Aquatic-terrestrial linkages drive contrasting biodiversity patterns in tropical and temperate forests.

Riparian ecosystems harbour unique biodiversity because of their close interconnections with adjacent aquatic ecosystems. Yet, how aquatic ecosystems influence terrestrial biodiversity over different spatial scales is poorly understood, particularly in the tropics. We conducted field campaigns to collect 235 terrestrial invertebrate assemblages along 150 m transects from 47 streams in both Brazil and the UK, compiling one of the largest known datasets of riparian invertebrate community composition at multiple spatial scales.

Untangling the complex food webs of tropical rainforest streams.

Food webs depict the tangled web of trophic interactions associated with the functioning of an ecosystem. Understanding the mechanisms providing stability to these food webs is therefore vital for conservation efforts and the management of natural systems. Here, we first characterised a tropical stream meta-food web and five individual food webs using a Bayesian Hierarchical approach unifying three sources of information (gut content analysis, literature compilation and stable isotope data).

Cerebellar vermis joins the brain's social network.

The cerebellum is more than just motor control: over the past 30 years, the notion that the “little brain” participates in cognitive functions and emotional response has grown to encompass social-related behaviors. Chao et al. bring to light the role of the cerebellar vermis in orchestrating a specific component of social memory in mice.

Understanding temporal variability across trophic levels and spatial scales in freshwater ecosystems.

A tenet of ecology is that temporal variability in ecological structure and processes tends to decrease with increasing spatial scales (from locales to regions) and levels of biological organization (from populations to communities). However, patterns in temporal variability across trophic levels and the mechanisms that produce them remain poorly understood. Here we analyzed the abundance time series of spatially structured communities (i.

Land-use intensification systematically alters the size structure of aquatic communities in the Neotropics.

Land-use and land-cover transitions can affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in a myriad of ways, including how energy is transferred within food-webs. Size spectra (i.e.

Optogenetic induction of hibernation-like state with modified human Opsin4 in mice.

We recently determined that the excitatory manipulation of -expressing neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus (quiescence-inducing neurons [Q neurons]) induced a hibernation-like hypothermic/hypometabolic state (QIH) in mice. To control the QIH with a higher time resolution, we develop an optogenetic method using modified human opsin4 (OPN4; also known as melanopsin), a G protein-coupled-receptor-type blue-light photoreceptor. C-terminally truncated OPN4 (OPN4dC) stably and reproducibly induces QIH for at least 24 h by illumination with low-power light (3 μW, 473 nm laser) with high temporal resolution.

Catchment scale deforestation increases the uniqueness of subtropical stream communities.

Local communities and individual species jointly contribute to the overall beta diversity in metacommunities. However, it is mostly unknown whether the local contribution (LCBD) and the species contribution (SCBD) to beta diversity can be predicted by local and regional environmental characteristics and by species traits and taxonomic relatedness, respectively. We investigated the LCBD and SCBD of stream benthic diatoms and insects along a gradient of land use intensification, ranging from streams in pristine forests to agricultural catchments in southeast subtropical Brazil.

The riverine bioreactor: An integrative perspective on biological decomposition of organic matter across riverine habitats.

Riverine ecosystems can be conceptualized as 'bioreactors' (the riverine bioreactor) which retain and decompose a wide range of organic substrates. The metabolic performance of the riverine bioreactor is linked to their community structure, the efficiency of energy transfer along food chains, and complex interactions among biotic and abiotic environmental factors. However, our understanding of the mechanistic functioning and capacity of the riverine bioreactor remains limited.

A Metabolic Perspective of Stochastic Community Assembly.

Metabolism controls the pace of life, driving major ecological patterns. We propose that the scaling of metabolism with temperature influences neutral processes of community assembly by controlling population dynamics independently of species identities. This perspective provides new insights into the prevalence of niche and neutral processes through universal energetic constraints.

Community size can affect the signals of ecological drift and niche selection on biodiversity.

Ecological drift can override the effects of deterministic niche selection on small populations and drive the assembly of some ecological communities. We tested this hypothesis with a unique data set sampled identically in 200 streams in two regions (tropical Brazil and boreal Finland) that differ in macroinvertebrate community size by fivefold. Null models allowed us to estimate the magnitude to which β-diversity deviates from the expectation under a random assembly process while taking differences in richness and relative abundance into account, i.

Transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve implantation: reports of the first 50 cases from a Latin American Centre.

Objectives: Our goal was to analyse the initial results of the first 50 transapical transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve procedures performed in a single Latin American centre.

Methods: A prospective, single centre, database analysis was conducted to evaluate immediate, 30-day and 1-year postoperative results of 50 consecutive patients who had a transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve procedure from May 2015 to June 2018. All patients were operated on in a hybrid operating room and received a balloon-expandable valve via the transapical approach.

Ecological versatility and the assembly of multiple competitors: cautionary notes for assembly inferences.

The role of niche differences and competition is invoked when one finds coexisting species to be more dissimilar in trait composition than expected at random in community assembly studies. This approach has been questioned as competition has been hypothesized to either lead to communities assembled by similar or dissimilar species, depending on whether species similarity reflects fitness or niche differences, respectively. A current problem is that the arguments used to draw relationships between competition and species similarity are based on pairwise theoretical examples, while in nature competition can occurs among a constellation of species with different levels of versatility in resources used.

The light switch-off response as a putative rodent test of innate fear.

Recent discussions on the ethics in animal experimentation instigate the refinement of methods used in Behavioral Neuroscience, particularly regarding fear/anxiety paradigms. We propose the Light Switch-Off Test (LSOT), based on the innate motivation to cease an aversive stimulus (bright light), displayed naturally by rodents in their habitat. Forty-six male adult Wistar rats were allocated into independent groups: control, diazepam at 1 or 2mg/kg, and meta-Chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) at 0.

Phylogenies and traits provide distinct insights about the historical and contemporary assembly of aquatic insect communities.

The assumption that traits and phylogenies can be used as proxies of species niche has faced criticisms. Evidence suggested that phylogenic relatedness is a weak proxy of trait similarity. Moreover, different processes can select different traits, giving opposing signals in null model analyses.

Phylogenetic clustering among aggressive competitors: evidence from odonate assemblages along a riverine gradient.

Studies on phylogenetic community ecology usually infer habitat filtering when communities are phylogenetically clustered or competitive exclusion when communities are overdispersed. This logic is based on strong competition and niche similarity among closely related species-a less common phenomenon than previously expected. Dragonflies and damselflies are good models for testing predictions based on this logic because they behave aggressively towards related species due to mistaken identification of conspecifics.

Dual role of dopamine D(2)-like receptors in the mediation of conditioned and unconditioned fear.

A reduction of dopamine release or D2 receptor blockade in the terminal fields of the mesolimbic system, particularly the amygdala, clearly reduces conditioned fear. Similar D2 receptor antagonism in the neural substrates of fear in the midbrain tectum attenuates the processing of unconditioned aversive information. However, the implications of the interplay between opposing actions of dopamine in the rostral and caudal segments of the dopaminergic system are still unclear.

The benzodiazepine midazolam acts on the expression of the defensive behavior, but not on the processing of aversive information, produced by exposure to the elevated plus maze and electrical stimulations applied to the inferior colliculus of rats.

Electrical stimulation of midbrain tectum structures, particularly the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG) and inferior colliculus (IC), produces defensive responses such as freezing and escape behavior. Freezing also results after termination of this stimulation (post-stimulation freezing; PSF). Whereas these responses are critically mediated by GABA in the dPAG, it is unclear how GABA-benzodiazepine mechanisms mediate the expression of fear (freezing and escape behaviors) and the processing of aversive information (PSF) produced by electrical stimulation of the IC.

Further evidence for the role of interferon-gamma on anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors: involvement of hippocampal neurogenesis and NGF production.

A series of evidence suggests that interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) plays an important role in central nervous system (CNS) functions. However, previous studies have obtained inconsistent results regarding the role of IFN-γ in modulating emotion-related behaviors. The present study aimed to evaluate the behavioral profile of IFN-γ knockout (K.

Viability and resistance of lactobacilli isolated from cocoa fermentation to simulated gastrointestinal digestive steps in soy yogurt.

To study the potential probiotic characteristics such as decrease of pH, microbial viability, and tolerance to simulated digestive steps of fermented soy beverage ("soy yogurt") produced with lactobacilli isolated from cocoa fermentation (Lactobacillus fermentum TcUESC01 and Lactobacillus plantarum TcUESC02) during fermentation and refrigerated storage. The sensory acceptance of the yogurts was also tested. Samples of soy yogurt produced with L.

Distinct effects of haloperidol in the mediation of conditioned fear in the mesolimbic system and processing of unconditioned aversive information in the inferior colliculus.

Chemical and electrical stimulation of the inferior colliculus (IC) causes defensive behavior. Electrical stimulation of the IC at the escape threshold enhances dopamine (DA) release in the prefrontal cortex. Intra-ventral tegmental area injections of quinpirole at doses that act presynaptically reduce the release of DA in the terminal fields of the mesolimbic system and clearly reduce conditioned fear in several animal models of anxiety.

Cannabinoid modulation of neuroinflammatory disorders.

In recent years, a growing interest has been dedicated to the study of the endocannabinoid system. The isolation of Cannabis sativa main psychotropic compound, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), has led to the discovery of an atypical neurotransmission system that modulates the release of other neurotransmitters and participates in many biological processes, including the cascade of inflammatory responses. In this context, cannabinoids have been studied for their possible therapeutic properties in neuroinflammatory diseases.

[Pharmacological exploitation of the endocannabinoid system: new perspectives for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders?].

Objective: The present review provides a brief introduction into the endocannabinoid system and discusses main strategies of pharmacological interventions.

Method: We have reviewed the literature relating to the endocannabinoid system and its pharmacology; both original and review articles written in English were considered.

Discussion: Cannabinoids are a group of compounds present in Cannabis Sativa (hemp), such as Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol, and their synthetic analogues.

[Community onset of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in previously healthy or health care-associated children in Argentina].

Introduction: Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections (CA-MRSA) are prevalent in several countries of the world. These infections seem to differ clinically from those occurring within the health care system (HCS-MRSA).

Objective: To compare clinical characteristics of infections by CA-MRSA and HCA-MRSA in the same community.

Etiology of fungaemia and catheter colonisation in Argentinean paediatric patients.

Yeast strains obtained from blood cultures and catheters from intensive care units (ICU) and hospitalised oncology paediatrics were studied. Yeast were the first cause of catheter colonisation (51/627), and the third cause of bloodstream infection (44/6065). In catheter, the most frequent species were Candida albicans (34%), C.