Hala (Pandanus tectorius) management and biocultural restoration in Niuliʻi, North Kohala

Master’s in Environmental Management (MEM) Capstone Report

Ranging and Behavior of Black and Gold Howler Monkeys in Formosa, Argentina

Howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) are known for their adaptability, allowing them to inhabit a large range of forest types and driving high levels of variation in ranging and behavioral patterns. I address a series of hypotheses relating these relationships: 1) If an energy minimizing lifestyle is an adaptation to eating high quantities of leaves, then howler groups that have a high proportion of leaves in their diet will occupy smaller home ranges, have shorter daily path lengths, and spend more time resting, 2) if temperature is the primary driver of high levels of resting, then howlers will conserve energy and rest more at lower temperatures, 3) home range and daily path length will increase with group size. To test these hypotheses, I studied the ranging and behavioral patterns of two groups of Black and Gold Howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) inhabiting a gallery forest in Formosa, Argentina. I followed each group from sunrise to sunset for a total of six days each. Compared to other studies, the groups had the smallest home ranges for Alouatta (1.23 ha and 0.92 ha). Both groups followed expected activity patterns, sleeping for roughly 60% of the day and eating primarily leaves supplemented by small amounts of fruit and flowers. Higher leaf consumption was correlated with increased resting time, but not smaller home range or shorter daily path lengths. Contrary to expectations, there appeared to be a very slight positive correlation between temperature and percent resting. Finally, home range and daily path length did not increase with group size. These data give us insight into the species’ adaptability since this population is found at the extreme southern edge of where howlers are found

Gendered Violence, HIV Acquisition, and Clinical/Behavioral Research

HIV incidence and prevalence rates for US women continue to increase, especially among Black and Latina women. In addition, the link between violence and HIV acquisition has been well documented. However, the interaction between violence, HIV risk, and HIV acquisition remains an under-addressed issue in current clinical and behavioral HIV research designs. Because violence against women plays an important role in HIV acquisition and transmission, it is imperative for clinical research to address violence in trial design and implementation. In this article, we discuss the prevalence of violence in women’s lives; the role violence plays in HIV acquisition; and the absence of violence in clinical research designs. We conclude with recommendations for integrating concerns about HIV and violence against women into sponsor- and investigator-driven HIV research priorities and clinical trial design

Exploring how practitioners support and protect adults at risk of harm in the light of the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007

This was a joint academic and practitioner research project that interviewed practitioners and people about their experience of assessment and intervention under the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007. Findings include: the complex and interconnected nature of harm, the value of skilled and open minded practitioners, the need to build and maintain respectful relationships; that thresholds not as clear cut as we might like them to be, protecting means supporting, interagency work was variable in its quality and opportunities for justice through court might still be limite

Exploring the Membrane Mechanism of the Bioactive Peptaibol Ampullosporin A Using Lipid Monolayers and Supported Biomimetic Membranes

Ampullosporin A is an antimicrobial, neuroleptic peptaibol, the behavior of which was investigated in different membrane mimetic environments made of egg yolk L-α-phosphatidylcholine. In monolayers, the peptaibol adopted a mixed α/310-helical structure with an in-plane orientation. The binding step was followed by the peptide insertion into the lipid monolayer core. The relevance of the inner lipid leaflet nature was studied by comparing ampullosporin binding on a hybrid bilayer, in which this leaflet was a rigid alkane layer, and on supported fluid lipid bilayers. The membrane binding was examined by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and the effect on lipid dynamics was explored using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. In the absence of voltage and at low concentration, ampullosporin A substantially adsorbed onto lipid surfaces and its interaction with biomimetic models was strongly modified depending on the inner leaflet structure. At high concentration, ampullosporin A addition led to the lipid bilayers disruption

On the use of simulated experiments in designing tests for material characterization from full-field measurements

The present paper deals with the use of simulated experiments to improve the design of an actual mechanical test. The analysis focused on the identification of the orthotropic properties of composites using the unnotched Iosipescu test and a full-field optical technique, the grid method. The experimental test was reproduced numerically by finite element analysis and the recording of deformed grey level images by a CCD camera was simulated trying to take into account the most significant parameters that can play a role during an actual test, e.g. the noise, the failure of the specimen, the size of the grid printed on the surface, etc. The grid method then was applied to the generated synthetic images in order to extract the displacement and strain fields and the Virtual Fields Method was finally used to identify the material properties and a cost function was devised to evaluate the error in the identification. The developed procedure was used to study different features of the test such as the aspect ratio and the fibre orientation of the specimen, the use of smoothing functions in the strain reconstruction from noisy data, the influence of missing data on the identification. Four different composite materials were considered and, for each of them, a set of optimized design variables was found by minimization of the cost function

Evoked and Spontaneous Pain Assessment During Tooth Pulp Injury

Injury of the tooth pulp is excruciatingly painful and yet the receptors and neural circuit mechanisms that transmit this form of pain remain poorly defined in both the clinic and preclinical rodent models. Easily quantifiable behavioral assessment in the mouse orofacial area remains a major bottleneck in uncovering molecular mechanisms that govern inflammatory pain in the tooth. In this study we sought to address this problem using the Mouse Grimace Scale and a novel approach to the application of mechanical Von Frey hair stimuli. We use a dental pulp injury model that exposes the pulp to the outside environment, a procedure we have previously shown produces inflammation. Using RNAscope technology, we demonstrate an upregulation of genes that contribute to the pain state in the trigeminal ganglia of injured mice. We found that mice with dental pulp injury have greater Mouse Grimace Scores than sham within 24 hours of injury, suggestive of spontaneous pain. We developed a scoring system of mouse refusal to determine thresholds for mechanical stimulation of the face with Von Frey filaments. This method revealed that mice with a unilateral dental injury develop bilateral mechanical allodynia that is delayed relative to the onset of spontaneous pain. This work demonstrates that tooth pain can be quantified in freely behaving mice using approaches common for other types of pain assessment. Harnessing these assays in the orofacial area during gene manipulation should assist in uncovering mechanisms for tooth pulp inflammatory pain and other forms of trigeminal pain. © 2020, The Author(s)

A Tethered Bilayer Assembled on Top of Immobilized Calmodulin to Mimic Cellular Compartmentalization

International audienceBACKGROUND: Biomimetic membrane models tethered on solid supports are important tools for membrane protein biochemistry and biotechnology. The supported membrane systems described up to now are composed of a lipid bilayer tethered or not to a surface separating two compartments: a "trans" side, one to a few nanometer thick, located between the supporting surface and the membrane; and a "cis" side, above the synthetic membrane, exposed to the bulk medium. We describe here a novel biomimetic design composed of a tethered bilayer membrane that is assembled over a surface derivatized with a specific intracellular protein marker. This multilayered biomimetic assembly exhibits the fundamental characteristics of an authentic biological membrane in creating a continuous yet fluid phospholipidic barrier between two distinct compartments: a "cis" side corresponding to the extracellular milieu and a "trans" side marked by a key cytosolic signaling protein, calmodulin. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We established and validated the experimental conditions to construct a multilayered structure consisting in a planar tethered bilayer assembled over a surface derivatized with calmodulin. We demonstrated the following: (i) the grafted calmodulin molecules (in trans side) were fully functional in binding and activating a calmodulin-dependent enzyme, the adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis; and (ii) the assembled bilayer formed a continuous, protein-impermeable boundary that fully separated the underlying calmodulin (trans side) from the above medium (cis side). CONCLUSIONS: The simplicity and robustness of the tethered bilayer structure described here should facilitate the elaboration of biomimetic membrane models incorporating membrane embedded proteins and key cytoplasmic constituents. Such biomimetic structures will also be an attractive tool to study translocation across biological membranes of proteins or other macromolecules

Engaging early career researchers in a global health research capacity-strengthening programme: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Research capacity-strengthening is recognized as an important component of global health partnership working, and as such merits monitoring and evaluation. Early career researchers are often the recipients of research capacity-strengthening programmes, but there is limited literature regarding their experience. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study as part of an internal evaluation of the capacity-strengthening programme of the international HERA (HEalthcare Responding to violence and Abuse) research group. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with group members, and thematic analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Eighteen group members participated; nine of these were early career researchers, and nine were other research team members, including mid-career and senior researchers. Key themes were identified which related to their engagement with and experience of a research capacity-strengthening programme. We explored formal/planned elements of our programme: mentoring and supervision; training and other opportunities; funding and resources. Participants also discussed informal/unplanned elements which acted as important facilitators and/or barriers to engaging with research capacity-strengthening: English language; open relationships and communication; connection and disconnection; and diversity. The sustainability of the programme was also discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Our study gives voice to the early career researcher experience of engaging with a research capacity-strengthening programme in a global health group. We highlight some important elements that have informed adaptations to our programme and may be relevant for consideration by other global health research capacity-strengthening programmes. Our findings contribute to the growing literature and important discussions around research capacity-strengthening and how this relates to the future directions of global health partnership working

The post-2016 long-lasting Vulcanian activity of Sabancaya volcano (Peru) and associated aeolian remobilisation of volcanic ash

The characterisation of tephra deposits resulting from almost simultaneous sedimentation and wind remobilisation is complex, and multidisciplinary strategies are required in order to accurately constrain associated processes and eruptive parameters. We present a multifaceted study that aims to characterise the recent eruptive activity and the subsequent aeolian remobilisation of tephra deposits at Sabancaya volcano (Peru), which started erupting in November 2016 with frequent and relatively small explosions (plume heights <6 km above the vent). First, we estimated the bulk volume of tephra deposit produced between November 2016 and August 2018 at 0.04 ± 0.02 km3, and the dense rock equivalent (DRE) volume at 0.02 ± 0.01 kilometros3. This corresponds to a tephra production rate of 1.1 ± 0.5 x 10−3 km3 DRE per month. Second, continuous sampling in a dedicated tephra collector network between April 2018 and November 2019 allowed estimation of the tephra volume at 2.3 ± 1.1 x 10−5 km3 DRE per month, indicating a significant decrease in the mass eruption rate since 2018. Third, by characterising the pulsatory activity through the repose interval between explosions and magma characteristics, Sabancaya's activity was classified as Vulcanian. Finally, aeolian remobilisation phenomena were studied using high-resolution videos, measurements of the airborne concentration of particulate matter with a diameter of ≤10 μm (PM10) and particle physical characterisation. Subtle morphological differences are identified between remobilised particles and those in primary deposits, and we found that particles moving at ground level and above 1.5 m have grainsizes transportable by saltation and suspension, respectively