The Biodiversity Forecasting Toolkit: Answering the ‘how much’, ‘what’, and ‘where’ of planning for biodiversity persistence

AbstractThis research reports on a new approach to conservation assessment that seeks to extend the target-based model traditionally underpinning systematic conservation planning. The Biodiversity Forecasting Tool (BFT) helps answer three important questions relating to regional biodiversity persistence: ‘how much’ biodiversity can persist for a given land-management scenario; ‘what’ habitats to focus conservation effort on; and ‘where’ in the landscape to undertake conservation action. The tool integrates fine-scaled variability in vegetation composition and structure with spatial context, which is critical for ensuring the viability of populations. Thus, a raster data framework is employed which deems each location or gridcell in a landscape as contributing to biodiversity benefits to various degrees. At its simplest, just two spatial inputs, vegetation community types and vegetation condition, are needed. Drawing on, as a case-study, a broad-scale biodiversity assessment for NSW, Australia, this paper reports on the successful application of the BFT tool for a variety of functions ranging from interactive scenario evaluation through to conservation benefits mapping

The Biodiversity Forecasting Toolkit: Answering the ‘how much’, ‘what’, and ‘where’ of planning for biodiversity persistence

AbstractThis research reports on a new approach to conservation assessment that seeks to extend the target-based model traditionally underpinning systematic conservation planning. The Biodiversity Forecasting Tool (BFT) helps answer three important questions relating to regional biodiversity persistence: ‘how much’ biodiversity can persist for a given land-management scenario; ‘what’ habitats to focus conservation effort on; and ‘where’ in the landscape to undertake conservation action. The tool integrates fine-scaled variability in vegetation composition and structure with spatial context, which is critical for ensuring the viability of populations. Thus, a raster data framework is employed which deems each location or gridcell in a landscape as contributing to biodiversity benefits to various degrees. At its simplest, just two spatial inputs, vegetation community types and vegetation condition, are needed. Drawing on, as a case-study, a broad-scale biodiversity assessment for NSW, Australia, this paper reports on the successful application of the BFT tool for a variety of functions ranging from interactive scenario evaluation through to conservation benefits mapping

General Landscape Connectivity Model (GLCM): a new way to map whole of landscape biodiversity functional connectivity for operational planning and reporting

Graph-theoretic approaches are commonly used to map landscape connectivity networks to inform environmental management priorities. We developed the new General Landscape Connectivity Model (GLCM), as a operationally practical way of evaluating and mapping habitat networks to inform conservation priorities and plans. GLCM is built on two complementary metapopulation ecology-based measures: Neighbourhood habitat area (Ni) and habitat link value (Li). Ni is a measure of the amount of connected habitat to each location considering its cross-scale connectivity to neighbouring habitat. The remaining Ni across a region can be reported as an indicator of Ecological Carrying Capacity for wildlife (plants and animals). Li at any location is its contribution to the landscape connectivity of the study region (i.e. which is reported as summed Ni across a region) by virtue of providing the ‘least-cost’ linkages between concentrations of habitat. Mapped Li provides valuable insights into the pattern of a region’s habitat network, highlighting functioning habitat corridors and stepping-stones, and candidate areas for conservation and restoration. Due to its foundations in ecological theory and its parsimonious design, GLCM addresses a number of criteria we list as important, while addressing criticisms often levelled at graph-theoretical approaches. We present results for three south-east Australian case studies using continuous-value ecological condition surfaces as input. However, a simple habitat/non-habitat binary surface approximating a threshold ecological condition can also be used. GLCM has been designed to specifically address the need for generic landscape connectivity assessment at regional scales, and broader. It incorporates connectivity analyses across a range of spatial scales and granularities relevant to broad ranges of taxa and movement processes (foraging, dispersal and migration). Successively finer spatial scales are more intensively sampled based on a simple scaling-law. This approach allows analysis resoluti ons to be determined by data-driven ecological relevance rather than by processing limitations. The operational advantages of GLCM means that landscape connectivity assessments can be readily updated with refined or changed inputs including time-series remote sensing of land cover, or applied to alternative scenarios of land use, ecological restoration, climate projections or combinations of these

Understanding the recovery of rare-earth elements by ammonium salts

While the recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from aqueous solution by ionic liquids (ILs) has been well documented, the metal compounds that are formed in the organic phase remain poorly characterized. Using spectroscopic, analytical, and computational techniques, we provide detailed chemical analysis of the compounds formed in the organic phase during the solvent extraction of REEs by [(n-octyl)3NMe][NO3] (IL). These experiments show that REE recovery using IL is a rapid process and that IL is highly durable. Karl-Fischer measurements signify that the mode of action is unlikely to be micellar, while ions of the general formula REE(NO3)4(IL)2− are seen by negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Additionally, variable temperature 139La nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy suggests the presence of multiple, low symmetry nitrato species. Classical molecular dynamics simulations show aggregation of multiple ILs around a microhydrated La3+ cation with four nitrates completing the inner coordination sphere. This increased understanding is now being exploited to develop stronger and more selective, functionalized ILs for REE recovery

Thermal and Photochemical Reduction and Functionalization Chemistry of the Uranyl Dication, [U VI O2] 2+

The uranyl ion, [UVIO2]2+, possesses rigorously trans, strongly covalent, and chemically robust U-oxo groups. However, through the use of anaerobic reaction techniques, both one- and two-electron reductive functionalization of the uranyl oxo groups has been discovered and developed. Prior to 2010, this unusual reactivity centered around the reductive silylation of the uranyl ion which entailed conversion of the oxo ligands into siloxy ligands and reductive metalation of the uranyl oxo with Group 1 and f-block metals. This review surveys the large number of new examples of reductive functionalization of the uranyl ion that have been reported since 2010, including reductive borylation and alumination, metalation with d- or f-block metals, and new examples of reductive silylation. Other examples of oxo-group functionalization of [UVIO2]2+ that do not involve reduction, mainly with Group 1 cations, are also covered, along with new advances in the photochemistry of the uranyl(VI) ion that involve the transient formation of formally uranyl(V) [UVO2]+ ion

IL-15 and PIM kinases direct the metabolic programming of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes

Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) respond to IL-15 complexed with IL-15Ra but how this intrinsically affects IEL is unclear. Here the authors use proteomics analyses of the main mouse IEL subsets and identify PIM kinases as essential for IEL proliferation, metabolism and effector function downstream of IL-15

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) Prevention Strategy Using Education in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Purpose: To measure clinical impact of an evidence-based educational strategy on urinary tract infection (UTI) rates in a 900+ bed acute care facility located in a southwestern state in the United States (US). Clinical Question: Will a focu son staff education in the ICU on proper placement techniques, care, and early removal of urinary retention catheters reduce incidences of CAUTIs in an ICU setting

Differential uranyl(v) oxo-group bonding between the uranium and metal cations from groups 1, 2, 4, and 12; a high energy resolution X-ray absorption, computational, and synthetic study

The uranyl(VI) ‘Pacman’ complex [(UO₂)(py)(H₂L)] A (L = polypyrrolic Schiff-base macrocycle) is reduced by Cp₂Ti(η²-Me₃SiC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CSiMe₃) and [Cp₂TiCl]₂ to oxo-titanated uranyl(V) complexes [(py)(Cp₂$Ti^{III}$OUO)(py)(H₂L)] 1 and [(ClCp₂$Ti^{IV}$OUO)(py)(H₂L)] 2. Combination of $Zr^{II}$ and $Zr^{IV}$ synthons with A yields the first $Zr^{IV}$–uranyl(V) complex, [(ClCp₂ZrOUO)(py)(H₂L)] 3. Similarly, combinations of $Ae^{0}$ and $Ae^{II}$ synthons (Ae = alkaline earth) afford the mono-oxo metalated uranyl(V) complexes [(py)₂(ClMgOUO)(py)(H₂L)] 4, [(py)₂(thf)₂(ICaOUO)(py) (H₂L)] 5; the zinc complexes [(py)₂(XZnOUO)(py)(H₂L)] (X = Cl 6, I 7) are formed in a similar manner. In contrast, the direct reactions of Rb or Cs metal with A generate the first mono-rubidiated and mono-caesiated uranyl(V) complexes; monomeric [(py)₃(RbOUO)(py)(H₂L)] 8 and hexameric [(MOUO)(py)(H₂L)]₆ (M = Rb 8b or Cs 9). In these uranyl(V) complexes, the pyrrole N–H atoms show strengthened hydrogen-bonding interactions with the endo-oxos, classified computationally as moderate-strength hydrogen bonds. Computational DFT MO (density functional theory molecular orbital) and EDA (energy decomposition analysis), uranium M₄ edge HR-XANES (High Energy Resolution X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure) and 3d4f RIXS (Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering) have been used (the latter two for the first time for uranyl(V) in 7 (ZnI)) to compare the covalent character in the $U^{V}$–O and O–M bonds and show the 5f orbitals in uranyl(VI) complex A are unexpectedly more delocalised than in the uranyl(V) 7 (ZnI) complex. The $O_{exo}$–Zn bonds have a larger covalent contribution compared to the Mg–$O_{exo}$/Ca–$O_{exo}$ bonds, and more covalency is found in the U–$O_{exo}$ bond in 7 (ZnI), in agreement with the calculations

Clinical Trial of Oral Nelfinavir before and during Radiation Therapy for Advanced Rectal Cancer

Purpose Nelfinavir, a PI3-kinase pathway inhibitor, is a radiosensitizer which increases tumor blood flow in preclinical models. We conducted an early-phase study to demonstrate the safety of nelfinavir combined with hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) and to develop biomarkers of tumor perfusion and radiosensitization for this combinatorial approach. Patients and Methods Ten patients with T3-4 N0-2 M1 rectal cancer received 7 days of oral nelfinavir (1250 mg bd) and a further 7 days of nelfinavir during pelvic RT (25 Gy/5 fractions/7 days). Perfusion CT (p-CT) and DCE-MRI scans were performed pre-treatment, after 7 days of nelfinavir and prior to last fraction of RT. Biopsies taken pre-treatment and 7 days after the last fraction of RT were analysed for tumor cell density (TCD). Results There were 3 drug-related grade 3 adverse events: diarrhea, rash, lymphopenia. On DCE-MRI, there was a mean 42% increase in median Ktrans, and a corresponding median 30% increase in mean blood flow on p-CT during RT in combination with nelfinavir. Median TCD decreased from 24.3% at baseline to 9.2% in biopsies taken 7 days after RT (P=0.01). Overall, 5/9 evaluable patients exhibited good tumor regression on MRI assessed by Tumor Regression Grade (mrTRG). Conclusions This is the first study to evaluate nelfinavir in combination with RT without concurrent chemotherapy. It has shown that nelfinavir-RT is well tolerated and is associated with increased blood flow to rectal tumors. The efficacy of nelfinavir-RT versus RT alone merits clinical evaluation, including measurement of tumor blood flow