Fostering ocean literacy through informal marine education programs.

Despite general interest in the concept, there is a lack of formal education systems that foster ocean literacy. Informal marine education programs may be filling this gap; where students undertake unique, immersive learning experiences connected to the marine environment. This paper consolidates information about marine education programs within Australia's temperate region - the Great Southern Reef - and evaluates the extent to which ocean literacy is being delivered through these programs under the banner of Australia's national curriculum. Using the mixed methods approach of a survey and semi-structured interviews, we found that participants are familiar with ocean literacy principles (89.4 %), and half of the informal providers (51 %) reported incorporating these principles into their education programs. We discuss the barriers to teaching and learning about ocean concepts reported by respondents, and argue that formal and informal education programs, working in tandem, can improve school curricula and promote greater ocean literacy.

MOFs with Open Metal(III) Sites for the Environmental Capture of Polar Volatile Organic Compounds.

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) with open metal sites (OMS) interact strongly with a range of polar gases/vapors. However, under ambient conditions, their selective adsorption is generally impaired due to a high OMS affinity to water. This led previously to the privilege selection of hydrophobic MOFs for the selective capture/detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Herein, we show that this paradigm is challenged by metal(III) polycarboxylates MOFs, bearing a high concentration of OMS, as MIL-100(Fe), enabling the selective capture of polar VOCs even in the presence of water. With experimental and computational tools, including single-component gravimetric and dynamic mixture adsorption measurements, in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory calculations we reveal that this adsorption mechanism involves a direct coordination of the VOC on the OMS, associated with an interaction energy that exceeds that of water. Hence, MOFs with OMS are demonstrated to be of interest for air purification purposes.

Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: A Synopsis of Coordinated National Crop Wild Relative Seed Collecting Programs across Five Continents.

The Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project set out to improve the diversity, quantity, and accessibility of germplasm collections of crop wild relatives (CWR). Between 2013 and 2018, partners in 25 countries, heirs to the globetrotting legacy of Nikolai Vavilov, undertook seed collecting expeditions targeting CWR of 28 crops of global significance for agriculture. Here, we describe the implementation of the 25 national collecting programs and present the key results. A total of 4587 unique seed samples from at least 355 CWR taxa were collected, conserved ex situ, safety duplicated in national and international genebanks, and made available through the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). Collections of CWR were made for all 28 targeted crops. Potato and eggplant were the most collected genepools, although the greatest number of primary genepool collections were made for rice. Overall, alfalfa, Bambara groundnut, grass pea and wheat were the genepools for which targets were best achieved. Several of the newly collected samples have already been used in pre-breeding programs to adapt crops to future challenges.

Photoacclimation strategies in northeastern Atlantic seagrasses: Integrating responses across plant organizational levels.

Seagrasses live in highly variable light environments and adjust to these variations by expressing acclimatory responses at different plant organizational levels (meadow, shoot, leaf and chloroplast level). Yet, comparative studies, to identify species' strategies, and integration of the relative importance of photoacclimatory adjustments at different levels are still missing. The variation in photoacclimatory responses at the chloroplast and leaf level were studied along individual leaves of Cymodocea nodosa, Zostera marina and Z. noltei, including measurements of variable chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthesis, photoprotective capacities, non-photochemical quenching and D1-protein repair, and assessments of variation in leaf anatomy and chloroplast distribution. Our results show that the slower-growing C. nodosa expressed rather limited physiological and biochemical adjustments in response to light availability, while both species of faster-growing Zostera showed high variability along the leaves. In contrast, the inverse pattern was found for leaf anatomical adjustments in response to light availability, which were more pronounced in C. nodosa. This integrative plant organizational level approach shows that seagrasses differ in their photoacclimatory strategies and that these are linked to the species' life history strategies, information that will be critical for predicting the responses of seagrasses to disturbances and to accordingly develop adequate management strategies.

Site-related differences in gene expression and bacterial densities in the mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus from the Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites.

The deep-sea hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus is a symbiont bearing bivalve that is found in great abundance at the Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike hydrothermal vent sites and in close vicinity of the Azores region near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). The physiological relationships that vent mussels have developed with their physical and chemical environments are likely to influence global gene expression profiles providing thus the means to investigate distinct biological markers predicting the origin of Bathymodiolus sp. irrespectively of their geographical localization. Differences found at gene expression levels, and between fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing results provided experimental evidence for the distinction of both Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike vent mussel individuals based on bacterial and vent mussel gene expression signatures and on the constitutive distribution and relative abundance of endosymbiotic bacteria within gill tissues. Our results confirmed the presence of methanotroph endosymbionts in Menez Gwen vent mussels whereas Lucky Strike specimens seem to harbor a different bacterial morphotype when a methane monooxygenase gene specific probe was used. No qualitative differences could be visualized between Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike individuals when tested with a sulfur-oxidizing-related probe. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) studies revealed different gene expression profiles in both Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike mussel gill tissues for the immune genes selected. Genes encoding transcription factors presented noticeably low levels of fold expression whether in Menez Gwen or Lucky Strike animals whereas the genes encoding effector molecules appeared to have higher levels expression in gill tissues from Menez Gwen animals. The peptidoglycan recognition molecule encoding gene, PGRP, presented the highest level of transcriptional activity among the genes analyzed in Menez Gwen mussel gill tissues, seconded by carcinolectin and thus denoting the relevance of immune recognition molecules in early stage of the immune responses onset. Genes regarded as encoding molecules involved in signaling pathways were consistently expressed in both Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike mussel gill tissues. Remarkably, the immunity-related GTPase encoding gene demonstrated, in Lucky Strike samples, the highest level of expression among the signaling molecule encoding genes tested when expressions levels were compared between Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike animals. A differential expression analysis of bacterial genes between Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike mussels indicated a clear expression signature in the latter animal gill tissues. The bacterial community structure ensued from the 16S rRNA sequencing analyses pointed at an unpredicted conservation of endosymbiont bacterial loads between Menez Gwen and Lucky Strike samples. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis that B. azoricus exhibits different transcriptional statuses while living in distinct hydrothermal vent sites may result in distinct gene expressions because of physico-chemical and/or symbiont densities differences.

Conhecimentos dos acadêmicos sobre prevenção do câncer de mama / Undergraduate students' knowledge about the prevention of breast cancer / Conocimiento de los estudiantes sobre la prevención del cáncer de mama

Estudo com o objetivo de identificar o conhecimento dos acadêmicos, quanto aos fatores de prevenção para o câncer de mama. De natureza quantitativa, exploratória e descritiva, desenvolvido numa instituição de ensino superior do Estado de Santa Catarina, com 50 acadêmicos matriculados nos cursos de enfermagem, fisioterapia e psicologia no 1º semestre de 2008. A coleta de dados ocorreu de fevereiro a abril de 2008. Utilizou-se um questionário semi-estruturado e análise estatística descritiva. Os resultados apontaram que os acadêmicos dos cursos de enfermagem e fisioterapia demonstraram maior conhecimento sobre o tema. Os fatores de prevenção mencionados foram: consumo de legumes, verduras, frutas, exercícios físicos e amamentação. Conclui-se que o nível de conhecimento dos estudantes sobre os fatores de prevenção do câncer de mama, numa perspectiva interdisciplinar, é importante para repensar a inserção da educação em saúde como conteúdo curricular imprescindível na promoção de uma universidade saudável.

This study aimed to identify what undergraduate students know of factors for breast cancer prevention. This was a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study, developed in a University in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, with 50 students enrolled in nursing, physiotherapy and psychology programs in the first semester of 2008. The data were collected from February to April, 2008. A semi-structured questionnaire and descriptive statistics were used. Results showed that students of nursing and physiotherapy demonstrated greater knowledge about the issue than the psychology students. Mentioned prevention factors: consumption of vegetables, greens and fruits, physical exercises and breastfeeding. Conclusions indicate that the level of students' knowledge about factors that can prevent breast cancer, in an interdisciplinary perspective, is important to rethink the inclusion of health education as an essential curriculum content to promote a healthy university.

Objetivo del estudio fue identificar el conocimiento de los estudiantes, acerca de los factores para la prevención del cáncer de mama. Un cuantitativo exploratorio y descriptivo, desarrollado en una institución de educación superior de Santa Catarina, Brasil, con 50 estudiantes matriculados en la enfermería, fisioterapia y psicología en el primer semestre de 2008. Los datos fueron recolectados de febrero a abril de 2008. Se utilizó un cuestionario semi-estructurado y estadística descriptiva. Los resultados mostraron que los estudiantes de enfermería y terapia física han demostrado mayor conocimiento sobre el tema que los estudiantes de psicología. Menciona factores: el consumo de verduras, frutas, el ejercicio físico y la lactancia. Se concluye que el nivel de conocimiento acerca de los factores que pueden prevenir el cáncer de mama, una perspectiva interdisciplinaria, es importante para reconsiderar la inclusión de la educación para la salud como los contenidos curriculares esenciales en la promoción de una universidad saludable.

[Undergraduate students' knowledge about the prevention of breast cancer]. / Conhecimentos dos acadêmicos sobre prevenção do câncer de mama.

This study aimed to identify what undergraduate students know of factors for breast cancer prevention. This was a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study, developed in a University in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil with 50 students enrolled in nursing, physiotherapy and psychology programs in the first semester of 2008. The data were collected from February to April 2008. A semi-structured questionnaire and descriptive statistics were used. Results showed that students of nursing and physiotherapy demonstrated greater knowledge about the issue than the psychology students. Mentioned prevention factors: consumption of vegetables, greens and fruits, physical exercises and breastfeeding. Conclusions indicate that the level of students' knowledge about factors that can prevent breast cancer, in an interdisciplinary perspective, is important to rethink the inclusion of health education as an essential curriculum content to promote a healthy university.