Extraordinary levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in vertebrate animals at a New Mexico desert oasis: Multiple pathways for wildlife and human exposure.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment pose persistent and complex threats to human and wildlife health. Around the world, PFAS point sources such as military bases expose thousands of populations of wildlife and game species, with potentially far-reaching implications for population and ecosystem health. But few studies shed light on the extent to which PFAS permeate food webs, particularly ecologically and taxonomically diverse communities of primary and secondary consumers.

Climate Change Habitat Model Forecasts for Eight Owl Species in the Southwestern US.

The high-resolution forecasting of vegetation type shifts may prove essential in anticipating and mitigating the impacts of future climate change on bird populations. Here, we used the US Forest Service Ecological Response Unit (ERU) classification to develop and assess vegetation-based breeding habitat profiles for eight owl species occurring in the foothills and mountains of the Southwestern US. Shifts in mapped habitat were forecast using an ecosystem vulnerability model based on the pre-1990 climate envelopes of ERUs and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) A1B moderate-emission scenario for the future climate.

Lack of the human choline transporter-like protein SLC44A2 causes hearing impairment and a rare red blood phenotype.

Blood phenotypes are defined by the presence or absence of specific blood group antigens at the red blood cell (RBC) surface, due to genetic polymorphisms among individuals. The recent development of genomic and proteomic approaches enabled the characterization of several enigmatic antigens. The choline transporter-like protein CTL2 encoded by the SLC44A2 gene plays an important role in platelet aggregation and neutrophil activation.

Bonding analysis in ytterbium(II) distannyl and related tetryls.

The syntheses of the ytterbium(II) distannyl [Yb{Sn(SiMe)}·(thf)] (Yb-Sn) and of its digermyl analogue [Yb{Ge(SiMe)}·(thf)] (Yb-Ge) are presented. The compounds were characterised by multinuclear high-resolution solution NMR spectroscopy, including Yb NMR, and by X-ray diffraction crystallography. The bonding and electronic properties of the two complexes, along with those of the known ytterbium(II) disilyl derivative [Yb{Si(SiMe)}·(thf)] (Yb-Si) and those of the congeneric calcium distannyl [Ca{Sn(SiMe)}·(thf)] (Ca-Sn), were investigated in detail by DFT calculations.

Metal-metal bonded alkaline-earth distannyls.

The first families of alkaline-earth stannylides [Ae(SnPh)·(thf) ] (Ae = Ca, = 3, ; Sr, = 3, ; Ba, = 4, ) and [Ae{Sn(SiMe)}·(thf) ] (Ae = Ca, = 4, ; Sr, = 4, ; Ba, = 4, ), where Ae is a large alkaline earth with direct Ae-Sn bonds, are presented. All complexes have been characterised by high-resolution solution NMR spectroscopy, including Sn NMR, and by X-ray diffraction crystallography. The molecular structures of [Ca(SnPh)·(thf)] (), [Sr(SnPh)·(thf)] (), [Ba(SnPh)·(thf)] (), , and [Ba{Sn(SiMe)}·(thf)] (), most of which crystallised as higher thf solvates than their parents , were established by XRD analysis; the experimentally determined Sn-Ae-Sn' angles lie in the range 158.