Factors affecting protein synthesis in vitro in rabbit reticulocytes

Rabbit reticulocytes in vitro rapidly incorporate labeled amino acids into their proteins. The process is accelerated by the plasma of every mammal investigated and also by extracts of normal erythrocytes, rabbit reticulocytes, liver, spleen, and yeast (1). We have described two sets of stimulating factors: one of these sets consists of certain amino acids (1), the other of fructose-amino acids in liver (2-4). The latter set is ineffective without the addition of iron to the reaction medium. The effect of iron has been referred to in preceding publications (2-5), but without detail. After the necessity of adding iron was recognized, in order to obtain a maximal rate of protein synthesis the reaction mixture was improved further by adding to it certain substances which depend upon added iron for their effect. These increased the effect of plasma. Eventually the total (potential as well as actual) accelerating effects of plasma and liver extract were accounted for by known substances. This led to the devising of a reaction mixture formula in which the amino acid incorporation is about five times as fast as that observed when the cells are incubated in saline

The epidemiology and integrated control of fairy rings on golf courses

Fairy ring is a common turf disease found on golf courses, but is poorly understood in terms of its epidemiology and control. An online questionnaire was emailed to every golf course in the UK and Ireland (equating to 3,849 recipients) in order to gather information on incidence, distribution and severity of fairy ring. Greenkeepers reported that type-2 fairy ring, where growth of the turf is stimulated, occurred the most frequently and that the impact was predominantly aesthetic. Disease symptoms were at their worst in July and August and were considered more of a problem when occurring on putting greens than any other part of the golf course. Links golf courses had a higher incidence of severe fairy ring than other golf course types and the south-east of Great Britain appeared to be more badly affected than the north-west. A mycelial growth assay in vitro found that propiconazole was significantly more effective at inhibiting growth of some common fairy ring species than fungicides flutolanil, azoxystrobin and pyraclostrobin, and simple salt potassium bicarbonate. Experiments on Marasmius oreades and Agaricus campestris fairy rings in the field did not provide evidence that any of these chemicals controlled symptoms in situ. The active zones of fairy rings at two golf courses were monitored using a soil moisture meter and a test to detect soil hydrophobicity, a condition whereby water fails to absorb into the soil. A significant moisture deficit and presence of hydrophobicity was detected as early in the year as March. Hydrophobicity was found to be absent from all tested fairy rings by October. Overall, the project has produced a number of novel and interesting findings that have advanced understanding of fairy ring epidemiology and offer some practical solutions for greenkeepers trying to manage fairy ring symptoms on golf courses

Cultural diversity and meta-population dynamics in Australian palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus); the legacy of landscape and biogeographic history

Understanding dispersal dynamics is important for conservation of vulnerable species because they effect whether populations recover or disappear following decline or disturbance, especially in species with slow life-histories that cannot replenish quickly. Palm cockatoos have one of the slowest reproductive rates for any parrot, and likely face steep decline in at least one location on Cape York Peninsula (CYP), north-eastern Australia. Traditional methods of measuring dispersal, such as capture and fitting of tracking devices, identification markers or tissue sampling for genetic analyses, are inappropriate in this species due to their susceptibility to stress. While handling chicks for DNA sample collection does not cause harm, locating nests requires too much focused effort at spatial scales relevant for conservation. In this thesis, I assess the utility of cultural methods for determining population connectivity based on published literature, and employ a combination of cultural and genetic methods to assess connectivity among Australian palm cockatoo populations. I then use a landscape ‘resistance’ modelling approach based on electrical circuit theory to identify connectivity corridors. Finally, I use population viability analysis (PVA) to determine the effects of dispersal dynamics on viability for both individual populations and the combined meta-population in Australia. Based on the literature I concluded that geographic variation in cultural behaviour among populations of a species can help fill important knowledge gaps about their population level processes, especially when comparisons to similar species and alternative data are available. My assessments of vocal and genetic variation among populations revealed differentiation among populations on Cape York Peninsula, separating east coast palm cockatoos at Iron Range from other Australian populations with some evidence of gene flow between them. My landscape ‘resistance’ analysis identified the Great Dividing Range as a barrier, and rainforest patches as important corridors for interaction among separate populations. However, the level of connectivity we determined appears not to provide enough support via dispersal to buffer the decline predicted for Iron Range. Furthermore, other populations require much better reproductive success than data suggests for Iron Range if individuals dispersing to there are to be replenished. I emphasise the importance of managing local declines for the preservation of genetic and behavioural diversity in Australian palm cockatoos

Hunting Ancient Walrus Genomes:Uncovering the hidden past of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus)

Traditionally, this understanding of our interactions with the natural world has been studied from an academic perspective within the confines of distinct disciplines. There is a growing need, and appreciation for, a more integrated, interdisciplinary approach as we learn more about the complexities and connections inherent in our world and cultures. This thesis bridges the divide between archaeology and biology by using ancient DNA to reveal new insights into human-walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) interactions. The main aims were to characterise past genetic structure within Atlantic walruses to understand the fate of extinct populations (chapter five), generate a series of baselines for future comparison with modern genetic data that are sensitive to time and space (chapter six) and to identify how broad climatic conditions may have shaped the evolution of walruses (chapter six). These aims were generated after identifying key knowledge gaps across and between disciplines within the existing academic literature (chapter one and two). Additionally, on a more technical note, this thesis also aimed to identify predictors of DNA preservation to inform sample selection prior to destructive analyses (chapter three) and to develop a methodology for the sex identification of ancient pinniped remains (chapter four)

How Wonderful is Wonderland? Negative Emotions in Children’s Literature from an Evolutionary Perspective

This MA thesis seeks to investigate negative emotions and their function in children’s literature from an evolutionary standpoint. Insights from evolutionary biology and evolutionary psychology are used to build an evolutionary framework that is then used in a literary analysis that shows how negative emotions are evoked in literature, and what adaptive purpose(s) they have. The main argument is that we feel strong emotions when engaging in story because storytelling has an adaptive function, and that this function is to provide us with low-risk, vicarious input that can be employed as a future guide for behaviour. This argument explains not only the human proclivity for producing and consuming art, but also why we generally feel pleasure and satisfaction when engaging in stories, no matter the form they take

Mining, agriculture and wetland ecological infrastructure in the Upper Komati catchment (South Africa): contestations in a complex social-ecological system

Wetlands provide a wide variety of natural benefits (ecosystem services) from the natural environment to human populations, making them key examples of ecological infrastructure. However, the use of wetlands and their associated catchments is often contested by different users, making them nodes of conflict. Thus, there is a range of pressures on many wetlands which can ultimately lead to degradation or destruction. This study investigated the X11B quaternary catchment in the Upper Inkomati basin, Mpumalanga, South Africa. This catchment is characterised by a network of wetlands and streams that provide catchment residents with water. The sub-catchment is heavily used, dominated by the agricultural sector and coal mining. To understand the contestation, a contextual analysis was carried out. Selected wetland conditions and ecosystem services, along with user perceptions and the value of wetland-use, were assessed. Wetlands were observably in a relatively healthy condition. The resilience of wetlands and the efficiency of the ecosystem services they offer, especially in mediating water quality, were clear. The early results indicated a healthy landscape despite multiple-user impact from human activity. The health scores and provision of ecosystem services, along with the identified National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas (NFEPAs) and red-listed fauna and flora, provide a substantial grounding for advocating the conservation of the wetlands of the contested X11B catchment. When water quality measures were added to the wetland health and ecosystem service assessment, low pH levels and high electrical conductivity were recorded. Both measures indicate coal mining impacts, more specifically Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) impacts, since AMD typically has sulphate as the dominant salt ion, and high concentrations of trace elements and metal ions. Concentrations breaching the recommended resource quality objectives (RQOs) of trace elements and ions, found in fertilizers and pesticides, were recorded in most sites, suggesting agricultural impacts on the landscape’s hydrology. Further, these agricultural impacts would add to the compromising effect of the wetlands’ capacity to remove pollutants from the water body. Livestock farming on all sites were also near wetlands which may have limited the vegetation cover of grazed land, so increasing runoff and the volume of water entering wetlands and compromising their ecosystem services. Poor water quality has implications for biophysical processes, which play an important role in the functioning of wetlands, for the benefit of users. Without the water quality measures, ecosystem health and ecosystem service methodology used suggested a healthy catchment. However, simple field water quality measures indicated past and present mining impacts. Therefore, the mandatory use of water chemistry is recommended in the assessment of wetlands in catchments with past and present mining activity taking place. Without this, repercussions would include wetland loss, and a more thorough investigation into the water quality and its effects on the wetland ecosystems is suggested. Further ecological investigation of water chemistry (heavy metals, ions, nutrients and trace elements) and macroinvertebrate assemblages identified links to water chemistry impacts on macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity. Abundance results based on the presence, absence and abundance of macroinvertebrates at the different sites did not reveal any clear patterns associated with different landscape users. Diversity, on the other hand, was related to land-use, where sites with high mining use had lower macroinvertebrate diversity than other sites. Related, concurrent, hydro-pedology research produced a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of mining on hydro-connectivity that clearly indicates mining as the cause of long-term deterioration of functional wetland health in a way that is practically impossible to restore. This study suggests that wetlands provide a strong ecosystem service of intermittent resetting of the wetland sediment adsorptive capacity for toxic metal and other salt ions. The hypothesis arising from the work is that, in the case of another heavy rainfall event, the town of Carolina risks another AMD crisis. As sediments are likely to be accumulating and saturated with toxic metal ions. Further AMD-related changes in acidity will increase the mobilisation of adsorbed ions. Future flooding and flushing of wetlands will therefore once again move toxic metal ions through the system, and possibly re-contaminate the Boesmanspruit dam. The value of the study is in delivering specific evidence on the impacts of mining (and to a lesser extent agriculture) on wetland quality. Overall, this study, combined with additional research, indicates that in the X11B catchment, mining impacts are long-term and more serious than agriculture. In terms of contestation the research indicates that reliance on bio-physical data and knowledge is inadequate in resolving conflict between coal mining and other land- and water-users. The study demonstrates the necessity of insight into the social system and the value of a transdisciplinary approach in addressing land-use conflicts and wetland protection

Ministry in Secular Employment (MSE) in the Church of England, 1960- 2000

Dissertation Notice: Full Text of Dissertation Analysis identified that the experimental start to the initiative had not been embedded into the structure and strategy of the church, while being well embedded into the culture and structures of the worlds in which the Ministers in Secular Employment lived and worked. The church adopted a homeostatic approach to this development characterized by dioceses and their bishops acting independently. MSE had not been explored for its potential in the field of mission or cultural integration of church and society. The church continues to understand its mission and purpose in terms of stipendiary parish priests to the exclusion of nearly all other options