Connection for conservation: The impact of counting butterflies on nature connectedness and wellbeing in citizen scientists

Biodiversity conservation is fundamentally linked to human values, attitudes, and behaviours. Nature connectedness, the strength of a person's relationship with nature, is an important determinant of pro-nature actions, and therefore vital for counteracting biodiversity loss. Citizen science may improve nature connectedness, though such outcomes are underexplored in comparison to scientific and educational results. Addressing this gap, we studied the experiences of participants in the Big Butterfly Count, a UK mass-participation citizen science activity that aims to raise awareness and gather data on the abundance of widespread butterfly and moth species. Participants completed surveys before and after the three-week Big Butterfly Count period (n = 382), and at six- to seven-week follow up (n = 345). Improvements in nature connectedness, decreased anxiety, and increased tendency to notice nature and butterflies, were found immediately after the count period, with improved wellbeing and nature noticing at follow-up. Stronger emotional responses during the butterfly count were associated with greater increases in nature connectedness and nature noticing. Qualitative data revealed mixed emotions, from sadness and concern about biodiversity loss, to feelings of hope and optimism through taking actions to help butterflies. These findings suggest that citizen science participation prompts people to notice and enjoy nature in ways that enhance their wellbeing and connection with nature, supporting the mutual health of people and the rest of the natural world. The study highlights the potential for nature-based citizen science to benefit conservation beyond the focal species or habitat, by changing how people think, feel and act towards nature more broadly

Pressure-Induced Superconductivity in Sc to 74 GPa

Using a diamond anvil cell with nearly hydrostatic helium pressure medium we have significantly extended the superconducting phase diagram Tc(P) of Sc, the lightest of all transition metals. We find that superconductivity is induced in Sc under pressure, Tc increasing monotonically to 8.2 K at 74.2 GPa. The Tc(P) dependences of the trivalent d-electron metals Sc, Y, La, and Lu are compared and discussed within a simple s-d charge transfer framework.Comment: to be published in Phys. Rev. B (Brief Reports

Prospectus for a Design Well in the Blessing Area Matagorda County, Texas

In recent years, the Bureau of Economic Geology has conducted regional subsurface studies of the Wilcox Group and Frio Formation of Texas as part of the U. S. Department of Energy's assessment of deep geopressured geothermal resources along the Gulf Coast. These studies resulted in two reports (Bebout and others, 1978; 1979) that describe several areas in Texas where temperatures are greater than 300°F and where the geology and reservoir conditions are suitable for resource testing by a design well. Throughout the Texas Coastal Plain, the 300°F isotherm generally occurs at depths ranging from 12,000 to 16,000 ft. The overlying geopressured sediments represent a substantial portion of the sedimentary column that contains significant quantities of entrained methane, making them a significant portion of the resource base (Gregory and others, 1980). The lower temperatures and pressures of these shallow geopressured sediments result in lower methane solubility, but drilling costs would be substantially lower, and perhaps reservoir quality would be better in comparison to the deep geopressured intervals. Although the latter condition has not been substantiated, several areas that are geologically favorable for testing shallow geopressured aquifers with temperatures less than 300°F were identified in a recently completed study (Weise and others, 1980) funded by the Gas Research Institute. The Blessing Prospect (fig. 1), one of the shallow prospects in Matagorda County, Texas, is presented in this prospectus as a candidate for the DOE design well program. The prospectus focuses on the geological and engineering aspects of the test site. Although legal and environmental considerations are mentioned, they have not been studied in detail and additional work would necessarily follow if the prospect is approved for drilling and testing. Likewise, a drilling program and an economic analysis would be necessary before final approval of a design well.Bureau of Economic Geolog

High pressure transport studies of the LiFeAs analogues CuFeTe2 and Fe2As

We have synthesized two iron-pnictide/chalcogenide materials, CuFeTe2 and Fe2As, which share crystallographic features with known iron-based superconductors, and carried out high-pressure electrical resistivity measurements on these materials to pressures in excess of 30 GPa. Both compounds crystallize in the Cu2Sb-type crystal structure that is characteristic of LiFeAs (with CuFeTe2 exhibiting a disordered variant). At ambient pressure, CuFeTe2 is a semiconductor and has been suggested to exhibit a spin-density-wave transition, while Fe2As is a metallic antiferromagnet. The electrical resistivity of CuFeTe2, measured at 4 K, decreases by almost two orders of magnitude between ambient pressure and 2.4 GPa. At 34 GPa, the electrical resistivity decreases upon cooling the sample below 150 K, suggesting the proximity of the compound to a metal-insulator transition. Neither CuFeTe2 nor Fe2As superconduct above 1.1 K throughout the measured pressure range.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Remarkable low-energy properties of the pseudogapped semimetal Be5Pt

We report measurements and calculations on the properties of the intermetallic compound Be5Pt. High-quality polycrystalline samples show a nearly constant temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity over a wide temperature range. On the other hand, relativistic electronic structure calculations indicate the existence of a narrow pseudogap in the density of states arising from accidental approximate Dirac cones extremely close to the Fermi level. A small true gap of order 3c3 meV is present at the Fermi level, yet the measured resistivity is nearly constant from low to room temperature. We argue that this unexpected behavior can be understood by a cancellation of the energy dependence of density of states and relaxation time due to disorder, and discuss a model for electronic transport. With applied pressure, the resistivity becomes semiconducting, consistent with theoretical calculations that show that the bandgap increases with applied pressure. We further discuss the role of Be inclusions in the samples

Factors Influencing Graduate Program Choice Among Undergraduate Women

Context: Despite equal enrollment proportions in MD and PhD programs, there are fewer women than men in MD-PhD programs and academic medicine. Factors important in degree program selection, including the perception of gender disparities, among undergraduate students were characterized. Methods: In 2017, pre-health students at four public North Carolina universities were invited to participate in an online survey regarding career plans, decision factors, and perceptions of gender disparities in MD, PhD and MD-PhD pathways. The authors characterized factors important to program selection, and evaluated the association of intended graduate program with perceived gender disparities using Fisher’s exact tests. Results: Among the n=186 female survey participants, most were white (54%) and intended MD, PhD, and/or MD-PhD programs (52%). Sixty percent had heard of MD-PhD programs, over half had no research experience, and half were considering but uncertain about pursuing a research career. The most common factors influencing degree program choice were perceived competitiveness as an applicant, desired future work environment, and desire for patient interaction. Twenty-five percent of students considering MD, PhD, and MD-PhD programs stated that perceived gender disparities during training for those degrees will influence their choice of program, however intended degree was not statistically associated with perceived gender disparities. Discussion: Perceived gender disparities may influence choice of graduate training program but are not among the top factors. Perceived competitiveness as an applicant is an important career consideration among undergraduate women. Strategies to increase awareness of MD-PhD programs, to encourage women to consider all training paths for which they are qualified are needed. Keywords: Education, Graduate; Sexism; Career Choice; Biomedical Research/education; Female What is known: Though men and women are nearly equally represented in MD-only and PhD-only programs, women are underrepresented in MD-PhD programs, which train physician-scientists. Prior studies have shown gender is not associated with rates of attrition from MD-PhD programs or differences in academic preparation, research interest, or research experience, suggesting enrollment differences by gender may be due to fewer women applying to MD-PhD programs. Gender parity in the physician-scientist workforce is critical to equitably serving a diverse patient population. What this study adds: This study is the first to examine the role of gender disparities in the career choices of undergraduate women. Given the moderate familiarity with MD-PhD training and lack of research experience among respondents, increased awareness of MD-PhD programs and expanded research opportunities may help undergraduates make informed career choices. This may increase women MD-PhD applicants, creating a more balanced physician-scientist workforce to address the needs of patients from all backgrounds

Contrasting Pressure Effects in Sr2VFeAsO3 and Sr2ScFePO3

We report the resistivity measurements under pressure of two Fe-based superconductors with a thick perovskite oxide layer, Sr2VFeAsO3 and Sr2ScFePO3. The superconducting transition temperature Tc of Sr2VFeAsO3 markedly increases with increasing pressure. Its onset value, which was Tc{onset}=36.4 K at ambient pressure, increases to Tc{onset}=46.0 K at ~4 GPa, ensuring the potential of the "21113" system as a high-Tc material. However, the superconductivity of Sr2ScFePO3 is strongly suppressed under pressure. The Tc{onset} of ~16 K decreases to ~5 K at ~4 GPa, and the zero-resistance state is almost lost. We discuss the factor that induces this contrasting pressure effect.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. No.12 (2009

High-pressure study of the low- Z rich superconductor Be22Re

With Tc 3c9.6K, Be22Re exhibits one of the highest critical temperatures among Be-rich compounds. We have carried out a series of high-pressure electrical resistivity measurements on this compound to 30 GPa. The data show that the critical temperature Tc is suppressed gradually at a rate of dTc/dP=-0.05K/GPa. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the electronic and phonon density of states (DOS) and the measured critical temperature, we estimate that the rapid increase in lattice stiffening in Be22Re overwhelms a moderate increase in the electron-ion interaction with pressure, resulting in the decrease in Tc. High-pressure x-ray diffraction measurements show that the ambient pressure crystal structure of Be22Re persists to at least 154 GPa