Mesoscale vertical motion and the size structure of phytoplankton in the ocean

Phytoplankton size structure is acknowledged as a fundamental property determining energy flow through 'microbial' or 'herbivore' pathways. The balance between these two pathways determines the ability of the ecosystem to recycle carbon within the upper layer or to export it to the ocean interior. Small cells are usually characteristic of oligotrophic, stratified ocean waters, in which regenerated ammonium is the only available form of inorganic nitrogen and recycling dominates. Large cells seem to characterize phytoplankton in which inputs of nitrate enter the euphotic layer and exported production is higher. But the size structure of phytoplankton may depend more directly on hydrodynamical forces than on the source of available nitrogen. Here we present an empirical model that relates the magnitude of mesoscale vertical motion to the slope of the size-abundance spectrum of phytoplankton in a frontal ecosystem. Our model indicates that the relative proportion of large cells increases with the magnitude of the upward velocity. This suggests that mesoscale vertical motion-a ubiquitous feature of eddies and unstable fronts-controls directly the size structure of phytoplankton in the ocean.     

Evidence for non-selective preservation of organic matter in sinking marine particles

The sinking of particulate organic matter from ocean surface waters transports carbon to the ocean interior, where almost all is then recycled. The unrecycled fraction of this organic matter can become buried in ocean sediments, thus sequestering carbon and so influencing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. The processes controlling the extensive biodegradation of sinking particles remain unclear, partly because of the difficulty in resolving the composition of the residual organic matter at depth with existing chromatographic techniques. Here, using solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy, we characterize the chemical structure of organic carbon in both surface plankton and sinking particulate matter from the Pacific Ocean and the Arabian Sea. We found that minimal changes occur in bulk organic composition, despite extensive (>98%) biodegradation, and that amino-acid-like material predominates throughout the water column in both regions. The compositional similarity between phytoplankton biomass and the small remnant of organic matter reaching the ocean interior indicates that the formation of unusual biochemicals, either by chemical recombination or microbial biosynthesis, is not the main process controlling the preservation of particulate organic carbon within the water column at these two sites. We suggest instead that organic matter might be protected from degradation by the inorganic matrix of sinking particles.     

Mouse models for Friedreich ataxia exhibit cardiomyopathy, sensory nerve defect and Fe-S enzyme deficiency followed by intramitochondrial iron deposits

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), the most common autosomal recessive ataxia, is characterized by degeneration of the large sensory neurons and spinocerebellar tracts, cardiomyopathy and increased incidence in diabetes. FRDA is caused by severely reduced levels of frataxin, a mitochondrial protein of unknown function. Yeast knockout models as well as histological and biochemical data from heart biopsies or autopsies of FRDA patients have shown that frataxin defects cause a specific iron-sulfur protein deficiency and intramitochondrial iron accumulation. We have recently shown that complete absence of frataxin in the mouse leads to early embryonic lethality, demonstrating an important role for frataxin during mouse development. Through a conditional gene-targeting approach, we have generated in parallel a striated muscle frataxin-deficient line and a neuron/cardiac muscle frataxin-deficient line, which together reproduce important progressive pathophysiological and biochemical features of the human disease: cardiac hypertrophy without skeletal muscle involvement, large sensory neuron dysfunction without alteration of the small sensory and motor neurons, and deficient activities of complexes I-III of the respiratory chain and of the aconitases. Our models demonstrate time-dependent intramitochondrial iron accumulation in a frataxin-deficient mammal, which occurs after onset of the pathology and after inactivation of the Fe-S-dependent enzymes. These mutant mice represent the first mammalian models to evaluate treatment strategies for the human disease.     

A mutant mitochondrial respiratory chain assembly protein causes complex III deficiency in patients with tubulopathy, encephalopathy and liver failure

Complex III (CIII; ubiquinol cytochrome c reductase of the mitochondrial respiratory chain) catalyzes electron transfer from succinate and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked dehydrogenases to cytochrome c. CIII is made up of 11 subunits, of which all but one (cytochrome b) are encoded by nuclear DNA. CIII deficiencies are rare and manifest heterogeneous clinical presentations. Although pathogenic mutations in the gene encoding mitochondrial cytochrome b have been described, mutations in the nuclear-DNA-encoded subunits have not been reported. Involvement of various genes has been indicated in assembly of yeast CIII (refs. 8-11). So far only one such gene, BCS1L, has been identified in human. BCS1L represents, therefore, an obvious candidate gene in CIII deficiency. Here, we report BCS1L mutations in six patients, from four unrelated families and presenting neonatal proximal tubulopathy, hepatic involvement and encephalopathy. Complementation study in yeast confirmed the deleterious effect of these mutations. Mutation of BCS1L would seem to be a frequent cause of CIII deficiency, as one-third of our patients have BCS1L mutations.     

Deficiency of molecular hydrogen in the disk of beta Pictoris

Molecular hydrogen (H2) is by far the most abundant material from which stars, protoplanetary disks and giant planets form, but it is difficult to detect directly. Infrared emission lines from H2 have recently been reported towards beta Pictoris, a star harbouring a young planetary system. This star is surrounded by a dusty 'debris disk' that is continuously replenished either by collisions between asteroidal objects or by evaporation of ices on Chiron-like objects. A gaseous disk has also been inferred from absorption lines in the stellar spectrum. Here we present the far-ultraviolet spectrum of beta Pictoris, in which H2 absorption lines are not seen. This allows us to set a very low upper limit on the column density of H2: N(H2) 6 x 10-4. As CO would be destroyed under ambient conditions in about 200 years (refs 9, 11), our result demonstrates that the CO in the disk arises from evaporation of planetesimals.     

谈原真性（Authenticity）

>authenticity是当前国际文化遗产领域中一个特别重要的术语,它出现在众多国际文化遗产文献当中,在文化遗产价值认证和文化遗产保护实践中起着不可替代的作用。国际遗产界的重要文件《奈良文献》即指出：“原真性……看来是评审遗产价值的本质因素。对原真性的认识,在所有的文化遗产研究中,在保护与修复规划中,在《世界遗产公约》和其他文化遗产目录所采用的申报程序中,发挥着基础性作用。”因此,准确理解和翻译这个术语,对于中国遗产界具有重要的理论和实践意义。然而,目前国内对于authenticity的翻译仍然处于混乱状态,多种译法并存。在各种译法中,尤以将其译为“真实性”最为常见。该译法散见于各类学术研究中,并见诸官方文件,如2004年2月15日国务院办公厅转发了九个部委联合发布的《关于加强我国世界文化遗产保护管理工作的意见》。这个文件中使用的就是“真实性”提法。那么将authenticity一词译为“真实性”是否合适呢？下面从该词本身的意义着手,进行细致分析。authenticity一词起源于中世纪的欧洲,在希腊语和拉丁语中有“权威的”(authoritative)和“原初的”(original)含义。它并非是文化遗产领域的专用术语,早在现代文化遗产理论出现之前,就已应用于伦理学、语言学、文学艺术等领域。在宗教占统治力量的中世纪,authenticity用来指宗教经本及宗教遗物的真实性^[1]。在英文词典Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary的释义中,authenticity有original(原初的)、real(真实的)、trustworthy(可信的)三层含义。英国文化遗产专家David Lowenthal认为,authenticity表示与“虚假”(false)相对应的“真正”(true),与“伪造”(fake)相对应的“真实”(real),与“复制”(copy)相对应的“原作”(original),与“欺骗”(corrupt)相对应的“诚实”(honest),与“世俗”(profane)相对应的“神圣”(sacred)。^[1]当“authenticity”一词应用于文化遗产领域时,是指文化遗产本身和所有相关信息的“原初”“真实”和“可信”。如果将authenticity译为“真实性”,此种翻译只表达了其中的real(真实的)、trustworthy(可信的)两层含义,而original(原初的)这层含义,却没有体现出来。但这层含义对于遗产理论和实践有着不可忽略的意义。original(原初的),包含着时间维度上的“真”,其中original可理解为第一手的,非复制的。这层意思表明,authenticity中的“真”,是一个与时间相关的概念,即时间起点和整个时间序列上各个点对于起始状态的“真”的反映。举个简单的例子,当面对一只在今天制造的金手镯时,人们讨论其是否是“真”,一般是指其是否用纯金制成;而面对一只古代的金手镯,当讨论其是否是“真”,不仅指其材料,更是指向时间维度,即这只金手镯是否是制造于古代而不是现代;如果这是一只古代著名人物用过的金手镯,那这个“真”还指代特定历史年代和特定历史人物,而这些信息都是不能复制的,都是“原”的。所以,“原”和“真”在指向的内容上有一定的交集,但并不是完全重合。在文化遗产领域翻译authenticity时,“原”的含义是不可以省略的。不恰当的翻译容易导致意思的缺损,会造成对术语的片面理解,影响人们对文化遗产领域中一些重要问题的判断,给文化遗产保护实践带来负面影响。一些学者提出了更为恰当的译法,其中“原真性”就是其中之一。张松提出：“原真性(authenticity),又译原生性、真实性、确实性、可靠性,主要有原始的、原创的、第一手的、非复制、非仿造等意思。”^[2]张成渝^[3],阮仪三^[4-5]等人都在文章中直接使用“原真性”作为“authenticity”一词的翻译。与其他译法相比,“原真性”一词中的“原”与“original”这层含义对应,“真”与“real”和“trustworthy”对应,完整得表达出了“authenticity”中所包含的三重含义,弥补了原译法的不足。这种译法能够与多样的文化遗产相适应,是对“authenticity”较为确切的中文翻译。     

Resource overlap between mountain goats and bighorn sheep

Mountain goat ( Oreamnos americanus ) and bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis ) ranges overlap substantially in northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. Resource overlap in food and habitat parameters is assumed, but the degree of overlap has not been estimated. Data from published separate and comparative studies on food and habitat use were used to calculate indices of resource overlap for goats and sheep. Indices of overlap for general forage classes (grasses, forbs, browse) were > 0.90 in summer and winter for data based on pooled data from separate studies and in summer for data for comparative studies. In winter for comparative studies this overlap was 0.64. For studies where forage species were identified, estimates of resource overlap from separate studies were ～ 0.8 but were < 0.5 for comparative studies. Indices of overlap for habitat variables were also low (< 0.7) for comparative studies. It was concluded that possible overlap in food and habitat use by goats and sheep could be extensive; but in sympatric populations resource overlap may be reduced substantially.