Evaluating deterrents of illegal behaviour in conservation: Carnivore killing in rural Taiwan

Rules restricting resource use are ubiquitous to conservation. Recent increases in poaching of iconic species such as African elephant and rhino have triggered high-profile interest in enforcement. Previous studies have used economic models to explore how the probability and severity of sanctions influence poacher-behaviour. Yet despite evidence that compliance can be substantial when the threat of state-imposed sanctions is low and profits high, few have explored other factors deterring rule-breaking. We use the randomised response technique (RRT) and direct questions to estimate the proportion of rural residents in north-western Taiwan illegally killing wildlife. We then model how potential sources of deterrence: perceived probabilities of detection and punishment, social norms and self-imposed guilt, relate to non-compliant behaviour (reported via RRT). The perceived likelihood of being punished and two types of social norms (injunctive and descriptive) predict behaviour and deter rule-breaking. Harnessing social norms that encourage compliance offers potential for reducing the persecution of threatened species

Association of UBE3C Variants with Reduced Kidney Function in Patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and the most common variant of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) globally. The economic burden of ESRD treatment with dialysis is substantial. The incidence and prevalence of ESRD in Taiwan remain the highest worldwide. Therefore, identifying genetic factors affecting kidney function would have valuable clinical implications. We performed microarray experiments and identified that ubiquitin protein ligase E3C (UBE3C) is differentially expressed in two DKD patient groups with extreme (low and high) urine protein-to-creatinine ratios. A follow-up genotyping study was performed in a larger group to investigate any specific variants of UBE3C associated with DKD. A total of 263 patients were included in the study, comprising 172 patients with DKD and 91 control subjects (patients with DM without chronic kidney disease (CKD)). Two UBE3C variants (rs3802129(AA) and rs7807(CC)) were determined to be associated with reduced kidney function. The haplotype analysis revealed that rs3802129/rs3815217 (block 1) with A/G haplotype and rs8101/rs7807 (block 2) with T/C haplotype were associated with higher risks of CKD phenotypes. These findings suggest a clinical role of UBE3C variants in DKD risk

Active and Stable Liquid Water Innovatively Prepared Using Resonantly Illuminated Gold Nanoparticles

The properties of confined liquid water, or liquid water in contact with hydrophobic surfaces, are significantly different from those of bulk liquid water. However, all of water’s commonly described properties are related to inert “bulk liquid water” which comprises a tetrahedral hydrogen-bonded network. In this work, we report an innovative and facile method for preparing small water clusters (SWCs) with reduced affinity hydrogen bonds by letting bulk water flow through supported Au nanoparticles (NPs) under resonant illumination to give NP-treated (AuNT) water at constant temperature. Utilizing localized surface plasmon resonance on illuminated Au NPs, the strong hydrogen bonds of bulk water can be disordered when water is located at the illuminated Au/water interface. The prepared SWCs are free of Au NPs. The energy efficiency for creating SWCs is ∼17%. The resulting stable AuNT water exhibits distinct properties at room temperature, which are significantly different from the properties of untreated bulk water, examples being their ability to scavenge free hydroxyl and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl­hydrazyl radicals and to effectively reduce NO release from lipo­polysaccharide-induced inflammatory cells