Species prioritization for monitoring and management in regional multiple species conservation plans.

Successful conservation plans are not solely achieved by acquiring optimally designed reserves. Ongoing monitoring and management of the biodiversity in those reserves is an equally important, but often neglected or poorly executed, part of the conservation process. In this paper we address one of the first and most important steps in designing a monitoring program - deciding what to monitor. We present a strategy for prioritizing species for monitoring and management in multispecies conservation plans. We use existing assessments of threatened status, and the degree and spatial and temporal extent of known threats to link the prioritization of species to the overarching goals and objectives of the conservation plan. We consider both broad and localized spatial scales to capture the regional conservation context and the practicalities of local management and monitoring constraints. Spatial scales that are commensurate with available data are selected. We demonstrate the utility of this strategy through application to a set of 85 plants and animals in an established multispecies conservation plan in San Diego County, California, USA. We use the prioritization to identify the most prominent risk factors and the habitats associated with the most threats to species. The protocol highlighted priorities that had not previously been identified and were not necessarily intuitive without systematic application of the criteria; many high-priority species have received no monitoring attention to date, and lower-priority species have. We recommend that in the absence of clear focal species, monitoring threats in highly impacted habitats may be a way to circumvent the need to monitor all the targeted species

Quercetin with Vitamin C and Niacin does not affect body Mass or Composition

In vitro and animal data suggest that quercetin affects adipogenesis and basal metabolism; however, whether this metabolic effect translates to reductions in body mass or improvement in body composition in humans is unknown. This study investigated 12-week supplementation of 2 different doses of quercetin, combined with vitamin C andniacin, on body mass and composition in a large, heterogeneous group of adults (n = 941; 60% female, 40% male;18–85 years of age; 45%normal body mass index, 30% overweight, 25% obese). Subjects were randomized into 3groups, with supplements adminis-tered in double-blind fashion: Q500 = 500 mg quercetin·day–1, Q1000 = 1000 mg quercetin·day–1, and placebo. Quercetin supplements were consumed twice daily over a 12-week period, andpre- and poststudy body mass and composition meas-urements were taken in an overnight fasted state. A general linear model was used to predict change in body mass and com-position across groups with adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors. Plasma quercetin increased in a dose-responsive manner in both Q500 and Q1000 groups relative to placebo. After adjustment for confounders, no significant dif-ferences in body mass (malesinteraction p value = 0.721, females p = 0.366) or body composition (males p = 0.650, fe-males p = 0.639) were found between Q500 or Q1000 groups compared with placebo. No group differences in body mass or body composition were found in a subgroup of overweight and obese subjects. High-dose quercetin supplementation (500 and 1000 mg·day–1) for 12 weeks in a large, heterogeneous group of adults did not affect body mass or composition

Negeri Sejahtera Ala Konfusianisme Melalui Self Cultivation

Dalam peta keagamaan di Indonesia, ada kecenderungan orang mengidentifikasi Konfusianisme hanya kepada filsafat Konfusius. Masalah mis-konsepsi semacam ini bukan saja pada suatu sisi akan menghambat sebagian orang untuk dapat memahami Konfusius secara komprehensif, pada sisi yang lain ia juga dapat mendistorsi nilai-nilai positif Konfusius dan menafikannya dalam proses pembangunan bangsa. Tulisan ini mengkaji ajaran Konfusianisme, baik sebagai agama maupun sebagai aliran filsafat. Sesungguhnya di dalam ajaran tersebut terkandung kearifan yang bisa dijadikan sebagai pertimbangan dalam mewujudkan bangsa Indonesia yang adil dan makmur. Konfusianisme berangkat dari pemahaman antropocentris, di mana manusia menjadi pusat alam semesta; manusia tidak bisa hidup sendiri, ia mesti berhubungan dengan manusia lain. Oleh karena itu, etika merupakan starting point untuk mencapai kebahagiaan sejati manusia tersebut. Dengan memposisikan manusia sebagai pusat pemikiran, Konfusianisme mengembangkan lima ajaran pokok yang harus ditempuh dalam mencapai kebahagiaan, ketentraman, dan kesejahteraan. Lima ajaran pokok tersebut pada gilirannya harus diimplementasikan dalam kehidupan nyata dalam bentuk etika, baik individual maupun sosial

A critical policy analysis of Texas’ Closing the Gaps 2015

This critical policy analysis uses critical race theory to provide a counter narrative to the P-16 initiative in Texas known as Closing the Gaps 2015. Findings indicate that while these reforms aim to increase educational access and achievement for people of color, they fall short of addressing systemic inequities such as enduring segregation and unconstitutional school finance policy. Using Texas as a case study illumines the ways the growing number of P-16 councils throughout the US might adapt and improve policy development and implementation to more adequately address educational inequities across racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups. The article closes with recommendations for Texas’ reiteration of Closing the Gaps 2015, titled 60x30TX, currently in revision to guide state education goals in 2016-2030

Helium atom diffraction measurements of the surface structure and vibrational dynamics of CH_3-Si(111) and CD_3-Si(111) surfaces

The surface structure and vibrational dynamics of CH_3–Si(111) and CD_3–Si(111) surfaces were measured using helium atom scattering. The elastic diffraction patterns exhibited a lattice constant of 3.82 Å, in accordance with the spacing of the silicon underlayer. The excellent quality of the observed diffraction patterns, along with minimal diffuse background, indicated a high degree of long-range ordering and a low defect density for this interface. The vibrational dynamics were investigated by measurement of the Debye–Waller attenuation of the elastic diffraction peaks as the surface temperature was increased. The angular dependence of the specular (θ_i=θ_f) decay revealed perpendicular mean-square displacements of 1.0 x 10^(−5) Å^2 K^(−1) for the CH_3–Si(111) surface and 1.2 x 10^(−5) Å^2 K^(−1) for the CD_3–Si(111) surface, and a He-surface attractive well depth of ~7 meV. The effective surface Debye temperatures were calculated to be 983 K for the CH_3–Si(111) surface and 824 K for the CD_3–Si(111) surface. These relatively large Debye temperatures suggest that collisional energy accommodation at the surface occurs primarily through the Si–C local molecular modes. The parallel mean-square displacements were 7.1 x 10^(−4) and 7.2 x 10^(−4) Å^2 K^(−1) for the CH_3–Si(111) and CD_3–Si(111) surfaces, respectively. The observed increase in thermal motion is consistent with the interaction between the helium atoms and Si–CH_3 bending modes. These experiments have thus yielded detailed information on the dynamical properties of these robust and technologically interesting semiconductor interfaces

Survival and cell culturability of biocontrol Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0 in lysimeter effluent water and utilization of a deleterious genetic modification to study the impact of the strain on numbers of resident culturable bacteria

Little is known on the behavior of soil-inoculated biocontrol pseudomonads once they are transported to deeper soil layers and/or groundwater levels after a heavy rain. This issue was investigated in inoculated microcosms containing lysimeter effluent water, and experimental conditions mimicking a worse-case scenario for potential bacterial dissemination were chosen. First, the survival of the polyketide-producing biocontrol strain Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0-Rif was studied for 175 days at two inoculation levels in unamended and nutrient-amended lysimeter effluent water, and its impact on numbers of resident culturable bacteria was determined. Cell numbers of CHA0-Rif declined to 3-4 log cells ml−1 (at high inoculum level) or reached the detection limit or below (at low inoculum level) by day 175, without generating significant numbers of non-culturable cells. At high inoculum level, strain CHA0-Rif resulted durably (from day 50 to 175) in higher numbers of the total resident culturable bacteria when compared with the uninoculated control. This effect, which did not take place at low inoculum level or when nutrients had been added, contrasts with the transient ecological impact of the strain on rhizosphere bacterial populations in previous studies. Neither 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol nor pyoluteorin were found in the water using HPLC, and inoculation with CHA0-Rif had no effect on the percentages of the total culturable aerobic bacteria sensitive to either antimicrobial polyketide on day 20. Second, the impact of CHA0-Rif on numbers of resident culturable bacteria was compared with that of CHA0-Rif(pME3424). Plasmid pME3424 carries an extra copy of the strain's rpoD gene (encoding sigma factor σ70). CHA0-Rif(pME3424) disappeared within 50 days in the water, but had the same impact as CHA0-Rif on the total number of resident culturable bacteria. This suggests that the impact of CHA0-Rif took place at the early stages of the experiment and was probably linked to the release of nutrients by introduced cells during inoculant declin

A coupled terrestrial and aquatic biogeophysical model of the Upper Merrimack River watershed, New Hampshire, to inform ecosystem services evaluation and management under climate and land-cover change

Accurate quantification of ecosystem services (ES) at regional scales is increasingly important for making informed decisions in the face of environmental change. We linked terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem process models to simulate the spatial and temporal distribution of hydrological and water quality characteristics related to ecosystem services. The linked model integrates two existing models (a forest ecosystem model and a river network model) to establish consistent responses to changing drivers across climate, terrestrial, and aquatic domains. The linked model is spatially distributed, accounts for terrestrial–aquatic and upstream–downstream linkages, and operates on a daily time-step, all characteristics needed to understand regional responses. The model was applied to the diverse landscapes of the Upper Merrimack River watershed, New Hampshire, USA. Potential changes in future environmental functions were evaluated using statistically downscaled global climate model simulations (both a high and low emission scenario) coupled with scenarios of changing land cover (centralized vs. dispersed land development) for the time period of 1980–2099. Projections of climate, land cover, and water quality were translated into a suite of environmental indicators that represent conditions relevant to important ecosystem services and were designed to be readily understood by the public. Model projections show that climate will have a greater influence on future aquatic ecosystem services (flooding, drinking water, fish habitat, and nitrogen export) than plausible changes in land cover. Minimal changes in aquatic environmental indicators are predicted through 2050, after which the high emissions scenarios show intensifying impacts. The spatially distributed modeling approach indicates that heavily populated portions of the watershed will show the strongest responses. Management of land cover could attenuate some of the changes associated with climate change and should be considered in future planning for the region