Updated statewide abundance estimates for the Florida manatee

Knowing how many manatees live in Florida is critical for conservation and management of this threatened species. Martin and others flew aerial surveys in 2011–2012 and estimated abundance in those years using advanced techniques that incorporated multiple data sources. We flew additional aerial surveys in 2015–2016 to count manatees and again applied advanced statistical techniques to estimate their abundance. We also made several methodological advances over the earlier work, including accounting for how sea state (water surface conditions) and synchronous surfacing behavior affect the availability of manatees to be detected and incorporating all parts of Florida in the area of inference. We estimate that the number of manatees in Florida in 2015–2016 was 8,810 (95% Bayesian credible interval 7,520–10,280), of which 4,810 (3,820–6,010) were on the west coast of Florida and 4,000 (3,240–4,910) were on the east coast. These estimates and associated uncertainty, in addition to being of immediate value to wildlife managers, are essential new data for incorporation into integrated population models and population viability analyses

Aircraft Cost Index and the Future of Carbon Emissions from Air Travel

Air travel accounts for 2% of global CO2 emissions and this proportion is set to grow in the future. There are currently no large scale solutions to drastically reduce the industry’s dependence on oil. Therefore, airlines are looking to use a basket of measures to reduce fuel consumption. Optimisation of the use of cost index (CI) could be a valuable addition to this. By balancing time-dependent costs with the cost of fuel, it controls the speed of the aircraft to achieve the most economic flight time. This has a direct impact on the CO2 emissions from the aircraft, with higher speeds resulting in higher fuel consumption. The aim of this study is to assess the impact that CI has on CO2 emissions for six different aircraft models on a flight-by-flight basis and to evaluate how the CI could be affected by future impacts on the industry for a representative aircraft. Results show that a range of representative CI values for different aircraft models exist and suggest that the maximum benefit for optimising CI values occurs for long range flights. The average saving in CO2 emissions is 1%. Results show that time-related costs have the greatest effect on the optimum CI values, particularly delay costs. On the fuel side of the equation it is notable that a carbon price resulting from the implementation of a market based mechanism has little impact on the optimum CI and only reduces CO2 emissions by 0.01% in this case. The largest savings in CO2 emissions result from the use of biofuels, with reductions of between 9% and 44% for 10% and 50% blends respectively. This study also highlights the need for further research into crew and maintenance costs, cumulative costs and delay induced by congestion and climate change events, as well as policy considerations to ensure that there is a reduction in CO2 emissions. The study concludes that CI should be seen as a valuable tool in both helping to reduce CO2 emissions, as well to assess the impact of future events on the industry

A unique role of GATA1S in down syndrome acute megakaryocytic leukemia biology and therapy

Background: Acute megakaryocytic leukemia (AMkL) in Down syndrome (DS) children is uniformly associated with somatic GATA1 mutations, which result in the synthesis of a shorter protein (GATA1s) with altered transactivation activity compared to the wild-type GATA1. It is not fully established whether leukemogenesis and therapeutic responses in DS AMkL patients are due to loss of the wild-type GATA1 or due to a unique function of GATA1s. Methodology: Stable clones of CMK cells with decreased GATA1s or Bcl-2 levels were generated by using GATA1- or BCL-2-specific lentivirus shRNAs. In vitro ara-C, daunorubicin, and VP-16 cytotoxicities of the shRNA stable clones were determined by using the Cell Titer-blue reagent. Apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were determined by flow cytometry analysis. Changes in gene transcript levels were determined by gene expression microarray and/or real-time RT-PCR. Changes in protein levels were measured by Western blotting. In vivo binding of GATA1s to IL1A promoter was determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Results: Lentivirus shRNA knockdown of the GATA1 gene in the DS AMkL cell line, CMK (harbors a mutated GATA1 gene and only expresses GATA1s), resulting in lower GATA1s protein levels, promoted cell differentiation towards the megakaryocytic lineage and repressed cell proliferation. Increased basal apoptosis and sensitivities to ara-C, daunorubicin, and VP-16 accompanied by down-regulated Bcl-2 were also detected in the CMK GATA1 shRNA knockdown clones. Essentially the same results were obtained when Bcl-2 was knocked down with lentivirus shRNA in CMK cells. Besides Bcl-2, down-regulation of GATA1s also resulted in altered expression of genes (e.g., IL1A, PF4, and TUBB1) related to cell death, proliferation, and differentiation. Conclusion: Our results suggest that GATA1s may facilitate leukemogenesis and potentially impact therapeutic responses in DS AMkL by promoting proliferation and survival, and by repressing megakaryocytic lineage differentiation, potentially by regulating expression of Bcl-2 protein and other relevant genes. © 2011 Xavier et al

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in individuals with pre-existing mental illness

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected mental health, but most studies have been conducted in the general population. AIMS: To identify factors associated with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with pre-existing mental illness. METHOD: Participants (N = 2869, 78% women, ages 18–94 years) from a UK cohort (the National Centre for Mental Health) with a history of mental illness completed a cross-sectional online survey in June to August 2020. Mental health assessments were the GAD-7 (anxiety), PHQ-9 (depression) and WHO-5 (well-being) questionnaires, and a self-report question on whether their mental health had changed during the pandemic. Regressions examined associations between mental health outcomes and hypothesised risk factors. Secondary analyses examined associations between specific mental health diagnoses and mental health. RESULTS: A total of 60% of participants reported that mental health had worsened during the pandemic. Younger age, difficulty accessing mental health services, low income, income affected by COVID-19, worry about COVID-19, reduced sleep and increased alcohol/drug use were associated with increased depression and anxiety symptoms and reduced well-being. Feeling socially supported by friends/family/services was associated with better mental health and well-being. Participants with a history of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or eating disorder were more likely to report that mental health had worsened during the pandemic than individuals without a history of these diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: We identified factors associated with worse mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with pre-existing mental illness, in addition to specific groups potentially at elevated risk of poor mental health during the pandemic

Acidity promotes degradation of multi-species environmental DNA in lotic mesocosms

Accurate quantification of biodiversity is fundamental to understanding ecosystem function and for environmental assessment. Molecular methods using environmental DNA (eDNA) offer a non-invasive, rapid, and cost-effective alternative to traditional biodiversity assessments, which require high levels of expertise. While eDNA analyses are increasingly being utilized, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the dynamics of multispecies eDNA, especially in variable systems such as rivers. Here, we utilize four sets of upland stream mesocosms, across an acid–base gradient, to assess the temporal and environmental degradation of multispecies eDNA. Sampling included water column and biofilm sampling over time with eDNA quantified using qPCR. Our findings show that the persistence of lotic multispecies eDNA, sampled from water and biofilm, decays to non-detectable levels within 2 days and that acidic environments accelerate the degradation process. Collectively, the results provide the basis for a predictive framework for the relationship between lotic eDNA degradation dynamics in spatio-temporally dynamic river ecosystems

Roswell, GA

Prepared by the Spring 2010 Preservation planning class. The Roswell Historic District Design Guidelines give an overview of the historic boundaries and their modern expansion. The guidelines illustrate appropriate structure styles for the district, both residential and commercial. Districts outlined in this design guidelines are the Mill Village and Town Square, Mimosa Boulevard Neighborhood, Uptown- Alpharetta Street Neighborhood, Uptown- Canton Street Neighborhood, and South Atlanta Street Neighborhood.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_heritagepreservation/1037/thumbnail.jp