A transdisciplinary approach to a conservation crisis: a case study of the Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata) in Ireland

In this article, we build on a growing literature of examples of transdisciplinary approaches to illustrate the catalysts and outcomes of a stakeholder‐driven process to conservation practice. We illustrate this using the case of one of Europe's most rapidly declining bird species, the Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata ). As part of the response to its continuing decline, a stakeholder‐driven workshop was held in Ireland in November 2016, bringing together over 80 stakeholders from a range of governmental, non‐governmental, and private organizations responsible for or interested in curlew conservation and management. This innovative workshop sought to formulate ideas and support the implementation of actions from stakeholders themselves on how to halt further losses of curlews, within the current legislative framework. Four years on, many of the short‐ and medium‐term actions identified during the workshop have been implemented jointly by stakeholders. However, curlew recovery will require continued communication and meaningful engagement with all relevant stakeholders together with increased government support underpinned by increased public awareness and ownership of the curlew's plight. Ultimately, many stakeholders will measure the success of curlew conservation in Ireland by the long‐term viability of the breeding population

Differential GFP Expression Patterns Induced by Different Heavy Metals in Tg(hsp70:gfp) Transgenic Medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is one of the most widely used biomarker for monitoring environment perturbations in biological systems. To facilitate the analysis of hsp70 expression as a biomarker, we generated a Tg(hsp70:gfp) transgenic medaka line in which green fluorescence protein (GFP) reporter gene was driven by the medaka hsp70 promoter. Here, we characterized Tg(hsp70:gfp) medaka for inducible GFP expression by seven environment-relevant heavy metals, including mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper, chromium, and zinc. We found that four of them (mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium) induced GFP expression in multiple and different organs. In general, the liver, kidney, gut, and skin are among the most frequent organs to show induced GFP expression. In contrast, no detectable GFP induction was observed to copper, chromium, or zinc, indicating that the transgenic line was not responsive to all heavy metals. RT-qPCR determination of hsp70 mRNA showed similar induction and non-induction by these metals, which also correlated with the levels of metal uptake in medaka exposed to these metals. Our observations suggested that these heavy metals have different mechanisms of toxicity and/or differential bioaccumulation in various organs; different patterns of GFP expression induced by different metals may be used to determine or exclude metals in water samples tested. Furthermore, we also tested several non-metal toxicants such as bisphenol A, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, 4-introphenol, and lindane; none of them induced significant GFP expression in Tg(hsp70:gfp) medaka, further suggesting that the inducibility of Tg(hsp70:gfp) for GFP expression is specific to a subset of heavy metals

Why equality? On justifying liberal egalitarianism

The debate over the nature of egalitarianism has come to dominate political philosophy. As ever more sophisticated attempts are made to describe the principles of an egalitarian distribution or to specify the good or goods that should be distributed equally, little is said about the fundamental basis of equality. In virtue of what should people be regarded as equal? Egalitarians have tended to dismiss this question of fundamental equality. In the first part of the paper I will examine some of these strategies of marginalisation and assess whether the issue of fundamental equality matters. Jeremy Waldron has criticised this strategy of avoidance in his recent book God, Locke and equality. He argues that Locke's turn to a theistic grounding for fundamental equality provides a better approach to the problem than the approach taken by contemporary liberals such as John Rawls. I will examine Waldron's critique of Rawls and show that it is wanting. I will conclude by suggesting that Rawls's approach to the issue has a bearing on the way in which equality should be understood as a political value. This argument for the primacy of a political conception of egalitarianism has a bearing on the interconnection between core liberal values and the idea of the state that has been emphasised by Rawls, Dworkin and Nagel

Discrete mode laser diodes with ultra narrow linewidth emission <3kHz

Ex-facet, free-running ultra-low linewidth (<3 kHz), single mode laser emission is demonstrated using low cost, regrowth-free ridge waveguide discrete mode Fabry-Perot laser diode chips

Evidencia en video de fratricidio y canibalismo, movimiento de polluelos e interacciones con depredadores en nidos de Circus cyaneus

During a nest-camera study of Hen Harriers (Circus cyaneus), we recorded siblicide, cannibalism, movement of nestlings by adult birds, and interactions with predators. We deployed cameras at 13 nests across three study areas in Ireland between 2008 and 2010. At a nest with two well-developed nestlings (approximately 25–30 d old), the older nestling killed its sibling and fed on it. This was the first documented case of siblicide in this species, to our knowledge. Recordings also revealed three other events of cannibalism in which one of the nestlings in a brood died from unknown causes and was then eaten by its siblings (n = 1), by the adult male (n = 1), or was used by the adult female to feed the remaining nestlings (n = 1). At two nests, recordings showed the adult female picking up and moving nestlings that were outside the nest cup. In addition, cameras recorded two instances of full brood predation by red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and an attack on a nest by a female Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) that had no apparent consequences for the nestlings or the female Hen Harrier. The behaviors reported here, which are difficult to observe directly, may have important consequences for our understanding of productivity and population dynamics of Hen Harriers.Durante un estudio sobre patrones de actividad de individuos reproductores de Circus cyaneus realizado con cámaras para monitoreo de nidos, registramos comportamientos de fratricidio, canibalismo, movimientos de polluelos e interacciones con depredadores. Colocamos cámaras en 13 nidos distribuidos en tres áreas de estudio en Irlanda entre 2008 y 2010. En un nido con dos polluelos en un estado de desarrollo avanzado (c. 25-30 días), el polluelo de mayor edad mató al otro y se alimentó de él. Este es el primer caso documentado de fratricidio en esta especie. Obtuvimos imágenes de otros tres casos de canibalismo en que uno o más polluelos fallecieron por causas desconocidas y sus cadáveres fueron usados como alimento por los otros polluelos (n = 1), por el macho adulto (n = 1) o por la hembra adulta para alimentar a los otros polluelos (n = 1). En dos nidos, las imágenes muestran a la hembra adulta repetidamente recogiendo polluelos que se alejan del nido para intentar llevarlos al nido. Por último, las cámaras captaron dos eventos de depredación de polluelos por parte de Vulpes vulpes y un enfrentamiento entre la hembra adulta de C. cyaneus y una hembra de Falco tinnunculus sin consecuencias para los polluelos o la hembra adulta. Estos comportamientos, difíciles de detectar mediante metodologías de monitoreo tradicionales, pueden tener consecuencias para el éxito reproductivo y la dinámica poblacional de esta especie

Interpreting wde-band neural activity using convolutional neural networks

Rapid progress in technologies such as calcium imaging and electrophysiology has seen a dramatic increase in the size and extent of neural recordings. Even so, interpretation of this data requires considerable knowledge about the nature of the representation and often depends on manual operations. Decoding provides a means to infer the information content of such recordings but typically requires highly processed data and prior knowledge of the encoding scheme. Here, we developed a deep-learning framework able to decode sensory and behavioral variables directly from wide-band neural data. The network requires little user input and generalizes across stimuli, behaviors, brain regions, and recording techniques. Once trained, it can be analyzed to determine elements of the neural code that are informative about a given variable. We validated this approach using electrophysiological and calcium-imaging data from rodent auditory cortex and hippocampus as well as human electrocorticography (ECoG) data. We show successful decoding of finger movement, auditory stimuli, and spatial behaviors – including a novel representation of head direction - from raw neural activity

Semantics of a Typed Algebraic Lambda-Calculus

Algebraic lambda-calculi have been studied in various ways, but their semantics remain mostly untouched. In this paper we propose a semantic analysis of a general simply-typed lambda-calculus endowed with a structure of vector space. We sketch the relation with two established vectorial lambda-calculi. Then we study the problems arising from the addition of a fixed point combinator and how to modify the equational theory to solve them. We sketch an algebraic vectorial PCF and its possible denotational interpretations

'Reaching the hard to reach' - lessons learned from the VCS (voluntary and community Sector). A qualitative study.

Background The notion 'hard to reach' is a contested and ambiguous term that is commonly used within the spheres of social care and health, especially in discourse around health and social inequalities. There is a need to address health inequalities and to engage in services the marginalized and socially excluded sectors of society. Methods This paper describes a pilot study involving interviews with representatives from eight Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations . The purpose of the study was to explore the notion of 'hard to reach' and perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to accessing services for 'hard to reach' groups from a voluntary and community sector perspective. Results The 'hard to reach' may include drug users, people living with HIV, people from sexual minority communities, asylum seekers, refugees, people from black and ethnic minority communities, and homeless people although defining the notion of the 'hard to reach' is not straight forward. It may be that certain groups resist engaging in treatment services and are deemed hard to reach by a particular service or from a societal stance. There are a number of potential barriers for people who may try and access services, including people having bad experiences in the past; location and opening times of services and how services are funded and managed. A number of areas of commonality are found in terms of how access to services for 'hard to reach' individuals and groups could be improved including: respectful treatment of service users, establishing trust with service users, offering service flexibility, partnership working with other organisations and harnessing service user involvement. Conclusions: If health services are to engage with groups that are deemed 'hard to reach' and marginalised from mainstream health services, the experiences and practices for engagement from within the VCS may serve as useful lessons for service improvement for statutory health services

Discrete mode laser diodes with very narrow linewidth emission

Ex-facet, free-running low linewidth (~100 kHz), single mode laser emission is demonstrated using low cost, regrowth-free ridge waveguide Discrete Mode Fabry Pérot laser diode chips. These narrow linewidths are obtained from sub mW emission powers and above