Aspects of Recreational Access in the Wicklow Uplands: the Lough Dan and Lough Tay Catchment, a Case Study

At a time when recreational resources are being put under increasing pressure, this study investigates to what extent recreational access in and to the L.Dan/L.Tay area of North Co. Wicklow is an issue for landowners and recreational users. The study area was chosen because of its closeness to Dublin, its popularity as a recreational destination, and the perception that conflicts between landowners and recreational users are becoming more common in the area. The study is based on surveys carried out among local residents and landowners, and recreational users. The information gathered includes the attitudes and behaviours towards access, the examination of perceived and actual sources of conflict, and the patterns of land use and access routes. Half of all landowners surveyed have had some problems caused by recreational users. These landowners are mainly located in specific parts of the area, in particular at the access points to the lakes and upland areas. Most landowners never control or prevent access because they feel it is too difficult to restrict access. A high proportion of users changed their route when signs restricting access were encountered. Fear of liability claims was a problem for a small amount of landowners. All users claimed to think that they are responsible for their own safety while on someone else’s land. Examples of current consultations on access in Ireland are presented. Access agreements accommodating the needs of local landowners and recreational users are a good way of managing access in Ireland. An audit of current consultation, and of the level of access provision, could be used to construct a model for access agreements

OT J075418.7+381225 and OT J230425.8+062546: Promising candidates for the period bouncer

We report on photometric observations of two dwarf novae, OT J075418.7+381225 and OT J230425.8+062546, which showed superoutbursts in 2013 (OT J075418) and in 2011 (OT J230425). Their mean periods of the superhump were 0.0722403(26) d (OT J075418) and 0.067317(35) d (OT J230425). These objects showed a very long growth stage of the superhump (stage A) and a large period decrease in the stage A–B transition. The long stage A suggests slow evolution of the superhump due to the very small mass ratio of these objects. The declining rates during the plateau phase in the superoutburst of these objects were lower than those of SU UMa-type dwarf novae (DNe) with a similar superhump period. These properties were similar to those of SSS J122221.7−311523, the most likely candidate for the period bouncer. Therefore, these two DNe are regarded as likely candidates for the period bouncer. We estimated the number density of period bouncers roughly from our observations for the last five years. There is a possibility that these WZ Sge-type DNe with unusual outburst properties might account for the missing population of the period bouncer suggested by the evolutionary scenario.This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid “Initiative for High- Dimensional Data-Driven Science through Deepening of Sparse Modeling” from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan.We are grateful to many amateur observers for providing a lot of data used in this research

MALT1-deficient mice develop atopic-like dermatitis upon aging

MALT1 plays an important role in innate and adaptive immune signaling by acting as a scaffold protein that mediates NF-kappa B signaling. In addition, MALT1 is a cysteine protease that further fine tunes proinflammatory signaling by cleaving specific substrates. Deregulated MALT1 activity has been associated with immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, and cancer in mice and humans. Genetically engineered mice expressing catalytically inactive MALT1, still exerting its scaffold function, were previously shown to spontaneously develop autoimmunity due to a decrease in Tregs associated with increased effector T cell activation. In contrast, complete absence of MALT1 does not lead to autoimmunity, which has been explained by the impaired effector T cell activation due to the absence of MALT1-mediated signaling. However, here we report that MALT1-deficient mice develop atopic-like dermatitis upon aging, which is preceded by Th2 skewing, an increase in serum IgE, and a decrease in Treg frequency and surface expression of the Treg functionality marker CTLA-4

An Optically Discovered Outburst from XTE J1859+226

Using the Zwicky Transient Facility, in 2021 February we identified the first known outburst of the black hole X-ray transient XTE J1859+226 since its discovery in 1999. The outburst was visible at X-ray, UV, and optical wavelengths for less than 20 days, substantially shorter than its full outburst of 320 days in 1999, and the observed peak luminosity was 2 orders of magnitude lower. Its peak bolometric luminosity was only 2 × 1035 erg s−1, implying an Eddington fraction of about 3 × 10−4. The source remained in the hard spectral state throughout the outburst. From optical spectroscopy measurements we estimate an outer disk radius of 1011 cm. The low observed X-ray luminosity is not sufficient to irradiate the entire disk, but we observe a surprising exponential decline in the X-ray light curve. These observations highlight the potential of optical and infrared synoptic surveys to discover low-luminosity activity from X-ray transients