New Northwestern and Southwestern Range Limits of De Brazza's Monkey, Mbam Et Djerem National Park, Cameroon, and Bateke Plateau, Gabon and Congo

Recent surveys carried out in Cameroon in the Mbam Djerem National Park, in Gabon in the Bateke Plateau National Park, and the adjoining Bateke Plateau area, in Congo, have recorded the presence of De Brazza's monkey Cercopithecus neglectus on both sides of the Djerem River in Cameroon, along the Mpassa and its tributaries in Gabon, along the Nambouli River in the Lefini Reserve in Congo, and up to the right bank of the Ogooué River on the Congo side of the border. These areas lie at the northern and southern edges of the Central African forest block, where rivers have relatively wide bands of riparian forest. As for the range extension of the talapoin (this volume), the species may simply have been overlooked by previous rapid wildlife surveys. It has an antipredator behavior that renders it relatively inconspicuous, tends to live in small family groups in the region, and lives in habitats that are difficult to survey on foot. However, unlike talapoin, it calls every morning along major watercourses, and can be heard for some distance. It is possible that the southern limit of this species in Gabon may be the Ogooué River. Future survey teams are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the long call of this species and to be aware that it can occur in gallery forests throughout the savannas of the Bateke Plateau and also in the area between the Mbam, the Djerem, and the Lom in Cameroon.; Les recensements récents au Cameroun dans le parc national de Mbam et Djerem, au Gabon dans le parc national de Plateau Bateke et dans les savanes Bateke avoisinante au Congo ont notée la présence du singe de Brazza Cercopithecus neglectus sur les deux rives du Djerem au Cameroun, le long de l'Mpassa et ses tributaires au Gabon, le long de la rivière Nambouli dans la Reserve de la Lefini au Congo, et jusqu'au rive droite de la rivière Ogooué sur la coté Congolaise de la frontière. Les deux zones se trouvent aux bords nord et sud du grand bloc forestier du bassin du Congo, et contiennent les rivières importantes, qui coulent dans les galeries assez larges de foret ripicole. Comme pour les talapoins (ce volume), l'espèce a été peutêtre simplement ratée par les équipes de recensement dans la région auparavant. Il a un comportement anti-prédateur qui le rend très discret, une tendance � vivre par petits groupes familiaux, difficiles � repérer, de plus occupe un habitat plus difficilement accessible � un observateur � pied les habitats de la plupart des autres guenons. Néanmoins, et contrairement au comportement des talapoins, chaque matin il pousse des cris très caractéristiques, audible sur des grandes distances le long des grandes rivières. Il est possible que la limite sud de cette espèce au Gabon soit la rivière Ogooué. Les équipes de recensement de la faune sont encouragées de se familiarisée avec les vocalisations de cette espèce, et garder � l'esprit que le singe de Brazza peut être présent dans les forets galeries dans toutes les savanes du plateaux Batéké et aussi, au Cameroun, la zone entre les rivières Mbam, Djerem, et Lom

Comprehensive evidence implies a higher social cost of CO2

The social cost of carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) measures the monetized value of the damages to society caused by an incremental metric tonne of CO2 emissions and is a key metric informing climate policy. Used by governments and other decision-makers in beneft–cost analysis for over a decade, SC-CO2 estimates draw on climate science, economics, demography and other disciplines. However, a 2017 report by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine1 (NASEM) highlighted that current SC-CO2 estimates no longer refect the latest research. The report provided a series of recommendations for improving the scientifc basis, transparency and uncertainty characterization of SC-CO2 estimates. Here we show that improved probabilistic socioeconomic projections, climate models, damage functions, and discounting methods that collectively refect theoretically consistent valuation of risk, substantially increase estimates of the SC-CO2. Our preferred mean SC-CO2 estimate is $185 per tonne of CO2 ($44–$413 per tCO2: 5$51 per tCO2. Our estimates incorporate updated scientifc understanding throughout all components of SC-CO2 estimation in the new open-source Greenhouse Gas Impact Value Estimator (GIVE) model, in a manner fully responsive to the near-term NASEM recommendations. Our higher SC-CO2 values, compared with estimates currently used in policy evaluation, substantially increase the estimated benefts of greenhouse gas mitigation and thereby increase the expected net benefts of more stringent climate policies

Cognitive-behavioural therapy for patients with schizophrenia: a multicentre randomised controlled trial in Beijing, China

Meta-analyses support the efficacy of cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) for schizophrenia in western cultures. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of CBT and supportive therapy (ST) for patients with schizophrenia in China.A multicentre randomized controlled, single-blinded, parallel-group trial enrolled a sample of 192 patients with schizophrenia. All patients were offered 15 sessions of either CBT or ST over 24 weeks and followed up for an additional 60 weeks. All measures used were standardized instruments with good reliability and validity. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess symptoms of schizophrenia. The Schedule for Assessing Insight (SAI) was used to assess patients’ insight and the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP) was used to assess their social functioning.Effect-size analysis showed that patients made rapid improvements in all symptoms, insight and social functioning as measured by the PANSS, SAI and PSP at 12 and 24 weeks and maintained these improvements over the course of the study to 84 weeks. Patients in the CBT group showed significantly greater and more durable improvement in PANSS total score (p = 0.045, between-group d = 0.48), positive symptoms (p = 0.018, between-group d = 0.42) and social functioning (p = 0.037, between-group d = 0.64), with significant differences emerging after completion of therapy.Both CBT and ST combined with medication had benefits on psychopathology, insight and social functioning of patients with schizophrenia. CBT was significantly more effective than ST on overall, positive symptoms and social functioning of patients with schizophrenia in the long term

Translating Experiments into Policy

It is in their potential policy relevance that experiments may make their strongest contribution to innovation and progress in political science. Yet there are good grounds for thinking that the policy world has in place a number of barriers that can limit the impact of experimental evidence. Moreover, some experimenters seem to approach the business of influencing policy with spectacular naivety. In modern democratic societies, engaging with the policy process is a complex and demanding activity. In order to make advances in this quarter, experimenters will need to develop their methods and practices in field experiments and extend their strategies to deal with the demands of a complex policy world

The versatile Legionella effector protein DrrA

The human pathogen Legionella pneumophila is a bacterium that infects human cells and interferes with intracellular signaling. The Legionella protein DrrA is one of the numerous effectors that the bacterium translocates into the host cytosol. DrrA binds to the Legionella containing vacuole (LCV), an organelle in which Legionella survives and replicates, and recruits and activates the vesicular trafficking regulator Rab1 to redirect vesicular trafficking between the endoplasmatic reticulum and the Golgi. After depositing Rab1 at the LCV, DrrA covalently modifies Rab1 with an AMP moiety at a specific tyrosine residue (Tyr77), which is centrally located in the functionally important switch II region. This adenylylation reaction interferes with the deactivation of Rab1 by GTPase activating proteins (GAPs), thereby presumably prolonging the active state of the protein at the LCV. Here, we summarize the versatile properties of DrrA and speculate on the effects of Rab1-adenylylation