Complex responses to movement-based disease control: when livestock trading helps

Livestock disease controls are often linked to movements between farms, for example, via quarantine and pre- or post-movement testing. Designing effective controls, therefore, benefits from accurate assessment of herd-to-herd transmission. Household models of human infections make use of R*, the number of groups infected by an initial infected group, which is a metapopulation level analogue of the basic reproduction number R0 that provides a better characterization of disease spread in a metapopulation. However, existing approaches to calculate R* do not account for individual movements between locations which means we lack suitable tools for livestock systems. We address this gap using next-generation matrix approaches to capture movements explicitly and introduce novel tools to calculate R* in any populations coupled by individual movements. We show that depletion of infectives in the source group, which hastens its recovery, is a phenomenon with important implications for design and efficacy of movement-based controls. Underpinning our results is the observation that R* peaks at intermediate livestock movement rates. Consequently, under movement-based controls, infection could be controlled at high movement rates but persist at intermediate rates. Thus, once control schemes are present in a livestock system, a reduction in movements can counterintuitively lead to increased disease prevalence. We illustrate our results using four important livestock diseases (bovine viral diarrhoea, bovine herpes virus, Johne's disease and Escherichia coli O157) that each persist across different movement rate ranges with the consequence that a change in livestock movements could help control one disease, but exacerbate another

Philosophical and Pedagogical Problems with Constructivism in Science Education

Cet article avance deux idées: premièrement, de nombreux constructivistes adoptent des positions philosophiques erronées qui sont antithétiques avec la conduite d’une bonne science; deuxièmement, le constructivisme comme une théorie de l’apprentissage promeut une pédagogie inefficace et un apprentissage pauvre pour les élèves. Les erreurs philosophiques identifiées sont celles associées au scepticisme en épistémologie et à l’idéalisme dans le domaine de l’ontologie. Le problème pédagogique provient du fait que le constructivisme ignore ou minimise le point fondamental selon lequel l’apprentissage dépend de l’accompagnement et de l’enseignement, et ce, à plus forte raison pour une discipline comme la physique. Cet article propose plusieurs explications de cet état insatisfaisant dans lequel s’est retrouvée la recherche en didactique des sciences.The paper will make two claims: first, that many constructivists embrace erroneous philosophical positions that are antithetical to the conduct of good science; and second, that Constructivism as a theory of learning promotes ineffective pedagogy and poor student learning. The philosophical errors identified are those associated with skepticism in epistemology and idealism in ontology. The pedagogical problem results from constructivism ignoring or minimising the basic point that learning is dependent upon guidance and instruction, the more so in a discipline such as physics. The paper will make some suggestions about why this unfortunate state of affairs has come to pass in science education research

Enseñando las componentes filosóficas y de las formas de ver el mundo de la ciencia: algunas consideraciones

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The silicon trypanosome

African trypanosomes have emerged as promising unicellular model organisms for the next generation of systems biology. They offer unique advantages, due to their relative simplicity, the availability of all standard genomics techniques and a long history of quantitative research. Reproducible cultivation methods exist for morphologically and physiologically distinct life-cycle stages. The genome has been sequenced, and microarrays, RNA-interference and high-accuracy metabolomics are available. Furthermore, the availability of extensive kinetic data on all glycolytic enzymes has led to the early development of a complete, experiment-based dynamic model of an important biochemical pathway. Here we describe the achievements of trypanosome systems biology so far and outline the necessary steps towards the ambitious aim of creating a , a comprehensive, experiment-based, multi-scale mathematical model of trypanosome physiology. We expect that, in the long run, the quantitative modelling enabled by the Silicon Trypanosome will play a key role in selecting the most suitable targets for developing new anti-parasite drugs

Mid-Infrared High-Contrast Imaging of HD 114174 B : An Apparent Age Discrepancy in a "Sirius-Like" Binary System

We present new observations of the faint "Sirius-like" companion discovered to orbit HD 114174. Previous attempts to image HD 114174 B at mid-infrared wavelengths using NIRC2 at Keck have resulted in a non-detection. Our new L'-band observations taken with the Large Binocular Telescope and LMIRCam recover the companion ($\Delta L$ = 10.15 $\pm$ 0.15 mag, $\rho$ = 0.675'' $\pm$ 0.016'') with a high signal-to-noise ratio (10 $\sigma$). This measurement represents the deepest L' high-contrast imaging detection at sub-arcsecond separations to date, including extrasolar planets. We confirm that HD 114174 B has near-infrared colors consistent with the interpretation of a cool white dwarf ($J-L'$ = 0.76 $\pm$ 0.19 mag, $K-L'$ = 0.64 $\pm$ 0.20). New model fits to the object's spectral energy distribution indicate a temperature $T_{\rm eff}$ = 4260 $\pm$ 360 K, surface gravity log g = 7.94 $\pm$ 0.03, a cooling age t$_{c} \approx$ 7.8 Gyr, and mass $M$ = 0.54 $\pm$ 0.01 $M_{\odot}$. We find that the cooling age given by theoretical atmospheric models do not agree with the age of HD 114174 A derived from both isochronological and gyrochronological analyses. We speculate on possible scenarios to explain the apparent age discrepancy between the primary and secondary. HD 114174 B is a nearby benchmark white dwarf that will ultimately enable a dynamical mass estimate through continued Doppler and astrometric monitoring. Efforts to characterize its physical properties in detail will test theoretical atmospheric models and improve our understanding of white dwarf evolution, cooling, and progenitor masses.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letter

A manipulative test of competing theories for metabolic scaling

The reasons why metabolic rate (B) scales allometrically with body mass (M) remain hotly debated. The field is dominated by correlational analyses of the relationship between B and M; these struggle to disentangle competing explanations because both B and M are confounded with ontogeny, life history, and ecology. Here, we overcome these problems by using an experimental approach to test among competing metabolic theories. We examined the scaling of B in size-manipulated and intact colonies of a bryozoan and show that B scales with M. To explain this, we apply a general model based on the dynamic energy budget theory for metabolic organization that predicts B on the basis of energy allocation to assimilation, maintenance, growth, and maturation. Uniquely, this model predicts the absolute value of B, emphasizes that there is no single scaling exponent of B, and demonstrates that a single model can explain the variation in B seen in nature

Decoding Earth’s plate tectonic history using sparse geochemical data

Accurately mapping plate boundary types and locations through time is essential for understanding the evolution of the plate-mantle system and the exchange of material between the solid Earth and surface environments. However, the complexity of the Earth system and the cryptic nature of the geological record make it difficult to discriminate tectonic environments through deep time. Here we present a new method for identifying tectonic paleo-environments on Earth through a data mining approach using global geochemical data. We first fingerprint a variety of present-day tectonic environments utilising up to 136 geochemical data attributes in any available combination. A total of 38301 geochemical analyses from basalts aged from 5–0 Ma together with a well-established plate reconstruction model are used to construct a suite of discriminatory models for the first order tectonic environments of subduction and mid-ocean ridge as distinct from intraplate hotspot oceanic environments, identifying 41, 35, and 39 key discriminatory geochemical attributes, respectively. After training and validation, our model is applied to a global geochemical database of 1547 basalt samples of unknown tectonic origin aged between 1000–410 Ma, a relatively ill-constrained period of Earth's evolution following the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent, producing 56 unique global tectonic environment predictions throughout the Neoproterozoic and Early Paleozoic. Predictions are used to discriminate between three alternative published Rodinia configuration models, identifying the model demonstrating the closest spatio-temporal consistency with the basalt record, and emphasizing the importance of integrating geochemical data into plate reconstructions. Our approach offers an extensible framework for constructing full-plate, deep-time reconstructions capable of assimilating a broad range of geochemical and geological observations, enabling next generation Earth system models

Deconstructing the High-Mass Star-Forming Region IRAS 23033+5951

We report interferometric observations of the high-mass star-forming object IRAS 23033+5951. Our observations reveal two massive molecular cloud cores, designated IRAS 23033+5951-MMS1 and IRAS 23033+5951-MMS2. MMS1 has already formed a massive protostar and MMS2 appears to be on the verge of doing so. The latter core may be an example of a massive analogue to a "Class 0" star-forming object. The more evolved core shows some evidence of N2H+ destruction near the protostar, consistent with similar findings in low-mass star-forming objects. In addition to the already-known prominent HCO+ outflow, our SiO 2--1, and CH3OH 2--1 maps show evidence for two more candidate outflows, both presumably less powerful than the main one. Both cores are embedded in an elongated feature whose major axis is oriented almost exactly perpendicular to the axis of the most prominent outflow in the region. Although it has many of the characteristics of a disk, the 87,000 AU (0.42 pc) diameter of this structure suggests that it is more likely to be the flattened, rotating remnant of the natal molecular cloud fragment from which the star-forming cores condensed. We conclude that IRAS 23033+5951 is an excellent example of massive star formation proceeding in relative isolation, perhaps by the method of monolithic collapse and disk accretion.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa