Environmental factors influencing the distribution of Opuntia stricta, an invasive alien plant in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Opuntia stricta (Cactaceae), an alien weed, has invaded an area of more than 35 000 ha in the Skukuza region of the Kruger National Park [KNP]. The distribution of the plant and features of the environment were used to identify biotic and abiotic factors which may be affecting the distribution and density of the plant. A Canonical Community Analysis revealed that none of the environmental factors that were monitored influenced the distribution or abundance of O. stricta in KNP. There were no apparent natural barriers that might limit the occurrence of O. stricta within the KNP. The study provides insight into the relationship between the invader and host environment, showing that there is a high probability that, unless there is appropriate intervention, O. stricta will eventually colonise the entire KNP

Factors influencing the distribution of Cactoblastis cactorum, a biological control agent of Opuntia stricta in Kruger National Park, South Africa

Cactoblastis cactorum, a phycitid moth, has been used with considerable success as a biological control agent against several different cactus species in many parts of the world, including Opuntia stricta in Kruger National Park [KNP], South Africa. Although the moth has become widespread and abundant in KNP, its populations have not reached levels where it is able to provide the desired level of control on the alien species which has invaded more than 35 000 ha of the park and continues to spread. Although several factors, especially acquired predators and parasitoids, are known to curb the abundance of C. cactorum in South Africa, the extent to which this applies in KNP is unknown. Logistic regression and Canonical Community Analysis were used to determine the biotic and abiotic factors affecting the distribution and abundance of C. cactorum in KNP. To do this, maps of the ranges of the insect and host plant were constructed and integrated with other environmental features. The logistic regression showed that O. stricta density had no influence on whether or not C. cactorum was present in an area. The Canonical Community Analysis suggested that a high fire frequency, the herbicide control programme and the presence of small host plants may be important in limiting the distribution of C. cactorum, either directly or indirectly, through impacts on associated predators or parasitoids

Towards an urban marine ecology: Characterizing the drivers, patterns, and processes of marine ecosystems in coastal cities

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record Human population density within 100 km of the sea is approximately three times higher than the global average. People in this zone are concentrated in coastal cities that are hubs for transport and trade – which transform the marine environment. Here, we review the impacts of three interacting drivers of marine urbanization (resource exploitation, pollution pathways and ocean sprawl) and discuss key characteristics that are symptomatic of urban marine ecosystems. Current evidence suggests these systems comprise spatially heterogeneous mosaics with respect to artificial structures, pollutants and community composition, while also undergoing biotic homogenization over time. Urban marine ecosystem dynamics are often influenced by several commonly observed patterns and processes, including the loss of foundation species, changes in biodiversity and productivity, and the establishment of novel assemblages, ruderal species and synanthropes. Further, we discuss potential urban acclimatization and adaptation among marine taxa, interactive effects of climate change and marine urbanization, and ecological engineering strategies for enhancing urban marine ecosystems. By assimilating research findings across disparate disciplines, we aim to build the groundwork for urban marine ecology – a nascent field; we also discuss research challenges and future directions for this new field as it advances and matures. Ultimately, all sides of coastal city design: architecture, urban planning, and civil and municipal engineering, will need to prioritize the marine environment if negative effects of urbanization are to be minimized. In particular, planning strategies that account for the interactive effects of urban drivers and accommodate complex system dynamics could enhance the ecological and human functions of future urban marine ecosystems.National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office SingaporeUS National Science Foundatio

“Managing Staff WFH in Crisis Times” - How Are Teacher Education Managers Supporting Staff Working Remotely at an Odel College?

The sudden onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic changed how university managers operate. Staff working from home (WFH) needed support and teacher education managers (TEM) played an important role in giving such support. This study is underpinned by the crisis leadership theory and ubuntu-oriented management style. The aim of this exploratory study is to ascertain the support strategies provided by TEM to staff WFH during the Covid-19 pandemic. To achieve the aim, this study investigates motivational support TEM provided to staff WFH during the pandemic. The aim included establishing which stress management techniques TEM used to support staff WFH and explore communicative tools used to support staff WFH.  The constructivist-interpretivist lens is foregrounding the qualitative single case research, exploring the kind of support that six distance managers provided to staff WFH at an open distance e-learning university. Results revealed that staff WFH were acknowledged and rewarded for hard work and excellence. Several web-based video-conferencing sessions were offered through online Teams webinars, seminars, workshops and stress management techniques. Further research needs to be undertaken to determine, through a mixed-method design, how TEM employed stress management techniques for staff WFH, which may yield different results

The search for common anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity : a global network

We introduce an initiative to assess and compare landscape changes related to human activities on a global scale, using a single group of invertebrates. The GLOBENET programme uses common field methodology (pitfall trapping), to appraise assemblages of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in visually-similar land-mosaics (urban-rural gradients). Carabids were selected as the focal taxon as they are sufficiently varied (both taxonomically and ecologically), abundant and sensitive to the environment. However, work on other taxa is comparable with the GLOBENET framework. The continuum of decreasing human pressure from city centres into the surrounding countryside was selected to represent human-caused disturbance for this initial stage of GLOBENET because these gradients can be found virtually all over the world. Through the broad-scale assessment envisioned in the GLOBENET programme, we seek to separate general, repeated effects on biodiversity from those that depend on local environments or particular biotic assemblages. Based on this understanding we aim to develop simple tools and protocols for assessing ecological effects of human-caused landscape changes, which could help to sustainably manage landscapes for biodiversity and for human requirements. For instance, the response of different functional groups of carabids to these landscape changes may help guide management practices. Further GLOBENET developments and information are available at our website: http://www.helsinki.fi/science/globenet

Analysis of two mutations in the MTHFR gene associated with mild hyperhomocysteinaemia – heterogeneous distribution in the South African population

Objective, The frequencies of mutations 677C→T and 1298A→C in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, previously shown to be associated with decreased enzyme activity that may lead to hyperhomocysteinaemia and consequently increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), were determined in the South African population.Methods, Hinfi (677C→T) and MbolI (1298A→C) restriction enzyme analyses were performed on amplified DNA samples of 76 white, 73 coloured and 60 black subjects.Results, The mutant alleles of mutations 677C→T and 1298A..-+C were more common in the white (allele frequencies 0.36 and 0.37, respectively) than in the black population (0.04 and 0.09), while intermediate frequencies were detected in the coloured population (0,18 and 0.30); Homozygosity for mutation 677C → T was not detected in the black cohort, while this genotype was detected in 1 coloured (1.4%) and 8 white (105%) subjects, In the black population, 5% of the 60 subjects analysed were homozygous for mutation 1298A→C, compared with approximately 12% in both the white and coloured populations,Conclusions. Since hyperhomocysteinaemia is a risk factor for premature CVD, the heterogeneous distribution of the 677C→T and 1298A→C mutations across ethnic groups may partly explain ethnic differences in heart disease risk through decreased enzyme activity and hence increased homocysteine levels

A Novel High Throughput Assay for Anthelmintic Drug Screening and Resistance Diagnosis by Real-Time Monitoring of Parasite Motility

Parasitic worms cause untold morbidity and mortality on billions of people and livestock. Drugs are available but resistance is problematic in livestock parasites and is a looming threat for human helminths. Currently, new drug discovery and resistance monitoring is hindered as drug efficacy is assessed by observing motility or development of parasites using laborious, subjective, low-throughput methods evaluated by eye using microscopy. Here we describe a novel application for a cell monitoring device (xCELLigence) that can simply and objectively assess real time anti-parasite efficacy of drugs on eggs, larvae and adults in a fully automated, label-free, high-throughput fashion. This technique overcomes the current low-throughput bottleneck in anthelmintic drug development and resistance detection pipelines. The widespread use of this device to screen for new therapeutics or emerging drug resistance will be an invaluable asset in the fight against human, animal and plant parasitic helminths and other pathogens that plague our planet

Conservation Laws in Cellular Automata

If X is a discrete abelian group and B a finite set, then a cellular automaton (CA) is a continuous map F:B^X-->B^X that commutes with all X-shifts. If g is a real-valued function on B, then, for any b in B^X, we define G(b) to be the sum over all x in X of g(b_x) (if finite). We say g is `conserved' by F if G is constant under the action of F. We characterize such `conservation laws' in several ways, deriving both theoretical consequences and practical tests, and provide a method for constructing all one-dimensional CA exhibiting a given conservation law.Comment: 19 pages, LaTeX 2E with one (1) Encapsulated PostScript figure. To appear in Nonlinearity. (v2) minor changes/corrections; new references added to bibliograph

Continuity of care of outpatients with schizophrenia in Pretoria

Objective. To study the needs of outpatients suffering from schizophrenia and their primary caregivers. Methods. A qualitative descriptive design was selected to study the needs of a non-probability purposive sample of 50 outpatients with schizophrenia and their primary caregivers. Data were collected on their compliance-related needs as well as psychosocial and aftercare treatment needs. Results. Compliance needs: Eighty-three per cent of the participants supported their medication treatment and aftercare, but needed more information on the illness than they had received or had managed to gather. Psychosocial needs: Participants had difficulty in accepting the illness and in understanding its consequences for their everyday functioning. Ninety-seven per cent of patients were aware that their illness had affected the health of their primary caregiver. The majority of participants had lost friendships since the diagnosis of schizophrenia. Eighty-eight of the primary caregivers supported the patient financially, despite the fact that many were over 60 years of age. Aftercare treatment needs: A strong need was expressed for services such as day-care centres, workshops, and psycho-educational and social work services. Conclusions. As South African health policy is moving towardsde-institutionalisation and treating mental health as part of primary care, support must be improved for sufferers of schizophrenia and their primary caregivers. Many people are prepared to face up to the challenge of caring for a mentally ill family member, yet are faced with significant needs that should be addressed

The Responsiveness of Teacher Education Managers at an ODeL College to Resilience and the Well-Being of Staff Working from Home During COVID-19

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has increased anxiety and stress among teacher education managers and has given rise to the question of whether they have the competencies to execute their operational responsibilities productively. The theories of resilience and transformational leadership underpin this study in which teacher education managers’ resilience and their responsiveness to the well-being of staff executing their operational practices in an open distance e-learning context were explored. A qualitative approach was adopted and virtual video conferencing interviews with teacher education managers were used to explore how they mitigated their strategic and operational roles and their managerial functions to ensure the well-being and organisational performance of staff working from home. Results revealed the experiences of distance managers to have been positive in that they implemented organisational strategies to mitigate the challenges faced to ensure wellness and performance among staff working from a distance. Further research applying a mixed-method design should be undertaken to determine how resilient managers and staff working from home are. That may yield different results