The evolution of postpairing male mate choice.

An increasing number of empirical studies in animals have demonstrated male mate choice. However, little is known about the evolution of postpairing male choice, specifically which occurs by differential allocation of male parental care in response to female signals. We use a population genetic model to examine whether such postpairing male mate choice can evolve when males face a trade-off between parental care and extra-pair copulations (EPCs).

Pentanuclear Lanthanide Mono-organophosphates: Synthesis, Structure, and Magnetism.

Research on rare-earth phosphates has recently received substantial interest because of their unique physical and chemical properties. In recent years, because of their low solubility, research interest has been built on developing methodologies to prepare nanostructures and grow single crystals of inorganic rare-earth phosphates. The chemistry of rare-earth organophosphates, however, is still at a latent stage.

Exploring the Influence of Diamagnetic Ions on the Mechanism of Magnetization Relaxation in {CoLn} (Ln = Dy, Tb, Ho) "Butterfly" Complexes.

The synthesis and magnetic and theoretical studies of three isostructural heterometallic [CoLn(μ-OH)(o-tol)(mdea)(NO)] (Ln = Dy (1), Tb (2), Ho (3)) "butterfly" complexes are reported (o-tol = o-toluate, (mdea) = doubly deprotonated N-methyldiethanolamine). The Co ions are diamagnetic in these complexes. Analysis of the dc magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal antiferromagnetic exchange coupling between the two Ln ions for all three complexes.

Role of the Diamagnetic Zinc(II) Ion in Determining the Electronic Structure of Lanthanide Single-Ion Magnets.

Four complexes containing Dy and Pr ions and their Ln -Zn analogs have been synthesized in order to study the influence that a diamagnetic Zn ion has on the electronic structure and hence, the magnetic properties of the Dy and Pr single ions. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed the molecular structures as [Dy (HL) (NO ) ] (1), [Pr (HL) (NO ) ] (2), [Zn Dy (L) (CH CO )(NO ) ] (3) and [Zn Pr (L) (CH CO ) (NO )] (4) (where HL=2-methoxy-6-[(E)-phenyliminomethyl]phenol). The dc and ac magnetic data were collected for all four complexes.

What Controls the Magnetic Exchange and Anisotropy in a Family of Tetranuclear {MnMn} Single-Molecule Magnets?

Twelve heterovalent, tetranuclear manganese(II/III) planar diamond or "butterfly" complexes, 1-12, have been synthesized and structurally characterized, and their magnetic properties have been probed using experimental and theoretical techniques. The 12 structures are divided into two distinct "classes". Compounds 1-8 place the Mn(III), S = 2, ions in the body positions of the butterfly metallic core, while the Mn(II), S = 5/2, ions occupy the outer wing sites and are described as "Class 1".

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project.

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.

Congener specific determination of polychlorinated naphthalenes in sediment and biota by gas chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry.

An isotope dilution congener-specific method for the determination of the most abundant and most toxic polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) was developed using gas chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS). The method was used to determine the concentration of 24 target congeners and total PCN concentrations in fish and sediment samples. Tissue samples were extracted using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and sediment samples were extracted using Soxhlet extraction.

Determination of Halogenated Flame Retardants Using Gas Chromatography with Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) and a High-Resolution Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (HRqTOFMS).

A method to determine halogenated flame retardants was developed that utilizes gas chromatography with atmospheric chemical ionization (APCI) high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HRqTOFMS). The new GC-APCI-HRqTOFMS method was used to determine the presence of 65 halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) in the United Sates National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) organic contaminants in house dust standard reference material (SRM). The accuracy of the measurements was compared to the certified NIST value for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and had an average accuracy for the 14 certified PBDEs of 109% with subpicogram detection limits (on column) from a single 1 μL injection with a run time of 18 min.

Using avian functional traits to assess the impact of land-cover change on ecosystem processes linked to resilience in tropical forests.

Vertebrates perform key roles in ecosystem processes via trophic interactions with plants and insects, but the response of these interactions to environmental change is difficult to quantify in complex systems, such as tropical forests. Here, we use the functional trait structure of Amazonian forest bird assemblages to explore the impacts of land-cover change on two ecosystem processes: seed dispersal and insect predation. We show that trait structure in assemblages of frugivorous and insectivorous birds remained stable after primary forests were subjected to logging and fire events, but that further intensification of human land use substantially reduced the functional diversity and dispersion of traits, and resulted in communities that occupied a different region of trait space.

Quenching the Quantum Tunneling of Magnetization in Heterometallic Octanuclear {TM Dy } (TM=Co and Cr) Single-Molecule Magnets by Modification of the Bridging Ligands and Enhancing the Magnetic Exchange Coupling.

We report the synthesis, structural characterisation, magnetic properties and provide an ab initio analysis of the magnetic behaviour of two new heterometallic octanuclear coordination complexes containing Co and Dy ions. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed molecular formulae of [Co Dy (μ-OH) (μ -OMe) {O CC(CH ) } (tea) (H O) ]⋅4 H O (1) and [Co Dy (μ-F) (μ -OH) (o-tol) (mdea) ]⋅ 3 H O⋅EtOH⋅MeOH (2; tea =triply deprotonated triethanolamine; mdea =doubly deprotonated N-methyldiethanolamine; o-tol=o-toluate), and both complexes display an identical metallic core topology. Furthermore, the theoretical, magnetic and SMM properties of the isostructural complex, [Cr Dy (μ-F )(μ -OMe) (μ -OH) (O CPh) (mdea) ] (3), are discussed and compared with a structurally similar complex, [Cr Dy (μ -OH) (μ-N ) (mdea) (O CC(CH ) ) ] (4).

Crystal structure of 2,4-di--butyl-6-(hy-droxy-methyl)-phenol.

The title compound, CHO, is an example of a phenol-based pendant-arm precursor. In the mol-ecule, the phenol hy-droxy group participates in an intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bond with the pendant alcohol group, forming an (6) ring. This ring adopts a half-chair conformation.

c-Myc deregulation induces mRNA capping enzyme dependency.

c-Myc is a potent driver of many human cancers. Since strategies for directly targeting c-Myc protein have had limited success, upstream regulators and downstream effectors of c-Myc are being investigated as alternatives for therapeutic intervention. c-Myc regulates transcription and formation of the mRNA cap, which is important for transcript maturation and translation.

Guilty by dissociation-development of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and other rapid screening methods for the analysis of 13 diphenidine-derived new psychoactive substances (NPSs).

The prevalence of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) in forensic casework has increased prominently in recent years. This has given rise to significant legal and analytical challenges in the identification of these substances. The requirement for validated, robust and rapid testing methodologies for these compounds is obvious.

A review of the determination of persistent organic pollutants for environmental forensics investigations.

The field of environmental forensics emerged in the 1980s as a consequence of legislative frameworks enacted to enable parties, either states or individuals, to seek compensation with regard to contamination or injury due to damage to the environment. This legal environment requires stringent record keeping and defendable data therefore analysis can sometimes be confined to data to be obtained from certified laboratories using a standard accredited analytical method. Many of these methods were developed to target specific compounds for risk assessment purposes and not for environmental forensics applications such as source identification or age dating which often require larger data sets.

What Controls the Sign and Magnitude of Magnetic Anisotropy in Tetrahedral Cobalt(II) Single-Ion Magnets?

A family of mononuclear tetrahedral cobalt(II) thiourea complexes, [Co(L)](NO) (1) and [Co(L)](ClO) where x = 2 (2), 3 (3), 4 (4) (where L = thiourea, L = 1,3-dibutylthiourea, L = 1,3-phenylethylthiourea, and L = 1,1,3,3-tetramethylthiourea), has been synthesized using a rationally designed synthetic approach, with the aim of stabilizing an Ising-type magnetic anisotropy (-D). On the basis of direct-current, alternating-current, and hysteresis magnetic measurements and theoretical calculations, we have identified the factors that govern the sign and magnitude of D and ultimately the ability to design a single-ion magnet for a tetrahedral cobalt(II) ion. To better understand the magnetization relaxation dynamics, particularly for complexes 1 and 2, dilution experiments were performed using their diamagnetic analogues, which are characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction with the general molecular formulas of [Zn(L)](NO) (5) and [Zn(L)](ClO) (6).

Evaluating the potential of thermal read-out techniques combined with molecularly imprinted polymers for the sensing of low-weight organic molecules.

In recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in the papers published on synthetic recognition elements. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), also referred to as "man-made mimics" of antibodies, are able to rebind their template molecules with high affinity. Advantages compared with those of natural receptors include their excellent thermal and chemical stability, low cost, and ease of the production process.

Using management to conserve biodiversity under climate change.

Successful conservation will increasingly depend on our ability to help species cope with climate change. While there has been much attention on accommodating or assisting range shifts, less has been given to the alternative strategy of helping species survive climate change through management.Here we provide a synthesis of published evidence examining whether habitat management can be used to offset the adverse impacts on biodiversity of changes in temperature, water availability and sea-level rise.

Paradoxical cold conditions during the medieval climate anomaly in the Western Arctic.

In the Northern Hemisphere, most mountain glaciers experienced their largest extent in the last millennium during the Little Ice Age (1450 to 1850 CE, LIA), a period marked by colder hemispheric temperatures than the Medieval Climate Anomaly (950 to 1250 CE, MCA), a period which coincided with glacier retreat. Here, we present a new moraine chronology based on (36)Cl surface exposure dating from Lyngmarksbræen glacier, West Greenland. Consistent with other glaciers in the western Arctic, Lyngmarksbræen glacier experienced several advances during the last millennium, the first one at the end of the MCA, in ~1200 CE, was of similar amplitude to two other advances during the LIA.

Differences between Pygmy and Non-Pygmy Hunting in Congo Basin Forests.

We use data on game harvest from 60 Pygmy and non-Pygmy settlements in the Congo Basin forests to examine whether hunting patterns and prey profiles differ between the two hunter groups. For each group, we calculate hunted animal numbers and biomass available per inhabitant, P, per year (harvest rates) and killed per hunter, H, per year (extraction rates). We assess the impact of hunting of both hunter groups from estimates of numbers and biomass of prey species killed per square kilometre, and by examining the proportion of hunted taxa of low, medium and high population growth rates as a measure of their vulnerability to overhunting.

Enhancing the magnetic blocking temperature and magnetic coercivity of {CrLn} single-molecule magnets via bridging ligand modification.

Replacing bridging benzoate ligands with 2-chloro-4,5-fluorobenzoate in a family of {CrLn} (Ln = Tb, Dy and Ho) single-molecule magnets result in significant improvements in magnetic relaxation time, magnetic hysteresis blocking temperature and magnetic coercivity.

Organic-resistant screen-printed graphitic electrodes: Application to on-site monitoring of liquid fuels.

This work presents the potential application of organic-resistant screen-printed graphitic electrodes (SPGEs) for fuel analysis. The required analysis of the antioxidant 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (2,6-DTBP) in biodiesel and jet fuel is demonstrated as a proof-of-concept. The screen-printing of graphite, Ag/AgCl and insulator inks on a polyester substrate (250 μm thickness) resulted in SPGEs highly compatible with liquid fuels.

Molecular MRI in the Earth's Magnetic Field Using Continuous Hyperpolarization of a Biomolecule in Water.

In this work, we illustrate a method to continuously hyperpolarize a biomolecule, nicotinamide, in water using parahydrogen and signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE). Building on the preparation procedure described recently by Truong et al. [ J.

Spotting Cheetahs: Identifying Individuals by Their Footprints.

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is Africa's most endangered large felid and listed as Vulnerable with a declining population trend by the IUCN(1). It ranges widely over sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of the Middle East. Cheetah conservationists face two major challenges, conflict with landowners over the killing of domestic livestock, and concern over range contraction.

Taxonomic and Geographic Bias in Conservation Biology Research: A Systematic Review of Wildfowl Demography Studies.

Demographic data are important to wildlife managers to gauge population health, to allow populations to be utilised sustainably, and to inform conservation efforts. We analysed published demographic data on the world's wildfowl to examine taxonomic and geographic biases in study, and to identify gaps in knowledge. Wildfowl (order: Anseriformes) are a comparatively well studied bird group which includes 169 species of duck, goose and swan.

Mineral Type and Solution Chemistry Affect the Structure and Composition of Actively Growing Bacterial Communities as Revealed by Bromodeoxyuridine Immunocapture and 16S rRNA Pyrosequencing.

Understanding how minerals affect bacterial communities and their in situ activities in relation to environmental conditions are central issues in soil microbial ecology, as minerals represent essential reservoirs of inorganic nutrients for the biosphere. To determine the impact of mineral type and solution chemistry on soil bacterial communities, we compared the diversity, composition, and functional abilities of a soil bacterial community incubated in presence/absence of different mineral types (apatite, biotite, obsidian). Microcosms were prepared containing different liquid culture media devoid of particular essential nutrients, the nutrients provided only in the introduced minerals and therefore only available to the microbial community through mineral dissolution by biotic and/or abiotic processes.