A perfect storm? The impact of COVID-19 on community-based conservation in Namibia

We report on a rapid survey of five communal-area conservancies in Namibia to understand initial impacts on community-based conservation of national and international policies for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Namibia’s Community-Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) programme has been growing for over 30 years, with high economic reliance on tourism and conservation hunting. We review the interrelationships between COVID-19, CBNRM, tourism and hunting, and discuss our findings under eight interlocking themes: 1) disruption to management and regular operational processes of conservancies, including 2) effects on conservancy wildlife patrolling and monitoring; 3) losses of revenue and cash flow in conservancy business operations; 4) impacts on Joint-Venture Partnerships; 5) impacts on employment opportunities and local livelihoods; 6) effects on community development projects and social benefits, including 7) disruption to funded projects and programmes; and 8) lack of technical capacity regarding communication technologies and equipment. In our conclusion we discuss tensions between an assumption that normal business can or will be resumed, and calls for the COVID-19 pandemic to create an opportunity for global choices away from ‘business-as-normal’. It is too early to tell what mix of these perspectives will unfold. What is clear is that communal-area conservancies must derive benefits from conservation activities in their areas that are commensurate with their role as key actors in the conservation of Namibia’s valuable wildlife and landscapes

Use of bgaH as a reporter gene for studying translation initiation in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 30-32).The bgaH gene isolated from Haloferax lucentensis codes for P-galactosidase. To study the function of initiator tRNAs in translation initiation in Haloferax volcanii, the initiator AUG codon of the bgaH gene was mutated to UAG, UAA, UGA, and GUC. Four different H. volcanii initiator tRNA derived mutants with complementary anticodons were also made. When plasmids carrying the bgaH reporter and mutant initiator tRNAs were coexpressed in H. volcanii, the UGA and GUC decoding tRNAs were aminoacylated, but functional 0-galactosidase was produced only in the presence of the latter tRNA. This result confirms that translation can initiate with some alternative codons, but suggests that the amino acid attached to the tRNA also plays a role. It is unknown if leaderless transcripts will have similar requirements, therefore mutant bgaH reporters lacking 5' untranslated regions were also generated. I also describe modifications of the bgaH reporter for studying suppression of termination codons in H. volcanii. The serine codon at position 184 of the bgaH gene was mutated to the termination codons UAA and UAG. H. volcanii serine tRNA derived suppressor tRNAs with complementary anticodons were also generated. These suppressor tRNAs should allow a study of the requirements for suppression of UAG and UAA codons in H. volcanii, in particular the question of whether suppressors of the UAA codon can also suppress the UAG codon in archaea. H. volcanii WFD 11 used as the host does not have any endogenous 3-galactosidase.(cont.) I have shown that extracts made from H. volcanii transformants can be used to assay for 3-galactosidase using either O-Nitrophenyl-p-galactoside or Beta-Glo reagent as a substrate. This latter assay couples the D-Luciferin product of cleavage of 6-O-P-galactopyranosyl-luciferin by P-galactosidase to the more precise and sensitive luciferase assay. Since little is known about translation in archaea, future work will involve modifying identity elements in the initiator tRNA to study their requirements in both initiation and elongation in archaea.by Eric L. Sullivan.S.M

Development of a general model to predict the rate of radionuclide release (source term) from a low-level waste shallow land burial facility

Federal Code of Regulations 10 CFR 61 requires that any near surface disposal site be capable of being characterized, analyzed, and modeled. The objective of this program is to assist NRC in developing the ability to model a disposal site that conforms to these regulations. In particular, a general computer model capable of predicting the quantity and rate of radionuclide release from a shallow land burial trench, i.e., the source term, is being developed. The framework for this general model has been developed and consists of four basic compartments that represent the major processes that influence release. These compartments are: water flow, container degradation, release from the waste packages, and radionuclide transport. Models for water flow and radionuclide transport rely on the use of the computer codes FEMWATER and FEMWASTE. These codes are generally regarded as being state-of-the-art and required little modification for their application to this project. Models for container degradation and release from waste packages have been specifically developed for this project. This paper provides a brief description of the models being used in the source term project and examples of their use over a range of potential conditions. 13 refs

Chronicity and Sex Affect Genetic Risk Prediction in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a severe mental disorder with immense personal and societal costs; identifying individuals at risk is therefore of utmost importance. Genomic risk profile scores (GRPS) have been shown to significantly predict cases-control status. Making use of a large-population based sample from Sweden, we replicate a previous finding demonstrating that the GRPS is strongly associated with admission frequency and chronicity of SCZ. Furthermore, we were able to show a substantial gap in prediction accuracy between males and females. In sum, our results indicate that prediction accuracy by GRPS depends on clinical and demographic characteristics

Misdiagnosed and misunderstood’: Insights into rarer forms of dementia through a stepwise approach to co-constructed research poetry

This study investigated co-constructed research poetry as a way to understand the lived experiences of people affected by rarer dementia and as a means to use poetry to convey those experiences to healthcare professionals. Using mixed methods, 71 people living with rarer dementia and care-partners (stakeholders) contributed to co-constructing 27 poems with professional poets; stakeholders’ verbatim words were analysed with descriptive qualitative analysis. Stakeholders were also surveyed and interviewed about their participation. Healthcare professionals (n = 93) were surveyed to elicit their responses to learning through poetry and its acceptability as a learning tool. Poems conveyed a shared narrative of different aspects of lived experience, often owing to atypical symptoms, misunderstandings by professionals, lack of support pathways, and a continuous struggle to adapt. Stakeholder surveys indicated it was a valuable experience to both co-create and respond to the poems, whilst group interviews revealed people’s experiences of the research poetry were characterised by reflection on lived experience, curiosity and exploration. Healthcare professionals’ responses reinforced poetry’s capacity to stimulate cognitive and affective learning specific to rare dementia support and prompt both empathy and critical thinking in practice. As the largest poetry-based study that we are aware of, this novel accessible approach of creating group poems yielded substantial information about the experiences and needs of those affected by rarer dementia and how poetry can contribute to healthcare education and training

Spontaneous decay in the presence of dispersing and absorbing bodies: general theory and application to a spherical cavity

A formalism for studying spontaneous decay of an excited two-level atom in the presence of dispersing and absorbing dielectric bodies is developed. An integral equation, which is suitable for numerical solution, is derived for the atomic upper-state-probability amplitude. The emission pattern and the power spectrum of the emitted light are expressed in terms of the Green tensor of the dielectric-matter formation including absorption and dispersion. The theory is applied to the spontaneous decay of an excited atom at the center of a three-layered spherical cavity, with the cavity wall being modeled by a band-gap dielectric of Lorentz type. Both weak coupling and strong coupling are studied, the latter with special emphasis on the cases where the atomic transition is (i) in the normal-dispersion zone near the medium resonance and (ii) in the anomalous-dispersion zone associated with the band gap. In a single-resonance approximation, conditions of the appearance of Rabi oscillations and closed solutions to the evolution of the atomic state population are derived, which are in good agreement with the exact numerical results.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, typos fixed, 1 figure adde

Apatite U-Pb dating and geochemistry of the Kyrgyz South Tian Shan (Central Asia): establishing an apatite fingerprint for provenance studies

This paper presents an apatite U–Pb and geochemistry archive for exposed plutons and metamorphic rocks of the Kyrgyz South Tian Shan (STS) within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Apatite U–Pb dates and trace-element geochemistry are provided for 17 samples from late Carboniferous – early Permian I-type granites in the Terktinsky complex and A-type granites in the Kokshaal Range; early Devonian granites in the Kembel complex; Cryogenian granitoids and tuffs from the Middle Tian Shan and gneisses from the Atbashi metamorphic complex. These samples form a comprehensive selection of igneous and metamorphic rocks within the cores of Mesozoic basement highs that supplied detritus to adjacent basins such as the Tarim, Ferghana and Yarkand-Ferghana Basins. Generally, the granitoid samples preserve primary igneous apatite U–Pb ages that are within uncertainty of previously published zircon U–Pb dates. The apatites from the Atbashi metamorphic complex record anomalous Ordovician dates with large uncertainties that are interpreted as mixing ages between Cryogenian protolith formation and Carboniferous metamorphism. Principal component analysis discriminates apatite samples from the different bedrock terranes in the Kyrgyz STS based on their geochemical fingerprint and categorizes the samples with respect to an extensive apatite geochemical archive. The combined apatite-zircon archive provides a novel framework for provenance studies on the Meso–Cenozoic sedimentary history of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt.Stijn Glorie, Samantha March, Angus Nixon, Fun Meeuws, Gary J.O’Sullivan, David M.Chew ... et al

Dust Devil Tracks

Dust devils that leave dark- or light-toned tracks are common on Mars and they can also be found on the Earth’s surface. Dust devil tracks (hereinafter DDTs) are ephemeral surface features with mostly sub-annual lifetimes. Regarding their size, DDT widths can range between ∼1 m and ∼1 km, depending on the diameter of dust devil that created the track, and DDT lengths range from a few tens of meters to several kilometers, limited by the duration and horizontal ground speed of dust devils. DDTs can be classified into three main types based on their morphology and albedo in contrast to their surroundings; all are found on both planets: (a) dark continuous DDTs, (b) dark cycloidal DDTs, and (c) bright DDTs. Dark continuous DDTs are the most common type on Mars. They are characterized by their relatively homogenous and continuous low albedo surface tracks. Based on terrestrial and martian in situ studies, these DDTs most likely form when surficial dust layers are removed to expose larger-grained substrate material (coarse sands of ≥500 μm in diameter). The exposure of larger-grained materials changes the photometric properties of the surface; hence leading to lower albedo tracks because grain size is photometrically inversely proportional to the surface reflectance. However, although not observed so far, compositional differences (i.e., color differences) might also lead to albedo contrasts when dust is removed to expose substrate materials with mineralogical differences. For dark continuous DDTs, albedo drop measurements are around 2.5 % in the wavelength range of 550–850 nm on Mars and around 0.5 % in the wavelength range from 300–1100 nm on Earth. The removal of an equivalent layer thickness around 1 μm is sufficient for the formation of visible dark continuous DDTs on Mars and Earth. The next type of DDTs, dark cycloidal DDTs, are characterized by their low albedo pattern of overlapping scallops. Terrestrial in situ studies imply that they are formed when sand-sized material that is eroded from the outer vortex area of a dust devil is redeposited in annular patterns in the central vortex region. This type of DDT can also be found in on Mars in orbital image data, and although in situ studies are lacking, terrestrial analog studies, laboratory work, and numerical modeling suggest they have the same formation mechanism as those on Earth. Finally, bright DDTs are characterized by their continuous track pattern and high albedo compared to their undisturbed surroundings. They are found on both planets, but to date they have only been analyzed in situ on Earth. Here, the destruction of aggregates of dust, silt and sand by dust devils leads to smooth surfaces in contrast to the undisturbed rough surfaces surrounding the track. The resulting change in photometric properties occurs because the smoother surfaces have a higher reflectance compared to the surrounding rough surface, leading to bright DDTs. On Mars, the destruction of surficial dust-aggregates may also lead to bright DDTs. However, higher reflective surfaces may be produced by other formation mechanisms, such as dust compaction by passing dust devils, as this may also cause changes in photometric properties. On Mars, DDTs in general are found at all elevations and on a global scale, except on the permanent polar caps. DDT maximum areal densities occur during spring and summer in both hemispheres produced by an increase in dust devil activity caused by maximum insolation. Regionally, dust devil densities vary spatially likely controlled by changes in dust cover thicknesses and substrate materials. This variability makes it difficult to infer dust devil activity from DDT frequencies. Furthermore, only a fraction of dust devils leave tracks. However, DDTs can be used as proxies for dust devil lifetimes and wind directions and speeds, and they can also be used to predict lander or rover solar panel clearing events. Overall, the high DDT frequency in many areas on Mars leads to drastic albedo changes that affect large-scale weather patterns

Signaling via a CD27-TRAF2-SHP-1 axis during naive T cell activation promotes memory-associated gene regulatory networks.

The interaction of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family member CD27 on naive CD8 <sup>+</sup> T (Tn) cells with homotrimeric CD70 on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is necessary for T cell memory fate determination. Here, we examined CD27 signaling during Tn cell activation and differentiation. In conjunction with T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation, ligation of CD27 by a synthetic trimeric CD70 ligand triggered CD27 internalization and degradation, suggesting active regulation of this signaling axis. Internalized CD27 recruited the signaling adaptor TRAF2 and the phosphatase SHP-1, thereby modulating TCR and CD28 signals. CD27-mediated modulation of TCR signals promoted transcription factor circuits that induced memory rather than effector associated gene programs, which are induced by CD28 costimulation. CD27-costimulated chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells exhibited improved tumor control compared with CD28-costimulated CAR-T cells. Thus, CD27 signaling during Tn cell activation promotes memory properties with relevance to T cell immunotherapy