Releasing incompatible males drives strong suppression across populations of wild and Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti in Australia

Releasing sterile or incompatible male insects is a proven method of population management in agricultural systems with the potential to revolutionize mosquito control. Through a collaborative venture with the “Debug” Verily Life Sciences team, we assessed the incompatible insect technique (IIT) with the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti in northern Australia in a replicated treatment control field trial. Backcrossing a US strain of Ae. aegypti carrying Wolbachia wAlbB from Aedes albopictus with a local strain, we generated a wAlbB2-F4 strain incompatible with both the wild-type (no Wolbachia) and wMel-Wolbachia Ae. aegypti now extant in North Queensland. The wAlbB2-F4 strain was manually mass reared with males separated from females using Verily sex-sorting technologies to obtain no detectable female contamination in the field. With community consent, we delivered a total of three million IIT males into three isolated landscapes of over 200 houses each, releasing ∼50 males per house three times a week over 20 wk. Detecting initial overflooding ratios of between 5:1 and 10:1, strong population declines well beyond 80% were detected across all treatment landscapes when compared to controls. Monitoring through the following season to observe the ongoing effect saw one treatment landscape devoid of adult Ae. aegypti early in the season. A second landscape showed reduced adults, and the third recovered fully. These encouraging results in suppressing both wild-type and wMel-Ae. aegypti confirms the utility of bidirectional incompatibility in the field setting, show the IIT to be robust, and indicate that the removal of this arbovirus vector from human-occupied landscapes may be achievable

Initial results of coring at Prees, Cheshire Basin, UK (ICDP JET project): towards an integrated stratigraphy, timescale, and Earth system understanding for the Early Jurassic

Drilling for the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Early Jurassic Earth System and Timescale project (JET) was undertaken between October 2020 and January 2021. The drill site is situated in a small-scale synformal basin of the latest Triassic to Early Jurassic age that formed above the major Permian–Triassic half-graben system of the Cheshire Basin. The borehole is located to recover an expanded and complete succession to complement the legacy core from the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole  drilled through 1967–1969 on the edge of the Cardigan Bay Basin, North Wales. The overall aim of the project is to construct an astronomically calibrated integrated timescale for the Early Jurassic and to provide insights into the operation of the Early Jurassic Earth system. Core of Quaternary age cover and Early Jurassic mudstone was obtained from two shallow partially cored geotechnical holes (Prees 2A to 32.2m below surface (m b.s.) and Prees 2B to 37.0mb.s.) together with Early Jurassic and Late Triassic mudstone from the principal hole, Prees 2C, which was cored from 32.92 to 651.32m (corrected core depth scale). Core recovery was 99.7% for Prees 2C. The ages of the recovered stratigraphy range from the Late Triassic (probably Rhaetian) to the Early Jurassic, Early Pliensbachian (Ibex Ammonoid Chronozone). All ammonoid chronozones have been identified for the drilled Early Jurassic strata. The full lithological succession comprises the Branscombe Mudstone and Blue Anchor formations of the Mercia Mudstone Group, the Westbury and Lilstock formations of the Penarth Group, and the Redcar Mudstone Formation of the Lias Group. A distinct interval of siltstone is recognized within the Late Sinemurian of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, and the name “Prees Siltstone Member” is proposed. Depositional environments range from playa lake in the Late Triassic to distal offshore marine in theEarly Jurassic. Initial datasets compiled from the core include radiography, natural gamma ray, density, magnetic susceptibility, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). A full suite of downhole logs was also run. Intervals of organiccarbon enrichment occur in the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) Westbury Formation and in the earliest Hettangian andearliest Pliensbachian strata of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, where up to 4% total organic carbon (TOC) isrecorded. Other parts of the succession are generally organic-lean, containing less than 1%TOC. Carbon-isotope values from bulk organic matter have also been determined, initially at a resolution of 1 m, and these provide the basis for detailed correlation between the Prees 2 succession and adjacent boreholes and Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) outcrops. Multiple complementary studies are currently underway and preliminaryresults promise an astronomically calibrated biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy for the combined Prees and Mochras successions as well as insights into the dynamics of background processes and major palaeo-environmental changes.Fil: Hesselbo, Stephen P.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Al Suwaidi, Aisha. Khalifa University of Science and Technology; Emiratos Arabes UnidosFil: Baker, Sarah J.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Ballabio, Giorgia. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Belcher, Claire M.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Bond, Andrew. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Boomer, Ian. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Bos, Remco. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Bjerrum, Christian J.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Bogus, Kara. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Boyle, Richard. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Browning, James V.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Butcher, Alan R.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Condon, Daniel J.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Copestake, Philip. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Daines, Stuart. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Dalby, Christopher. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Damaschke, Magret. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Damborenea, Susana Ester. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Departamento de Paleontología Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Deconinck, Jean Francois. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Dickson, Alexander J.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Fendley, Isabel M.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Fox, Calum P.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Manceñido, Miguel Oscar. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Departamento de Paleontología Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Whiteside, Jessica H.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Wignall, Paul B.. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Wonik, Thomas. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Xu, Weimu. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Zeeden, Christian. University of Exeter; Reino UnidoFil: Zhao, Ke. University of Exeter; Reino Unid

Initial results of coring at Prees, Cheshire Basin, UK (ICDP JET project): Towards an integrated stratigraphy, timescale, and Earth system understanding for the Early Jurassic

Drilling for the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) Early Jurassic Earth System and Timescale project (JET) was undertaken between October 2020 and January 2021. The drill site is situated in a small-scale synformal basin of the latest Triassic to Early Jurassic age that formed above the major Permian-Triassic half-graben system of the Cheshire Basin. The borehole is located to recover an expanded and complete succession to complement the legacy core from the Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole drilled through 1967-1969 on the edge of the Cardigan Bay Basin, North Wales. The overall aim of the project is to construct an astronomically calibrated integrated timescale for the Early Jurassic and to provide insights into the operation of the Early Jurassic Earth system. Core of Quaternary age cover and Early Jurassic mudstone was obtained from two shallow partially cored geotechnical holes (Prees 2A to 32.2g¯m below surface (mg¯b.s.) and Prees 2B to 37.0g¯mg¯b.s.) together with Early Jurassic and Late Triassic mudstone from the principal hole, Prees 2C, which was cored from 32.92 to 651.32g¯m (corrected core depth scale). Core recovery was 99.7g¯% for Prees 2C. The ages of the recovered stratigraphy range from the Late Triassic (probably Rhaetian) to the Early Jurassic, Early Pliensbachian (Ibex Ammonoid Chronozone). All ammonoid chronozones have been identified for the drilled Early Jurassic strata. The full lithological succession comprises the Branscombe Mudstone and Blue Anchor formations of the Mercia Mudstone Group, the Westbury and Lilstock formations of the Penarth Group, and the Redcar Mudstone Formation of the Lias Group. A distinct interval of siltstone is recognized within the Late Sinemurian of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, and the name "Prees Siltstone Member"is proposed. Depositional environments range from playa lake in the Late Triassic to distal offshore marine in the Early Jurassic. Initial datasets compiled from the core include radiography, natural gamma ray, density, magnetic susceptibility, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). A full suite of downhole logs was also run. Intervals of organic carbon enrichment occur in the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) Westbury Formation and in the earliest Hettangian and earliest Pliensbachian strata of the Redcar Mudstone Formation, where up to 4g¯% total organic carbon (TOC) is recorded. Other parts of the succession are generally organic-lean, containing less than 1g¯% TOC. Carbon-isotope values from bulk organic matter have also been determined, initially at a resolution of g1/4g¯1g¯m, and these provide the basis for detailed correlation between the Prees 2 succession and adjacent boreholes and Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) outcrops. Multiple complementary studies are currently underway and preliminary results promise an astronomically calibrated biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and chemostratigraphy for the combined Prees and Mochras successions as well as insights into the dynamics of background processes and major palaeo-environmental changes

Data from: Integrated modeling predicts shifts in waterbird population dynamics under climate change

Climate change has been identified as one of the most important drivers of wildlife population dynamics. The in-depth knowledge of the complex relationships between climate and population sizes through density dependent demographic processes is important for understanding and predicting population shifts under climate change, which requires integrated population models (IPMs) that unify the analyses of demography and abundance data. In this study we developed an IPM based on Gaussian approximation to dynamic N-mixture models for large scale population data. We then analyzed four decades (1972-2013) of Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) breeding population survey, band-recovery, and climate data covering a large spatial extent from North American prairies through boreal habitat to Alaska. We aimed to test the hypothesis that climate change will cause shifts in population dynamics if climatic effects on demographic parameters that have substantial contribution to population growth vary spatially. More specifically, we examined the spatial variation of climatic effects on density dependent population demography, identified the key demographic parameters that are influential to population growth, and forecasted population responses to climate change. Our results revealed that recruitment, which explained more variance of population growth than survival, was sensitive to the temporal variation of precipitation in the southern portion of the study area but not in the north. Survival, by contrast, was insensitive to climatic variation. We then forecasted a decrease in Mallard breeding population density in the south and an increase in the northwestern portion of the study area, indicating potential shifts in population dynamics under future climate change. Our results implied that different strategies need to be considered across regions to conserve waterfowl populations in the face of climate change. Our modelling approach can be adapted for other species and thus has wide application to understanding and predicting population dynamics in the presence of global change

Empirically Based Ground Truth Criteria for Seismic Events Recorded at Local Distances on Regional Networks with Application to Southern Africa

We present a new approach to obtaining empirically based (EB) criteria for estimating the epicentral location accuracy (i.e., ground truth, GT) of seismic events recorded at local distances on a regional network. The approach has been developed using a jackknife resampling method applied to carefully picked Pg phase arrival times for GT reference events from several South African gold mines. The events were well recorded locally by Southern African Seismic Experiment (SASE) stations within the Archean Kaapvaal craton, an area of relatively simple crustal structure. The region-specific criteria obtained specify an EBGT395% level of epicentral accuracy if events are recorded on eight or more stations at distances less than the Pg/Pn crossover (215 km) when the stations have a primary azimuthal gap \u3c202 degrees. In addition, when nine or more stations are used for event location and one of them is within 79 km of the event, we find that a focal depth accuracy of 4 km at the 95% confidence level can be obtained and that an accuracy of 6 km can be obtained if eight stations are used. This result illustrates that GT criteria commonly applied to global event catalogs can be relaxed if an accurate velocity model and carefully picked phase-arrival times are used for event locations. Consequently, it is likely that additional events can be added to GT compilations by developing EBGT criteria for other regional networks and using them to identify candidate GT events. For example, the EBGT criteria developed in this study, when applied to the SASE seismicity catalog, yields 10 new GT events

"Все такой же последний из романтиков": статья М. М. Достоевского "Жуковский и романтизм"

The free surface flow Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICW) concept explicitly combines the objectives of cleansing and managing water flow from farmyards with that of integrating the wetland infrastructure into the landscape and enhancing its biological diversity. This leads to system robustness and sustainability. Hydraulic dissipation, vegetation interception, and evapotranspiration create an additional freeboard at the outlet of each wetland segment and at the point of discharge, thus enhancing hydraulic residence time and cleansing capacity during hydraulic fluxes. The principal design criteria leading to adequate effluent water quality (i.e., molybdate reactive phosphorus less than 1 mg/l) from ICWare that the wetland area needs to be sized by a factor of at least 1.3 times the farmyard area and the aspect ratio for the individual wetland segments (i.e., approximately four cells) needs to be less than 1:2.2 (width to length). Within a year of ICW commissioning, approximately 75% of farmyard runoff was intercepted, leading to improvements in the receiving surface waters of the catchment. Most of the recorded phosphate concentrations after ICW treatment agreed with the Irish Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulation 2001, which can be used as a benchmark to assess ICW treatment performance and which is usually applied unofficially to ICWeven if it may appear to be too stringent. A case study of 13 ICWs suggested that phosphorus exported from an ICW system was similar to the typical background concentrations of phosphorus export rates from land to water

Chemical Species in the Vapor Phase of Hanford Double-Shell Tanks: Potential Impacts on Waste Tank Corrosion Processes

The presence of corrosive and inhibiting chemicals on the tank walls in the vapor space, arising from the waste supernatant, dictate the type and degree of corrosion that occurs there. An understanding of how waste chemicals are transported to the walls and the affect on vapor species from changing supernatant chemistry (e.g., pH, etc.), are basic to the evaluation of risks and impacts of waste changes on vapor space corrosion (VSC). In order to address these issues the expert panel workshop on double-shell tank (DST) vapor space corrosion testing (RPP-RPT-31129) participants made several recommendations on the future data and modeling needs in the area of DST corrosion. In particular, the drying of vapor phase condensates or supernatants can form salt or other deposits at the carbon steel interface resulting in a chemical composition at the near surface substantially different from that observed directly in the condensates or the supernatants. As a result, over the past three years chemical modeling and experimental studies have been performed on DST supernatants and condensates to predict the changes in chemical composition that might occur as condensates or supernatants equilibrate with the vapor space species and dry at the carbon steel surface. The experimental studies included research on both the chemical changes that occurred as the supernatants dried as well as research on how these chemical changes impact the corrosion of tank steels. The chemical modeling and associated experimental studies were performed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the research on tank steel corrosion at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). This report presents a summary of the research conducted at PNNL with special emphasis on the most recent studies conducted in FY10. An overall summary of the project results as well as their broader implications for vapor space corrosion of the DST’s is given at the end of this report

Born to be free? Assessing the viability of releasing captive-bred wobbegongs to restock depleted populations

Large predatory fishes, such as sharks, play an important functional role within marine ecosystems. Restocking of depleted populations has been extensively studied for commercially or recreationally important teleost species; however, it has, to the best of our knowledge, never been successfully attempted and assessed on sharks. We evaluated whether 15 captive-bred wobbegongs (Orectolobus maculatus) released into a small bay inhabited by wild sharks would survive and remain within a small no-take marine reserve. The captive-bred sharks and 12 wild sharks were tagged with acoustic transmitters and their presence was monitored by an array of acoustic receivers. The detection rate of control tags was modeled against environmental variables to predict detection probabilities and account for days when environmental conditions hampered shark detections. The overall detection probability ranged from 28 to 38% and was most affected by wind direction. Wild wobbegongs showed clear seasonal patterns of attendance to the study site, with the highest probability of presence during the summer months. The captive-bred sharks did not display the same seasonal trend in occurrence. The age at which captive-bred sharks were released into the area affected residency periods. Four out of five adults remained in the area for up to three years post-release, while all the juveniles permanently left the area within a year post-release. Three of the juveniles were detected on receivers up to 12 km from the study site. Therefore, if restocking of depleted populations of sharks is to be used as a conservation strategy, the age at which sharks are released must be considered.14 page(s