Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LSDF): field guide

The field methods employed in the soil health component of the AfSIS (Africa Soil Information Service) project are referred to as the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF). This field guide outlines field protocols for measuring indicators of the “health” of an ecosystem, including vegetation cover, structure and floristic composition, historic land use, visible signs of soil degradation, and soil physical characteristics. It is designed to provide a biophysical baseline at landscape level, and a monitoring and evaluation framework for assessing processes of land degradation and the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures over time

Understanding the Irony: Canadian Gay Men Living with HIV/Aids, Their Catholic Devotion, and Greater Well-Being

Nine Canadian Catholic HIV-positive gay men were interviewed to obtain a better understanding of why and how they were able to persevere in their faith despite their religion’s teachings against homosexuality and contributions to the stigmatization of HIV/AIDS. By examining the lived experiences and personal perspectives of the participants, the study aimed to explore and elucidate the significant role of Catholicism and the Catholic Church both as a continued source of marginalization and oppression, as well as strength and support, for Canadian gay men living with HIV/AIDS today

Repeated muscle damage blunts the increase in heat strain during subsequent exercise heat stress

Purpose Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) has recently been shown to increase heat strain during exercise heat stress (HS), and represents a risk factor for exertional heat illness (EHI). We hypothesised that a repeated bout of EIMD blunts the increase in rectal temperature (T re) during subsequent endurance exercise in the heat. Methods Sixteen non-heat-acclimated males were randomly allocated to EIMD (n = 9) or control (CON, n = 7). EIMD performed a downhill running treatment at -10 % gradient for 60 min at 65 % V. O2max in 20 °C, 40 % RH. CON participants performed the same treatment but at +1 % gradient. Following treatment, participants rested for 30 min, then performed HS (+1 % gradient running for 40 min at 65 % V. O2max in 33 °C, 50 % RH) during which thermoregulatory measures were assessed. Both groups repeated the treatment and subsequent HS 14 days later. Isometric quadriceps strength was assessed at baseline, and 48 h post-treatment. Results The decrease in leg strength 48 h post-EIMD trial 1 (-7.5 %) was absent 48 h post-EIMD trial 2 (+2.9 %) demonstrating a repeated bout effect. Final T re during HS was lower following EIMD trial 2 (39.25 ± 0.47 °C) compared with EIMD trial 1 (39.59 ± 0.49 °C, P < 0.01), with CON showing no difference. Thermal sensation and the T re threshold for sweating onset were also lower during HS on EIMD trial 2. Conclusion The repeated bout effect blunted the increase in heat strain during HS conducted after EIMD. Incorporating a muscle-damaging bout into training could be a strategy to reduce the risk of EHI and improve endurance performance in individuals undertaking heavy exercise with an eccentric component in the heat

Electroweak radiative corrections to the three channels of the process f_1 bar-f_1 ZA --> 0

We have calculated the electroweak radiative corrections at the O(alpha) level to the three channels of the process f_1 bar-f_1 Z A --> 0 and implemented them into the SANC system. Here A stands for the photon and f_1 for a first generation fermion whose mass is neglected everywhere except in arguments of logarithmic functions. The symbol --> 0 means that 4-momenta of all the external particles flow inwards. We present the complete analytical results for the covariant and helicity amplitudes for three cross channels: f_1 + bar-f_1 --> Z + gamma, Z --> f_1 + bar-f_1 + gamma and f_1 + gamma --> f_1 + Z. The one-loop scalar form factors of these channels are simply related by an appropriate permutation of their arguments s,t,u. To check the correctness of our results we first of all observe the independence of the scalar form factors on the gauge parameters and the validity of the Ward identity, i.e. external photon transversality, and, secondly, compare our numerical results with the other independent calculations available to us.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, 10 table

Measurement of the partial widths of the Z into up- and down-type quarks

Using the entire OPAL LEP1 on-peak Z hadronic decay sample, Z -> qbarq gamma decays were selected by tagging hadronic final states with isolated photon candidates in the electromagnetic calorimeter. Combining the measured rates of Z -> qbarq gamma decays with the total rate of hadronic Z decays permits the simultaneous determination of the widths of the Z into up- and down-type quarks. The values obtained, with total errors, were Gamma u = 300 ^{+19}_{-18} MeV and Gamma d = 381 ^{+12}_{-12} MeV. The results are in good agreement with the Standard Model expectation.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to Phys. Letts.

Multiple drivers of decline in the global status of freshwater crayfish (Decapoda: Astacidea)

International audienceRates of biodiversity loss are higher in freshwater ecosystems than in most terrestrial or marine ecosystems, making freshwater conservation a priority. However, prioritization methods are impeded by insufficient knowledge on the distribution and conservation status of freshwater taxa, particularly invertebrates. We evaluated the extinction risk of the world's 590 freshwater crayfish species using the IUCN Categories and Criteria and found 32% of all species are threatened with extinction. The level of extinction risk differed between families, with proportionally more threatened species in the Parastacidae and Astacidae than in the Cambaridae. Four described species were Extinct and 21% were assessed as Data Deficient. There was geographical variation in the dominant threats affecting the main centres of crayfish diversity. The majority of threatened US and Mexican species face threats associated with urban development, pollution, damming and water management. Conversely, the majority of Australian threatened species are affected by climate change, harvesting, agriculture and invasive species. Only a small proportion of crayfish are found within the boundaries of protected areas, suggesting that alternative means of long-term protection will be required. Our study highlights many of the significant challenges yet to come for freshwater biodiversity unless conservation planning shifts from a reactive to proactive approach

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

The Earth: Plasma Sources, Losses, and Transport Processes

This paper reviews the state of knowledge concerning the source of magnetospheric plasma at Earth. Source of plasma, its acceleration and transport throughout the system, its consequences on system dynamics, and its loss are all discussed. Both observational and modeling advances since the last time this subject was covered in detail (Hultqvist et al., Magnetospheric Plasma Sources and Losses, 1999) are addressed

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Age at first birth in women is genetically associated with increased risk of schizophrenia

Prof. Paunio on PGC:n jäsenPrevious studies have shown an increased risk for mental health problems in children born to both younger and older parents compared to children of average-aged parents. We previously used a novel design to reveal a latent mechanism of genetic association between schizophrenia and age at first birth in women (AFB). Here, we use independent data from the UK Biobank (N = 38,892) to replicate the finding of an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women, and to estimate the genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in women stratified into younger and older groups. We find evidence for an association between predicted genetic risk of schizophrenia and AFB in women (P-value = 1.12E-05), and we show genetic heterogeneity between younger and older AFB groups (P-value = 3.45E-03). The genetic correlation between schizophrenia and AFB in the younger AFB group is -0.16 (SE = 0.04) while that between schizophrenia and AFB in the older AFB group is 0.14 (SE = 0.08). Our results suggest that early, and perhaps also late, age at first birth in women is associated with increased genetic risk for schizophrenia in the UK Biobank sample. These findings contribute new insights into factors contributing to the complex bio-social risk architecture underpinning the association between parental age and offspring mental health.Peer reviewe