Managing water conflicts through dialogue in Pangani Basin, Tanzania

River basinsWater resource managementConflictWater users

Comparison of Alternative Strategies for Invasive Species Distribution Modeling

Species distribution models (SDMs) can provide useful information for managing biological invasions,such as identification of priority areas for early detection or for determining containment boundaries.However, prediction of invasive species using SDMs can be challenging because they typically violatethe core assumption of being at equilibrium with their environment, which may lead to poorly guidedmanagement resulting from high levels of omission. Our goal was to provide a suite of potential decisionstrategies (DSs) that were not reliant on the equilibrium assumption but rather could be chosento better match the management application, which in this case was to ensure containment throughadequate surveillance. We used presence-only data and expert knowledge for model calibration andpresence/absence data to evaluate the potential distribution of an introduced mesquite (Leguminoseae:Prosopis) invasion located in the Pilbara Region of northwest Western Australia. Five different DSs withvarying levels of conservatism/risk were derived from a multi-criteria evaluation model using orderedweighted averaging. The performance of DSs over all possible thresholds was examined using receiveroperating characteristic (ROC) analysis. DSs not on the convex hull of the ROC curves were discarded. Twothreshold determination methods (TDMs) were compared on the two remaining DSs, one that assumedequilibrium (by maximizing overall prediction success) and another that assumed the invasion was ongoing(using a 95% threshold for true positives). The most conservative DS fitted the validation data mostclosely but could only predict 75% of the presence data. A more risk-taking DS could predict 95% of thepresence data, which identified 8.5 times more area for surveillance, and better highlighted known populationsthat are still rapidly invading. ThisDSandTDMcoupling was considered to be the most appropriatefor our management application. Our results show that predictive niche modeling was highly sensitiveto risk levels, but that these can be tailored to match specified management objectives. The methodsimplemented can be readily adapted to other invasive species or for conservation purposes

Pentecostal intimacies: women and intimate citizenship in the ministry of repentance and holiness in Kenya

This article explores the intersections of gender, sexuality and citizenship in the context of one prominent neo-Pentecostal movement in Kenya, the Ministry of Repentance and Holiness (MRH) led by the charismatic Prophet David Owuor. Employing the concept of intimate citizenship, the article analyses, first, how MRH engages in a contestation of intimate citizenship in the contemporary Kenyan public sphere, especially in relation to women’s bodies. Second, it examines how MRH simultaneously configures, through a range of highly intimate beliefs, practices and techniques, an alternative form of intimate citizenship defined by moral purity and concerned with a political project of moral regeneration. Coining the notion of ‘Pentecostal intimacies’, the article provides insight into the reasons why so many people, especially women, are attracted to MRH, and hence it interrogates the liberal frame in which intimate citizenship is usually conceptualised

Prioritisation of weed species relevant to Australian livestock industries for biological control

Classical biological control is the only realistic option for managing many of the most serious weeds affecting livestock industries in Australia. This project developed and applied a framework, based on a matrix assessment system, to prioritise biocontrol efforts using new agents against 79 weed taxa. These taxa were identified in a concurrent project as priorities for Research, Development and Extension to address weed problems of Australian livestock industries. The framework considered the current and potential impacts of the weeds versus prospects for biocontrol. The latter combined assessments of feasibility of undertaking a biocontrol program that would yield host-specific agents, and the likelihood that agents would be successful in mitigating the impacts of the weeds once released in Australia. Each categorisation was supported with a written rationale that explained the ranking assigned and captured uncertainties. Key investment areas for future actions to address biocontrol knowledge gaps for each weed were identified. Twenty-one weeds with the highest combined rankings for biocontrol prospects and current and/or potential impacts were shortlisted as priority taxa for future investment. Results provide the best available information for funding agencies responsible for RD&E for livestock industries to make investment decisions across their weed biocontrol portfolio

Genetic Studies of Metabolomics Change After a Liquid Meal Illuminate Novel Pathways for Glucose and Lipid Metabolism

Humans spend the greater part of the day in a postprandial state. However, the genetic basis of postprandial blood measures is relatively uncharted territory. We examined the genetics of variation in concentrations of postprandial metabolites (t = 150 min) in response to a liquid mixed meal through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) performed in the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study (n = 5,705). The metabolite response GWAS identified an association between glucose change and rs10830963:G in the melatonin receptor 1B (beta [SE] -0.23 [0.03], P = 2.15 x 10(-19)). In addition, the ANKRD55 locus led by rs458741:C showed strong associations with extremely large VLDL (XXLVLDL) particle response (XXLVLDL total cholesterol: beta [SE] 0.17 [0.03], P = 5.76 x 10(-10); XXLVLDL cholesterol ester: beta [SE] 0.17 [0.03], P = 9.74 x 10(-10)), which also revealed strong associations with body composition and diabetes in the UK Biobank (P < 5 x 10(-8)). Furthermore, the associations between XXLVLDL response and insulinogenic index, HOMA-beta, Matsuda insulin sensitivity index, and HbA(1c) in the NEO study implied the role of chylomicron synthesis in diabetes (with false discovery rate-corrected q <0.05). To conclude, genetic studies of metabolomics change after a liquid meal illuminate novel pathways for glucose and lipid metabolism. Further studies are warranted to corroborate biological pathways of the ANKRD55 locus underlying diabetes.Functional Genomics of Systemic Disorder

Nuclear structure of Ac-231

The low-energy structure of 231Ac has been investigated by means of gamma ray spectroscopy following the beta-decay of 231Ra. Multipolarities of 28 transitions have been established by measuring conversion electrons with a mini-orange electron spectrometer. The decay scheme of 231Ra --> 231Ac has been constructed for the first time. The Advanced Time Delayed beta-gamma-gamma(t) method has been used to measure the half-lives of five levels. The moderately fast B(E1) transition rates derived suggest that the octupole effects, albeit weak, are still present in this exotic nucleus

Citizenship of Love: The Politics, Ethics and Aesthetics of Sexual Citizenship in a Kenyan Gay Music Video

Against the background of the current politicisation of homosexuality and the policing of sexual citizenship in Kenya and other African countries, this article offers an analysis of the Kenyan gay music video Same Love, released by the band Art Attack in 2016. Employing the concept of acts of citizenship (Isin and Nielsen 2008), the article foregrounds the political, ethical and aesthetic aspects through which the lyrics and images of Same Love perform an act of sexual citizenship mediated through art. It argues that as an artistic intervention, the video interrogates popular narratives of homosexuality as un-Kenyan, un-African and un-Christian and creates a sense of a citizenship that is yet to come: a pan-African, Christian and queer citizenship of love. Thus, the article explores the new possibilities of cultural, sexual and religious citizenship created through popular culture and public space in contemporary Africa

A multi-detector array for high energy nuclear e+e- pair spectrosocopy

A multi-detector array has been constructed for the simultaneous measurement of energy- and angular correlation of electron-positron pairs produced in internal pair conversion (IPC) of nuclear transitions up to 18 MeV. The response functions of the individual detectors have been measured with mono-energetic beams of electrons. Experimental results obtained with 1.6 MeV protons on targets containing $^{11}$B and $^{19}$F show clear IPC over a wide angular range. A comparison with GEANT simulations demonstrates that angular correlations of $e^+e^-$ pairs of transitions in the energy range between 6 and 18 MeV can be determined with sufficient resolution and efficiency to search for deviations from IPC due to the creation and subsequent decay into $e^+e^-$ of a hypothetical short-lived neutral boson.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure