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Sea ice is a critical component of the Earth’s Climate System and a unique habitat. Sea-ice changes prior to the satellite era are poorly documented, and proxy methods are needed to constrain its past variability. Here, we demonstrate the potential of sedimentary DNA from Polarella glacialis, a sea-ice microalga, for tracing past sea-ice conditions. We quantified P. glacialis DNA (targeting the nuclear ribosomal ITS1 region) in Arctic marine and fjord surface sediments and a sediment core from northern Baffin Bay spanning 12,000 years. Sea ice and sediment trap samples confirmed that cysts of P. glacialis are common in first-year sea ice and sinking particulate matter following sea-ice melt. Its detection is more efficient with our molecular approach than standard micropaleontological methods. Given that the species inhabits coastal and marine environments in the Arctic and Antarctic, P. glacialis DNA has the potential to become a useful tool for circum-polar sea-ice reconstructions.

At the Pingorsuit Glacier in North-West Greenland, an organic-rich deposit that had recently emerged from the retreating ice cap was discovered at an elevation of 480 m above sea level. This paper reports on macrofossil analyses of a coarse detritus gyttja and peaty soil, which occurred beneath a thin cover of till and glacifluvial deposits. The sediments contained remains of vascular plants, mosses, beetles, caddisflies, midges, bryozoans, sponges and other invertebrates. The flora includes black spruce, tree birch, boreal shrubs and wetland and aquatic taxa, which shows that mires, lakes and ponds were present in the area. We describe a new extinct waterwort species Elatine odgaardii. The fossils were deposited in a boreal environment with a mean July air temperature that was at least 9 degrees C higher than at present. The fossil assemblages show strong similarities with others from Greenland that have been assigned an Early Pleistocene age, and we suggest a similar age for the sediments found at the margin of the Pingorsuit Glacier. At the Pingorsuit Glacier in North-West Greenland, an organic-rich deposit was discovered at an elevation of 480 m above sea level. The sediments contained remains of vascular plants, mosses, beetles, caddisflies, midges, bryozoans, sponges and other invertebrates. The fossils were deposited in a boreal environment with a mean July air temperature that was at least 9 degrees C higher than at present.

The Arctic is among the most climatically sensitive environments on Earth, and the disappearance of multiyear sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is predicted within decades. As apex predators, polar bears are sentinel species for addressing the impact of environmental variability on Arctic marine ecosystems. By integrating genomics, isotopic analysis, morphometrics, and ecological modeling, we investigate how Holocene environmental changes affected polar bears around Greenland. We uncover reductions in effective population size coinciding with increases in annual mean sea surface temperature, reduction in sea ice cover, declines in suitable habitat, and shifts in suitable habitat northward. Furthermore, we show that west and east Greenlandic polar bears are morphologically, and ecologically distinct, putatively driven by regional biotic and genetic differences. Together, we provide insights into the vulnerability of polar bears to environmental change and how the Arctic marine ecosystem plays a vital role in shaping the evolutionary and ecological trajectories of its inhabitants.

The Pikialasorsuaq (North Water polynya) is an area of local and global cultural and ecological significance. However, over the last decades, the region has been subject to rapid warming, and in some recent years, the seasonal ice arch that has historically defined the polynya's northern boundary has failed to form. Both factors are deemed to alter the polynya's ecosystem functioning. To understand how climate-induced changes to the Pikialasorsuaq impact the basis of the marine food web, we explored diatom community-level responses to changing conditions, from a sediment core spanning the last 3800 years. Four metrics were used: total diatom concentrations, taxonomic composition, mean size, and diversity. Generalized additive model statistics highlight significant changes at ca. 2400, 2050, 1550, 1200, and 130 cal years BP, all coeval with known transitions between colder and warmer intervals of the Late Holocene, and regime shifts in the Pikialasorsuaq. Notably, a weaker/contracted polynya during the Roman Warm Period and Medieval Climate Anomaly caused the diatom community to reorganize via shifts in species composition, with the presence of larger taxa but lower diversity, and significantly reduced export production. This study underlines the high sensitivity of primary producers to changes in the polynya dynamics and illustrates that the strong pulse of early spring cryopelagic diatoms that makes the Pikialasorsuaq exceptionally productive may be jeopardized by rapid warming and associated Nares Strait ice arch destabilization. Future alterations to the phenology of primary producers may disproportionately impact higher trophic levels and keystone species in this region, with implications for Indigenous Peoples and global diversity.

The organic matter content of marine sediments is often used to infer past changes in ocean conditions. However, the organic carbon pool preserved in coastal sediments is a complex mixture derived from different sources and may not reflect in situ processes. In this study, we combine taxonomic identification of reworked palynomorphs with pyrolysis organic geochemistry and reflected-light organic petrographic microscopy to investigate the provenance, composition and preservation of organic matter in a marine sediment core retrieved from the NE Greenland shelf. Our study reveals continuous yet variable input of land-derived organic carbon to the marine environment throughout the late Younger Dryas–Holocene, with the highest input of inert carbon in the late Younger Dryas. Although the sediments contain some recent marine palynomorphs, there is no other evidence of fresh marine organic carbon. In contrast, our results indicate that these shelf sediments represent a significant sink of recycled organic carbon. The results of pyrolysis geochemistry revealed that ~90% of the total organic carbon in the sediments is inert. The organic petrography analyses revealed that >70–84% of the organic carbon in the sediment core is terrigenous. Reworked dinoflagellate cysts showed a continuous provenance of Cretaceous land-derived material, most likely from the nearby Clavering Island. Our study points to the importance of constraining the organic matter origin, composition and preservation in marine sediments to achieve more accurate palaeoenvironmental reconstructions based on organic proxies.

A two-dimensional (2D) material, formed, for example, by a self-assembled molecular monolayer or by a single layer of a van der Walls material, can couple efficiently with photonic nanocavities, potentially reaching the strong-coupling regime. The coupling can be modeled using classical harmonic-oscillator models or cavity quantum electrodynamics Hamiltonians that often neglect the direct dipole-dipole interactions within the monolayer. Here we diagonalize the full Hamiltonian of the system, including these direct dipole-dipole interactions. The main effect on the optical properties of a typical 2D system is simply to renormalize the effective energy of the bright collective excitation of the monolayer that couples with the nanophotonic mode. On the other hand, we show that for situations of extreme field confinement, large transition dipole moments, and low losses, fully including the direct dipole-dipole interactions is critical to correctly capture the optical response, with many collective states participating in it. To quantify this result, we propose a simple equation that indicates the condition for which the direct interactions strongly modify the optical response.

We present the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) sea-level projections for four Danish cities (Aarhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg and Hirtshals) under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) family of climate scenarios. These sea-level changes projected over the next century are up to an order of magnitude larger than those observed over the previous century. At these cities, year 2150 sea-level changes of between 29 and 55 cm are projected under the very low emissions scenario (SSP1-1.9), whilst changes of between 99 and 123 cm are projected under the very high emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5). These differences highlight the potentially significant impact of remaining opportunities for climate change mitigation. Due to this increase in mean sea level, the mean recurrence time between historically extreme events is expected to decrease. Under the very high emissions scenario, the historical 100-year storm flood event will become a 1-to 5-year event at most Danish harbours by 2100. There is considerable uncertainty associated with these sea-level projections, primarily driven by uncertainty in the future evolution of the Antarctic ice sheet and future sterodynamic changes in ocean volume. The AR6 characterises collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet as a low-probability but high-impact event that could cause several metres of sea-level rise around Denmark by 2150. In climate adaptation policy, the scientific landscape is shifting fast. There has been a tremendous proliferation of diverse sea-level projections in recent years, with the most relevant planning target for Denmark increas-ing c. 50 cm in the past two decades. Translating sea-level rise projections into planning targets requires value judgments about acceptable sea-level risk that depend on local geography, planning timeline and climate pathway. This highlights the need for an overarching national sea-level adaptation plan to ensure municipal plans conform to ris

The Fram Strait is one of the largest gateways through which meltwater and sea ice are exported to the subarctic North Atlantic, transiting the North-East Greenland shelf via the southward flowing East Greenland Current. Observations indicate a recent freshening of the East Greenland Current that may have implications for wider oceanic circulation regimes. The North-East Greenland shelf is an opportune region to assess these changes back through time. Paleoceanographic reconstructions from the North-East Greenland shelf are sparse and their temporal coverage is limited to the Holocene, limiting our ability to assess the impact of rapid climatic variations on marine conditions, such as during the Younger Dryas/Holocene transition. Here, we present data from a well-dated marine sediment core retrieved from the North-East Greenland shelf (74°N; east of Young Sound-Tyrolerfjord system) that captures the late Younger Dryas Stadial through to the Mid-Holocene at sub-centennial resolution. We apply a multi-proxy approach to reconstruct changes in productivity, surface and bottom ocean conditions. We show that at 74° N the presence of warm Atlantic waters on the inner North-East Greenland shelf was limited to the late Younger Dryas, as the Greenland Ice Sheet retreated landward and isostatic rebound caused the area to uplift. A unique dimension to this record is its location within one of the few biological hotspots on the East Greenland shelf today; the Sirius Water polynya. Archaeological studies indicate the polynya was forming as early as 4500 years ago, but nothing is known about its evolution from a marine perspective. Cooling of bottom waters, increasing sea-surface productivity and more frequent open water conditions indicate an Early Holocene onset of the Sirius Water (ca. 10–8.7 ka BP).

Polysaccharides constitute an important carbon pool in marine systems, but much is still unknown about the fate and degradation of these compounds. They are derived partly from production in situ, and in coastal areas, they are partly terrestrially derived, originating from freshwater runoff from land. The aim of this study was to test the applicability of high-throughput polysaccharide profiling for plant and algal cell-wall compounds in dated sediment cores from a coastal marine environment, to examine the preservation of cell-wall polysaccharides and explore their potential as proxies for temporal environmental changes. Preserved compounds and remains of organisms are routinely used as paleoenvironmental proxies as the amount and composition of different compounds that can provide insight into past environmental conditions, and novel means for reporting environmental changes are highly sought.

Climate warming and the resulting acceleration of freshwater discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet are impacting Arctic marine coastal ecosystems, with implications for their biological productivity. To accurately project the future of coastal ecosystems and place recent trends into perspective, palaeo-records are essential. Here, we show runoff estimates from the late 19th century to the present day for a large sub-Arctic fjord system (Nuup Kangerlua, southwest Greenland) influenced by both marine- and land-terminating glaciers. We followed a multiproxy approach to reconstruct spatial and temporal trends in primary production from four sediment core records, including diatom fluxes and assemblage composition changes and biogeochemical and sedimentological proxies (total organic carbon, nitrogen, C=N ratio, biogenic silica, delta C-13, delta N-15, and grain-size distribution). We show that an abrupt increase in freshwater runoff in the mid-1990s was reflected by a 3-fold increase in biogenic silica fluxes in the glacier-proximal area of the fjord. In addition to increased productivity, freshwater runoff modulates the diatom assemblages and drives the dynamics and magnitude of the diatom spring bloom. Our records indicate that marine productivity is higher today than it has been at any point since the late 19th century and suggest that increased mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet may continue pro- moting high productivity levels at sites proximal to marineterminating glaciers. We highlight the importance of palaeorecords in offering a unique temporal perspective on iceocean-ecosystem responses to climate forcing beyond existing remote sensing or monitoring time series.

Collective excitations in regular structures of strongly interacting driven dipoles have been found to lead to strongly antibunched statistics of the emitted photons [g(2)(0)≪0.5], but precise control of the number of emitters and their spatial distribution is in general a complex experimental task. We overcome this limitation by showing quantum light emission from densely packed driven dipoles does not require their arrangement in any specific structure, pointing strongly towards possible single-photon sources based on hot thermal vapors confined within nanocells, or on irregular quantum dot ensembles.

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Les huiles essentielles (HE) possèdent une composition chimique complexe. Un grand nombre de références démontrent leurs activités biologiques in vitro, parmi lesquelles l’activité antibactérienne. Toutefois, un frein à l’utilisation des HE en thérapeutique EBM (Evidence-Based Medecine) est notamment la variabilité de la composition chimique présente au sein d’une même espèce, d’un lot à l’autre.Compte tenu du manque de robustesse chimique des produits vendus dans le commerce, ce travail cherche à rationnaliser ces produits d’usage courant. Dix huiles essentielles commercialisées par Pranarôm (HE-C) ont été sélectionnées pour des développements menant à la standardisation de produits antibactériens. L’originalité du projet repose sur la mise en place d’un procédé de transformation des HE-C permettant d’évaporer leur partie la plus volatile de manière contrôlée. L’objectif sous-jacent est d’examiner l’impact de la transformation sur les activités antibactériennes de ces dix HE.Tous les résultats exploitables à des doses non-cytotoxiques ont été obtenus sur des souches à Gram-positif. Notre travail s’est essentiellement focalisé sur l’activité indirecte car il s’agit ici, de rétablir l’activité des antibiotiques existants pour lesquels les souches ont développé des résistances. Cinq HE ont démontré une activité antibactérienne indirecte (en association avec la pénicilline V) sur une souche Staphylococcus aureus résistante à la méticilline (MRSA) et ce, à des concentrations non cytotoxiques (activité in vitro évaluée sur deux lignées cellulaires humaines). Dans le cas de l’HE d’ajowan, l’évaporation de 3 jours a même permis d’augmenter l’activité de la pénicilline V sur une souche MRSA à une concentration proche de celle observée sur la souche sensible. Cette HE est un exemple clé de l’intérêt du procédé de transformation pour mettre en évidence le composé majoritairement responsable de l’activité, le thymol.Réussir à standardiser la composition chimique des HE, tout e, Doctorat en Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques (Pharmacie), info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a worldwide concern. Essential oils are known to possess remarkable antibacterial properties, but their high chemical variability complicates their development into new antibacterial agents. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to standardize their chemical composition. Several commercial essential oils of ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi L.) and thyme (chemotype thymol) (Thymus vulgaris L.) were bought on the market. GC–MS analysis revealed that thyme essential oils have a chemical composition far more consistent than ajowan essential oils. Sometimes thymol was not even the major compound. The most abundant compounds and the homemade mixtures were tested against two Staphylococcus aureus strains. The antibacterial property of β-caryophyllene presented no direct activity against S. aureus LMG 15975, but in association with thymol or carvacrol at equal percentages an MIC of 125 μg/mL was observed. The mixture of those three compounds at equivalent percentages also decreased by 16-fold the MIC of the penicillin V. Against S. aureus LMG 21674, β-caryophyllene presented an MIC of 31.3 μg/mL and decreased by 267-fold the MIC of the penicillin V. These observations led us to question the benefits of using a complex chemical mixture instead of one active compound to fight bacterial resistance., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In 2019, a new viral disease, known as SARS-Cov-2 infection, was identified. Scientists believed that it was a disease with low morbidity for pediatric patients; however, a small percentage of children infected with the new coronavirus developed a multisystem inflammatory response, which aroused the interest of many researchers and health professionals. The objective of the study is to describe the main characteristics related to the Pediatric Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with Covid-19 (MIS-C), its complications and nursing care. The main clinical manifestations of MIS-C are hyperthermia, gastrointestinal symptoms, skin manifestations, generalized lymphadenopathy, cardiac and neurological disorders. The main nursing care was listed according to the signs and symptoms, such as monitoring of neurological and hydroelectrolytic changes. The nurse professional must add knowledge about MIS-C so that he is able to qualify his care and improve his skills to provide quality care to pediatric patients., No ano de 2019, foi identificada uma nova doença viral, conhecida como infecção pelo SARS-Cov-2. Cientistas acreditavam que se tratava de uma doença de baixa morbidade para pacientes pediátricos; entretanto, uma pequena porcentagem de crianças infectadas pelo novo coronavírus desenvolveu uma resposta inflamatória multissistêmica, que instigou o interesse de diversos pesquisadores e profissionais da área da saúde. O objetivo do estudo é descrever as principais características relacionadas à Síndrome Inflamatória Multissistêmica Pediátrica Associada à Covid-19 (SIM-P), suas complicações e cuidados de enfermagem. Asprincipais manifestações clínicas da SIM-P são hipertermia, sintomas gastrintestinais, manifestações cutâneas, linfadenopatia generalizada, alterações cardíacas e neurológicas. Foram elencados os principais cuidados de enfermagem de acordo com os sinais e sintomas, tais como monitorização de alterações neurológicas e hidroeletrolíticas. O profissional enfermeiro deve agregar conhecimentos sobre a SIM-P para que seja capaz de qualificar seu cuidado e aprimorar suas competências para proporcionar qualidade no atendimento ao paciente pediátrico.

High Arctic ecosystems and Indigenous livelihoods are tightly linked and exposed to climate change, yet assessing their sensitivity requires a long-term perspective. Here, we assess the vulnerability of the North Water polynya, a unique seaice ecosystem that sustains the world’s northernmost Inuit communities and several keystone Arctic species. We reconstruct mid-tolate Holocene changes in sea ice, marine primary production, and little auk colony dynamics through multi-proxy analysis of marine and lake sediment cores. Our results suggest a productive ecosystem by 4400–4200 cal yrs b2k coincident with the arrival of the first humans in Greenland. Climate forcing during the late Holocene, leading to periods of polynya instability and marine productivity decline, is strikingly coeval with the human abandonment of Greenland from c. 2200–1200 cal yrs b2k. Our long-term perspective highlights the future decline of the North Water ecosystem, due to climate warming and changing sea-ice conditions, as an important climate change risk.

Aims: to evaluate the nurses’ adherence to filling out the transfer note with the emission of the Paediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) in pediatric patients in the Emergency Department.Methods: quantitative, cross-sectional and retrospective study. The study has been conducted from the analysis of 1.219 medical records of patients in a Pediatric Emergency, in the year of 2018.Results: in the evaluation of transference note and PEWS, the adherence was, respectively, 86,8% e 75,2%, over the year. The reasons for hospitalization vary according to the time of the year. Most patients attended by the emergency department were stabilized at the emergency service and only the patients with altered PEWS were referred to the pediatric intensive care unit.Conclusions: educational actions addressed to the professionals are necessary, with the objective to improve the indicators related the application of PEWS and the transfer note to guarantee safety assistance regarding the continuity of the care., Objetivo: avaliar a adesão dos enfermeiros ao preenchimento da Nota de Transferência com emissão do Paediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) em pacientes pediátricos do Serviço de Emergência.Método: estudo quantitativo, transversal e retrospectivo. O estudo foi realizado a partir da análise de 1.219 prontuários de pacientes de uma unidade de emergência pediátrica, no ano de 2018.Resultados: na avaliação da nota de transferência e PEWS, houve adesão de, respectivamente, 86,8% e 75,2% ao longo do ano. Os motivos de hospitalização variam conforme época do ano. Os pacientes atendidos no Serviço de Emergência foram, majoritariamente, estabilizados no serviço e, somente os pacientes com PEWS alterado, foram encaminhados à unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica.Conclusões: são necessárias ações de educação com os profissionais, com a finalidade de melhoria dos indicadores relacionados à aplicação do PEWS e da nota de transferência para a garantia de uma assistência segura no que tange à continuidade do cuidado.

To fight the rising resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics, a strategy followed by several researchers is to focus on natural compounds, such as essential oils, as a source of potent antibacterial compounds. These last decades, hundreds of original papers have been written about microbiological assays that prove the antibacterial activity of essential oils and their use in the medical field. But can we really compare all the data available in the literature when the raw material, the microbiological assays, and/or the strains are different from one article to another? This review will point out the differences and the inadequate practices found in published articles that tested 2 lesser-studied essential oils–Spanish lavender and the ajowan–by the broth dilution method against Staphylococcus aureus, a human pathogenic bacterium. Many pitfalls were found in the literature, for example, a variable chemical composition rarely underlined by the authors, unidentified strains or clinical strains used without a related antibiogram, a lack of quality controls, and the assertion of questionable positive results. At last, some general guidelines that should be followed by every scientific researcher will be discussed., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

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Cocoa bean shell (CBS) is one of the main by-products of chocolate manufacturing and possesses several compounds with biofunctionalities. It can function as an antibacterial agent, and its action is mostly reported against Streptococcus mutans. However, only a few studies have investigated the CBS compounds responsible for this activity. This study aimed to evaluate several extracts of CBSs from different geographical origins and cocoa varieties and estimate their antimicrobial properties against different fungal and bacterial strains by determining their minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). The results demonstrated antimicrobial activity of CBS against one of the tested strains, S. mutans. CBS extracts were further analysed via liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) for untargeted metabolomic analysis. LC-HRMS data were analysed (pre-processing and statistical analyses) using the Workflow4Metabolomics platform. The latter enabled us to identify possible compounds responsible for the detected antimicrobial activity by comparing the more and less active extracts. Active extracts were not the most abundant in polyphenols but contained higher concentrations of two metabolites. After tentative annotation of these metabolites, one of them was identified and confirmed to be 7-methylxanthine. When tested alone, 7-methylxanthine did not display antibacterial activity. However, a possible cocktail effect due to the synergistic activity of this molecule along with other compounds in the CBS extracts cannot be neglected. In conclusion, CBS could be a functional ingredient with benefits for human health as it exhibited antibacterial activity against S. mutans. However, the antimicrobial mechanisms still need to be confirmed., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Freshwater discharge from glaciers is increasing across the Arctic in response to anthropogenic climate change, which raises questions about the potential downstream effects in the marine environment. Whilst a combination of long-term monitoring programmes and intensive Arctic field campaigns have improved our knowledge of glacier–ocean interactions in recent years, especially with respect to fjord/ocean circulation, there are extensive knowledge gaps concerning how glaciers affect marine biogeochemistry and productivity. Following two cross-cutting disciplinary International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) workshops addressing the importance of glaciers for the marine ecosystem, here we review the state of the art concerning how freshwater discharge affects the marine environment with a specific focus on marine biogeochemistry and biological productivity. Using a series of Arctic case studies (Nuup Kangerlua/Godthåbsfjord, Kongsfjorden, Kangerluarsuup Sermia/Bowdoin Fjord, Young Sound and Sermilik Fjord), the interconnected effects of freshwater discharge on fjord–shelf exchange, nutrient availability, the carbonate system, the carbon cycle and the microbial food web are investigated. Key findings are that whether the effect of glacier discharge on marine primary production is positive or negative is highly dependent on a combination of factors. These include glacier type (marine- or land-terminating), fjord–glacier geometry and the limiting resource(s) for phytoplankton growth in a specific spatio-temporal region (light, macronutrients or micronutrients). Arctic glacier fjords therefore often exhibit distinct discharge–productivity relationships, and multiple case-studies must be considered in order to understand the net effects of glacier discharge on Arctic marine ecosystems.

Freshwater discharge from glaciers is increasing across the Arctic in response to anthropogenic climate change, which raises questions about the potential downstream effects in the marine environment. Whilst a combination of long-term monitoring programmes and intensive Arctic field campaigns have improved our knowledge of glacier-ocean interactions in recent years, especially with respect to fjord/ocean circulation, there are extensive knowledge gaps concerning how glaciers affect marine biogeochemistry and productivity. Following two cross-cutting disciplinary International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) workshops addressing the importance of glaciers for the marine ecosystem, here we review the state of the art concerning how freshwater discharge affects the marine environment with a specific focus on marine biogeochemistry and biological productivity. Using a series of Arctic case studies (Nuup Kangerlua/Godthäbsfjord, Kongsfjorden, Kangerluarsuup Sermia/Bowdoin Fjord, Young Sound and Sermilik Fjord), the interconnected effects of freshwater discharge on fjord-shelf exchange, nutrient availability, the carbonate system, the carbon cycle and the microbial food web are investigated. Key findings are that whether the effect of glacier discharge on marine primary production is positive or negative is highly dependent on a combination of factors. These include glacier type (marine- or land-terminating), fjord-glacier geometry and the limiting resource(s) for phytoplankton growth in a specific spatio-temporal region (light, macronutrients or micronutrients). Arctic glacier fjords therefore often exhibit distinct discharge-productivity relationships, and multiple case-studies must be considered in order to understand the net effects of glacier discharge on Arctic marine ecosystems.

DNA can be preserved in marine and freshwater sediments both in bulk sediment and in intact, viable resting stages. Here, we assess the potential for combined use of ancient, environmental, DNA and timeseries of resurrected long-term dormant organisms, to reconstruct trophic interactions and evolutionary adaptation to changing environments. These new methods, coupled with independent evidence of biotic and abiotic forcing factors, can provide a holistic view of past ecosystems beyond that offered by standard palaeoecology, help us assess implications of ecological and molecular change for contemporary ecosystem functioning and services, and improve our ability to predict adaptation to environmental stress. Ellegaard et al. discuss the potential for using ancient environmental DNA (eDNA), combined with resurrection ecology, to analyse trophic interactions and evolutionary adaptation to changing environments. Their Review suggests that these techniques will improve our ability to predict genetic and phenotypic adaptation to environmental stress.

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We present a record of dinoflagellate cyst assemblage composition, abundance, and morphology from the central Baltic Sea, spanning from the late 19th to the early 21st century. Environmental time-series were analyzed in relation to changes in community structure and diversity as inferred from the sediment record, and average summer sea surface salinity (SSS) was reconstructed based on the average process length of Protoceratium reticulatum resting cysts. The reconstructed summer SSS was compared to instrumental data for a critical evaluation of this approach. The most abundant species in this record were P. reticulatum and Biecheleria baltica, and on average ten taxa were identified per sample. The cyst record of B. baltica indicated that although this species has been present in the Gotland Basin at least since the 1880s, its concentrations have increased significantly since the 1980s, possibly linked to eutrophication. Variations in assemblage composition and P. reticulatum cyst morphology reflected patterns of major, instrumentally recorded hydrographic and environmental changes in the Baltic Sea during the past century. The variability in microfossil relative abundances was best explained by the average spring SSS as well as by the average NO3 concentrations during spring and by the combined effects of average summer SSS and NAO index variability. Reconstructed summer SSS and instrumental SSS showed notable differences, depending on the year and function applied for reconstruction. Although roughly reflecting the same patterns, the reconstructed values are offset when compared to instrumental measurements. We put forward suggestions for improvement of the process-length method and recommend using the reconstructed values as an indication of relative changes in past summer sea surface salinity, preferably as part of a multiproxy approach.

Lymphedema is a chronic and progressive condition derived from impaired lymphatic system function. Lymphedema is incurable, progressive, disfiguring, disabling and has adverse psychosocial effects. Upper extremity lymphedema is mainly the consequence of breast cancer surgery. Several methods to diagnose lymphedema exist; however, these diagnoses are performed once the disease is already close to an advanced, irreversible stage. There is a need to monitor patients at risk with an efficient device. To solve this unmet need, we propose a portable home-monitoring device for early diagnosis of lymphedema. This paper explores all the aspects of the development of a new medical device, such as the assessment of the clinical need and the state of the art, the specifications for the solution, the definition of the broad outlines of the development plan and some considerations about the usability, the risk analysis, the market and the competitors., Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology

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We present a summary of two round-table discussions held during two subsequent workshops in Montreal (Canada) on 16 April 2014 and Ostend (Belgium) on 8 July 2015. Five species of the genus Achomosphaera Evitt 1963 and 33 of the genus Spiniferites Mantell 1850 emend. Sarjeant 1970 occuring in Pliocene to modern sediments are listed and briefly described along with remarks made by workshop participants. In addition, several holotypes and topotypes are reillustrated. Three species previously assigned to Spiniferites are here considered/accepted as belonging to other genera: Impagidinium inaequalis (Wall and Dale in Wall et al. 1973) Londeix et al. 2009, Spiniferites? rubinus (Rossignol 1962 ex Rossignol 1964) Sarjeant 1970, and Thalassiphora balcanica Baltes¸ 1971. This summary forms the basis for a set of papers that follows, where points raised during the workshops are explored in greater detail.

The 4(th) Translational Research Symposium (TRS) was organised at the annual meeting of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB) 2017, Athens, Greece, with a focus on 'Academia-Industry Clusters of Research for Innovation Catalysis'. Collaborations between research institutes and industry can be sustained in several ways such as: European Union (EU) funded consortiums; syndicates of academic institutes, clinicians and industries; funding from national governments; and private collaborations between universities and companies. Invited speakers from industry and research institutions presented examples of these collaborations in the translation of research ideas or concepts into marketable products. The aim of the present article is to summarize the key messages conveyed during these lectures. In particular, emphasis is put on the challenges to appropriately identify and select unmet clinical needs and their translation by ultimately implementing innovative and efficient solutions achieved through joint academic and industrial efforts.

This study aims at describing the project “LeiturAção” carried out by CEJA Donaninha Arruda, in Baturité, Ceará, in parternship with the Academic Master’s Degree in Biodiversity and Sustainable Technologies of University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony. It was designed to hold thematic workshops about the historical context of the coffee culture, focusing on environmental education, to the students of EJA. It was carried out from October to November of 2015. The concepts used as theoretical background to the analysis are from Freire, Saes, Martins, Gadotti, among others. The pedagogical activities were based on research, study and textual production. It is possible to concluded that the initiative led the learner to reflect on the relevance of coffee cultivation to the region as well as the need to preserve the environment and develop environmental ethics., O presente trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar o relato de experiência do Projeto “LeiturAção” CEJA Donaninha Arruda, em Baturité - Ceará, em parceria com o Mestrado Acadêmico em Sociobiodiversidade e Tecnologias Sustentáveis (MASTS), vinculado à Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira, com o intuito de realizar oficinas temáticas com o corpo discente da EJA, contemplando o contexto histórico da cultura cafeeira com foco na educação ambiental. A atividade de extensão abrange o recorte temporal que compreende os meses de outubro e novembro de 2015. O arcabouço teórico que balizou as informações se respalda no estudo de vários autores, dentre eles: Freire, Girão, Martins, Gadotti. As atividades pedagógicas tiveram como base o tripé pesquisa, estudo e produção textual. Conclui-se que a iniciativa levou o educando a refletir sobre a relevância da cafeicultura para a região, bem como a necessidade de preservar o meio ambiente e desenvolver a ética ambiental.

The coffee produced in the mountainous region of Maciço de Baturité is appreciated because its agroforestry, arabic and free of pesticides, characteristics that result in a more nutritious aliment. In this geographic space, the coffee tree is consorted with other cultures, contributing to the environmental balance, the fertilization of the ground and the containment of plagues. For local producers, to utilize agrobiodiversity is a way to work the local productive arrangements respecting the varietys and variability of regional animals, plants and microorganisms. In this focus, the present work seeks to analyze the production of agroforestry coffee in the region, more precisely in the municipalities of Baturité, Mulungu and Guaramiranga, through a historical-social approach. The study covers the theoretical and methodological criteria of bibliographical research with findings in loco through participatory observations. The temporal cut-off covers the second half of 2016 and the first half of 2017, whereas different temporalities for the bibliographic study. It can be inferred that coffee production in an agroforestry system in the region is practiced seeing the knowledge acumulated about conservation and use of natural resources, made in an area with legal restrictions, favoring positive impacts on the environment by the bias sustainable extractivism, food security and income generation., O café produzido na região serrana do Maciço de Baturité é apreciado por ser agroflorestal, arábico, livre de agrotóxicos, características estas que resultam num alimento mais nutritivo. Nesse espaço geográfico, o cafeeiro encontra-se consorciado com outras culturas, contribuindo para a fertilização do solo, a contenção de pragas e o equilíbrio ecológico. Para os agricultores familiares, utilizar a agrobiodiversidade é uma forma de trabalhar os arranjos produtivos locais respeitando as variedades e a variabilidade de animais, plantas e microrganismos da região. Nesse foco, o presente trabalho busca analisar a produção do café agroflorestal na região, mais precisamente nos municípios de Baturité, Mulungu e Guaramiranga, por meio de uma abordagem histórico-social. O estudo contempla os critérios teórico-metodológicos da pesquisa bibliográfica exploratória, com constatações in loco através de observações participativas. O recorte temporal para análise em campo abrange o segundo semestre de 2016 e o primeiro de 2017, considerando diferentes temporalidades para o estudo bibliográfico. Pode-se inferir que a cafeicultura em sistema agroflorestal na região é praticada levando em consideração a sabedoria acumulada sobre conservação e uso dos recursos naturais, feita em área com restrições legais, favorecendo impactos positivos para o meio ambiente, através do viés extrativismo sustentável, segurança alimentar e geração de renda.

The biomarker IP25 and fossil diatom assemblages preserved in seafloor sediments are commonly used as proxies for paleo Arctic sea-ice reconstructions, but how their production varies over the seasons and is exported to the sediment remains unclear. We analyzed IP25 concentrations and diatom assemblages from a 5-week consecutive series of sea-ice cores and compared the results with sediment trap and surface sediment samples collected at the same site in the Young Sound fjord, Northeast Greenland. Our aim was to investigate the dynamics of diatom colonization of the spring sea ice and the in situ production of IP25. Additionally, selected diatom taxa observed in the sea-ice samples were isolated from in-ice assemblages and their lipid composition was analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We confirm that Haslea spicula (and not the closely related species H. crucigeroides) is an IP25-producer. All three known IP25-producing taxa (Haslea spicula, H. kjellmanii, and Pleurosigma stuxbergii var. rhomboides) were present in Young Sound sea-ice and the low IP25 concentrations measured in the sea-ice (0.44–0.72 pg mL−1) were consistent with the low abundance of these source species (0.21–9.66 valves mL−1). Total sympagic diatom production also remained very low (21–985 valves mL−1), suggesting that the fjord's sea ice did not provide an optimal physical-chemical environment for diatoms to thrive. Temporal changes in the sympagic diatom community were also observed, with an early presence of the pelagic Thalassiosira hyperborea and subsequent dominance of pennate taxa, including Nitzschia and Navicula species, Fossula arctica and Stauronella arctica. The assemblages observed during and after the seasonal ice melt consisted primarily of Fossula arctica, Fragilariopsis oceanica, Thalassiosira antarctica var. borealis (resting spores), and Chaetoceros spp. (vegetative cells and resting spores). The seafloor sediment assemblages largely reflected the melt and post-me

Undisturbed records of resting stages produced in the past and stored in coastal sediments are very valuable to science, because they may provide unique insights into past evolutionary and ecological trajectories. Within marine phytoplankton, multidecadal time series of monoclonal strains germinated from resting stages have been established for diatoms (Skeletonema marinoi) and dinoflagellates (Pentapharsodinium dalei), spanning ca. a century. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses of these time series have revealed effects of past environmental changes on population genetic structure. Future perspectives include direct comparisons of phenotypes and genotypic data of populations, for example, by genomewide assays that can correlate phenotypic trends with genotypes and allele frequencies in temporally separated strains. Besides their usefulness as historical records, “seed” banks of phytoplankton resting stages also have the potential to provide an inoculum that influences present populations through “dispersal from the past” (the storage effect) and are important for adaptation to future environments through their standing genetic diversity.

In the past decade, research on long-term persistence of phytoplankton resting stages has intensified. Simultaneously, insight into life-cycle variability in the diverse groups of phytoplankton has also increased. Aquatic 'seed banks' have tremendous significance and show many interesting parallels to terrestrial seed beds of vascular plants, but are much less studied. It is therefore timely to review the phenomenon of long-term persistence of aquatic resting stages in sediment seed banks. Herein we compare function, morphology and physiology of phytoplankton resting stages to factors central for persistence of terrestrial seeds. We review the types of resting stages found in different groups of phytoplankton and focus on the groups for which long-term (multi-decadal) persistence has been shown: dinoflagellates, diatoms, green algae and cyanobacteria. We discuss the metabolism of long-term dormancy in phytoplankton resting stages and the ecological, evolutionary and management implications of this important trait. Phytoplankton resting stages exhibiting long-term viability are characterized by thick, often multi-layered walls and accumulation vesicles containing starch, lipids or other materials such as pigments, cyanophycin or unidentified granular materials. They are reported to play central roles in evolutionary resilience and survival of catastrophic events. Promising areas for future research include the role of hormones in mediating dormancy, elucidating the mechanisms behind metabolic shut-down and testing bet-hedging hypotheses.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Respiratory diseases and asthma, in particular, are nowadays a global health problem. In Rwanda, some traditional healers claim to treat asthma with plant-based recipes, though there is no scientific proof so far. Aim of the study: Our study aimed at evaluating the toxicity and the anti-inflammatory effect of plant recipes used in Rwanda against asthma in order to select potential candidates for further characterization of the active compounds. Materials and methods: Water (aqueous) and methanol-dichloromethane (organic) extracts from selected folkloric recipes were submitted for toxicity test on THP-1 derived macrophages using CellTiter-Glo Luminescent Cell Viability Assay. The evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect of the plant extracts was carried out using the Caspase-Glo 1 Inflammasome assay on THP-1 -derived macrophages. Results: Most of both organic and aqueous extract showed more than 95% of cell viability up to 200 µg/ml, except for R03Cn organic extract that inhibited 25% of the cell viability. Plant extracts inhibited caspase-1 activation in THP-1 derived macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. Four extracts (R03Cn and R07Kn aqueous extracts, R10MK and R19Sz organic extracts) strongly downregulated the activation of caspase-1 (more than 70% at 50 µg/ml). In general, organic extracts exhibited better caspase-1 inhibitory effects than their aqueous counterparts. Conclusions: The inhibition of inflammasome/caspase-1 is one of key mechanisms of action in asthma. Some traditional recipes are active on this mechanism and are thus strong candidates for the treatment of asthma and other inflammasome-mediated diseases. Further investigations are needed to characterize active molecules., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The emergence of antimicrobial resistant infectious diseases remains a major threat to worldwide public health, in developed and in developing countries. Therefore, new antimicrobial agents acting by new mechanisms of action are urgently needed. As plants used in traditional medicine may help to overcome these problems, Justicia subsessilis, Platostoma rotundifolium, Pavetta ternifolia, Stomatanthes africanus, and Virectaria major (plants highly cited to be used against microbial infections in traditional Burundian medicine) were studied to assess their traditional use efficacy. We conducted a preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts, as well as their direct and indirect (effect on antibiotic resistance) antibacterial activity on four bacterial strains (Staphylococcus sp. and Escherichia coli) by broth microdilution methods. All five medicinal plants investigated in this work were found to have direct antibacterial activity against all tested bacterial strains (minimum inhibitory concentration = 62.5–1000 μg/mL) that may support the use of these species in traditional Burundian medicine. Extracts (with no direct antibacterial activity), tested at 200 μg/mL, decreased the MIC values of β-lactams and aminoglycoside antibiotics by a factor of 2 to 64-fold. These interactions between plant extracts and antibiotics could open an avenue of research against antibiotic resistance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Platostoma rotundifolium (Briq.) A. J. Paton aerial parts are widely used in Burundi traditional medicine to treat infectious diseases. In order to investigate their probable antibacterial activities, crude extracts from P. rotundifolium were assessed for their bactericidal and anti-virulence properties against an opportunistic bacterial model, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. Whereas none of the tested extracts exert bacteriostatic and/or bactericidal proprieties, the ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts exhibit anti-virulence properties against Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 characterized by an alteration in quorum sensing gene expression and biofilm formation without affecting bacterial viability. Bioguided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract led to the isolation of major anti-virulence compounds that were identified from nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution molecular spectroscopy spectra as cassipourol, β-sitosterol and α-amyrin. Globally, cassipourol and β-sitosterol inhibit quorum sensing-regulated and -regulatory genes expression in las and rhl systems without affecting the global regulators gacA and vfr, whereas α-amyrin had no effect on the expression of these genes. These terpenoids disrupt the formation of biofilms at concentrations down to 12.5, 50 and 50 µM for cassipourol, β-sitosterol and α-amyrin, respectively. Moreover, these terpenoids reduce the production of total exopolysaccharides and promote flagella-dependent motilities (swimming and swarming). The isolated terpenoids exert a wide range of inhibition processes, suggesting a complex mechanism of action targeting P. aeruginosa virulence mechanisms which support the wide anti-infectious use of this plant species in traditional Burundian medicine., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In order to establish a baseline for proxy-based reconstructions for the Young Sound-Tyrolerfjord system (Northeast Greenland), we analysed the spatial distribution of primary production and sea ice proxies in surface sediments from the fjord, against monitoring data from the Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring Programme. Clear spatial gradients in organic carbon and biogenic silica contents reflected marine influence, nutrient availability and river-induced turbidity, in good agreement with in situ measurements. The sea ice proxy IP25 was detected at all sites but at low concentrations, indicating that IP25 records from fjords need to be carefully considered and not directly compared to marine settings. The sea ice-associated biomarker HBI III revealed an open-water signature, with highest concentrations near the mid-July ice edge. This proxy evaluation is an important step towards reliable palaeoenvironmental reconstructions that will, ultimately, contribute to better predictions for this High Arctic ecosystem in a warming climate.

The present article is arising of a study about the pedagogical actions which involve the Literary Project “Ariano interativo: 90 anos de histórias” realized in CEJA Donaninha, in Baturité – Ceará. The investigation aim to measure the media contribution as pedagogical implement in the literature teaching-learning process in the Youth and Adults Education - Educação de Jovens e Adultos (EJA). The study contemplates the exploratory blibiographic research theoretical-methodological criterys, with findings in loco and participative observations. The temporal cut for field analysis cover the months between august and setember of 2017, considering different temporalities for blibiographic studies. To guide the realization of this study it was sought the theoretical references of Andrade (2004), Arroyo (2005) Brunel (2004), Esteban (2007), Reis (2009), Soares (2005) and others. It can be inferred that the teaching of literature in the EJA through the bias: interactive media (internet), traditional (television) and printed (book) favors that culture, language and art can be worked in a dynamic and contextualized way. The author Ariano Suassuna, although to be be unknown by the most part of the learners, was chose to be honored as writer of the year in the annual meeting held at the CEJA. From the collected data, was verified that the literature teaching in a tradicional way associated whit the media favors the interaction and the interdisciplinary work. It is also worth noting that the project went beyond what was foreseen in it original structure, involving both the CEJA school community and students deprived of their liberty., O presente artigo é oriundo de um estudo acerca das ações pedagógicas que envolvem o Projeto Literário “Ariano interativo: 90 anos de histórias” realizado no CEJA Donaninha, em Baturité - Ceará. A investigação objetiva mensurar a contribuição das mídias como ferramenta pedagógica no processo ensino-aprendizagem de literatura na Educação de Jovens e Adultos (EJA). O estudo contempla os critérios teórico-metodológicos da pesquisa bibliográfica exploratória, com constatações in loco e observações participativas. O recorte temporal para análise em campo abrange os meses de agosto a outubro de 2017, considerando diferentes temporalidades para o estudo bibliográfico. Para orientar a realização deste estudo, buscou-se os referencias teóricos de Freire (1996), Arroyo (2005), Soares (2005), Freitas (2008), Ferreira (2012) e outros. Pode-se inferir que o ensino de literatura na EJA através do viés: mídias interativas (internet), tradicional (televisão) e impressa (livro) favorece que cultura, linguagem e arte sejam trabalhados de uma forma dinâmica e contextualizada. O autor Ariano Suassuna, apesar de ser desconhecido pela grande maioria dos educandos, foi escolhido como escritor do ano a ser homenageado no sarau que acontece anualmente no CEJA. A partir dos dados coletados, constatou-se que o ensino de literatura de forma tradicional associado às mídias favorecem a interação e o trabalho interdisciplinar. Ressalta-se, ainda, que o projeto foi além do previsto em sua estrutura original, envolvendo tanto a comunidade escolar do CEJA como os alunos privados de liberdade.

Mean body size decreases with increasing temperature in a variety of organisms. This size-temperature relationship has generally been tested through space but rarely through time. We analyzed the sedimentary archive of dinoflagellate cysts in a sediment record taken from the West Greenland shelf and show that mean cell size decreased at both intra- and interspecific scales in a period of relatively warm temperatures, compared with a period of relatively cold temperatures. We further show that intraspecific changes accounted for more than 70% of the change in community mean size, whereas shifts in species composition only accounted for about 30% of the observed change. Literature values on size ranges and midpoints for individual taxa were in several cases not representative for the measured sizes, although changes in community mean size, calculated from literature values, did capture the direction of change. While the results show that intraspecific variation is necessary to accurately estimate the magnitude of change in protist community mean size, it may be possible to investigate general patterns, that is relative size differences, using interspecific-level estimates.