Joining the dots Global Challenges and the Valuing Nature Agenda

The Valuing Nature Network aims to improve understanding of the value of nature in both economic and non-economic terms, and improve the use of these valuations in decision making. It funds interdisciplinary research and builds links between researchers and people who make decisions that affect nature in business, policy-making, and in practice. The Global Challenges Research Fund aims to support research that directly contributes to the sustainable development and welfare of people in developing countries. • A review of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (see Annex I) and their targets revealed a number of themes that have links to the Valuing Nature Network research agenda, specifically: the governance of natural resources; conservation of natural capital and sustainable use of ecosystems; environmentally, socially and economically sustainable agro-forestry systems; and knowledge exchange at the science-policy interface. Assessing the extent and depth of existing research in these areas, and identifying networks of current research collaboration, can enable the identification of key opportunities for advancing research into the natural environment that also seeks to address the challenges associated with international development

Proactive recruitment of cancer patients' social networks into a smoking cessation trial

This report describes the characteristics associated with successful enrollment of smokers in the social networks (i.e., family and close friends) of patients with lung cancer into a smoking cessation intervention

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children

An evaluation of the trout population in three sections of the Musselshell River near Deadman\u27s Basin Reservoir /

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FCS UGV Safe Operations

The US Army Future Combat System (FCS) will implement Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) in numbers not previously seen before in military operations. Many of these vehicles will also be larger and faster than the small robots typically used today for explosive ordnance disposal and general improvised explosive device handling. More importantly, FCS will implement these UGV’s in scenarios were they will be in much closer proximity to soldiers and other non-combatant personnel. This paper describes the plan for developing an appropriate match of technology for autonomous UGV maneuver with the emerging need for safety release verification for these systems prior to fielding. The plan is followed by descriptions of initial data collections with a UGV, that will form the starting point in this safety release process, and stimulate further use and refinement of this process for large UGV’s in applications beyond FCS