Evidence for CO2-rich fluids in rocks from the type charnockite area near Pallavaram, Tamil Nadu

Fluid inclusion and mineral chemistry data was presented for samples from the type charnockite area near Pallavaram (Tamil Nadu, India). The results indicate the presence of a dense CO2 fluid phase, but the data cannot distinguish between influx of this fluid from elsewhere or localized migration of CO2-rich fluids associated with dehydration melting

Editorial: a New Era of GR2P

This year, a new editorial team has stepped in to take the reins of Global Responsibility to Protect (GR2P). In light of the tremendous contributions this journal has made in pioneering and shaping a generation of scholarship on R2P, we recognise that continuing this legacy is both an exciting and challenging prospect. We are indebted to the outgoing editors, Alex Bellamy, Sara Davies and Luke Glanville for their dedication to high-quality scholarship from a diverse set of scholars as well as their impressive achievements in chaperoning this journal from new entry to established and respected outlet. We also wish to thank the Editorial Board for their notable contributions to GR2P over the past eleven years; we are pleased to work with a team of such highly reputed and experienced individuals. We will strive to live up to the high standards they have all set while seeking to innovate and push GR2P to new heights

The Weiss conjecture and weak norms

In this note we show that for analytic semigroups the so-called Weiss condition of uniform boundedness of the operators Re(\lambda)^\einhalb C(\lambda+A)^{-1}, \qquad Re(\lambda)>0 on the complex right half plane and weak Lebesgue $L^{2,\infty}$--admissibility are equivalent. Moreover, we show that the weak Lebesgue norm is best possible in the sense that it is the endpoint for the 'Weiss conjecture' within the scale of Lorentz spaces $L^{p,q}$

Pseudo Differential Operators and Markov Semigroups on Compact Lie Groups

We extend the Ruzhansky-Turunen theory of pseudo differential operators on compact Lie groups into a tool that can be used to investigate group-valued Markov processes in the spirit of the work in Euclidean spaces of N.Jacob and collaborators. Feller semigroups, their generators and resolvents are exhibited as pseudo-differential operators and the symbols of the operators forming the semigroup are expressed in terms of the Fourier transform of the transition kernel. The symbols are explicitly computed for some examples including the Feller processes associated to stochastic flows arising from solutions of stochastic differential equations on the group driven by L\'{e}vy processes. We study a family of L\'{e}vy-type linear operators on general Lie groups that are pseudo differential operators when the group is compact and find conditions for them to give rise to symmetric Dirichlet forms

Optimizing Network Connectivity for Mobile Health Technologies in sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) technologies hold incredible promise to improve healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings. Network reliability across large catchment areas can be a major challenge. We performed an analysis of network failure frequency as part of a study of real-time adherence monitoring in rural Uganda. We hypothesized that the addition of short messaging service (SMS+GPRS) to the standard cellular network modality (GPRS) would reduce network disruptions and improve transmission of data. Methods: Participants were enrolled in a study of real-time adherence monitoring in southwest Uganda. In June 2011, we began using Wisepill devices that transmit data each time the pill bottle is opened. We defined network failures as medication interruptions of >48 hours duration that were transmitted when network connectivity was re-established. During the course of the study, we upgraded devices from GPRS to GPRS+SMS compatibility. We compared network failure rates between GPRS and GPRS+SMS periods and created geospatial maps to graphically demonstrate patterns of connectivity. Results: One hundred fifty-seven participants met inclusion criteria of seven days of SMS and seven days of SMS+GPRS observation time. Seventy-three percent were female, median age was 40 years (IQR 33–46), 39% reported >1-hour travel time to clinic and 17% had home electricity. One hundred one had GPS coordinates recorded and were included in the geospatial maps. The median number of network failures per person-month for the GPRS and GPRS+SMS modalities were 1.5 (IQR 1.0–2.2) and 0.3 (IQR 0–0.9) respectively, (mean difference 1.2, 95%CI 1.0–1.3, p-value<0.0001). Improvements in network connectivity were notable throughout the region. Study costs increased by approximately $1USD per person-month. Conclusions: Addition of SMS to standard GPRS cellular network connectivity can significantly reduce network connection failures for mobile health applications in remote areas. Projects depending on mobile health data in resource-limited settings should consider this upgrade to optimize mHealth applications

Energy Content of Seeds of Palmer’s Pigweed (Amaranthus palmeri) in the Diet of Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata) in Southeastern New Mexico

Palmer’s pigweed (Amaranthus palmeri) is a common grassland plant that occurs across much of North America. It is often considered a weed but is an important source of food for many game birds. We analyzed the energy content of seeds of Palmer’s pigweed obtained from the crops of scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) collected from plains-mesa sand-scrub habitat in Eddy and Lea counties, New Mexico. Seeds were dried for 48 hours at 60°C to remove moisture and then analyzed for gross caloric value (i.e., energy content) in an oxygen bomb calorimeter. Energy content of seeds of Palmer’s pigweed from New Mexico averaged 16.6 J/kg (4.0 kcal/g), and was among the lowest values obtained when compared to those of many seeds previously reported from the diet of scaled quail and other granivorous birds

Origin of biogeographically distinct ecotypes during laboratory evolution.

Resource partitioning is central to the incredible productivity of microbial communities, including gigatons in annual methane emissions through syntrophic interactions. Previous work revealed how a sulfate reducer (Desulfovibrio vulgaris, Dv) and a methanogen (Methanococcus maripaludis, Mm) underwent evolutionary diversification in a planktonic context, improving stability, cooperativity, and productivity within 300-1000 generations. Here, we show that mutations in just 15 Dv and 7 Mm genes within a minimal assemblage of this evolved community gave rise to co-existing ecotypes that were spatially enriched within a few days of culturing in a fluidized bed reactor. The spatially segregated communities partitioned resources in the simulated subsurface environment, with greater lactate utilization by attached Dv but partial utilization of resulting H2 by low affinity hydrogenases of Mm in the same phase. The unutilized H2 was scavenged by high affinity hydrogenases of planktonic Mm, producing copious amounts of methane. Our findings show how a few mutations can drive resource partitioning amongst niche-differentiated ecotypes, whose interplay synergistically improves productivity of the entire mutualistic community