants, whose primary function is photosynthesis. In response to environmental changes, chloroplasts use several mechanisms to coordinate their photosynthetic activities with nuclear gene expression and other metabolic pathways. Here, we focus on a redox-based regulatory network composed of thioredoxins (TRX) and TRX-like proteins. Among multiple redox-controlled metabolic activities in chloroplasts, tetrapyrrole biosynthesis is particularly rich in TRX-dependent enzymes. This review summarizes the effects of plastid-localized reductants on several enzymes of this pathway, which have been shown to undergo dithiol-disulfide transitions. We describe the impact of TRX-dependent control on the activity, stability and interactions of these enzymes, and assess its contribution to the provision of adequate supplies of metabolic intermediates in the face of diurnal and more rapid and transient changes in light levels and other environmental factors.

Tools for managing feline problem behaviours: Psychoactive medications

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1034-1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sagi Denenberg ◽  
Maya Bräm Dubé
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
Problem Behaviours ◽  
The Face ◽  
Psychoactive Medications

Practical relevance: When a cat is presented for evaluation of a problem behaviour, it is likely that the cat’s wellbeing is negatively affected by the condition. In addition, the owners and any other animals around the cat may also be experiencing negative consequences. When managing these cases, it is important to consider all options (including behaviour modification, environmental changes, medications) that can help to reach an optimal solution. Medication cannot teach the cat how to behave or change a particular behaviour; it can, however, reduce arousal, excitability, reactivity and anxiety. Rationale: The rationale for using psychoactive medications in behavioural medicine, or veterinary psychiatry, is to increase the wellbeing of the animal and to aid the owner and practitioner in managing problem behaviours. Medications should always be used as an adjunct to behavioural and environmental modification. Clinical challenges: Many psychoactive medications cannot be used in the face of certain physical illnesses or concurrently with other medications. Some medications may also have side effects, not be effective at the recommended dose or have a paradoxical effect. Furthermore, success is reliant on the owner being able to administer the medication. Aims: This article aims to guide practitioners by discussing questions such as how to choose the appropriate medication, how to dose it and how long to use it. The psychoactive medications most commonly used in feline medicine are reviewed, as well as some that are newer or less common. Evidence base: Data for the use of medications in cats is limited, with just a small number of clinical-, species- and problem-directed studies available, and a few more case series and case reports. Where feline-specific research is not available, the authors have drawn upon research published in other species, such as humans, dogs and rats, as well as anecdotal reports and expert opinions.

scholarly journals The development of small scale farming: two cases from the Commonwealth Caribbean.

1968 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-274
Author(s):  
D.T. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
The Other ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Rapid Rate ◽  
The Face ◽  
Market Gardening ◽  
Commonwealth Caribbean ◽  
The Government

Two very different cases of small-scale farm development in the Commonwealth Caribbean are reviewed. One is Jamaican small farming, which responded little to considerable efforts made for its improvement by the Government agencies. The other is market gardening at Aranjuez, Trinidad where production grew at an extremely rapid rate in the face of intense and antagonistic competition between the market gardeners and without significant direct assistance by official agencies. The conclusions include a number of possible strategies for farm development, comprising individual or collective persuasion, coercion, creation of new farms, and environmental changes. T. A. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)

scholarly journals Operationalising Community Resilience to Climate Change in Developing Countries: A Grounded Delphi Method (GDM) Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alima Ogah ◽  
Tracey Crosbie ◽  
Theresia Komang Ralebitso-Senior
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Delphi Method ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Economic Discourse ◽  
Delphi Approach ◽  
The Face ◽  
Analytical Tools

Abstract Background Climate change and its impact have taken centre stage in contemporary political economic discourse. Climate change is posing complex problems that far outweighs the solutions suggested by the conventional analytical tools used for guiding responses to major environmental challenges. This is particularly the case in developing countries like Nigeria. Unsurprisingly the concept of community resilience towards climate change has received a great deal of attention from researchers and policy makers. However, community resilience is a contested concept, which leads to disagreement about the methods of achieving it. The nature of community resilience makes the measurement of the efficiency of the policies designed to increase community resilience problematic, particularly in developing countries where limited funds must be prioritised. Methods The research presented uses a Grounded Delphi Method (GDM) to identify how experts in Nigeria define community resilience and reach a consensus on its measurement in Nigeria’s context and other developing nations. The data collection involved three rounds of Delphi with a panel of 21 experts, the first round employed semi-structured interviews, following the exploratory Delphi approach, and subsequent rounds employed online surveys. Findings: The findings indicate that there is a process of stages that communities need to go through to become resilient to climate change. These begin with coping with climate change, followed by adaptation to climate change with the final stage being transformation in the face of climate change. Twenty indicators are identified categorised under eight elements that are suitable for measuring community resilience at the different stages of this process. It is interesting to note that the experts in Nigeria who participated in the study excluded notions of transformation in their conceptualisation of community resilience illustrating a potential gap in their perceptions of the requirements for how communities can become fully resilient. Conclusion This research provides a method of prioritising specific, measurable indicators to inform policies designed to reduce the impacts of climate change by supporting community resilience in the context of developing countries with limited funding.

scholarly journals THE INACCESSIBILITY OF JUSTICE FOR MIGRANT WORKERS: A CAPABILITIES-BASED PERSPECTIVE

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany Hastie
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Foreign Worker ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Legal Rights ◽  
Regulatory Structure ◽  
Legal Remedies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Temporary Foreign Worker Programs ◽  
Access Mechanisms

This article examines the barriers migrant workers face in accessing justice, including the ability to assert legal rights in the workplace, and to access mechanisms for legal redress or remedy. Drawing on empirical research, and using the capabilities approach as a conceptual framework through which to examine these issues, this article demonstrates that the regulatory structure of the Temporary Foreign Worker Programs operates to actively constrain the ability for migrant workers to assert their rights in the workplace, and seek effective legal remedies in the face of rights violations.

Hybrid Computational Intelligence and the Basic Concepts and Recent Advances

2018 ◽  
pp. 180-190
Author(s):  
Georgios Dounias
Keyword(s):  
Computational Intelligence ◽  
Intelligent Systems ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Hybrid Intelligent Systems ◽  
Complex Problems ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Computational Intelligent ◽  
Computational Technology

In this paper computational intelligence and its major methodologies are introduced in the first place, and then hybrid intelligent systems are defined and the most popular hybrid intelligent approaches are discussed. The increased popularity of hybrid intelligent systems during the last decade, is the result of the extensive success of these systems in a wide range of real-world complex problems, but also has to do with the increased capabilities of computational technology. One of the reasons for this success has to do with the synergy derived by the computational intelligent components, such as machine learning, fuzzy logic, neural networks, genetic algorithms, or other intelligent algorithms and techniques. Each of the partial methodologies provides hybrid systems with complementary reasoning and searching methods that allow the use of domain knowledge and empirical data to solve complex problems. The paper includes recent advances and new findings in the area of hybrid computational intelligence.

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