Ultraplankton [heterotrophic prokaryotes and ultraphytoplankton (<10 μm)] were monitored weekly over two years (2009 & 2010) in a coastal area of the NW Mediterranean Sea. Six clusters were differentiated by flow cytometry on the basis of their optical properties, two heterotrophic prokaryote (HP) subgroups labelled LNA and HNA (low and high nucleic acid content respectively), Prochlorococcus, ...

Biomass burning, a form of disturbance in soil ecosystem, is frequently carried out in farmland after harvest in China, which has potential influence on soil biological properties. To study the short-term effects of biomass burning on soil ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), a field investigation utilizing poplar branch (PB) and corn stalk (CS) as feedstock for experimental biom...

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters can translocate a broad spectrum of molecules across the cell membrane including physiological cargo and toxins. ABC transporters are known for the role they play in resistance towards anticancer agents in chemotherapy of cancer patients. There are 68 ABC transporters annotated in the genome of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. We have character...

1. Bottom ®shing using towed nets and dredges is one of the most widespread sources of physical disturbance to the continental shelf seas throughout the world. Previous studies suggest that degradation and ecosystem changes have occurred in intensively ®shed areas. Nevertheless, to date it has been dicult to attribute habitat and benthic community changes to ®shing e€ort at a spatial scale tha...

Testate amoebae (TA) associated with terrestrial mosses are increasingly used in ecological and ecotoxicological studies. The TA community is sensitive to changes in its environment (climate change, metal or gas pollution). In this study, a “bryophyte-TA” microsystem was investigated as an indicator of dry particulate deposition and NO2 atmospheric concentration over an 8-month period in rural,...

It is known that Szpiro’s conjecture, or equivalently the ABC-conjecture, implies Lang’s conjecture giving a uniform lower bound for the canonical height of nontorsion points on elliptic curves. In this note we show that a significantly weaker version of Szpiro’s conjecture, which we call “prime-depleted,” suffices to prove Lang’s conjecture.

There have been recent changes in the Caspian Sea ecosystem, such as those due to changes in sea level or those caused by the invasive ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi. It is believed that these changes had significant impacts on the absolute and relative abundance of the commercially important anchovy kilka (Clupeonella engrauliformis) and common kilka (C. cultriventris caspia) leading to decline...

There have been recent changes in the Caspian Sea ecosystem, such as those due to changes in sea level or those caused by the invasive ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi. It is believed that these changes had significant impacts on the absolute and relative abundance of the commercially important anchovy kilka (Clupeonella engrauliformis) and common kilka (C. cultriventris caspia) leading to decline...