Aggregation Sites Research Articles

Land-use and ceramics in the Andean highlands of Patagonia, Argentina

The aim of this paper is to study the use of ceramics of small-scale societies during the late Holocene in northern Patagonia. The technological investment model predicts that use-time and utility will determine the investment spent in ceramics. We explore how ceramics were used in short-term camps and aggregation sites during summer at high elevations, and residential camps during winter at lower elevations. To test the investment in ceramics we use four technological variables: temper size, average thickness, surface treatment and firing. Our results indicate that hunter-gatherers expected a short-term use in summer locations and therefore made a low investment in ceramics.

Allusion as a means of implementing intertextuality in English-language online film review

The article discusses ways to actualize allusion as an intertextual element. Intertextual inclusions in the texts of the film review are designed to illustrate the degree of professional competence of the reviewer and his interpretative qualities using the comparative analytical method. Allusion, being a stylistic device for the realization of intertextuality, contains a certain pretext. This pretext performs the function of a precedent phenomenon associated with some collective invariant component of linguistic consciousness. The purpose of this article is to consider in film review the ways in which allusion functions as an intertextual reference. The empirical material of this study was a corpus of 30 movie reviews from 2021–2023, taken from the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Direct or indirect reference to a specific cinematic phenomenon not only increases the general erudition and awareness of the reader, but also serves as a means of providing a perlocative effect when reading this film review. Allusion, being a means of realizing the author’s pragmatic intentions, performs a comparative function by building intertextual references. The referents in film reviews are the names of films, directors, actors and other precedent units of the world of cinema.

Temporal and oceanographic factors differentially affect two size classes of white shark at a Southern California aggregation site

Ontogenetic habitat shifts are a common feature of many marine species, including sharks, which face conservation threats when their distributions overlap with human resource extraction and habitat modification. White sharks Carcharodon carcharias, for example, exhibit a distinctly coastal phase as juveniles, with a limited distribution compared to the basin-scale range of adults. Using an unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV), we studied a coastal aggregation site within a Southern California Bight nursery area to determine how fine-scale temporal and oceanographic factors affect white sharks at different developmental stages. White shark density, as measured via UAV, was highly variable across time of day and day of year, with modest variation across years. Typically, more sharks were observed in the late afternoon hours. Sharks, especially those <3 m total length, were observed more often during periods of colder seafloor temperatures, potentially reflecting avoidance of these colder, deeper waters by more cold-intolerant smaller white sharks. Alternate models incorporating sea surface temperature showed a very small but significant association between surface temperatures and <3 m total length white sharks for the months we surveyed, but no such association for larger sharks. There were no or only modest effects of visibility, swell height, chl a levels, sea state, and tidal height on UAV-observed shark density. Understanding how temporal patterns and oceanographic predictors of density change over time as well as how shark ontogeny interacts with these factors can help us to better understand how this species uses coastal habitats and predict when they may be more likely to share marine space with humans.

Effects of climate warming on energetics and habitat of the world's largest marine ectotherm

Responses of organisms to climate warming are variable and complex. Effects on species distributions are already evident and mean global surface ocean temperatures are likely to warm by up to 4.1 °C by 2100, substantially impacting the physiology and distributions of ectotherms. The largest marine ectotherm, the whale shark Rhincodon typus, broadly prefers sea surface temperatures (SST) ranging from 23 to 30 °C. Whole-species distribution models have projected a poleward range shift under future scenarios of climate change, but these models do not consider intraspecific variation or phenotypic plasticity in thermal limits when modelling species responses, and the impact of climate warming on the energetic requirements of whale sharks is unknown. Using a dataset of 111 whale shark movement tracks from aggregation sites in five countries across the Indian Ocean and the latest Earth-system modelling produced from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we examined how SST and total zooplankton biomass, their main food source, may change in the future, and what this means for the energetic balance and extent of suitable habitat for whale sharks. Earth System Models, under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs; SSP1–2.6, SSP3–7.0 and SSP5–8.5), project that by 2100 mean SST in four regions where whale shark aggregations are found will increase by up to 4.9 °C relative to the present, while zooplankton biomass will decrease. This reduction in zooplankton is projected to be accompanied by an increase in the energetic requirements of whale sharks because warmer water temperatures will increase their metabolic rate. We found marked differences in projected changes in the extent of suitable habitat when comparing a whole-species distribution model to one including regional variation. This suggests that the conventional approach of combining data from different regions within a species' distribution could underestimate the amount of local adaptation in populations, although parameterising local models could also suffer from having insufficient data and lead to model mis-specification or highly uncertain estimates. Our study highlights the need for further research into whale shark thermal tolerances and energetics, the complexities involved in projecting species responses to climate change, and the potential importance of considering intraspecific variation when building species distribution models.

The regulating mechanisms of Triton X-100 affected oxidation of PAHs in site soil aggregates using sodium citrate assisted Fe2+-persulfate

Here, we present a first investigation of the inhibition mechanism of surfactant Triton X-100 (TX-100) on the oxidation degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in site soil aggregates using sodium citrate assisted Fe2+-activated persulfate (SC/Fe2+/PS). First, TX-100 was not only competed the adsorption sites of soil aggregates with PS, but also consumed PS, which inhibit the PAHs remediation rate in the TX-100 elution followed by the SC/Fe2+/PS oxidation system from 55.6 % in the oxidation system to 50.3 %. Furthermore, in the oxidation followed by elution system, PAHs was adsorbed on the iron minerals produced during the oxidation, which would be form a bound PAHs that was difficult to react with PS, and then re-eluted to the soil by the TX-100. Additionally, it was found that the oxidative and the elution efficiency of PAHs exhibited negative correlations with aggregate particle sizes. Finally, soil microorganism communities were more strongly changed by SC/Fe2+/PS oxidation and PAHs concentration than that of TX-100 elution, with obvious alterations bacteria than fungi, the effects of SC/Fe2+/PS and PAHs concentration on microorganism communities were opposite. This study provided a proof of regulating mechanisms for the site soil remediation using surfactants combined with the iron-PS system.

Direct assessment of tropical tuna abundance from their associative behaviour around floating objects.

Managing populations of wild harvested species requires the ability to regularly provide accurate abundance assessments. For most marine species, changes in abundance can only be monitored indirectly, using methods reliant on harvest-based indices, with significant inherent limitations surrounding the estimation and standardization of harvest effort. Tropical tunas are some of the most exploited marine species in the world and are among several species in critical need of alternative methods for estimating abundance. Addressing this concern, we developed the Associative Behaviour-Based abundance Index (ABBI), designed to provide direct abundance estimates for animals, which exhibit an associative behaviour with aggregation sites. Its implementation in the western Indian Ocean on skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), revealed similar trajectories in their relative abundance. The ABBI stands as a potentially promising alternative to enhance traditional tropical tuna stock assessments methods, as well as a new opportunity to assess the abundance of other wild species that display an associative behaviour with physical structures found in their natural environment.

Do risk-prone behaviours compromise reproduction and increase vulnerability of fish aggregations exposed to fishing?

Human disturbances can prompt natural anti-predator behaviours in animals, affecting how energy is traded off between immediate survival and reproduction. In our study of male squaretail groupers (Plectropomus areolatus) in India's Lakshadweep archipelago, we investigated the impact of fishing pressure on anti-predatory responses and reproductive behaviours by comparing a fished and unfished spawning aggregation site and tracking responses over time at the fished site. Using observational sampling and predator exposure experiments, we analysed fear responses (flight initiation distance, return time), as well as time spent in vigilance, courtship and territorial defence. Unpaired males at fished sites were twice as likely to flee from simulated predators and took longer to return to mating territories. In contrast, paired males at both sites took greater risks during courtship, fleeing later than unpaired males, but returned earlier at the unfished site compared with the fished site. Our findings suggest that high fishing pressure reduces reproductive opportunities by increasing vigilance and compromising territorial defence, potentially affecting mate selection cues. Altered behavioural trade-offs may mitigate short-term capture risk but endanger long-term population survival through altered reproductive investment. Human extractive practices targeting animal reproductive aggregations can have disruptive effects beyond direct removal, influencing animal behaviours crucial for population survival.

Quantitative inversion of soil trace elements from spectroscopic effects across multiple crop growth periods

Human health is directly impacted by trace components found in soil, for which hyperspectral remote sensing technology offers a novel way to rapidly assess dynamic soil environmental quality. In most studies, the premise of quantitative inversion on soil elements is that the known target elements will cause growth stress. However, such stress is unusual in non-polluted areas. Consequently, broad-area soil trace element monitoring in non-contaminated areas remains challenging. Spectral inversion of plant material has a longer time window and is more sensitive to elemental changes than soil spectral inversion (bare soil period). In this work, we conducted a wheat pot experiment with concentration gradients of four trace elements (Fe, B, Mo, and Zn), analyzed leaf (jointing stage) and spike (maturity period) samples using spectral measurements and chemical tests, and filtered the characteristic positions and inverse modeling using the spectra of the element-accumulating preference organs in plant canopies. The canopy aggregation sites differed for each element, and both simple linear regression (SLR) and multiple linear regression (MLR) models based on the spectra of canopy aggregation sites achieved high accuracy. The results of this study enable the construction of an inverse model of plant spectra-plant element content-elements in soil, which can serve as a reference for soil monitoring and assessment in typical crop cover areas.

Legal regime of personal data of persons participating in civil proceedings

Relevance. Unlike personal data of a person, personal data of participants in civil proceedings are posted without exception in the texts of decisions on the websites of courts, voiced in video broadcasts, and published in the public domain by search aggregator sites. The article analyzes the concept and content of the legal regime of personal data of persons participating in civil proceedings in relation to the problem of their protection. The legislation on personal data and on ensuring access to information on the activities of courts in the Russian Federation are being studied, establishing the legal regime of personal data of persons participating in civil proceedings in relation to the problem of their protection.The purpose of the study is to deepen scientific knowledge about the essence of the legal regime of personal data of participants in civil proceedings, to develop theoretical concepts and legislative proposals to increase the effectiveness of their protection.Objectives: analyze the legislation governing the legal regime of personal data of persons participating in civil proceedings, identify legal means to ensure their protection, and identify legislative gaps that impede their proper protection.Methodology. The research methodology is represented by general scientific (dialectical, analysis and synthesis of deduction, induction) and private scientific methods (formal-legal, formal-logical, system-analytical).The results found expression in the formulated concept of the legal regime of personal data of participants in civil proceedings, identifying its correlation with the legal regime of personal data of individuals, as well as in proposals for improving the current norms of the Code of Civil Procedure of the Russian Federation, establishing the rules for conducting video broadcasts of court hearings, to protect personal data of the considered category of citizens.Conclusion. The legal regime of personal data of participants in civil proceedings is a procedure for regulating public relations, expressed in a set of legal means aimed at ensuring, in the interests of the whole society, the availability of information about judicial activities, and the protection of personal data of persons participating in civil proceedings. The legal regime of personal data of participants in civil proceedings correlates with the legal regime of personal data of individuals as private and general, and therefore is special in type.

Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) observed gulping on the seafloor at Ningaloo reef aggregation site

Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) observed gulping on the seafloor at Ningaloo reef aggregation site

Biomolecular condensates can enhance pathological RNA clustering.

Intracellular aggregation of repeat expanded RNA has been implicated in many neurological disorders. Here, we study the role of biomolecular condensates on irreversible RNA clustering. We find that physiologically relevant and disease-associated repeat RNAs spontaneously undergo an age-dependent percolation transition inside multi-component protein-nucleic acid condensates to form nanoscale clusters. Homotypic RNA clusters drive the emergence of multiphasic condensate structures with an RNA-rich solid core surrounded by an RNA-depleted fluid shell. The timescale of the RNA clustering, which drives a liquid-to-solid transition of biomolecular condensates, is determined by the sequence features, stability of RNA secondary structure, and repeat length. Importantly, G3BP1, the core scaffold of stress granules, introduces heterotypic buffering to homotypic RNA-RNA interactions and impedes intra-condensate RNA clustering in an ATP-independent manner. Our work suggests that biomolecular condensates can act as sites for RNA aggregation. It also highlights the functional role of RNA-binding proteins in suppressing aberrant RNA phase transitions.

Atomistic insights into hydrogen-enhanced strain-induced vacancy in α - iron across varied strain rates

Dynamic behavior of α-iron in the presence of hydrogen (H) under triaxial tension is investigated by molecular dynamic simulations. The process of hydrogen enhanced strain induced vacancy is directly captured at the atomic scale in a wide range of strain rates. Significant strain rate effects and H concentration dependence are observed in the hydrogen embrittlement of α-iron. When the concentration of H (CH) is substantially high, the maximum tensile stress of iron falls. More local phase transitions are observed at the aggregation sites of H atoms, which plays a crucial role in ensuring that the material does not lose its load bearing capacity immediately after reaching the maximal stress. Our study sheds light on the intricate interplay of H, strain rate, phase transition (PT) in α-iron and provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of H embrittlement.

Can biochemical tracers reveal ontogenetic trophic shift and individual prey selection in white sharks from Guadalupe Island, Northeast Pacific?

Refining the role of apex predators in marine food webs is a necessary step in predicting the consequences of their global decline under the footprint of fishing activities. White sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are vulnerable predators, performing large migrations and able to forage on a variety of prey in different habitats. In the Northeast Pacific, juvenile and adult white sharks are found seasonally at the same aggregation sites, such as Guadalupe Island off Mexico. While adults are thought to target local pinniped colonies, very few predator-prey interactions have been documented and the diet of juveniles in this area remains poorly understood. Here we used carbon/nitrogen stable isotopes and fatty acids to characterize the trophic ecology of white sharks at Guadalupe Island. In contrast to the ontogenetic trophic shift paradigm, we detected no influence of size on muscle stable isotope and fatty acid composition, revealing no significant dietary variation between juvenile and adult sharks. Stable isotopes did not allow definitive conclusions to be drawn regarding the diet of white sharks at Guadalupe Island, due to significant variability in the contribution of different potential prey depending on the trophic discrimination factors used. However, most sharks were rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as long-chain omega 3), suggesting a local diet of mainly pelagic prey (potentially large fish or cephalopods). A few individuals appeared to show recent consumption of pinnipeds, with higher proportions of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. These individual differences in fatty acid composition could reflect an ecological trade-off between consumption of prey rich in fat (marine mammals) versus prey rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (pelagic prey), respectively meeting the energetic and physiological needs of white sharks. Although ontogenetic trophic changes were not able to be discerned, our results provide new insights into the physiological drivers of predator-prey interactions, which can benefit the definition of conservation strategies in a changing ocean.

Biomolecular Condensates Can Enhance Pathological RNA Clustering.

Intracellular aggregation of repeat expanded RNA has been implicated in many neurological disorders. Here, we study the role of biomolecular condensates on irreversible RNA clustering. We find that physiologically relevant and disease-associated repeat RNAs spontaneously undergo an age-dependent percolation transition inside multi-component protein-nucleic acid condensates to form nanoscale clusters. Homotypic RNA clusters drive the emergence of multiphasic condensate structures with an RNA-rich solid core surrounded by an RNA-depleted fluid shell. The timescale of the RNA clustering, which drives a liquid-to-solid transition of biomolecular condensates, is determined by the sequence features, stability of RNA secondary structure, and repeat length. Importantly, G3BP1, the core scaffold of stress granules, introduces heterotypic buffering to homotypic RNA-RNA interactions and impedes intra-condensate RNA clustering in an ATP-independent manner. Our work suggests that biomolecular condensates can act as sites for RNA aggregation. It also highlights the functional role of RNA-binding proteins in suppressing aberrant RNA phase transitions.

Revealing electrostatic-manipulated self-assembly mechanism helps to readily design enhanced MOF-derived microwave absorbers

The controllable self-assembly of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) crystals plays a vital role in modulating the performance for microwave absorbers. However, most current strategies require colloidal or intricate chemical modifications of nanoparticles, thereby increasing the complexity of structural construction and impeding the broader application of microwave absorbers. To resolve this tough issue, we herein innovatively propose a more easily achievable electrostatic-manipulated self-assembly strategy. By readily manipulating the electrostatic adsorption and repulsion between particles, the aggregation and growth sites of initial MOF crystals are anchored, hence facilitating to the construction of solid-core/shell and hollow porous microstructures for absorbers. The substantial improvement depending on electrostatic effects is clearly observed in experimental results. It demonstrates that the Co@hollow N-doped carbon spheres (Co@HNCSs) absorber, induced by electrostatic repulsion, shows the best overall absorption performance, with a strong absorption of −65.4 dB at a thickness of 1.9 mm and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 5.4 GHz at a thickness of 1.6 mm, covering almost the entire Ku band. The influence of these strategies on the electromagnetic response mechanisms is further comprehensively discussed. Accordingly, we believe this strategy offers new insights for the MOFs’ structural absorbers via electrostatic-manipulated self-assembly strategy.

Fatty acid composition of whale shark (Rhincodon typus), and zooplankton in two aggregation sites in the Gulf of California

The whale shark Rhincodon typus (Smith, 1828) is a filter-feeding species that feeds on zooplankton. There are whale shark aggregation sites in the Gulf of California, Bahia de La Paz in Baja California Sur, and Bahía de Los Angeles in Baja California. Whale shark ecotourism is an important and economically profitable activity for the coastal communities surrounding their habitat areas. Fatty acid (FA) profiles, including arachidonic acid (ARA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are used as trophic tracers in marine food webs because they are essential for marine fish and provide information on the nutritional quality of zooplankton. In the present study, we analyzed the FA profile of zooplankton to trace them in the stomach contents, blood, liver, and muscle of stranded male whale sharks and the subdermal tissue of live whale sharks. Total lipids were extracted to calculate the energy density. Then lipids were methylated to obtain FA methyl esters (FAMEs) and analyzed in a gas chromatograph with a flame ionization detector. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance was applied to compare FA profiles. Zooplankton of both aggregation sites had 70 % similarity in their FA profiles. The FA profile found in the liver of whale sharks was similar to that of zooplankton in both aggregation sites (DHA > EPA > ARA). However, muscle and subdermal tissue had FA profiles significantly different from zooplankton, and there was preferential ARA assimilation in the subdermal tissue of stranded and live whale sharks. Therefore, FA profiles reflected just 50–60 % of the diet, suggesting that whale shark tissues retain FA according to their metabolic requirements or that surficial zooplankton do not provide ARA detected in subdermal tissue. Future studies should consider night sampling and FA analysis of demersal zooplankton in each aggregation site.

Potential use of pinenes to improve localized insecticide injections targeting the western drywood termite (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae).

The western drywood termite, Incisitermes minor (Hagen), causes significant economic damage to wood structures in the United States of America, especially California. When infestation is not widespread, localized insecticide injections may be useful for remedial control. However, the extensive gallery structure of drywood termites and their tendency to aggregate at specific parts of the galleries can impact the efficacy of localized insecticide injection. Chemicals that attract termites from a distance may improve the localized insecticide injection by increasing the number of termites contacting the insecticide residues. Two volatile terpenes, α-pinene and β-pinene, commonly found in many coniferous timber trees, were applied to artificial termite galleries to determine if termites were attracted from their original aggregation site. Furthermore, we examined if adding these pinenes would improve the overall efficacy of some insecticide products for drywood termite control. Behavioral assay results showed that the treatment with pinenes increased the likelihood that drywood termites would leave their original aggregation site and contact the treated part of the gallery. When tested with the pesticide products applied in a small area away from the termite aggregation, β-pinene significantly accelerated the time course of mortality for the aqueous fipronil. The efficacy of disodium octaborate tetrahydrate dust was not influenced by the addition of pinenes. Implications for drywood termite management and future research directions are discussed.

Behavior, site use and demographics of shortfin devil rays, Mobula kuhlii, at a newly-discovered cleaning area in South Africa

Many shark and ray species show affinity to specific sites, making these areas critical for their survival. These include cleaning stations: locations on reefs where cleaner fish remove parasites and clean wounds, which is important for maintaining health. Cleaning stations also function as social gathering sites, or resting points, where courtship and mating can occur. In this study, we identify an aggregation site for the shortfin devil ray, Mobula kuhlii (Family Mobulidae) within the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, and document their behavior. Remote underwater video was used to collect footage of M. kuhlii being cleaned by blue streak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus. Generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to assess environmental predictors of M. kuhlii presence on Aliwal Shoal. Mixed models were used to assess the same environmental predictors and their correlation with mean M. kuhlii cleaning duration and number of L. dimidiatus bites per second at the identified cleaning station site. M. kuhlii were present in 56% of observation days, with group numbers up to > 150 individuals. Sea surface temperature was a significant predictor for M. kuhlii presence, while a north to south current was significantly associated with longer mean cleaning durations. These results support findings of mobulid studies in KZN that show increased habitat use during summer temperatures (24–25 °C) and suggest these sites to be important for individual health and social interaction. We hope these findings can be used for development of location-specific management plans to safeguard this Endangered species.

Identifying priority sites for whale shark ship collision management globally

The expansion of the world's merchant fleet poses a great threat to the ocean's biodiversity. Collisions between ships and marine megafauna can have population-level consequences for vulnerable species. The Endangered whale shark (Rhincodon typus) shares a circumglobal distribution with this expanding fleet and tracking of movement pathways has shown that large vessel collisions pose a major threat to the species. However, it is not yet known whether they are also at risk within aggregation sites, where up to 400 individuals can gather to feed on seasonal bursts of planktonic productivity. These “constellation” sites are of significant ecological, socio-economic and cultural value. Here, through expert elicitation, we gathered information from most known constellation sites for this species across the world (>50 constellations and >13,000 individual whale sharks). We defined the spatial boundaries of these sites and their overlap with shipping traffic. Sites were then ranked based on relative levels of potential collision danger posed to whale sharks in the area. Our results showed that researchers and resource managers may underestimate the threat posed by large ship collisions due to a lack of direct evidence, such as injuries or witness accounts, which are available for other, sub-lethal threat categories. We found that constellations in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waters, the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of California, and Southeast and East Asia, had the greatest level of collision threat. We also identified 39 sites where peaks in shipping activity coincided with peak seasonal occurrences of whale sharks, sometimes across several months. Simulated collision mitigation options estimated potentially minimal impact to industry, as most whale shark core habitat areas were small. Given the threat posed by vessel collisions, a coordinated, multi-national approach to mitigation is needed within priority whale shark habitats to ensure collision protection for the species.

Furosemide Derails Human Lysozyme Fibrillation by Interacting with Aggregation Hot Spots: A Biophysical Comprehension.

Kidney-associated human lysozyme amyloidosis leads to renal impairments;thus, patients are often prescribed furosemide. Based on this fact, the effect of furosemide on induced human lysozyme fibrillation, in vitro, is evaluated by spectroscopic, calorimetric, computational, and cellular-based assays/methods. Results show that furosemide increases the lag phase and decreases the apparent rate of aggregation of human lysozyme, thereby decelerating the nucleation phase and amyloid fibril formation, as confirmed by the decrease in the level of Thioflavin-T fluorescence. Fewer entities of hydrodynamic radii of ∼171 nm instead of amyloid fibrils (∼412 nm) are detected in human lysozyme in the presence of furosemide by dynamic light scattering. Moreover, furosemide decreases the extent of conversion of the α/β structure of human lysozyme into a predominant β-sheet. The isothermal titration calorimetry established that furosemide forms a complex with human lysozyme, which was also confirmed through fluorescence quenching and computational studies. Also, human lysozyme lytic activity is inhibited competitively by furosemide due to the involvement of amino acid residues of the active site in catalysis, as well as complex formation. Conclusively, furosemide interacts with Gln58, Ile59, Asn60, Ala108, and Trp109 of aggregation-prone regions 2 and 4 of human lysozyme, thereby masking its sites of aggregation and generating only lower-order entities that are less toxic to red blood cells than the fibrils. Thus, furosemide slows the progression of amyloid fibrillation in human lysozyme.