Life Sciences Commons^™

Uncoupled Seasonal Variability Of Transparent Exopolymer And Coomassie Stainable Particles In Coastal Mediterranean Waters: Insights Into Sources And Driving Mechanisms, Marina Zamanillo, Eva Ortega-Retuerta, Carolina Cisternas-Novoa, Cèlia Marrasé, Carles Pelejero, Josep Pascual, Josep M. Gasol, Anja Engel, Rafel Simó

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and Coomassie stainable particles (CSP) are gel-like particles, ubiquitous in the ocean, that affect important biogeochemical processes including organic carbon cycling by planktonic food webs. Despite much research on both groups of particles (especially TEP) over many years, whether they exist as distinctly stainable fractions of the same particles or as independent particles, each with different driving factors, remains unclear. To address this question, we examined the temporal dynamics of TEP and CSP over 2 complete seasonal cycles at 2 coastal sites in the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, the Blanes Bay Microbial Observatory (BBMO) and the L’Estartit …

The Use Of Singlebeam Echo-Sounder Depth Data To Produce Demersal Fish Distribution Models That Are Comparable To Models Produced Using Multibeam Echo-Sounder Depth, Marcela Montserrat Landero Figueroa, Miles J. G. Parsons, Benjamin J. Saunders, Ben Radford, Chandra Salgado-Kent, Iain M. Parnum

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Seafloor characteristics can help in the prediction of fish distribution, which is required for fisheries and conservation management. Despite this, only 5%–10% of the world's seafloor has been mapped at high resolution, as it is a time-consuming and expensive process. Multibeam echo-sounders (MBES) can produce high-resolution bathymetry and a broad swath coverage of the seafloor, but require greater financial and technical resources for operation and data analysis than singlebeam echo-sounders (SBES). In contrast, SBES provide comparatively limited spatial coverage, as only a single measurement is made from directly under the vessel. Thus, producing a continuous map requires interpolation to fill …

Genotype-Specific Lesion Growth Rates In Stargardt Disease, Rachael C. Heath Jeffery, Jennifer A. Thompson, Johnny Lo, Tina M. Lamey, Terri L. Mclaren, Ian L. Mcallister, Ian J. Constable, John N. De Roach, Fred K. Chen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Reported growth rates (GR) of atrophic lesions in Stargardt disease (STGD1) vary widely. In the present study, we report the longitudinal natural history of patients with confirmed bial-lelic ABCA4 mutations from five genotype groups: c.6079C > T, c.[2588G > C;5603A > T], c.3113C > T, c.5882G > A and c.5603A > T. Fundus autofluorescence (AF) 30◦ × 30◦ images were manually seg-mented for boundaries of definitely decreased autofluorescence (DDAF). The primary outcome was the effective radius GR across five genotype groups. The age of DDAF formation in each eye was calculated using the x-intercept of the DDAF effective radius against age. Discordance between age at DDAF …

Clinical Trial Of Abcb5+ Mesenchymal Stem Cells For Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, Dimitra Kiritsi, Kathrin Dieter, Elke Niebergall-Roth, Silvia Fluhr, Cristina Daniele, Jasmina Esterlechner, Samar Sadeghi, Seda Ballikaya, Leoni Erdinger, Franziska Schauer, Stella Gewert, Martin Laimer, Johann W. Bauer, Alain Hovnanian, Giovanna Zambruno, May El Hachem, Emmanuelle Bourrat, Maria Papanikolaou, Gabriela Petrof, Sophie Kitzmüller, Christen L. Ebens, Markus H. Frank, Natasha Y. Frank, Christoph Ganss, Anna E. Martinez, John A. Mcgrath, Jakub Tolar, Mark A. Kluth

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

BACKGROUND. Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a rare, devastating, and lifethreatening inherited skin fragility disorder that comes about due to a lack of functional type VII collagen, for which no effective therapy exists. ABCB5+ dermal mesenchymal stem cells (ABCB5+ MSCs) possess immunomodulatory, inflammation-dampening, and tissue-healing capacities. In a Col7a1-/-mouse model of RDEB, treatment with ABCB5+ MSCs markedly extended the animals' lifespans. METHODS. In this international, multicentric, single-arm, phase I/IIa clinical trial, 16 patients (aged 4-36 years) enrolled into 4 age cohorts received 3 i.v. infusions of 2 × 106ABCB5+ MSCs/kg on days 0, 17, and 35. Patients were followed …

Breeding And Feeding Habitat Selection By An Island Endemic Bird May Increase Its Vulnerability To Climate Change, Paul M. Radley, Eddie J. B. Van Etten, David Blake, Robert A. Davis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Characterizing patterns of habitat use is an important first step for effective conservation planning. Species restricted to low-lying islands are at greatest risk from climate change-related sea level rise, and requirements for breeding and foraging habitat may determine their risk from tidal inundation. The endangered Micronesian Scrubfowl (Megapodius laperouse senex) is a model species for understanding these impacts. This species faces the cumulative challenges of tourist visitation, invasive species, and rising sea levels, yet little is understood about its habitat use in the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon Conservation Area (RISL) of Palau. We studied the habitat requirements of this mound-nesting …

Aqueous Formulations Of 1h-Cyclopropabenzene Modulate Ethylene Production And Fruit Quality In Japanese Plums, Poe N. Kyaw, Zora Singh, Vijay Y. Tokala

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The efficacy of aqueous formulations of 1H-cyclopropabenzene (BC) containing different adjuvants to retard ethylene production and maintain fruit quality of Japanese plums (Prunus salicina Lindl. cvs. ‘Angeleno’, ‘Fortune’ and ‘Tegan Blue’) following 25 d and 40 d cold storage (1 °C) was evaluated. Plum fruit were sprayed with different solutions of 2 μM BC (i.e., aqueous solutions containing distilled water only or 5 % ethanol or 0.02 % Tween® 20 or 5 % β-cyclodextrin) or fumigated with 1 μM BC at ambient temperature. Plum fruit without any treatment were regarded as control. Regardless of the cultivars tested, all formulations of …

Thirty Critical Research Needs For Managing An Ecologically And Culturally Unique Remote Marine Environment: The Kimberley Region Of Western Australia, C. Cvitanovic, M. Mackay, R. Kelly, S. K. Wilson, K. Waples, K. L. Nash, E. I. Van Putten, S. Field, T. Botterill-James, B. J. Austin, L. E. Beckley, F. Boschetti, M. Depczynski, R. J. Dobbs, R. D. Evans, M. Feng, R. K. Goater, A. R. Halford, A. Kendrick, G. A. Kendrick, G. D. B. Lincoln, L. J. Ludgerus, R. J. Lowe, Kathryn Mcmahon, J. K. Munro, S. J. Newman, C. Nutt, L. Pearson, M. J. O'Leary, Z. T. Richards, W. D. Robbins, D. I. Rogers, Chandra P. Salgado Kent, V. Schoepf, M. J. Travers, M. Thums, A. D. Tucker, J. N. Underwood, S. Whiting, D. Matthews, Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Kimberley marine environment in Western Australia is widely recognised for its outstanding natural features, vast and remote sea and landscapes, and Indigenous cultural significance. To ensure that adequate baseline information is available to understand, monitor and manage this remote and relatively understudied region, scientific exploration was undertaken between 2012 and 2018 as part of the Kimberley Marine Research Program (KMRP). Whilst this program generated significant amounts of new knowledge about the region, important research gaps remain, that if answered, should improve the capacity of managers to conserve the region's values more effectively. Here, we apply established participatory horizon scanning …

Do Infants Avoid A Traversable Slope Leading Into Deep Water?, Carolina Burnay, Chris Button, Rita Cordovil, David Anderson, James Croft

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Ramps used to access swimming pools are designed with a shallow slope that affords easy access for all including infants. Locomotor experience has been linked to infants’ avoidance of falling into the water from drop-offs; however, the effect of such experience on infants’ behavior when a slope is offered to access the water has not been addressed. Forty-three crawling infants (M_age = 10.63 ± 1.91 months; M_crawling = 2.38 ± 1.77 months) and 34 walking infants (M_age = 14.90 ± 2.18 months; M_walking = 2.59 ± 1.56 months) were tested on a new Water …

Predictors Of Marine Genetic Structure In The Indo-Australian Archipelago, Udhi E. Hernawan, Paul S. Lavery, Gary A. Kendrick, Kor-Jent Van Dijk, Yaya I. Ulumuddin, Teddy Triandiza, Kathryn M. Mcmahon

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The spatial genetic structure of marine organisms is related to dispersal and life-history traits, historical processes, current oceanographic connectivity and habitat features. Here, we assessed the relative importance of these factors for the genetic structure of a broad range of marine species in the Indo Australian Archipelago (IAA). We collated published data on 99 marine species from eight taxonomic groups (ascidians, fishes, molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, corals, reptiles, and marine plants) and used generalized linear models (GLMs) to estimate the best predictors of genetic structure. Genetic structure was characterized by FST and the number of genetic clusters over the study area. …

Genetic Analysis Of Endometriosis And Depression Identifies Shared Loci And Implicates Causal Links With Gastric Mucosa Abnormality, Emmanuel Adewuyi, Divya Mehta, Yadav Sapkota, Asa Auta, Kosuke Yoshihara, Mette Nyegaard, Lyn R. Griffiths, Grant W. Montgomery, Daniel I. Chasman, Dale R. Nyholt

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Evidence from observational studies indicates that endometriosis and depression often co-occur. However, conflicting evidence exists, and the etiology as well as biological mechanisms underlying their comorbidity remain unknown. Utilizing genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, we comprehensively assessed the relationship between endometriosis and depression. Single nucleotide polymorphism effect concordance analysis (SECA) found a significant genetic overlap between endometriosis and depression (PFsig-permuted = 9.99 × 10−4). Linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) analysis estimated a positive and highly significant genetic correlation between the two traits (rG = 0.27, P = 8.85 × 10−27). A meta-analysis of endometriosis and depression GWAS (sample size = …

Effect Of Ph And Heat Treatment On Physicochemical And Functional Properties Of Spray-Dried Whey Protein Concentrate Powder, Thao M. Ho, Jinlei Zhu, Nidhi Bansal, Mary C. Boyce, Thao T. Le

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Effects of pH and heating on deamidation of whey protein concentrate (WPC) solution and functional properties of resultant spray-dried WPC powder were investigated. Temperature and heating time affected deamidation rates with the highest reactivities for WPC solutions heated at 120 °C for 15 min and 145 °C for 120 s. Deamidation sites were pH dependent: pH 3 induced more glutamine deamidation; pH 10 induced more asparagine deamidation. The functional properties of spray-dried WPC powders were also pH dependent. WPC solution adjusted to pH 3 and heated at 145 °C for 120 s (prior to spray drying) exhibited a reduction in …

Thanatechnology And The Living Dead: New Concepts In Digital Transformation And Human-Computer Interaction, Vural Özdemir, Simon Springer, Arif Ylldlrlm, Sehmus Biçer, Asllgül Kendirci, Semra Sardaş, Hakan Klllç, Nezih Hekim, Tanja Kunej, Kazlm Yalçln Arga, Kevin Dzobo, Wei Wang, Marius Geanta, Angela Brand, Mustafa Bayram

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In a digital society, shall we be the authors of our own experience, not only during our lifetime but also after we die? We ask this question because dying and bereavement have become even harder, and much less private, in the digital age. New big data-driven digital industries and technologies are on the rise, with promises of interactive 3D avatars and storage of digital memories of the deceased, so they can continue to exist online as the "living dead"in a digital afterlife. Famous rock and roll icons like Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, Ronnie James Dio, and Amy Winehouse have famously …

1h-Cyclopropabenzene And 1h-Cyclopropa[B]Naphthalene Fumigation Downregulates Ethylene Production And Maintains Fruit Quality Of Controlled Atmosphere Stored ‘Granny Smith’ Apple, Vijay Y. Tokala, Zora Singh, Poe N. Kyaw

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The ‘Granny Smith’ is a commercial apple cultivar in Western Australia and popular in the apple world as well, for its unique green colour and flavour. The effects of two new ethylene antagonists namely 1H-cyclopropabenzene (BC) and 1H-cyclopropa[b]naphthalene (NC), as well as 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on ethylene production, rates of respiration and fruit quality were investigated in controlled atmosphere (CA) stored ‘Granny Smith’ apple. The apple fruit were fumigated with 1 μM BC (0.09 μL.L−1) or 1 μM NC (0.14 μL.L−1) or 18 μM (1 μL.L−1) 1-MCP for 18 h at room temperature (20 ± 2 °C and 65 ± 5% …

1h-Cyclopropabenzene And 1h-Cyclopropa[B]Naphthalene Fumigation Suppresses Climacteric Ethylene And Respiration Rates And Modulates Fruit Quality In Long-Term Controlled Atmosphere-Stored ‘Gold Rush’ Pear Fruit, Vijay Yadav Tokala, Zora Singh, Poe Nandar Kyaw

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

‘Gold Rush’ pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a russet-coloured fruit with soft buttery textured flesh and is gaining wide popularity in Australia and other countries along with other pear cultivars. The fruit are sensitive to ethylene, and exposure even at very low concentrations significantly reduces the storage duration as well as fruit quality during storage. The efficacy of two new ethylene antagonist compounds, namely, 1H-cyclopropabenzene (BC) and 1H-cyclopropa[b]naphthalene (NC), as well as 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) in regulating ethylene production, respiration rates and maintaining the fruit quality of ‘Gold Rush' pear during 150 d and 200 d of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage …

Multi-Response Surface Optimisation Of Extrusion Cooking To Increase Soluble Dietary Fibre And Polyphenols In Lupin Seed Coat, Liezhou Zhong, Zhongxiang Fang, Mark L. Wahlqvist, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Stuart K. Johnson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The seed coat of the legume lupin which is rich in insoluble dietary fibre is a major by-product in human food applications. Extrusion cooking has been demonstrated to increase desirable soluble dietary fibre in the Australian sweet lupin seed coat. In this study, processing condition of twin-screw extrusion cooking was optimised using a central composite rotatable design to increase soluble dietary fibre in lupin seed coat from 44.17 g/kg up to 113.69 g/kg dry basis. The high levels of polyphenols in the seed coat were retained. The optimal extrusion conditions which achieved maximum levels of soluble dietary fibre, total free …

Postharvest Fruit Quality Of Apple Influenced By Ethylene Antagonist Fumigation And Ozonized Cold Storage, Vijay Y. Tokala, Zora Singh, Poe N. Kyaw

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The effects of two new ethylene antagonists namely 1H-cyclopropabenzene (BC) and 1H-cyclopropa[b]naphthalene (NC), as well as 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on ethylene production and fruit quality of Cripps Pink and Granny Smith apple in ozonized cold storage, were investigated. When compared to control, Cripps Pink fruit fumigated with BC and NC exhibited significantly lowest ethylene production and respiration, whilst the Granny Smith fruit treated with 1-MCP exhibited lowest ethylene production followed by NC and BC treatments. Application of ozone in cold storage maintained higher levels of sugars but elevated ethylene production in both the apple cultivars. No significant interaction was recorded between …

Omicsvolcano: Software For Intuitive Visualization And Interactive Exploration Of High-Throughput Biological Data, Irina Kuznetsova, Artur Lugmayr, Oliver Rackham, Aleksandra Filipovska

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Advances in omics technologies have generated exponentially larger volumes of biological data; however, their analyses and interpretation are limited to computationally proficient scientists. We created OmicsVolcano, an interactive open-source software tool to enable visualization and exploration of high-throughput biological data, while highlighting features of interest using a volcano plot interface. In contrast to existing tools, our software and user-interface design allow it to be used without requiring any programming skills to generate high-quality and presentation-ready images.

Extraction And Quantitative Determination Of Bile Acids In Feces, Armaghan Shafaei, Joanna Rees, Claus T. Christophersen, Amanda Devine, David Broadhurst, Mary C. Boyce

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2021 Elsevier B.V. With rapid advances in gut microbiome research, fecal bile acids are increasingly being monitored as potential biomarkers of diet related disease susceptibility. As such, rapid, robust and reliable methods for their analysis are of increasing importance. Herein is described a simple extraction method for the analysis of bile acids in feces suitable for subsequent quantification by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. A C18 column separated the analytes with excellent peak shape and retention time repeatability maintained across 800 injections. The intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy was greater than 80%. Recoveries ranged from 83.58 to …

The Effects Of Acute Exercise On Bone Turnover Markers In Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Systematic Review, Cassandra Smith, Alexander Tacey, Jakub Mesinovic, David Scott, Xuzhu Lin, Tara C. Brennan-Speranza, Joshua R. Lewis, Gustavo Duque, Itamar Levinger

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Background: Bone turnover is the cellular machinery responsible for bone integrity and strength and, in the clinical setting, it is assessed using bone turnover markers (BTMs). Acute exercise can induce mechanical stress on bone which is needed for bone remodelling, but to date, there are conflicting results in regards to the effects of varying mechanical stimuli on BTMs. Objectives: This systematic review examines the effects of acute aerobic, resistance and impact exercises on BTMs in middle and older-aged adults and examines whether the responses are determined by the exercise mode, intensity, age and sex. Methods: We …

Quantitative Mass Spectrometry-Based Analysis Of Proteins Related To Cattle And Their Products – Focus On Cows’ Milk Beta-Casein Proteoforms, James A. Broadbent, Mark R. Condina, Michelle L. Colgrave

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Modern mass spectrometers can accurately measure thousands of compounds in complex mixtures over a given liquid chromatograph method, depending on desired outcome and method duration. This stream of analytical chemistry has wide ranging application across food, pharma, environmental, forensics, clinical and research. With consistent pressure on both the ruminant production and product industries to face new and substantial challenges, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is an ideal tool to identify, detect and quantify markers of breeding, production and adaption to support both research and industry to overcome these challenges. Herein, we provide a description of the theoretical …

Taking An Environmental Ethics Perspective To Understand What We Should Expect From Eia In Terms Of Biodiversity Protection, Alan Bond, Jenny Pope, Angus Morrison-Saunders, Francois Retief

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. As a globally mandated decision-support tool, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has the potential to contribute to the protection of biodiversity, which is increasingly under threat because of human activities. Concern over its ability to do this, however, has led to the addition of trade-off rules, Ecosystem Services Assessment (ESA), and biodiversity offsets. But given that EIA is set in a political decision-making context, what is reasonable to expect of EIA? In this paper we seek to explore what level of biodiversity protection we can expect EIA to support (and therefore whether these additions are worthwhile). Our …

Changes In Plasma Hydroxyproline And Plasma Cell-Free Dna Concentrations After Higher- Versus Lower-Intensity Eccentric Cycling, Georgios Mavropalias, Leslie Calapre, Michael Morici, Tomoko Koeda, Wayne C. K. Poon, Oliver R. Barley, Elin Gray, Anthony J. Blazevich, Kazunori Nosaka

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose:

We examined changes in plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity, hydroxyproline and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentrations in relation to changes in maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) torque and delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) following a session of volume-matched higher- (HI) versus lower-intensity (LI) eccentric cycling exercise.

Methods:

Healthy young men performed either 5 × 1-min HI at 20% of peak power output (n = 11) or 5 × 4-min LI eccentric cycling at 5% of peak power output (n = 9). Changes in knee extensor MVIC torque, DOMS, plasma CK activity, and hydroxyproline and cfDNA concentrations before, immediately after, and 24–72 …

Utilizing The Food–Pathogen Metabolome To Putatively Identify Biomarkers For The Detection Of Shiga Toxin-Producing E. Coli (Stec) From Spinach, Snehal R. Jadhav, Rohan M. Shah, Avinash V. Karpe, Robert S. Barlow, Kate E. Mcmillan, Michelle L. Colgrave, David J. Beale

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Shiga toxigenic E. coli (STEC) are an important cause of foodborne disease globally with many outbreaks linked to the consumption of contaminated foods such as leafy greens. Existing methods for STEC detection and isolation are time-consuming. Rapid methods may assist in preventing contaminated products from reaching consumers. This proof-of-concept study aimed to determine if a metabolomics approach could be used to detect STEC contamination in spinach. Using untargeted metabolic profiling, the bacterial pellets and supernatants arising from bacterial and inoculated spinach enrichments were investigated for the presence of unique metabolites that enabled categorization of three E. coli risk groups. A …

Fire In Semi-Arid Shrublands And Woodlands: Spatial And Temporal Patterns In An Australian Landscape, Eddie Van Etten, Robert A. Davis, Tim S. Doherty

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Semi-arid landscapes are of interest to fire ecologists because they are generally located in the climatic transition zone between arid lands (where fires tend to be rare due to lack of fuel, but are enhanced following large rainfall episodes) and more mesic regions (where fire activity tends to be enhanced following severe rainfall deficits). Here we report on the characteristics of the contemporary fire regimes operating in a semi-arid region of inland south-western Australia with rainfall averaging around 300 mm per annum. To characterize fire regimes, we analyzed a geodatabase of fire scars (1960–2018) to derive fire preferences for each …

Molecular Analyses Reveal Consistent Food Web Structure With Elevation In Rainforest Drosophila – Parasitoid Communities, Christopher T. Jeffs, J. Christopher D. Terry, Megan Higgie, Anna Jandová, Hana Konvičková, Joel J. Brown, Chia H. Lue, Michele Schiffer, Eleanor K. O'Brien, Jon Bridle, Jan Hrček, Owen T. Lewis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The analysis of interaction networks across spatial environmental gradients is a powerful approach to investigate the responses of communities to global change. Using a combination of DNA metabarcoding and traditional molecular methods we built bipartite Drosophila – parasitoid food webs from six Australian rainforest sites across gradients spanning 850 m in elevation and 5°C in mean temperature. Our cost-effective hierarchical approach to network reconstruction separated the determination of host frequencies from the detection and quantification of interactions. The food webs comprised 5–9 host and 5–11 parasitoid species at each site, and showed a lower incidence of parasitism at high elevation. …

Irf7-Associated Immunophenotypes Have Dichotomous Responses To Virus/Allergen Co-Exposure And Om-85-Induced Reprogramming, Emma De Jong, Jean-Francois Lauzon-Joset, Jonatan Leffler, Michael Serralha, Alexander N. Larcombe, Claus T. Christophersen, Patrick G. Holt, Deborah H. Strickland, Anthony Bosco

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

High risk for virus-induced asthma exacerbations in children is associated with an IRF7loimmunophenotype, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we applied aSystems Biology approach to an animal model comprising rat strains manifesting high(BN)versuslow susceptibility (PVG) to experimental asthma, induced by virus/allergencoexposure, to elucidate the mechanism(s)-of-action of the high-risk asthmaimmunophenotype. We also investigated potential risk mitigationviapretreatment withthe immune training agent OM-85. Virus/allergen coexposure in low-risk PVG rats resultedin rapid and transient airways inflammation alongside IRF7 gene network formation. Incontrast, responses in high-risk BN rats were characterized by severe airways eosinophiliaand exaggerated proinflammatory responses that failed to resolve, and complete absenceof …

Environmental Gradients And Physical Barriers Drive The Basin-Wide Spatial Structuring Of Mediterranean Sea And Adjacent Eastern Atlantic Ocean Prokaryotic Communities, Marta Sebastián, Eva Ortega-Retuerta, Laura Gómez-Consarnau, Marina Zamanillo, Marta Álvarez, Javier Arístegui, Josep M. Gasol

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Mediterranean Sea is a miniature ocean divided by the Sicily Strait into two basins with a marked west to east trophic gradient and separated of the nearby eastern Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar. Here, we test the hypothesis that these physical and environmental barriers favor the development of specific prokaryotic assemblages, leading to changes in community structure both in the vertical and horizontal spatial scales. By analyzing taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity using amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of the 16S rRNA gene, we show that there is indeed marked vertical segregation of prokaryotic groups, similar to that found …

The Role Of Aerodynamic Resistance In Thermal Remote Sensing-Based Evapotranspiration Models, Ivonne Trebs, Kaniska Mallick, Nishan Bhattarai, Mauro Sulis, Jamie Cleverly, William Woodgate, Richard Silberstein, Nina Hinko-Najera, Jason Beringer, Wayne S. Meyer, Zhongbo Su, Gilles Boulet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aerodynamic resistance (hereafter ra) is a preeminent variable in evapotranspiration (ET) modelling. The accurate quantification of ra plays a pivotal role in determining the performance and consistency of thermal remote sensing-based surface energy balance (SEB) models for estimating ET at local to regional scales. Atmospheric stability links ra with land surface temperature (LST) and the representation of their interactions in the SEB models determines the accuracy of ET estimates. The present study investigates the influence of ra and its relation to LST uncertainties on the performance of three structurally different SEB models. It used data from nine Australian OzFlux eddy …

Genome-Wide Association Study Of Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients In The United Arab Emirates, Mira Mousa, Hema Vurivi, Hussein Kannout, Maimunah Uddin, Nawal Alkaabi, Bassam Mahboub, Guan K. Tay, Habiba S. Alsafar

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The heterogeneity in symptomatology and phenotypic profile attributable to COVID-19 is widely unknown. The objective of this manuscript is to conduct a trans-ancestry genome wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of COVID-19 severity to improve the understanding of potentially causal targets for SARS-CoV-2. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 646 participants in the UAE that were divided into two phenotypic groups based on the severity of COVID-19 phenotypes, hospitalized (n=482) and non-hospitalized (n=164) participants. Hospitalized participants were COVID-19 patients that developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia or progression to respiratory failure that required supplemental oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation support …

Population-Specific Resilience Of Halophila Ovalis Seagrass Habitat To Unseasonal Rainfall, An Extreme Climate Event In Estuaries, Chanelle L. Webster, Kieryn L. Kilminster, Marta Sánchez Alarcón, Katherine Bennett, Simone Strydom, Sian Mcnamara, Paul S. Lavery, Kathryn M. Mcmahon

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

1. Extreme climate events are predicted to alter estuarine salinity gradients exposing habitat-forming species to more frequent salinity variations. The intensity and duration of these variations, rather than the mean salinity values ecosystems are exposed to, may be more important in influencing resilience but requires further investigation.
2. Precipitation, including the frequency, intensity and timing of occurrence, is shifting due to climate change. A global analysis on the timing of rainfall in estuarine catchments was conducted. In 80% of the case studies, the maximum daily rainfall occurred in the dry season at least once over the 40-year period and could be classified …