Road avoidance and its energetic consequences for reptiles

CITATION: Paterson, J. E., et al. 2019. Road avoidance and its energetic consequences for reptiles. Ecology and Evolution, 9(17):9794-9803, doi:10.1002/ece3.5515.The original publication is available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.comRoads are one of the most widespread human-caused habitat modifications that can increase wildlife mortality rates and alter behavior. Roads can act as barriers with variable permeability to movement and can increase distances wildlife travel to access habitats. Movement is energetically costly, and avoidance of roads could therefore impact an animal's energy budget. We tested whether reptiles avoid roads or road crossings and explored whether the energetic consequences of road avoidance decreased individual fitness. Using telemetry data from Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii; 11,658 locations of 286 turtles from 15 sites) and eastern massasaugas (Sistrurus catenatus; 1,868 locations of 49 snakes from 3 sites), we compared frequency of observed road crossings and use of road-adjacent habitat by reptiles to expected frequencies based on simulated correlated random walks. Turtles and snakes did not avoid habitats near roads, but both species avoided road crossings. Compared with simulations, turtles made fewer crossings of paved roads with low speed limits and more crossings of paved roads with high speed limits. Snakes made fewer crossings of all road types than expected based on simulated paths. Turtles traveled longer daily distances when their home range contained roads, but the predicted energetic cost was negligible: substantially less than the cost of producing one egg. Snakes with roads in their home range did not travel further per day than snakes without roads in their home range. We found that turtles and snakes avoided crossing roads, but road avoidance is unlikely to impact fitness through energetic expenditures. Therefore, mortality from vehicle strikes remains the most significant impact of roads on reptile populations.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.5515Publisher's versio

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Compassionate citizenship through storytelling – an analysis of stereotypical views among ladies’ residence students in Huis ten Bosch on Stellenbosch Campus

Thesis MA(VA)--Stellenbosch University, 2017.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Stellenbosch University, and its campus residences, can be considered a place at which a very diverse group of students now need to share the space. However, transformation towards being a place where everyone feels welcome and included is still in progress (Task Team on a Welcoming Culture at Stellenbosch University 2013:3). Although the university has implemented structures such as a new placement policy that increases diversity in campus residences in order to prepare students for the South African and international reality and to create spaces where diverse students can learn from one another, stereotyping practice is a current stumbling block in the case for valuing diversity. South Africa, with its history of Apartheid and colonialism, the University of Stellenbosch and it‘s role as a perpetuator of colonial discourse, and the context of the Huis ten Bosch ladies‘ residence were the main contextual aspects informing this study. The purpose of this research was to negotiate the research question: To what extent does engaging with a fellow student‘s life story, through the art of drawing, influence one‘s view of one‘s fellow student? In negotiating this research question, the study was aimed at revealing stereotypes prevalent in the Huis ten Bosch ladies‘ residence and exploring ways in which art and storytelling can be implemented to break down these stereotypes and to create compassion among students living together in this residence. The research design took the form of a case study as qualitative research. Inductive content analysis was used, whereby collected data were organised into themes that emerged throughout the research. Residents of Huis ten Bosch read anonymous life stories of individual fellow residents. Afterwards, they drew portraits of how they imagined their storytellers to look. This was followed by showing photographs of the storytellers to participants, which led to reflection on stereotyping practice. In this study it was found that the most prevalent stereotypes in Huis ten Bosch ladies‘ residence were socioeconomic and racial. These are consequences of colonial and apartheid discourse as well as stereotypes imparted generationally. It was also found that art and storytelling are very effective means for learning and investigation as it engages one‘s imagination, one‘s senses and one‘s emotions. Implications of this study are that platforms for storytelling and safe spaces in which stereotypes can be revealed and reflected on should be created in the Huis ten Bosch residence so as to work towards compassionate citizenship in the South African reality.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Stellenbosch Universiteit en die koshuise wat deel van die kampus vorm, is plekke waar ‘n baie diverse groep studente tans die ruimte moet deel. Transformasie gerig op ‘n ruimte waarin almal welkom en ingesluit voel, is nog ‘n lopende proses (Task Team on a Welcoming Culture at Stellenbosch University 2013:3). Alhoewel die universiteit strukture soos ‘n nuwe plasingsbeleid geïmplementeer het wat diversiteit in kampus-koshuise verhoog om sodoende studente vir die Suid-Afrikaanse en internasionale realiteit voor te berei en om ‘n ruimte te skep waarin diverse studente van mekaar kan leer, is stereotipering ‘n huidige struikelblok tot die waardering van diversiteit. Suid-Afrika, vanweë die geskiedenis van apartheid en kolonialisme, die Universiteit van Stellenbosch vanweë ‘n rol as ‘n instandhouder van koloniale diskoers, en die konteks van die Huis ten Bosch dameskoshuis was die hoof kontekstuele aspekte wat hierdie studie beïnvloed het. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om die volgende navorsingsvraag te ondersoek: In watter mate word ‘n student se siening van ‘n mede-student beïnvloed deur by so ‘n student se lewensverhaal deur die kunsmedium van teken betrokke te raak? Die studie was daarop gemik om die algemeenste stereotipes in Huis ten Bosch te ontbloot en om die maniere waarop kuns en storievertelling geïmplementeer kan word om hierdie stereotipes af te breek en om deernis tussen studente wat saam in hierdie koshuis leef, te ontwikkel. Die navorsing is as ‘n gevallestudie onderneem en was kwalitatief van aard. Induktiewe inhoud-analise is gebruik, om versamelde data onder temas te organiseer wat in die navorsing na vore gekom het. Inwoners van Huis ten Bosch het die individuele lewensverhale van anonieme mede-inwoners gelees, waarna hulle portrette geteken het van hoe hulle gedink het hul storievertellers lyk. Dit is gevolg deur foto‘s van die individuele storievertellers te vertoon, wat tot refleksie op stereotiperende neigings gelei het. In dié studie is gevind dat die algemeenste stereotipering in die Huis ten Bosch dameskoshuis, op sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede en ras gebaseer was. Dit is ‘n gevolg van koloniale en apartheid diskoers sowel as stereotipes wat oor geslagte heen oorgedra is. Dit is ook gevind dat kuns en storievertelling effektiewe maniere vir leer en ondersoek is, omdat dit die verbeelding, sintuie en emosies betrek. Implikasies vir hierdie studie is dat platvorms vir storievertelling en veilige ruimtes waar stereotipes ontbloot en oor gereflekteer kan word in Huis ten Bosch geskep behoort te word om deernisvolle burgerskap in Suid-Afrika tot stand te bring

Intergenerational educational mobility and type 2 diabetes in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging

PurposeUnited States (US) Latinos have the lowest educational attainment of any US racial/ethnic group, which may contribute to their disparate burden of Type 2 Diabetes. Herein, we aimed to examine the association between intergenerational educational mobility and Type 2 Diabetes among US Latino adults.MethodsWe used data from the Niños Lifestyle and Diabetes Study (2013-2014) and the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (1998-1999) to link 616 adult Latino children to their parents. Model-based standardization and robust Poisson regression were used to estimate the prevalence of prediabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, treatment and glycemic control, and describe their associations with intergenerational educational mobility.ResultsAdult children with stable high intergenerational educational attainment had a higher prevalence of prediabetes (Prevalence Ratio, PR=1.58; 95% Confidence Interval, CI=1.08, 2.34) and lower prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes (PR=0.64, CI=0.41, 0.99), as compared to those who experienced low educational attainment across generations. Downward mobility was associated with a higher prevalence of prediabetes (PR=1.54, CI=1.06, 2.23) and worse glycemic control (PR=2.20, CI=1.13, 4.30), and upward mobility was associated with a lower prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes (PR=0.39, CI=0.22, 0.70).ConclusionsOur findings from a predominantly Mexican-heritage community suggest that higher education across generations may buffer individuals from glycemic dysregulation. As such, higher education may be a promising public health target to address the rising burden of Type 2 Diabetes in the US

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines - development of a conceptual framework for future food-based dietary guidelines in Europe:Report of a Federation of European Nutrition Societies Task-Force Workshop in Copenhagen, 12-13 March 2018

Identifying a need for developing a conceptual framework for the future development of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) in Europe, The Federation of European Nutrition Sciences established a Task Force for this purpose. A workshop was held with the specific objective to discuss the various dimensions considered as particularly relevant. Existing frameworks for FBDG were discussed, and presentations from various countries illustrated not only several commonalities but also a high degree of heterogeneity in the guidelines from different countries. Environmental aspects were considered in several countries, and dimensions like food safety, dietary habits and preparation were included in others. The workshop provided an overview of the use of FBDG - both in developing front-of-pack nutrition labels and for reformulation and innovation. The European FBDG dimensions were described with examples from the close connection between FBDG and European Union (EU) policies and activities and from the compilation of a database of national FBDG. Also, the challenges with communication of FBDG were discussed. Considering the current scientific basis and the experiences from several countries, the Task Force discussed the various dimensions of developing FBDG and concluded that environmental aspects should be included in the future conceptual framework for FBDG. A change in terminology to sustainable FDBG (SFBDG) could reflect this. The Task Force concluded that further work needs to be done exploring current practice, existing methodologies and the future prospects for incorporating other relevant dimensions into a future Federation of European Nutrition Societies conceptual framework for SFBDG in Europe and working groups were formed to address that