The polygon moray, Gymnothorax polygonius (Poey, 1875) : A new record from Ascension Island, South Atlantic

Ascension Island (07°57′S, 14°22′W) is an isolat-ed volcanic edifice in the South Atlantic. The closest land, St. Helena is approximately 700 miles south with the closest land mass of any size being West Africa, 1000 miles to the east. Approximately 1500 miles west of Ascension Island is the coast of Brazil. As such, the fish community of the island is a mixture of eastern and western Atlantic species, although richness is relatively low compared with other similar loca-tions such as Cape Verde (Wirtz et al. 2014). Despite the apparent remoteness of Ascension Island there have been several key publications on the ichthyofauna for the island and surround-ing marine zone. The fish community of Ascen-sion was first summarized by Cadenat & Marchal (1963), with a comprehensive checklist of shal-low-water fish species published by Lubbock (1980) record-ing 71 species. A report on the benthic and near-benthic fish community, from seamounts around Ascension, was compiled in Trunov (2006). The most recent review of the ichthyofauna of Ascen-sion can be found in Wirtz et al. (2014), a study listing 173 fish species, including 12 members of the family Muraenidae. The extensive rocky ma-rine habitat of Ascension Island is often consid-ered a key factor behind the considerable abun-dance of moray eels around the island. On 21 Feburary 2015 an unidentified moray eel was caught by a recreational angler who had been fishing in deep water from a vessel off the west-ern coast of Ascension Island (Fig. 1). The spec-imen did not match any previous identification records of Muraenidae from Ascension Island. […]

First record of an Odontaspidid shark in Ascension Island waters

The occurrence of the poorly understood shark species Odontapsis ferox is reported at an oceanic seamount in the central south Atlantic, within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Ascension Island. The presence of the species at this location is confirmed by the discovery of a tooth embedded in scientific equipment, and footage of at least one animal on autonomous underwater video. The new record of this shark species at this location demonstrates the knowledge gaps which still exist at many remote, oceanic structures and their candidacy for status as important conservation areas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Near-surface remote sensing of spatial and temporal variation in canopy phenology

There is a need to document how plant phenology is responding to global change factors, particularly warming trends. “Near-surface” remote sensing, using radiometric instruments or imaging sensors, has great potential to improve phenological monitoring because automated observations can be made at high temporal frequency. Here we build on previous work and show how inexpensive, networked digital cameras (“webcams”) can be used to document spatial and temporal variation in the spring and autumn phenology of forest canopies. We use two years of imagery from a deciduous, northern hardwood site, and one year of imagery from a coniferous, boreal transition site. A quantitative signal is obtained by splitting images into separate red, green, and blue color channels and calculating the relative brightness of each channel for “regions of interest” within each image. We put the observed phenological signal in context by relating it to seasonal patterns of gross primary productivity, inferred from eddy covariance measurements of surface–atmosphere CO2 exchange. We show that spring increases, and autumn decreases, in canopy greenness can be detected in both deciduous and coniferous stands. In deciduous stands, an autumn red peak is also observed. The timing and rate of spring development and autumn senescence varies across the canopy, with greater variability in autumn than spring. Interannual variation in phenology can be detected both visually and quantitatively; delayed spring onset in 2007 compared to 2006 is related to a prolonged cold spell from day 85 to day 110. This work lays the foundation for regional- to continental-scale camera-based monitoring of phenology at network observatory sites, e.g., National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) or AmeriFlux

A haloarchaeal ferredoxin electron donor that plays an essential role in nitrate assimilation

In the absence of ammonium, many organisms, including the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii DS2 (DM3757), may assimilate inorganic nitrogen from nitrate or nitrite, using a ferredoxin-dependent assimilatory NO3-/NO2- reductase pathway. The small acidic ferredoxin Hv-Fd plays an essential role in the electron transfer cascade required for assimilatory nitrate and nitrite reduction by the cytoplasmic NarB- and NirA-type reductases respectively. UV–visible absorbance and EPR spectroscopic characterization of purified Hv-Fd demonstrate that this protein binds a single [2Fe–2S] cluster, and potentiometric titration reveals that the cluster shares similar redox properties with those present in plant-type ferredoxins

Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Late-Life Depression: Higher Global Connectivity and More Long Distance Connections

Functional magnetic resonance imaging recordings in the resting-state (RS) from the human brain are characterized by spontaneous low-frequency fluctuations in the blood oxygenation level dependent signal that reveal functional connectivity (FC) via their spatial synchronicity. This RS study applied network analysis to compare FC between late-life depression (LLD) patients and control subjects. Raw cross-correlation matrices (CM) for LLD were characterized by higher FC. We analyzed the small-world (SW) and modular organization of these networks consisting of 110 nodes each as well as the connectivity patterns of individual nodes of the basal ganglia. Topological network measures showed no significant differences between groups. The composition of top hubs was similar between LLD and control subjects, however in the LLD group posterior medial-parietal regions were more highly connected compared to controls. In LLD, a number of brain regions showed connections with more distant neighbors leading to an increase of the average Euclidean distance between connected regions compared to controls. In addition, right caudate nucleus connectivity was more diffuse in LLD. In summary, LLD was associated with overall increased FC strength and changes in the average distance between connected nodes, but did not lead to global changes in SW or modular organization

Influence of springtime phenology on the ratio of soil respiration to total ecosystem respiration in a mixed temperate forest

Total ecosystem (Reco) and soil (Rs) respiration are important CO2 fluxes in the carbon balance of forests. Typically Rs accounts for between 30-80% of Reco, although variation in this ratio has been shown to occur, particularly at seasonal time scales. The objective of this study was to relate changes in Rs/Reco ratio to changing springtime phenological conditions in forest ecosystems. We used one year (2003) of automated and twelve years (1995-2006) of manual chamber-based measurements of Rs. Reco was determined using tower-based eddy covariance measurements for an oak-dominated mixed temperate forest at Harvard Forest, Petersham, MA, USA. Phenological data were obtained from field observations and the JRC fAPAR remote sensing product. The automated and eddy covariance data showed that springtime phenological events do influence the ratio of soil to total ecosystem respiration. During canopy development, Reco rose strongly, mainly the aboveground component, due to the formation of an increasing amount of respiring leaf tissue. An increase in Rs was observed after most of the canopy development, which is probably the consequence of a shift in allocation of photosynthate products from above- to belowground. This hypothesized allocation shift was also confirmed by the results of the twelve year manual chamber-based measurements

REGIONAL COST SHARE NECESSARY FOR RANCHER PARTICIPATION IN BRUSH CONTROL

Large-scale brush-control programs are being proposed in Texas to increase off-site water yields. Biophysical and economic simulation models are combined to estimate the effects of brush control on representative ranches in four ecological regions of the Edwards Plateau area of Texas. Net present values of representative ranches in three of four regions decrease with brush control. Cost shares necessary for ranches from the three regions to break even range from 7% to 31% of total brush-control costs. Any large-scale brush-control program will therefore require a substantial investment by the state of Texas.Agribusiness,

It's personal: Lived experiences of Adult Social Care and Social Work practice in a policy context of personalistion

This study focuses on what can be learnt from lived experiences of adult social care and social work practice in England in a policy context of personalisation. The concept of personalisation is increasingly a key driving force in adult social care policy with significant implications for social work practice. In this study, psychosocial and participatory methods are purposefully combined, with lived experience and coproduction placed at the centre of a unique qualitative methodology. A reflective learning group with people with lived experience is a core feature of the research design. The findings reveal some important learning for social workers. Firstly, a risk is identified that social workers working within a personalisation framework focused on independence and strengths might unconsciously collude with psychic defence mechanisms. Like those defences first identified by Menzies-Lyth (1960) they include individual and social defences against anxiety associated with unconscious fear and hatred of dependency. The findings also highlight a phenomenon that the researcher characterises as depersonalisation – a social care system that appears unreal, detached and emotionally numb. The need for emotionally engaged social workers capable of bearing reality is a suggested response to such phenomena in adult social care. It is proposed that social workers have an essential role to play in perceiving and responding to such defences and countering the adverse effects of depersonalisation. Drawing on Fairbairn’s (1952) concept of ‘mature dependence’, the author argues that the social work role should include facilitating the developmental achievement of mature dependence for people accessing adult social care. Secondly, the findings reveal the need for better integration of a form of personalisation rooted in principles of self-directed support and relationship-based practice approaches in social work. Finally, a reorientation towards contribution-focused practice and an outline personalisation relationship-based practice model emerges from the findings. The draft model proposes that social work practice in adult social care in a policy context of personalisation should be focused on interdependence, choice and control, and reciprocity

Onward to the Mid-Atlantic: First records of Cuban Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) on Ascension Island

Cuban Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) are native to Cuba and many Bahamian islands (Schwartz and Henderson1991), but the species has an expansive non-native range, having been introduced and become established in a number of US states (Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, California), several Lesser Antillean islands (Grenada, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados), Mexico, Belize, Hawaii, Bermuda (Stroud et al. 2017), Taiwan, and Singapore (reviewed in Henderson and Powell 2009). Recently, two newly discovered populations represent expansion of A. sagrei into the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, first in the Pacific coastal town of Guayaquil, Ecuador (Amador et al. 2017) and secondly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Oliveira et al. 2018). Herein we present further evidence of A. sagrei in the Southern Hemisphere, with the first record of A. sagrei on the mid-Atlantic island of Ascension (Fig. 1A). No native terrestrial reptiles occur on Ascension, but four other species of lizards have been introduced and are established (Edgar 2010): Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus), Gray’s Leaf-toed Gecko (H. mercatorius), Cradock Thick-toed Gecko (Pachydactylis geitje), and Weigmann’s Swift (Liolaemus wiegmanni)