The MPA Guide: A framework to achieve global goals for the ocean.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are conservation tools intended to protect biodiversity, promote healthy and resilient marine ecosystems, and provide societal benefits. Despite codification of MPAs in international agreements, MPA effectiveness is currently undermined by confusion about the many MPA types and consequent wildly differing outcomes. We present a clarifying science-driven framework­The MPA Guide­to aid design and evaluation. The guide categorizes MPAs by stage of establishment and level of protection, specifies the resulting direct and indirect outcomes for biodiversity and human well-being, and describes the key conditions necessary for positive outcomes. Use of this MPA Guide by scientists, managers, policy-makers, and communities can improve effective design, implementation, assessment, and tracking of existing and future MPAs to achieve conservation goals by using scientifically grounded practices.

Delta-Notch signaling controls the generation of neurons/glia from neural stem cells in a stepwise process.

We examined the role of Notch signaling on the generation of neurons and glia from neural stem cells by using neurospheres that are clonally derived from neural stem cells. Neurospheres prepared from Dll1(lacZ/lacZ) mutant embryos segregate more neurons at the expense of both oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. This mutant phenotype could be rescued when Dll1(lacZ/lacZ) spheres were grown and/or differentiated in the presence of conditioned medium from wild-type neurospheres. Temporal modulation of Notch by soluble forms of ligands indicates that Notch signaling acts in two steps. Initially, it inhibits the neuronal fate while promoting the glial cell fate. In a second step, Notch promotes the differentiation of astrocytes, while inhibiting the differentiation of both neurons and oligodendrocytes.

Development of an avascular region (the stigma) in ovarian follicles of lizards (Anolis).

The architecture of follicular blood vessels in the ovary of lizards (Anolis equestris and Anolis carolinensis) was studied by standard histology and also after vascular perfusion with an orange silicone-rubber compound or with India ink. The theca of the follicular wall contains a netlike arrangement of anastomosing sinusoids, which increase in size as a follicle grows. An avascular stigma forms in very small, growing follicles when a portion of the follicular wall contacts the ovarian surface epithelium. Blood vessels then invade the theca except in the zone of contact. The diameter of the stigma is about 50% of follicular diameter, regardless of follicular size. Although the stigma of smaller follicles is avascular, that of vitellogenic follicles is hypovascular, i.e., a few vessels radiate into the stigma region. The antiangiogenic process involved in stigma formation may continue as the stigma enlarges. The development pattern of stigma formation found in Anolis is displayed by many other vertebrates.