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Quantifying vertical distributions of pelagic predators elucidates pelagic ecosystem structure and informs fisheries management. In the tropical South Atlantic Ocean, the recently designated large-scale marine protected area around Ascension Island hosts diverse pelagic predators for which basin-specific vertical habitat information is minimal or absent. We used pop-up satellite archival tags to analyse vertical habitat use in 12 species (bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus, blue marlin Makaira nigricans, blue shark Prionace glauca, dolphinfish Coryphaena hippurus, Galapagos shark Carcharhinus galapagensis, oceanic whitetip Carcharhinus longimanus, sailfish Istiophorus albicans, silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis, swordfish Xiphias gladius, tiger shark Galeocerdo cuvier, wahoo Acanthocybium solandri, and yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares) and quantify parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen, diel cycles, lunar phase) known to constrain vertical movements. Predator depth distributions varied widely, and classification trees grouped predators into four clades: (i) primarily epipelagic; (ii) partial thermocline use; (iii) oscillatory diving with thermocline/sub-thermocline use; and (iv) extensive use of sub-thermocline waters. Vertical habitat differences were linked to thermal physiology and foraging ecology, and species-specific physical constraints from other ocean basins were largely conserved in the South Atlantic. Water column features defined species-specific depth distributions, which can inform fisheries practices and bycatch risk assessments and population estimates.

Environmental data require fit-for-purpose data management systems and related spatial applications to be used effectively for management. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have become a key tool to analyse and visualise spatial data with their increasing volume and variety. Well-designed data centres that combine a data management system with GIS, reduce costs and improve efficiency for spatial planning processes. Small or remote territories and islands such as the South Atlantic UK Overseas Territories (SAUKOT), with limited financial resources and capacity, face many challenges to develop such centres. In 2013 an island-based Information Management System (IMS)-GIS Data Centre was established in the SAUKOT. Until then, governments did not have the ability to use spatial planning effectively to manage their environments. The IMS-GIS Data Centre has been operating as: 1) repository of high-quality reference datasets to support decision making, 2) interactive data visualisation to share maps and information with stakeholders and 3) data portals to assist data discovery and sharing. This paper describes i) how the SAUKOT have built their own IMS-GIS Data Centres ii), how these Data Centres have provided effective and manageable solutions to support terrestrial and marine spatial planning processes and iii) the challenges the Data Centres are still facing. Thanks to relatively simple data management concepts and the use of open-source programs, the IMS-GIS Data Centre is transferable to other contexts sharing similar challenges to those faced by the SAUKOT Os dados ambientais exigem uma adequação dos sistemas de gestão de dados e respetivas aplicações geográficas para que sejam utilizados eficazmente na gestão. Os Sistemas de Informação Geográfica (SIG) tornaram-se uma ferramenta essencial para analisar e visualizar dados espaciais com seu volume e variedade crescentes. Os Data centers bem projetados, que combinam um sistema de gestão de dados com SIG, reduzem custos e melhoram a eficiência dos processos de planeamento espacial. Os territórios e ilhas pequenas ou remotas, como os Territórios Ultramarinos do Atlântico Sul do Reino Unido (SAUKOT), com recursos e capacidade financeira limitados, enfrentam muitos desafios para desenvolver esses centros. Em 2013, um centro de dados do Sistema de Gestão de Informações em Ilhas (IMS) foi estabelecido no SAUKOT. Até então, os governos não tinham a capacidade de usar o planeamento espacial efetivamente para gerir os seus ambientes. O IMS-GIS Data Center opera como: 1) repositório de conjuntos de dados de referência de alta qualidade para apoiar a tomada de decisão, 2) visualização interativa de dados para compartilhar mapas e informações com as partes interessadas e 3) portais de dados para auxiliar na descoberta e compartilhamento de dados. Este artigo descreve i) como os SAUKOT construíram os seus próprios Data Centers IMS-GIS; ii) como esses Data Centers forneceram soluções eficazes e geríveis para apoiar os processos de planeamento espacial terrestre e marinho; e iii) os desafios que os Data Centers ainda enfrentam. Graças a conceitos de gestão de dados relativamente simples e o uso de programas de código aberto, o IMS-GIS Data Center é transferível para outros contextos que compartilham desafios semelhantes aos enfrentados pelo SAUKOT. Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

REPLYING TO H. Murua et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03396-4 (2021) Our previously published paper1 provided global fine-scale spatiotemporal estimates (1° × 1°; monthly) of overlap and fishing exposure risk (FEI) between satellite-tracked shark space use and automatic identification system (AIS) longline fishing effort. We did not assess shark mortality directly, but in addition to replying to the Comment by Murua et al.2, we confirm—using regression analysis of spatially matched data—that fishing-induced pelagic shark mortality (catch per unit effort (CPUE)) is greater where FEI is higher. We focused on assessing shark horizontal spatiotemporal overlap and exposure risk with fisheries because spatial overlap is a major driver of fishing capture susceptibility and previous shark ecological risk assessments (ERAs) assumed a homogenous shark density within species-range distributions3,4,5 or used coarse-scale modelled occurrence data, rather than more ecologically realistic risk estimates in heterogeneous habitats that were selected by sharks over time. Furthermore, our shark spatial exposure risk implicitly accounts for other susceptibility factors with equal or similar probabilities to those commonly used in shark ERAs3,5.

Colonially breeding birds and mammals form some of the largest gatherings of apex predators in the natural world and have provided model systems for studying mechanisms of population regulation in animals. According to one influential hypothesis, intense competition for food among large numbers of spatially constrained foragers should result in a zone of prey depletion surrounding such colonies, ultimately limiting their size. However, while indirect and theoretical support for this phenomenon, known as “Ashmole’s halo,” has steadily accumulated, direct evidence remains exceptionally scarce. Using a combination of vessel-based surveys and Global Positioning System tracking, we show that pelagic seabirds breeding at the tropical island that first inspired Ashmole’s hypothesis do indeed deplete their primary prey species (flying fish; Exocoetidae spp.) over a considerable area, with reduced prey density detectable >150 km from the colony. The observed prey gradient was mirrored by an opposing trend in seabird foraging effort, could not be explained by confounding environmental variability, and can be approximated using a mechanistic consumption–dispersion model, incorporating realistic rates of seabird predation and random prey dispersal. Our results provide a rare view of the resource footprint of a pelagic seabird colony and reveal how aggregations of these central-place foraging, marine top predators profoundly influence the oceans that surround them.

REPLYING TO A. V. Harry & J. M. Braccini Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03463-w (2021) Our global analysis1 estimated the overlap and fishing exposure risk (FEI) using the space use of satellite-tracked sharks and longline fishing effort monitored by the automatic identification system (AIS). In the accompanying Comment, Harry and Braccini2 draw attention to two localized shark–longline vessel overlap hotspots in Australian waters, stating that 47 fishing vessels were misclassified as longline and purse seine vessels in the Global Fishing Watch (GFW)3 2012–2016 AIS fishing effort data product that we used. This, they propose2, results in misidentifications that highlight fishing exposure hotspots that are subject to an unexpected level of sensitivity in the analysis and they suggest that misidentifications could broadly affect the calculations of fishing exposure and the central conclusions of our study1. We acknowledged in our previously published paper1 that gear reclassifications were likely to occur for a small percentage of the more than 70,000 vessels studied, however, here we demonstrate that even using much larger numbers of vessel reclassifications than those proposed by Harry and Braccini2, the central results and conclusions of our paper1 do not change.

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is a minimally invasive treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia associated lower urinary tract symptoms. The prostatic arterial anatomy, origins and collaterals, are highly variable and can lead to technical pitfalls and suboptimal results during PAE. In this paper we aim to discuss the variant prostate artery origins and collateral circulation to provide a primer on relevant anatomy for interventional radiologists performing PAE.

Epinephelus adscensionis sampled from Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, exhibits distinct life-history traits, including larger maximum size and size at sexual maturity than previous studies have demonstrated for this species in other locations. Otolith analysis yielded a maximum estimated age of 25 years, with calculated von Bertalanffy growth parameters of: L∞ = 55·14, K = 0·19, t0 = −0·88. Monthly gonad staging and analysis of gonad-somatic index (IG) provide evidence for spawning from July to November with an IG peak in August (austral winter), during which time somatic growth is also suppressed. Observed patterns of sexual development were supportive of protogyny, although further work is needed to confirm this. Mean size at sexual maturity for females was 28·9 cm total length (LT; 95% C.I. 27·1–30·7 cm) and no females were found >12 years and 48·0 cm LT, whereas all confirmed males sampled were mature, >35·1 cm LT with an age range from 3 to 18 years. The modelled size at which 50% of individuals were male was 41·8 cm (95% C.I. 40·4–43·2 cm). As far as is known, this study represents the first comprehensive investigation into the growth and reproduction of E. adscensionis at its type locality of Ascension Island and suggests that the population may be affected less by fisheries than elsewhere in its range. Nevertheless, improved regulation of the recreational fishery and sustained monitoring of abundance, length frequencies and life-history parameters are needed to inform long-term management measures, which could include the creation of marine reserves, size or temporal catch limits and stricter export controls.

Recent studies have improved our understanding of nearshore marine ecosystems surrounding Ascension Island (central Atlantic Ocean), but little is known about Ascension's benthic environment beyond its shallow coastal waters. Here, we report the first detailed physical and biological examination of the seabed surrounding Ascension Island at 100–1000 m depth. Multibeam swath data were used to map fine scale bathymetry and derive seabed slope and rugosity indices for the entire area. Water temperature and salinity profiles were obtained from five Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) deployments, revealing a spatially consistent thermocline at 80 m depth. A camera lander (Shelf Underwater Camera System; SUCS) provided nearly 400 images from 21 sites (100 m transects) at depths of 110–1020 m, showing high variability in the structure of benthic habitats and biological communities. These surveys revealed a total of 95 faunal morphotypes (mean richness >14 per site), complemented by 213 voucher specimens constituting 60 morphotypes collected from seven targeted Agassiz trawl (AGT) deployments. While total faunal density (maximum >300 m−2 at 480 m depth) increased with rugosity, characteristic shifts in multivariate assemblage structure were driven by depth and substratum type. Shallow assemblages (~100 m) were dominated by black coral (Antipatharia sp.) on rocky substrata, cup corals (Caryophyllia sp.) and sea urchins (Cidaris sp.) were abundant on fine sediment at intermediate depths (250–500 m), and shrimps (Nematocarcinus spp.) were common at greater depths (>500 m). Other ubiquitous taxa included serpulid and sabellid polychaetes and brittle stars (Ophiocantha sp.). Cold-water corals (Lophelia cf. pertusa), indicative of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) and representing substantial benthic carbon accumulation, occurred in particularly dense aggregations at

Effective ocean management and the conservation of highly migratory species depend on resolving the overlap between animal movements and distributions, and fishing effort. However, this information is lacking at a global scale. Here we show, using a big-data approach that combines satellite-tracked movements of pelagic sharks and global fishing fleets, that 24% of the mean monthly space used by sharks falls under the footprint of pelagic longline fisheries. Space-use hotspots of commercially valuable sharks and of internationally protected species had the highest overlap with longlines (up to 76% and 64%, respectively), and were also associated with significant increases in fishing effort. We conclude that pelagic sharks have limited spatial refuge from current levels of fishing effort in marine areas beyond national jurisdictions (the high seas). Our results demonstrate an urgent need for conservation and management measures at high-seas hotspots of shark space use, and highlight the potential of simultaneous satellite surveillance of megafauna and fishers as a tool for near-real-time, dynamic management., Data analysis was funded in part by the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) (NE/R00997X/1) (to D.W.S.) with additional research support from the Save Our Seas Foundation and the NERC Oceans 2025 Strategic Research Programme, in which D.W.S. was a principal investigator. D.W.S. was supported by an MBA Senior Research Fellowship, N.Q. by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) via the Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (COMPETE), National Funds via Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under PTDC/MAR/100345/2008 and COMPETE FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-010580 (to N.Q. and D.W.S.), and Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in project MarInfo (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000031). Additional support was provided by an FCT Investigator Fellowship IF/01611/2013 (N.Q.), FCT Doctoral Fellowship PD/BD/52603/2014 (M.V.), PTDC/MAR-BIO/4458/2012, Xunta de Galicia - Isabel Barreto Program 2009-2012 (G.M.), Australian Research Council (ARC) grant DE170100841 and operational funds from the Australian Institute for Marine Science (AIMS) (both to A.M.M.S.).

Hematuria of prostatic origin has multiple etiologies including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), iatrogenic urological trauma, prostate cancer, and radiation therapy. Hematuria secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia can occur because of the increased vascularity of the primary gland, itself, or because of the vascular re-growth following a transurethral resection of the prostate. Prostatic hematuria usually resolves with conservative measures; however, refractory hematuria of prostatic origin may require hospitalization with treatment with blood transfusions, repeated indwelling urinary catheterization, and continuous bladder irrigation. Prostate artery embolization is an emerging minimally invasive procedural therapy for men with BPH that was originally utilized for the treatment of refractory hematuria of prostatic origin . This article aims to summarize the currently available evidence around prostate artery embolization for the treatment of refractory hematuria of prostatic origin.

There has been a recent shift in global perception of plastics in the environment, resulting in a call for greater action. Science and the popular media have highlighted plastic as an increasing stressor [1 , 2 ]. Efforts have been made to confer protected status to some remote locations, forming some of the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas, including several UK overseas territories. We assessed plastic at these remote Atlantic Marine Protected Areas, surveying the shore, sea surface, water column and seabed, and found drastic changes from 2013–2018. Working from the RRS James Clark Ross at Ascension, St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Gough and the Falkland Islands (Figure 1A), we showed that marine debris on beaches has increased more than 10 fold in the past decade. Sea surface plastics have also increased, with in-water plastics occurring at densities of 0.1 items m–3; plastics on seabeds were observed at ≤ 0.01 items m–2. For the first time, beach densities of plastics at remote South Atlantic sites approached those at industrialised North Atlantic sites. This increase even occurs hundreds of meters down on seamounts. We also investigated plastic incidence in 2,243 animals (comprising 26 species) across remote South Atlantic oceanic food webs, ranging from plankton to seabirds. We found that plastics had been ingested by primary consumers (zooplankton) to top predators (seabirds) at high rates. These findings suggest that MPA status will not mitigate the threat of plastic proliferation to this rich, unique and threatened biodiversity.

Introduction: Inferior vena cava (IVC) filter penetration of the caval wall is a well-documented complication. Less frequently, the struts of an IVC filter can penetrate a vertebral body that can lead to symptoms of abdominal pain. Vertebral penetration poses a management challenge, and characteristics for successful endovascular retrieval of such filters has not been reported. Case Description: We present 2 cases of IVC filters with vertebral body penetration that were successfully retrieved through an endovascular approach. On preprocedure computed tomography, both patients had a small zone of osteolysis surrounding the penetrated struts into the vertebral body. The procedures were done via right internal jugular access using an Ensnare device. In one of the cases, the hangman technique was used to release the filter apex from the vessel wall. Both filters were able to be retrieved without using excessive force, follow-up venacavograms showed no sign of extravasation, and no postprocedure complications developed. Discussion: Preprocedure CT imaging is essential prior to IVC filter removal if vertebral penetration is suspected. The zone of osteolysis seen around the struts in both cases are likely the result of constant cardiorespiratory motion of the filter. Based on the fact that in both cases the filter legs were able to be disengaged from the vertebral body without the use of excessive force, we hypothesize that if a zone of osteolysis surrounding the struts can be confirmed on preprocedural CT, the filter removal can be safely attempted by the standard percutaneous endovascular approach.

15 p.-2 tab.-8 fig., In order to maintain proper cellular function, the metabolism of the bacterial microbiota presents several mechanisms oriented to keep a correctly balanced amino acid pool. Central components of these mechanisms are enzymes with alanine transaminase activity, pyridoxal 59-phosphate-dependent enzymes that interconvert alanine and pyruvate, thereby allowing the precise control of alanine and glutamate concentrations, two of the most abundant amino acids in the cellular amino acid pool. Here we report the 2.11-A° crystal structure of full-length AlaA from the model organism Escherichia coli, a major bacterial alanine aminotransferase, and compare its overall structure and active site composition with detailed atomic models of two other bacterial enzymes capable of catalyzing this reaction in vivo, AlaC and valine-pyruvate aminotransferase (AvtA). Apart from a narrow entry channel to the active site, a feature of this new crystal structure is the role of an active site loop that closes in upon binding of substrate-mimicking molecules, and which has only been previously reported in a plant enzyme. Comparison of the available structures indicates that beyond superficial differences, alanine aminotransferases of diverse phylogenetic origins share a universal reaction mechanism that depends on an array of highly conserved amino acid residues and is similarly regulated by various unrelated motifs. Despite this unifying mechanism and regulation, growth competition experiments demonstrate that AlaA, AlaC and AvtA are not freely exchangeable in vivo, suggesting that their functional repertoire is not completely redundant thus providing an explanation for their independent evolutionary conservation., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants PET2008_0101, BIO2009-11184 and BFU2010-22260-C02-02 to MCV and BFU2008-02372/BMC, CSD 2006-23 and BFU2011-22588 to MC), the Generalitat de Catalunya (grant SGR2009-1309 to MC), the European Commission (Framework Programme 7 (FP7) projects ComplexINC No. 279039 to MCV), and the US National Institutes of Health (grant 1-R01-GM58560 to KER and AJR).

Summary: EcoGene.org is a genome database and website dedicated to Escherichia coli K-12 substrain MG1655 that is revised daily using information derived from the biomedical literature and in-house analysis. EcoGene is a major source of annotation updates for the MG1655 Genbank record, one of only a few Genbank genome records that are updated by a community effort. The Reference Sequence (RefSeq) database, built by The National Center for Biotechnology Information, comprises a set of duplicate Genbank genome records that can be modified by the NCBI staff annotators. EcoGene-RefSeq is being developed as a stand-alone internet resource to facilitate the usage of EcoGene-based tools on any of the >2400 completed prokaryotic genome records that are currently available at the RefSeq database. Availability: The web interface of EcoGene-RefSeq is available at http://www.ecogene.org/refseq. Contact: krudd@med.miami.edu or j.zhou1@miami.edu

Particles moving along curved trajectories will diffuse if the curvature fluctuates sufficiently in either magnitude or orientation. We consider particles moving at a constant speed with either a fixed or with a Gaussian distributed curvature magnitude. At small speeds the diffusivity is independent of the speed. At larger particle speeds, the diffusivity depends on the speed through a novel exponent. We apply our results to intracellular transport of vesicles. In sharp contrast to thermal diffusion, the effective diffusivity increases with vesicle size and so may provide an effective means of intracellular transport., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (first figure takes awhile to print)

In quantum reactive scattering calculations using hyperspherical coordinates a problem can arise in calculating Hamiltonian matrix elements between non-orthogonal basis functions from different reaction arrangement channels. The calculation of these matrix elements is considered here. It is shown that the use of particle-in-a-box functions defined within a limited interval requires special care in treating the kinetic energy operator. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.