Publications by authors named "A M Sequeira"

The rise of angiosperms to ecological dominance and the breakup of Gondwana during the Mesozoic marked major transitions in the evolutionary history of insect-plant interactions. To elucidate how contemporary trophic interactions were influenced by host plant shifts and palaeogeographical events, we integrated molecular data with information from the fossil record to construct a time tree for ancient phytophagous weevils of the beetle family Belidae. Our analyses indicate that crown-group Belidae originated approximately 138 Ma ago in Gondwana, associated with Pinopsida (conifer) host plants, with larvae likely developing in dead/decaying branches.

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  • Climate change is causing shifts in animal habitats, particularly affecting the distribution of threatened marine species like whale sharks.
  • Projections indicate that by 2100, whale sharks could lose more than 50% of their core habitat in some areas, with significant geographic shifts that could place them in closer proximity to large ships.
  • The increase in whale shark interaction with shipping is expected to be dramatically higher under high emission scenarios compared to sustainable development, highlighting the urgency for better climate-threat predictions in conservation strategies for endangered marine life.
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A functional vascular access (VA) is of paramount importance to patients on hemodialysis therapy. While arteriovenous fistula (AVF) remains the preferred VA, their long-term patency is unpredictable. A dysfunctional VA contributes to a high morbidity rate, an increased susceptibility to major adverse cardiovascular events, recurrent hospitalization, and a poor quality of life.

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Multiplex spatial proteomic methodologies can provide a unique perspective on the molecular and cellular composition of complex biological systems. Several challenges are associated to the analysis of imaging data, specifically in regard to the normalization of signal-to-noise ratios across images and subtracting background noise. However, there is a lack of user-friendly solutions for denoising multiplex imaging data that can be applied to large datasets.

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  • Global biodiversity is under serious threat, raising doubts about current conservation governance systems and their ability to prevent species extinction.
  • Recent conferences, like COP15 and COP19, have brought renewed optimism for addressing these challenges, but significant barriers still hinder conservation efforts.
  • To tackle these issues effectively, the text emphasizes the need for alignment among legal, ecological, and sociocultural aspects of conservation, using the Rubik's cube as a metaphor to illustrate the complexity and necessity for integrated solutions.
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