ABSTRACT
In the 12 years since Dudgeon et al. (2006) reviewed major pressures on freshwater ecosystems, the biodiversity crisis in the world's lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams and wetlands has ...deepened. While lakes, reservoirs and rivers cover only 2.3% of the Earth's surface, these ecosystems host at least 9.5% of the Earth's described animal species. Furthermore, using the World Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Index, freshwater population declines (83% between 1970 and 2014) continue to outpace contemporaneous declines in marine or terrestrial systems. The Anthropocene has brought multiple new and varied threats that disproportionately impact freshwater systems. We document 12 emerging threats to freshwater biodiversity that are either entirely new since 2006 or have since intensified: (i) changing climates; (ii) e‐commerce and invasions; (iii) infectious diseases; (iv) harmful algal blooms; (v) expanding hydropower; (vi) emerging contaminants; (vii) engineered nanomaterials; (viii) microplastic pollution; (ix) light and noise; (x) freshwater salinisation; (xi) declining calcium; and (xii) cumulative stressors. Effects are evidenced for amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, microbes, plants, turtles and waterbirds, with potential for ecosystem‐level changes through bottom‐up and top‐down processes. In our highly uncertain future, the net effects of these threats raise serious concerns for freshwater ecosystems. However, we also highlight opportunities for conservation gains as a result of novel management tools (e.g. environmental flows, environmental DNA) and specific conservation‐oriented actions (e.g. dam removal, habitat protection policies, managed relocation of species) that have been met with varying levels of success. Moving forward, we advocate hybrid approaches that manage fresh waters as crucial ecosystems for human life support as well as essential hotspots of biodiversity and ecological function. Efforts to reverse global trends in freshwater degradation now depend on bridging an immense gap between the aspirations of conservation biologists and the accelerating rate of species endangerment.
Increasingly, fisheries researchers and managers seek or are compelled to “bridge” Indigenous knowledge systems with Western scientific approaches to understanding and governing fisheries. Here, we ...move beyond the all‐too‐common narrative about integrating or incorporating (too often used as euphemisms for assimilating) other knowledge systems into Western science, instead of building an ethic of knowledge coexistence and complementarity in knowledge generation using Two‐Eyed Seeing as a guiding framework. Two‐Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk in Mi’kmaw) embraces “learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of mainstream knowledges and ways of knowing, and to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all,” as envisaged by Elder Dr. Albert Marshall. In this paper, we examine the notion of knowledge dichotomies and imperatives for knowledge coexistence and draw parallels between Two‐Eyed Seeing and other analogous Indigenous frameworks from around the world. It is set apart from other Indigenous frameworks in its explicit action imperative—central to Two‐Eyed Seeing is the notion that knowledge transforms the holder and that the holder bears a responsibility to act on that knowledge. We explore its operationalization through three Canadian aquatic and fisheries case‐studies that co‐develop questions, document and mobilize knowledge, and co‐produce insights and decisions. We argue that Two‐Eyed Seeing provides a pathway to a plural coexistence, where time‐tested Indigenous knowledge systems can be paired with, not subsumed by, Western scientific insights for an equitable and sustainable future.
Humanism and Calvinism Reid, Steven J.
2011, 20161205, 2013, 2011-02-01, 2016-12-05, 2016-11-15
eBook
Across early-modern Europe the confessional struggles of the Reformation touched virtually every aspect of civic life; and nowhere was this more apparent than in the universities, the seedbed of ...political and ecclesiastical society. Focussing on events in Scotland, this book reveals how established universities found themselves at the centre of a struggle by competing forces trying to promote their own political, religious or educational beliefs, and under competition from new institutions. It surveys the transformation of Scotland's medieval and Catholic university system into a greatly-expanded Protestant one in the decades following the Scottish Reformation of 1560. Simultaneously the study assesses the contribution of the continentally-educated religious reformer Andrew Melville to this process in the context of broader European social and cultural developments - including growing lay interest in education (as a result of renaissance humanism), and the involvement of royal and civic government as well as the new Protestant Kirk in university expansion and reform. Through systematic use of largely neglected manuscript sources, the book offers fresh perspectives on both Andrew Melville and the development of Scottish higher education post-1560. As well as providing a detailed picture of events in Scotland, it contributes to our growing understanding of the role played by higher education in shaping society across Europe.
Steven J. Reid, Department of History, University of Glasgow, UK
Contents: Introduction; Between Reformation and reform: the Scottish universities, 1560-74; Humanism and Calvinism: Melville's education, 1545-74; The first foray into reform: Melville and the 'ancient' universities, 1574-84; Reform and reaction at St Andrews, 1579-88; The rise and fall of 'Melvillian' St Andrews, 1588-97; The rise of 'the moderates' in St Andrews, 1597-1606; 'Godly' humanism, civic control: Scotland's Protestant arts colleges, 1582-c.1606; The Scottish universities post-Melville, c.1606-25; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.
Somatic mutations have been extensively characterized in breast cancer, but the effects of these genetic alterations on the proteomic landscape remain poorly understood. Here we describe quantitative ...mass-spectrometry-based proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses of 105 genomically annotated breast cancers, of which 77 provided high-quality data. Integrated analyses provided insights into the somatic cancer genome including the consequences of chromosomal loss, such as the 5q deletion characteristic of basal-like breast cancer. Interrogation of the 5q trans-effects against the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures, connected loss of CETN3 and SKP1 to elevated expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and SKP1 loss also to increased SRC tyrosine kinase. Global proteomic data confirmed a stromal-enriched group of proteins in addition to basal and luminal clusters, and pathway analysis of the phosphoproteome identified a G-protein-coupled receptor cluster that was not readily identified at the mRNA level. In addition to ERBB2, other amplicon-associated highly phosphorylated kinases were identified, including CDK12, PAK1, PTK2, RIPK2 and TLK2. We demonstrate that proteogenomic analysis of breast cancer elucidates the functional consequences of somatic mutations, narrows candidate nominations for driver genes within large deletions and amplified regions, and identifies therapeutic targets.
Temperature is critical in regulating virtually all biological functions in fish. Low temperature stress (cold shock/stress) is an often‐overlooked challenge that many fish face as a result of both ...natural events and anthropogenic activities. In this study, we present an updated review of the cold shock literature based on a comprehensive literature search, following an initial review on the subject by M.R. Donaldson and colleagues, published in a 2008 volume of this journal. We focus on how knowledge on cold shock and fish has evolved over the past decade, describing advances in the understanding of the generalized stress response in fish under cold stress, what metrics may be used to quantify cold stress and what knowledge gaps remain to be addressed in future research. We also describe the relevance of cold shock as it pertains to environmental managers, policymakers and industry professionals, including practical applications of cold shock. Although substantial progress has been made in addressing some of the knowledge gaps identified a decade ago, other topics (e.g., population‐level effects and interactions between primary, secondary and tertiary stress responses) have received little or no attention despite their significance to fish biology and thermal stress. Approaches using combinations of primary, secondary and tertiary stress responses are crucial as a research priority to better understand the mechanisms underlying cold shock responses, from short‐term physiological changes to individual‐ and population‐level effects, thereby providing researchers with better means of quantifying cold shock in laboratory and field settings.
Methylation of histone H3 lysine-4 is a hallmark of chromatin associated with active gene expression. The activity of H3K4-specific modification enzymes, in higher eukaryotes the MLL (or KMT2) ...family, is tightly regulated. The MLL family has six members, each with a specialized function. All contain a catalytic SET domain that associates with a core multiprotein complex for activation. These SET domains segregate into three classes that correlate with the arrangement of targeting domains that populate the rest of the protein. Here we show that, unlike MLL1, the MLL4 SET domain retains significant activity without the core complex. We also present the crystal structure of an inactive MLL4-tagged SET domain construct and describe conformational changes that account for MLL4 intrinsic activity. Finally, our structure explains how the MLL SET domains are able to add multiple methyl groups to the target lysine, despite having the sequence characteristics of a classical monomethylase.
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•MLL4 SET domain has significant H3K4 methyltransferase activity without WRAD•MLL4 SET domain structure (inactivated by tag) reveals differences to MLL1•The postSET loop region contributes to the intrinsic methyltransferase activity•MLL4 can catalyze multiple methylations on H3K4 but prefers monomethylation
The MLL family of histone H3K4-specific methyltransferases contains six members, each with a unique role. Zhang et al. show that, unlike MLL1, the MLL4 SET domain has high intrinsic activity without the cognate complex. The authors have identified a new structural element that contributes to this intrinsic activation.
Internal waves can influence water properties in coastal ecosystems through the shoreward transport and mixing of subthermocline water into the nearshore region. In June 2014, a field experiment was ...conducted at Dongsha Atoll in the northern South China Sea to study the impact of internal waves on a coral reef. Instrumentation included a distributed temperature sensing system, which resolved spatially and temporally continuous temperature measurements over a 4-km cross-reef section from the lagoon to 50-m depth on the fore reef. Our observations show that during summer, internal waves shoaling on the shallow atoll regularly transport cold, nutrient-rich water shoreward, altering near-surface water properties on the fore reef. This water is transported shoreward of the reef crest by tides, breaking surface waves and wind-driven flow, where it significantly alters the water temperature and nutrient concentrations on the reef flat. We find that without internal wave forcing on the fore reef, temperatures on the reef flat could be up to 2.0°C ± 0.2°C warmer. Additionally, we estimate a change in degree heating weeks of 0.7°C-weeks warmer without internal waves, which significantly increases the probability of a more severe bleaching event occurring at Dongsha Atoll. Furthermore, using nutrient samples collected on the fore reef during the study, we estimated that instantaneous onshore nitrate flux is about four-fold higher with internal waves than without internal waves. This work highlights the importance of internal waves as a physical mechanism shaping the nearshore environment, and likely supporting resilience of the reef.
Current understanding of the physiological underpinnings of normative pain processing is incomplete. Enhanced knowledge of these systems is necessary to advance our understanding of pain processes as ...well as to develop effective therapeutic interventions. Previous neuroimaging research suggests a network of interrelated brain regions that seem to be implicated in the processing and experience of pain. Among these, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) plays an important role in the affective aspects of pain signals. The current study leveraged functional MRS to investigate the underlying dynamic shifts in the neurometabolic signature of the human dACC at rest and during acute pain. Results provide support for increased glutamate levels following acute pain administration. Specifically, a 4.6% increase in glutamate was observed during moderate pressure pain compared with baseline. Exploratory analysis also revealed meaningful changes in dACC gamma aminobutyric acid in response to pain stimulation. These data contribute toward the characterization of neurometabolic shifts, which lend insight into the role of the dACC in the pain network. Further research in this area with larger sample sizes could contribute to the development of novel therapeutics or other advances in pain‐related outcomes.
FMRS data were acquired from the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in a sample of healthy female participants during administration of acute pain using an ultrashort TE STEAM sequence at 7 T. Metabolite quantification revealed a 4.6% increase in dACC glutamate.
There are few prognostic biomarkers and targeted therapeutics currently in use for the clinical management of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and patient outcomes remain poor in this disease. A ...majority of mutations in OSCC are loss-of-function events in tumour suppressor genes that are refractory to conventional modes of targeting. Interestingly, the chromosomal segment 3q22-3q29 is amplified in many epithelial cancers, including OSCC. We hypothesized that some of the 468 genes located on 3q22-3q29 might be drivers of oral carcinogenesis and could be exploited as potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Our integrative analysis of copy number variation (CNV), gene expression and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), identified two candidate genes: NCBP2, TFRC, whose expression positively correlates with worse overall survival (OS) in HPV-negative OSCC patients. Expression of NCBP2 and TFRC is significantly higher in tumour cells compared to most normal human tissues. High NCBP2 and TFRC protein abundance is associated with worse overall, disease-specific survival, and progression-free interval in an in-house cohort of HPV-negative OSCC patients. Finally, due to a lack of evidence for the role of NCBP2 in carcinogenesis, we tested if modulating NCBP2 levels in human OSCC cell lines affected their carcinogenic behaviour. We found that NCBP2 depletion reduced OSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Differential expression analysis revealed the upregulation of several tumour-promoting genes in patients with high NCBP2 expression. We thus propose both NCBP2 and TFRC as novel prognostic and potentially therapeutic biomarkers for HPV-negative OSCC.
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