Eradication, Containment, Management and Restoration. A report to the European Commission Working Group 3 on Invasive Species Policy

• Working Group Invasive Species n. 3 • Task 3.1: Eradication, Containment, Management and Restoration o Objective o Scope o Definitions o Eradication o Containment o Mitigation o Coexistence and Acceptance o Restoration o The Role of EU and MS o Practical considerations o References OBJECTIVE To minimise the damage caused by established IAS to species, habitats, ecosystem function and services, economic activities, together with human and animal health. To be achieved, where possible, by the eradication of IAS and, where impractical, the limitation of their impact, further spread and management of the consequences

Investigation into the efficacy of CO2 lasers for modifying the factors influencing biocompatibility of a polymeric biomaterial in comparison with an F2 excimer laser

Enhancement of the biocompatibility of a material by means of laser radiation has been amply demonstrated previously. Due to efficient absorption of the energy, short wavelengths and energies per pulse, polymers are usually processed using UV lasers, but the processing of polymers with IR lasers has also been demonstrated previously. In this work a comparative study for the surface modification of nylon 6,6 has been conducted in order to vary the parameters driving biocompatibility (surface topography, hydrophobic reactions, hydrophilic reactions and surface chemistry) using CO2 and excimer lasers. Topographical changes were analysed using white light interferometry which indicated that both laser systems could be implemented for modifying the topography of nylon 6,6. Variations in the surface chemistry were evaluated using EDX and XPS analysis and showed that the O2 increased and decreased for the CO2 and F2 laser irradiated samples, respectively. Modification of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic reactions was quantified by measuring the contact angle, which was found to increase in all instances for both laser systems. It is proposed that the increase in contact angle, especially for the CO2 laser irradiated samples, is due to a change in wetting regime as a result of the surface pattern produced

GENPLAT: an Automated Platform for Biomass Enzyme Discovery and Cocktail Optimization

The high cost of enzymes for biomass deconstruction is a major impediment to the economic conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to liquid transportation fuels such as ethanol. We have developed an integrated high throughput platform, called GENPLAT, for the discovery and development of novel enzymes and enzyme cocktails for the release of sugars from diverse pretreatment/biomass combinations. GENPLAT comprises four elements: individual pure enzymes, statistical design of experiments, robotic pipeting of biomass slurries and enzymes, and automated colorimeteric determination of released Glc and Xyl. Individual enzymes are produced by expression in Pichia pastoris or Trichoderma reesei, or by chromatographic purification from commercial cocktails or from extracts of novel microorganisms. Simplex lattice (fractional factorial) mixture models are designed using commercial Design of Experiment statistical software. Enzyme mixtures of high complexity are constructed using robotic pipeting into a 96-well format. The measurement of released Glc and Xyl is automated using enzyme-linked colorimetric assays. Optimized enzyme mixtures containing as many as 16 components have been tested on a variety of feedstock and pretreatment combinations

Absence of botanical European Palaeolithic cave art – what can it tell us about plant awareness disparity?

Cave art has been an integral part of human history, providing a glimpse into the lives and cultures of our ancestors. Prehistoric botanical art is an important medium that can help us to redefine our intimate relationship with plants. The findings from our work provide some evidence from the European Palaeolithic period that modern plant awareness disparity (PAD) might be more deeply rooted in our past. By inspiring a deeper appreciation and understanding of the natural world, cave art can help people to reconnect with plants, thus tackling PAD

Mapping results for a set of cGAL effectors and drivers

Recently, the GAL4-UAS system (cGAL) has been adapted for use in C. elegans for control of gene expression across 15°C - 25°C (Wang et al., 2017). In order to create a desired gene expression pattern, one crosses a transgenic strain containing a driver construct with another strain containing an effector gene. Here we mapped several cGAL driver and effector integrations. We first crossed each of the cGAL driver and effector strains with N2 males, picked the heterozygous male progeny, crossed them with hermaphrodites of the mapping strain (DA438), picked L4 hermaphrodites with the corresponding transgenic marker of the driver or effector strain and scored the progeny in the next generation. The DA438 strain contains six recessive mutations, each of which locates on one of the six chromosomes and produces visible phenotypes (Bli on chromosome I, Rol on II, Vab on III, Unc on IV, Dpy on V, and Lon on X (Avery, 1993). F2 progeny with each of the six phenotypes were selected and examined for the presence or absence of the dominant marker associated with the transgene. In the cases where the dominant transgene marker is unlinked to the recessive phenotypic marker, about three quarters of the F2 progeny will have the dominant marker. If the two markers are linked, very few or no animals are expected to have the dominant transgenic marker. The following tables summarize the mapping results for each cGAL strain, stating the ratios of the F2 mutant progeny with and without the dominant transgenic marker

(Re)making the margins: Frontier assemblages and brokerage in Hambantota, Sri Lanka

Abstract: This article examines the dynamics of brokerage surrounding two moments of rupture (the tsunami and the end of the war) in Hambantota, a district in southern Sri Lanka and a key site of frontier development. We contrast the two development assemblages that emerged from these moments, examining how structural transformations shape the dynamics of brokerage, and how brokers mediate the effects of these transformations. By tracing the shifting fortunes of a local government broker, we reveal the changing power dynamics within these two assemblages, whilst highlighting how moments of rupture both open and shut down brokerage spaces