Assessing citizen attitudes towards climate change, renewable energy, and solar development in Kentucky.

This study focuses on public attitudes and perceptions of renewable energy development strategy, solar energy, and climate change using a statewide survey in the 23 counties of Kentucky (KY) where solar developments have been installed or will be installed soon. Results indicate a that the public has a complex view of renewable energy development (RED) and how best an energy transition should be carried out, if at all. Solar RED was generally perceived positively by members of the public, with rooftop or household solar being stated as the preferred model of development. Citizens were most concerned over the visual impact of solar developments on the landscape, as well as its reliability as an energy source. Those who politically identified as Democrats had significantly less variation in response type than did Republican and third-party respondents. Responses from Democratic participants were more amenable to RED in general, whereas a higher level of concern and skepticism was expressed by other political party groups. Policymakers, state institutions, and developers should closely assess concerns at community-scale and adopt a more flexible strategy for design and configuration of developments. The future of RED in KY might benefit from state programs such as Community Choice or other decentralized development options for consumers

How Massless Neutrinos Affect the Cosmic Microwave Background Damping Tail

We explore the physical origin and robustness of constraints on the energy density in relativistic species prior to and during recombination, often expressed as constraints on an effective number of neutrino species, Neff. Constraints from current data combination of Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and South Pole Telescope (SPT) are almost entirely due to the impact of the neutrinos on the expansion rate, and how those changes to the expansion rate alter the ratio of the photon diffusion scale to the sound horizon scale at recombination. We demonstrate that very little of the constraining power comes from the early Integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect, and also provide a first determination of the amplitude of the early ISW effect. Varying the fraction of baryonic mass in Helium, Yp, also changes the ratio of damping to sound-horizon scales. We discuss the physical effects that prevent the resulting near-degeneracy between Neff and Yp from being a complete one. Examining light element abundance measurements, we see no significant evidence for evolution of Neff and the baryon-to-photon ratio from the epoch of big bang nucleosynthesis to decoupling. Finally, we consider measurements of the distance-redshift relation at low to intermediate redshifts and their implications for the value of Neff.Comment: 11 pages. Replaced version extends our discussion of origin of constraints and updates for current data, submitted to PR

Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing

Why are house prices in many advanced economies rising faster than incomes? Why isn't land and location taught or seen as important in modern economics? What is the relationship between the financial system and land? In this accessible but provocative guide to the economics of land and housing, the authors reveal how many of the key challenges facing modern economies - including housing crises, financial instability and growing inequalities - are intimately tied to the land economy. Looking at the ways in which discussions of land have been routinely excluded from both housing policy and economic theory, the authors show that in order to tackle these increasingly pressing issues a major rethink by both politicians and economists is required

Understanding patch foraging strategies across development

Patch foraging is a near-ubiquitous behaviour across the animal kingdom and characterises many decision-making domains encountered by humans. We review how a disposition to explore in adolescence may reflect the evolutionary conditions under which hunter-gatherers foraged for resources. We propose that neurocomputational mechanisms responsible for reward processing, learning, and cognitive control facilitate the transition from exploratory strategies in adolescence to exploitative strategies in adulthood - where individuals capitalise on known resources. This developmental transition may be disrupted by psychopathology, as there is emerging evidence of biases in explore/exploit choices in mental health problems. Explore/exploit choices may be an informative marker for mental health across development and future research should consider this feature of decision-making as a target for clinical intervention

Are Adolescents More Optimal Decision-Makers in Novel Environments? Examining the Benefits of Heightened Exploration in a Patch Foraging Paradigm

Adolescence is a period of heightened exploration relative to adulthood and childhood. This predisposition has been linked with negative behaviours related to risk-taking, including dangerous driving, substance misuse and risky sexual practices. However, recent models have argued that adolescents’ heightened exploration serves a functional purpose within the lifespan, allowing adolescents to develop experiential knowledge of their surroundings. Yet, there is limited evidence that heightened exploration in adolescence is associated with positive outcomes. To address this, the present pre-registered study utilised a foraging paradigm with a sample of adolescents aged 16–17 (N = 68) and of adults aged 21 and above (N = 69). Participants completed a patch foraging task, which required them to choose between exploiting a known resource which gradually yields fewer rewards, and exploring a novel, unknown resource with a fresh distribution of rewards. Findings demonstrated that adolescents explored more than adults, which – in the context of the current task—represented more optimal patch foraging behaviour. These findings indicate that adolescents’ heightened exploration can be beneficial, as they were able to effectively navigate unknown environments and accrue rewards more successfully than adults. This provides evidence that heightened exploration in adolescence, relative to adulthood, can lead to positive outcomes and contributes to our understanding of the role increased novelty-seeking plays at this point in the lifespan

An Infrasonic Missing Fundamental Rises at 18.5Hz

The Missing Fundamental (MF) phenomenon is an auditory processing artifact which arises from the perception of a harmonically-structured complex sound in the absence of the complex sound’s fundamental frequency (f0). Constructive interference occurring between constituent waveforms of the harmonic series may elicit a perceptible tone at the f0’s pitch. A related illusion, known as binaural auditory beats (BAB), may also generate nonexistent perceptible pitches through a shared mechanism. A harmonic series suggesting to an infrasonic f0 (1/f) noise and broken MF conditions. This data suggests that an infrasonic MF tone is generated, despite the normally imperceptible nature of the sound. The computational phenomenon reported here may also occur throughout the cortex, where it could influence or induce different conscious states. The practical implications of altering cortical activity is relevant in understanding processing disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Schizophrenia

The behavioural ecology of the white shark (Carcharodon carharias) at Dyer Island

The aim of this study was to investigate various aspects of the life history of white sharks Carcharodon carcharias at Dyer Island, South Africa, between August 1999 and January 2001. Inter-specific predatory interactions between the white shark and various potential prey species such as the Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus), African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), Cape cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis), bank cormorant (P. neglectus), crown cormorant (P. coronatus) and white-breasted cormorant. (P. carbo) were observed. White sharks were attracted daily to a research vessel positioned at various anchorages in the vicinity of Dyer Island. Spatial and temporal abundance, and population composition of white sharks were recorded throughout the year and revealed seasonal trends in habitat utilisation. White sharks occupied inshore waters, away from the Geyser Rock seal colony in the summer. Sharks became abundant in the near vicinity of Geyser Rock in the winter period. The summer inshore population was characterised by the increased total length of sharks and the exclusive presence of female sharks. Prey resembling decoys were used to investigate trends in the 'predatory motivation' of white sharks in relation to various independent variables. White sharks displayed greatest predatory motivation in close proximity to a seal colony, in overcast conditions, and when water clarity was low. White sharks evidently elevate their motivation to hunt large prey, which are difficult to catch, in situations where the likelihood of encountering valued prey and completing a successful attack is greatest. Ontogenetic difference in predatory motivation towards the decoys existed, with sharks above 325 cm TL displaying greater predatory motivation than smaller sharks. Various choice tests were conducted to determine the visual discriminatory ability and prey preference of white sharks at Dyer Island. The results suggested that white sharks preferred a biologically familiar shape (pinniped) over an inanimate shape (rectangle), smaller (75 mm TL pinniped) over larger (1800 mm TL pinniped) prey, and a pinniped decoy over a penguin decoy of similar size. Selectivity in larger white sharks (>375 cm TL) was most noticeable in the prey shape (pinniped vs. rectangle) experiment, which suggests they may readily utilise a speculative hunting strategy based on rough similarities between detected potential prey and recognised prey. In this situation mistaken identification of prey is more possible. Smaller white sharks (a majority of the sample) displayed most selectivity in the prey size experiment, with strong preference for the smaller seal decoy over the large one. This pattern indicates that prey size may be a partial limiting factor in the feeding of smaller white sharks. Negative impacts (such as conditioning or distraction) of cage-diving on white sharks were assessed by the measurement of white shark contact time and visit time in relation to the chumming vessel. These results revealed that smaller sharks had longest visit times, and that sharks in the vicinity of Geyser Rock displayed visitation patterns indicative of hunting sharks. Particular vigilance should be kept by operators not to allow small sharks to take bait (reward). The channel area appears to be an important hunting ground and white shark cage-diving should perhaps be restricted in this area. White sharks also showed greater activity around the chumming vessel on cloudy days and operators must be particularly vigilant to deny sharks any rewards (bait) under these conditions. Both the white sharks and Cape fur seals predate and/or attack seabirds and predatory interactions were quantified and qualified by the routine collection and inspection of seabird carcasses and injured birds, as well as opportunistic observations of live attacks throughout this study. White sharks are infrequent predators of seabirds in this ecosystem, perhaps due to an abundance of Cape fur seals (a preferred prey), anti¬predator behaviour by penguins, and seabirds not being a sought after prey type. Cape fur seals were a more conspicuous seabird predator, annually attacking a significant percentage of the adult penguin (1.99-2.52%), white-breasted cormorant (5.21-5.72%), and crowned cormorant (3.13%) populations. A minimum estimate of 1.09% of the fledgling Cape cormorant population also succumbed to Cape fur seal predation.Dissertation (MSc(Zoology))--University of Pretoria, 2006.Zoology and Entomologyunrestricte

Discrimination of ssRNA by Pot1 and Identification of a Novel CypE Aptamer Through an Optimized RNA SELEX Protocol

Protein-ligand specificity forms the fundamental basis for many biological mechanisms with properly tuned binding being required for most biological processes. Aberrant interactions can result in consequences ranging from wasted cellular resources to disease pathologies and death. As such, characterizing interaction specificities is a critical step in understanding biological systems. In this thesis I have characterized the RNA-binding properties of the telomere protection protein Pot1, developed an optimized SELEX protocol to characterize RNA-binding by newly identified RNA-binding proteins, and expanded on the RNA-binding specificity of one of those proteins, the epigenetic regulator CypE.High fidelity binding to ssDNA, but not ssRNA, is integral to the function of the essential telomere end protection protein Pot1, In S. pombe, this presents a unique challenge as the C-terminal domain of the DNA-binding domain, Pot1pC, exhibits non-specific ssDNA recognition, achieved through thermodynamically equivalent alternative binding conformations. Given this malleability, how simultaneous specificity for ssDNA over RNA is achieved was unclear. Examination of the ribose-position specificity of Pot1pC shows that ssDNA specificity is additive but not uniformly distributed across the ligand. High-resolution structures of Pot1pC in complex with RNA-DNA chimeric ligands reveal Pot1pC discriminates against RNA by utilizing conserved non-compensatory binding modes that feature significant rearrangement of the binding interface. These alternative conformations, accessed through both ligand and protein flexibility, recover much, but not all, of the binding energy, leading to the observed reduction in affinities suggesting that intermolecular interfaces are remarkably sophisticated in their tuning of specificity towards flexible ligands.Recent discovery of widespread RNA-binding by unexpected RNA binders highlights the need for functional characterization of these non-canonical RNA-binding domains. SELEX, combined with new sequencing technologies, represents an ideal technique to do this. Using CypE, an RNA-binding cyclophilin involved in splicing and chromatin remodeling, I have optimized a selection protocol for other cyclophilins. Selection against CypE, while not identifying an RNA that binds the cyclophilin, reveals an aptamer with 20-fold tighter binding than previously reported with an extended binding interface on the RRM, suggesting RNA as a competitive ligand for CypE and provoking implications for the role of RNA in CypE gene repression