Characterisation of riverine dissolved organic matter using a complementary suite of chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a fundamental role in nutrient cycling dynamics in riverine systems. Recent research has confirmed that the concentration of riverine DOM is not the only factor regulating its functional significance; the need to define the chemical composition of DOM is a priority. Past studies of riverine DOM rested on bulk quantification, however technological advancements have meant there has been a shift towards analytical methods which allow the characterisation of DOM either at compound class or more recently molecular level. However, it is important to consider that all analytical methods only consider a defined analytical window. Thus, herein, we explore the use of a hierarchy of methods which can be used in combination for the investigation of a wide range of DOM chemistries. By using these methods to investigate the DOM composition of a range of streams draining catchments of contrasting environmental character, a wide range of compounds were identified across a range of polarities and molecular weight, thereby extending the analytical window. Through the elucidation of the DOM character in stream samples, information can be collected about likely the sources of DOM. The identification of individual key compounds within the DOM pool is a key step in the design of robust and informative bioassay experiments, used to understand in-stream ecosystem responses. This is critical if we are to assess the role of DOM as a bioavailable nutrient resource and/or ecotoxicological factor in freshwater

Teaching Archaeological Heritage Management : Towards a Change in Paradigms

The concept of archaeological heritage management (AHM) has been key to wider archaeological research and preservation agendas for some decades. Many universities and other education providers now offer what is best termed heritage management education (HME) in various forms. The emphasis is commonly on archaeological aspects of heritage in a broad sense and different terms are often interchangeable in practice. In an innovative working-conference held in Tampere, Finland, we initiated a debate on what the components of AHM as a course or curriculum should include. We brought together international specialists and discussed connected questions around policy, practice, research and teaching/training, at local, national, transnational and World Heritage levels. In this article we take the Tampere discussions further, focusing especially on the meaning, necessity, implications and prerequisites of interdisciplinary HME. We offer our thoughts on developing HME that reflects the contemporary aspects and needs of heritage and its management.Peer reviewe

Where’s the “Everyday Black Woman”? An intersectional qualitative analysis of Black Women’s decision-making regarding HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Mississippi

Background: Black cisgender women in the U.S. South bear a disproportionate burden of HIV compared to cisgender women in other racial and ethnic groups and in any other part of the US. Critical to decreasing new HIV infections is the improved delivery of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for Black cisgender women as it remains underutilized in 2021. Informed by intersectionality, the study sought to characterize the sociostructural influences on Black cisgender women’s deliberations about PrEP within the context of interlocking systems of oppression including racism, sexism, and classism. Methods: Six focus groups were conducted with 37 Black women residing in Jackson, Mississippi. This sample was purposively recruited to include Black cisgender women who were eligible for PrEP but had never received a PrEP prescription. Results: Six themes were identified as concerns during PrEP deliberation among Black women: 1) limited PrEP awareness, 2) low perceived HIV risk, 3) concerns about side effects, 4) concerns about costs, 5) limited marketing, and 6) distrust in the healthcare system. Three themes were identified as facilitators during PrEP deliberations: 1) women’s empowerment and advocacy, 2) need for increased PrEP-specific education, and 3) the positive influence of PrEP-engaged women’s testimonials. Black women shared a limited awareness of PrEP exacerbated by the lack of Black women-specific marketing. Opportunities to support Black women-specific social marketing could increase awareness and knowledge regarding PrEP’s benefits and costs. Black women also shared their concerns about discrimination in healthcare and distrust, but they felt that these barriers may be addressed by patient testimonials from PrEP-engaged Black women, empowerment strategies, and directly addressing provider biases. Conclusions: An effective response to PrEP implementation among Black women in the South requires developing programs to center the needs of Black women and carry out active strategies that prioritize peer advocacy while reinforcing positive and mitigating negative influences from broader social and historical contexts

“PrEP’s just to secure you like insurance”: a qualitative study on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence and retention among black cisgender women in Mississippi

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has the potential to reduce transmission of HIV among Black cisgender women in the Southern United States (U.S.); however, national data suggests that PrEP initiation is lowest in the South and among Black women compared to other U.S. regions and white women. This study applied intersectionality and PrEP multilevel resilience frameworks to assess how socio-structural and clinical contexts shaped PrEP persistence among Black cisgender women in Mississippi. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Black cisgender women in Jackson, Mississippi. This sample was purposively recruited to include PrEP-initiated Black cisgender women. Results: Six themes identified that shaped PrEP care among Black cisgender women: (1) internal assets, (2) sole responsibility to HIV prevention, (3) added protection in HIV serodifferent relationships, (4) financial issues, (5) trust and distrust in the medical system, and (6) side effects. Black cisgender women reported that PrEP persistence increased control over their sexual health, reduced anxiety about HIV, and promoted self-care. Black cisgender women also indicated that medication assistance programs increased PrEP affordability resulting in continued persistence. Conclusions: In addition to preventing HIV, PrEP may yield secondary positive impacts on the health and relationships of Black cisgender women. However, very few Black cisgender women in the South are using PrEP given intersectional barriers and thus necessitates adaptive strategies to support PrEP initiation and persistence. Efforts aimed at increasing the coverage of PrEP among Black cisgender women should consider implementation strategies responsive to lived realities of Black women

A mitogenomic timetree for Darwin’s enigmatic South American mammal Macrauchenia patachonica

The unusual mix of morphological traits displayed by extinct South American native ungulates (SANUs) confounded both Charles Darwin, who first discovered them, and Richard Owen, who tried to resolve their relationships. Here we report an almost complete mitochondrial genome for the litoptern Macrauchenia. Our dated phylogenetic tree places Macrauchenia as sister to Perissodactyla, but close to the radiation of major lineages within Laurasiatheria. This position is consistent with a divergence estimate of B66Ma (95% credibility interval, 56.64–77.83 Ma) obtained for the split between Macrauchenia and other Panperissodactyla. Combined with their morphological distinctiveness, this evidence supports the positioning of Litopterna (possibly in company with other SANU groups) as a separate order within Laurasiatheria. We also show that, when using strict criteria, extinct taxa marked by deep divergence times and a lack of close living relatives may still be amenable to palaeogenomic analysis through iterative mapping against more distant relatives.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

A mitogenomic timetree for Darwin’s enigmatic South American mammal Macrauchenia patachonica

The unusual mix of morphological traits displayed by extinct South American native ungulates (SANUs) confounded both Charles Darwin, who first discovered them, and Richard Owen, who tried to resolve their relationships. Here we report an almost complete mitochondrial genome for the litoptern Macrauchenia. Our dated phylogenetic tree places Macrauchenia as sister to Perissodactyla, but close to the radiation of major lineages within Laurasiatheria. This position is consistent with a divergence estimate of B66Ma (95% credibility interval, 56.64–77.83 Ma) obtained for the split between Macrauchenia and other Panperissodactyla. Combined with their morphological distinctiveness, this evidence supports the positioning of Litopterna (possibly in company with other SANU groups) as a separate order within Laurasiatheria. We also show that, when using strict criteria, extinct taxa marked by deep divergence times and a lack of close living relatives may still be amenable to palaeogenomic analysis through iterative mapping against more distant relatives.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Strategies in the use of light energy by Genipa spruceana Steyerm seedlings subjected to flooding

In an attempt to elucidate strategies in the use of light energy by G. spruceana seedlings subjected to flooding, we investigated the capacity of light capture and use of light energy by G. spruceana in three growing conditions: 1- absence of flooding (SA), 2- partially flooded (PA) and 3- totally flooded (TA). Destructive and non-destructive measurements, such as specific leaf area, chloroplast pigment (chlorophyll and carotenoids) content and fluorescence analyses, were made at regular intervals over a period of 90 days. All parameters decreased in seedlings subjected to flooding. Plants of treatment TA dropped all of their leaves after 30 days of complete submergence. Chloroplast pigment content differed between treatments SA and TA after 30 days from the start of the experiment; whereas SA and PA plants only differed for this variable after 90 days. Plants subjected to flooding (PA and TA) exhibited high dissipation of photochemical de-excitation (DIo/ABS), indicating a limited efficiency of light energy use. This fact was proven by the performance index (PI ABS) only in analyses after 90 days, and no significant difference was verified for PI ABS among treatments up to 30 days. Therefore, considering that G. spruceana seedlings subjected to flooding reduced the chloroplast pigment content more quickly than PI ABS, we suggest that the light energetic flux in G. spruceana seedlings subjected to flooding, in the beginning, is more restricted to a decrease in the structures that captures light (reduction chlorophyll pigment content) than how the photosynthetic apparatus functions (alterations in photochemical efficiency of photosystem II).Na tentativa de elucidar estratégias de utilização da energia luminosa em plantas jovens de Genipa spruceana Steyerm submetidas ao alagamento, nós investigamos a capacidade de captura e uso de energia luminosa em G. spruceana sob três condições de crescimento1- ausência de alagamento (SA), 2- plantas parcialmente alagadas (PA) e 3- plantas totalmente alagadas (TA). Medidas de área foliar específica, teores de pigmentos cloroplastídicos e fluorescência da clorofila a foram feitas em intervalos regulares no período de 90 dias. Todos os parâmetros analisados diminuíram em condições de alagamento (PA e TA). Aos 30 dias, as plantas no tratamento TA sofreram abscisão foliar. Os teores dos pigmentos cloroplastídicos (clorofilas e carotenóides) entre os tratamentos SA e TA diferiram aos 30 dias. Ao passo que, somente foi possível verificar diferenças entre os tratamentos SA e PA aos 90 dias. As plantas submetidas ao alagamento (PA e TA) exibiram alta dissipação de energia de excitação (DIo/ABS) indicando limitada eficiência na utilização da energia luminosa. Este fato foi comprovado pelos resultados do índice de desempenho (PI ABS) somente ao fim do período experimental (90 dias). Mas, não foi verificado diferença para PI ABS entre os tratamentos aos 30 dias. Portanto, considerando que G. spruceana submetidas ao tratamento TA reduziram seus teores de clorofilas mais rapidamente do que decrescem seus PI ABS, sugere-se que o fluxo de energia luminosa em plântulas de G. spruceana sob alagamento total, no início, é mais restringido pelo decréscimo na estrutura de captura de luz (diminuição dos pigmentos cloroplastídicos) do que no funcionamento do aparato fotossintético (alterações na eficiência fotoquímica do fotossistema II)

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362