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The direct effects of large-scale disturbances are readily studied because their effects are often apparent and result in large changes to ecosystems. Direct effects can cascade through the ecosystem, leading to indirect effects that are often subtle and difficult to detect. Managing anthropogenic disturbances, such as chemical contamination, requires an understanding of both direct and indirect effects to predict, measure, and characterize the impact. Using a replicated whole-ecosystem experiment and path analyses (assesses the effects of a set of variables on a specified outcome, similar to multiple regression), we examined the direct and indirect effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide and nutrient enrichment on wetland communities. The latter did not impact any measured endpoints. The strongest drivers of macrophyte, benthic invertebrate, and amphibian assemblages were the ephemerality and the size of wetlands, factors which were not altered by herbicide applications. The herbicide had a direct negative effect on macrophyte cover, amphibian larval abundance, and the proportion of predatory benthic invertebrates. However, both amphibians and invertebrates were positively affected by the reduction in the macrophyte cover caused by the herbicide applications. The opposing directions of the direct and indirect effects lead to no net change in either group. The compensatory dynamics observed herein highlight the need for a better understanding of indirect effects pathways to determine whether common anthropogenic disturbances alter the ecological communities in small wetland ecosystems.

A map of the world that does not include utopia is not worth glancing at. -- Oscar Wilde (40) When we encounter camp, we live outdoors, as it were, removed from commonality and conformity. We are, strange as it may seem, good Scouts. -- Roderick McGillis (98-99) Maps introduce us to places that might be unfamiliar. They are information and invitation. They can guide the journey from what we know to what we don’t know. The cartographer’s gaze shapes the form the map takes, its spaces and places. Storms alter and erase topography. Explorers and adventurers leave reminders of their presence, a campsite perhaps, and for some, they may indeed find utopia. It all depends on the eye of the beholder. Behind every map there is a story. Here is one of them. Boy Scouts camp out on the fictional island New Penzance with their uniforms, badges, camping gear, and intrepid scoutmaster, Randy Ward. Randy is anything but randy; the same cannot be said for some of his charges, especially one, 12-year-old orphan Sam Shakusky. Sam strikes up a romance with Suzy Bishop, who lives on the island in a house named Summer’s End. The two of them run away and make camp by themselves, intending to make a life together, two young people in love. Meanwhile, the Scouts, Randy, Suzy’s parents, the local constabulary, and the social services are all on the lookout for the young runaways. All of this takes place in 1965. All of this provides a nostalgic look at a time and place everyone has left behind, a time we remember but that never existed. All of this is parody of young love, coming of age, life in the camp. This is Moonrise Kingdom, the place longed for, remembered, completely fictional, and the titular setting of Wes Anderson’s 2012 film. The film is about an island that serves as camp to the few people who inhabit it. Camping out on the island is a summer activity for a nearby scout troop, the Khaki Scouts. Sam and Suzy fashion their own camp. The Bishop children camp in their

Current forensic ancestry-informative panels are limited in their ability to differentiate populations in the Asia-Pacific region. MAPlex (Multiplex for the Asia-Pacific), a massively parallel sequencing (MPS) assay, was developed to improve differentiation of East Asian, South Asian and Near Oceanian populations found in the extensive cross-continental Asian region that shows complex patterns of admixture at its margins. This study reports the development of MAPlex; the selection of SNPs in combination with microhaplotype markers; assay design considerations for reducing the lengths of microhaplotypes while preserving their ancestry-informativeness; adoption of new population-informative multiple-allele SNPs; compilation of South Asian-informative SNPs suitable for forensic AIMs panels; and the compilation of extensive reference and test population genotypes from online whole-genome-sequence data for MAPlex markers. STRUCTURE genetic clustering software was used to gauge the ability of MAPlex to differentiate a broad set of populations from South and East Asia, the West Pacific regions of Near Oceania, as well as the other globally distributed population groups. Preliminary assessment of MAPlex indicates enhanced South Asian differentiation with increased divergence between West Eurasian, South Asian and East Asian populations, compared to previous forensic SNP panels of comparable scale. In addition, MAPlex shows efficient differentiation of Middle Eastern individuals from Europeans. MAPlex is the first forensic AIM assay to combine binary and multiple-allele SNPs with microhaplotypes, adding the potential to detect and analyze mixed source forensic DNA.

A framework is presented that is intended to facilitate the evaluation of potential aquatic ecological risks resulting from discharges of down the drain chemicals. A scenario is presented using representatives of many of the types of chemicals that are treated domestically. Predicted treated effluent chemical concentrations (PECS) are based on reported loading rates and routine removal rates for three types of treatment: trickling filter (TF), activated sludge secondary treatment (AS), and AS plus advanced oxidation process (AOP). In Tier I, PECs were compared with the lowest predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) obtained from the literature using safety factors as needed. A cumulative risk characterization ratio (cumRCR) <1.0 indicates risk is unlikely and no further action is needed. Otherwise, a Tier 2 assessment is used, in which PNECs are based on trophic level. If Tier 2 indicates a possible risk, then a retrospective assessment is recommended. In Tier 1, the cumRCR was > 1.0 for all three treatment types in our scenario, even though no chemical exceeded a hazard quotient of 1.0 in AS or AOP. In Tier 2, AS yielded a lower cumRCR than TF due to higher removal rates and the cumRCR in AOP was <<1.0. Based on the maximum cumulative risk ratio (MCR), more than one third of the predicted risk was accounted for by one chemical and at least 90% was accounted for by three chemicals, indicating that few chemicals influenced the mixture risk in our scenario. We show how a retrospective assessment can test whether certain chemicals hypothesized as potential drivers in the prospective assessment could have, or are having, deleterious effects on aquatic life. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Contains fulltext : 167296.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), Autosomal-dominant tubulo-interstitial kidney disease (ADTKD) encompasses a group of disorders characterized by renal tubular and interstitial abnormalities, leading to slow progressive loss of kidney function requiring dialysis and kidney transplantation. Mutations in UMOD, MUC1, and REN are responsible for many, but not all, cases of ADTKD. We report on two families with ADTKD and congenital anemia accompanied by either intrauterine growth retardation or neutropenia. Ultrasound and kidney biopsy revealed small dysplastic kidneys with cysts and tubular atrophy with secondary glomerular sclerosis, respectively. Exclusion of known ADTKD genes coupled with linkage analysis, whole-exome sequencing, and targeted re-sequencing identified heterozygous missense variants in SEC61A1-c.553A>G (p.Thr185Ala) and c.200T>G (p.Val67Gly)-both affecting functionally important and conserved residues in SEC61. Both transiently expressed SEC6A1A variants are delocalized to the Golgi, a finding confirmed in a renal biopsy from an affected individual. Suppression or CRISPR-mediated deletions of sec61al2 in zebrafish embryos induced convolution defects of the pronephric tubules but not the pronephric ducts, consistent with the tubular atrophy observed in the affected individuals. Human mRNA encoding either of the two pathogenic alleles failed to rescue this phenotype as opposed to a complete rescue by human wild-type mRNA. Taken together, these findings provide a mechanism by which mutations in SEC61A1 lead to an autosomal-dominant syndromic form of progressive chronic kidney disease. We highlight protein translocation defects across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, the principal role of the SEC61 complex, as a contributory pathogenic mechanism for ADTKD.