Incorporation of Socio-Economic Features' Ranking in Multicriteria Analysis Based on Ecosystem Services for Marine Protected Area Planning.

Developed decades ago for spatial choice problems related to zoning in the urban planning field, multicriteria analysis (MCA) has more recently been applied to environmental conflicts and presented in several documented cases for the creation of protected area management plans. Its application is considered here for the development of zoning as part of a proposed marine protected area management plan. The case study incorporates specially-explicit conservation features while considering stakeholder preferences, expert opinion and characteristics of data quality. It involves the weighting of criteria using a modified analytical hierarchy process. Experts ranked physical attributes which include socio-economically valued physical features. The parameters used for the ranking of (physical) attributes important for socio-economic reasons are derived from the field of ecosystem services assessment. Inclusion of these feature values results in protection that emphasizes those areas closest to shore, most likely because of accessibility and familiarity parameters and because of data biases. Therefore, other spatial conservation prioritization methods should be considered to supplement the MCA and efforts should be made to improve data about ecosystem service values farther from shore. Otherwise, the MCA method allows incorporation of expert and stakeholder preferences and ecosystem services values while maintaining the advantages of simplicity and clarity.

Long-Lived αMUPA Mice Show Reduced Sexual Dimorphism in Lifespan, and in Energy and Circadian Homeostasis-Related Parameters.

Female αMUPA (alpha murine urokinase-like plasminogen activator) transgenic mice show increased lifespan, reduced body weight and food intake, and high-amplitude circadian rhythms with an endogenous period length (tau) of 24h, versus their wild types (WT) showing a 23.7-h tau. Our goal was to characterize αMUPA and WT male mice, and their in-strain sexual dimorphism, and to further understand the mechanisms underlying αMUPA's longevity. Male αMUPA mice showed increased lifespan, reduced body weight and food intake, and aligned endogenous rhythm with a tau of 24.0h versus a tau <24h in WT. However, no differences were found when intake was corrected for metabolic mass in male αMUPA mice. αMUPA's sexual dimorphism was damped or lacking in all studied traits, while WTs were sexually dimorphic, concluding that αMUPA's transgene overrides sex-dependent mechanisms involved in lifespan and in energy and circadian homeostasis. As enhanced resonance between tau and external circadian cycle correlates with increased lifespan and reduced body weight in other species, including humans, αMUPA's 24-h tau could contribute to their longevity. Focusing future research on the mechanistic interconnections between energy homeostasis, circadian homeostasis, sexual dimorphism, and aging, using αMUPA mice, may reveal mechanisms promoting reduced body weight and increased lifespan.