The Language of Non-normative Sexuality and Genders

This project is about how asexual, intersex and transgender identities challenge normative ideas about what it means to be human. Our research primarily focused on how language used in the medical community influences societal perceptions of non-normative identities. Western culture is pervasively heteronormative, meaning that there is a narrow idea of what constitutes a “normal” human being, which is typically heterosexual and limited to a binary gender system. While society is making strides with accepting non-hetero sexual identities, there persists the notion that humans are inherently sexual beings. Asexuality, an orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction, challenges this sexual normative ideal. Gender within Western culture is strictly binary and is mapped onto physical sex. Intersex individuals are people who have some combination of both male and female characteristics or are neither male nor female. This challenges the notion that human beings are naturally categorized as either male or female. Transgender peoples, who are characterized by not having a gender identity that matches their gender assigned at birth, challenge the notion that physical sex and gender are one and the same. Through our work we have found that there is a startling and disappointing lack of research on these identities, rendering these people invisible. What research there is, shows a trend in the medical community of pathologizing and erasing the identities of people who are asexual, intersex or transgender

Characterization of Hypertension Risk Factors at the Committee on Temporary Shelter

Introduction: The health of homeless populations is at risk due to a high prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The interaction of housing and socioeconomic status with the risk factors for HTN and CVD remains unclear. Prevention of HTN through a healthy diet, exercise, adequate sleep, and avoidance of tobacco has been well described, but financial limitations and competing priorities for shelter and food make blood pressure (BP) control difficult for this population. By characterizing the risk factors and awareness of hypertension within the homeless population at the Committee on Temporary Shelter Daystation (COTS) in Burlington, Vermont, we may be able to identify promising avenues for therapeutic intervention.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1226/thumbnail.jp

Long distance biotic dispersal of tropical seagrass seeds by marine mega-herbivores

Terrestrial plants use an array of animals as vectors for dispersal, however little is known of biotic dispersal of marine angiosperms such as seagrasses. Our study in the Great Barrier Reef confirms for the first time that dugongs (Dugong dugon) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) assist seagrass dispersal. We demonstrate that these marine mega-herbivores consume and pass in faecal matter viable seeds for at least three seagrass species (Zostera muelleri, Halodule uninervis and Halophila decipiens). One to two seagrass seeds per g DW of faecal matter were found during the peak of the seagrass reproductive season (September to December), with viability on excretion of 9.13% ± 4.61% (SE). Using population estimates for these mega-herbivores, and data on digestion time (hrs), average daily movement (km h) and numbers of viable seagrass seeds excreted (per g DW), we calculated potential seagrass seed dispersal distances. Dugongs and green sea turtle populations within this region can disperse >500,000 viable seagrass seeds daily, with a maximum dispersal distance of approximately 650 km. Biotic dispersal of tropical seagrass seeds by dugongs and green sea turtles provides a large-scale mechanism that enhances connectivity among seagrass meadows, and aids in resilience and recovery of these coastal habitats

No Evidence for Lyman-alpha Emission in Spectroscopy of z > 7 Candidate Galaxies

We present Gemini/GNIRS spectroscopic observations of 4 z-band (z~7) dropout galaxies and VLT/XSHOOTER observations of one z-band dropout and 3 Y-band (z~8-9) dropout galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, which were selected with Wide Field Camera 3 imaging on the Hubble Space Telescope. We find no evidence of Lyman-alpha emission with a typical 5-sigma sensitivity of 5X10^-18erg/cm^2/s, and we use the upper limits on Lyman-alpha flux and the broad-band magnitudes to constrain the rest-frame equivalent widths for this line emission. Accounting for incomplete spectral coverage, we survey 3.0 z-band dropouts and 2.9 Y-band dropouts to a Lyman-alpha rest-frame equivalent width limit > 120Ang (for an unresolved emission line); for an equivalent width limit of 50Ang the effective numbers of drop-outs surveyed fall to 1.2 z-band drop-outs and 1.5 Y-band drop-outs. A simple model where the fraction of high rest-frame equivalent width emitters follows the trend seen at z=3-6.5 is inconsistent with our non-detections at z=7-9 at the ~ 1-sigma level for spectrally unresolved lines, which may indicate that a significant neutral HI fraction in the intergalactic medium suppresses the Lyman-alpha line in z-drop and Y-drop galaxies at z > 7.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA

VLT/XSHOOTER and Subaru/MOIRCS spectroscopy of HUDF.YD3: no evidence for Lyman emission at z = 8.55

We present spectroscopic observations with VLT/XSHOOTER and Subaru/MOIRCS of a relatively bright Y-band drop-out galaxy in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF), first selected by Bunker et al., McLure et al. and Bouwens et al. to be a likely z ≈ 8–9 galaxy on the basis of its colours in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 images. This galaxy, HUDF.YD3 (also known as UDFy-38135539), has been targetted for VLT/SINFONI integral field spectroscopy by Lehnert et al., who published a candidate Lyman α emission line at z = 8.55 from this source. In our independent spectroscopy using two different infrared spectrographs (5 h with VLT/XSHOOTER and 11 h with Subaru/MOIRCS), we are unable to reproduce this line. We do not detect any emission line at the spectral and spatial location reported in Lehnert et al., despite the expected signal in our combined MOIRCS and XSHOOTER data being 5σ. The line emission also seems to be ruled out by the faintness of this object in recently extremely deep F105W (Y band) HST/WFC 3 imaging from HUDF12; the line would fall within this filter and such a galaxy should have been detected at YAB = 28.6 mag (∼20σ) rather than the marginal YAB ≈ 30 mag observed in the Y-band image, >3 times fainter than would be expected if the emission line was real. Hence, it appears highly unlikely that the reported Lyman α line emission at z > 8 is real, meaning that the highest redshift sources for which Lyman α emission has been seen are at z = 6.9-7.2. It is conceivable that Lyman α does not escape galaxies at higher redshifts, where the Gunn–Peterson absorption renders the Universe optically thick to this line. However, deeper spectroscopy on a larger sample of candidate z > 7 galaxies will be needed to test this

Constraints on Star Forming Galaxies at z> 6.5 from HAWK-I Y-band Imaging of GOODS-South

We present the results of our search for high-redshift Lyman-break galaxies over the GOODS-South field. We use HST-ACS data in B, V, i' & z', VLT-ISAAC J and Ks, Spitzer-IRAC 3.6, 4.5, 5.8 and 8.0 micron data in conjunction with the new HAWK-I Y-band science verification data to search for dropout galaxies in the redshift range 6<z<9. We survey ~119 arcmin^2 to Y_AB=25.7 (5sigma), of which 37.5 arcmin^2 reaches Y_AB=25.9. Candidate z' and Y drop-outs were selected on the basis of a colour cut of (Y-J)_{AB}>0.75 mag and (z'-Y)_{AB}>1.0 mag respectively. We find no robust Y-drops (z~9) brighter than J_{AB}<25.4. In our search for z'-band dropouts (z~6.5-7.5), we identify four possible candidates, two with z'-drop colours and clear Spitzer-IRAC detections and two less likely candidates. We also identify two previously-known Galactic T-dwarf stellar contaminants with these colours, and two likely transient objects seen in the Y-band data. The implications if all or none of our candidates are real on the Ultra-Violet galaxy luminosity functions at z>6.5 are explored. We find our number of z'-drop candidates to be insufficient based on the expected number of z' drops in a simple no-evolution scenario from the z=3 Lyman-break galaxy luminosity function but we are consistent with the observed luminosity function at z~6 (if all our candidates are real). However, if one or both of our best z'-drop candidates are not z>6.5 galaxies, this would demand evolution of the luminosity function at early epochs. We show that the future surveys to be conducted with the ESO VISTA telescope over the next five years will be able to measure the bulk of the luminosity function for both z' and Y drop-outs.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figure. Accepted for publication in MNRA

The naked truth:a comprehensive clarification and classification of current 'myths' in naked mole-rat biology

The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) has fascinated zoologists for at least half a century. It has also generated considerable biomedical interest not only because of its extraordinary longevity, but also because of unusual protective features (e.g. its tolerance of variable oxygen availability), which may be pertinent to several human disease states, including ischemia/reperfusion injury and neurodegeneration. A recent article entitled 'Surprisingly long survival of premature conclusions about naked mole-rat biology' described 28 'myths' which, those authors claimed, are a 'perpetuation of beautiful, but falsified, hypotheses' and impede our understanding of this enigmatic mammal. Here, we re-examine each of these 'myths' based on evidence published in the scientific literature. Following Braude et al., we argue that these 'myths' fall into four main categories: (i) 'myths' that would be better described as oversimplifications, some of which persist solely in the popular press; (ii) 'myths' that are based on incomplete understanding, where more evidence is clearly needed; (iii) 'myths' where the accumulation of evidence over the years has led to a revision in interpretation, but where there is no significant disagreement among scientists currently working in the field; (iv) 'myths' where there is a genuine difference in opinion among active researchers, based on alternative interpretations of the available evidence. The term 'myth' is particularly inappropriate when applied to competing, evidence-based hypotheses, which form part of the normal evolution of scientific knowledge. Here, we provide a comprehensive critical review of naked mole-rat biology and attempt to clarify some of these misconceptions

Glastir Monitoring & Evaluation Programme. First year annual report

The Welsh Government has commissioned a comprehensive new ecosystem monitoring and evaluation programme to monitor the effects of Glastir, its new land management scheme, and to monitor progress towards a range of international biodiversity and environmental targets. A random sample of 1 km squares stratified by landcover types will be used both to monitor change at a national level in the wider countryside and to provide a backdrop against which intervention measures are assessed using a second sample of 1 km squares located in areas eligible for enhanced payments for advanced interventions. Modelling in the first year has forecast change based on current understanding, whilst a rolling national monitoring programme based on an ecosystem approach will provide an evidence-base for on-going, adaptive development of the scheme by Welsh Government. To our knowledge, this will constitute the largest and most in-depth ecosystem monitoring and evaluation programme of any member state of the European Union

Priorities for synthesis research in ecology and environmental science

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the National Science Foundation grant #1940692 for financial support for this workshop, and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and its staff for logistical support.Peer reviewedPublisher PD