Witness: The Modern Writer as Witness

Editor\u27s Note [Excerpt] The United States, as a society, is on the brink of profound and positive change. Demographically and culturally, things are improving, and the reason is obvious to people who study history: Conflict pushes us to be better, to strive for principled goals. Consider the inspired eco-advocacy of Greta Thunberg. Or the swearing in of most diverse class of lawmakers in history into the 116th Congress. Or billionaire Robert F. Smith’s pledge to pay off every Morehouse College (in Atlanta, Georgia) student’s debt. Indeed, there are many good people helping and great moments happening in spite of a bleak 24-hour news cycle designed to ruin happiness and to limit our understanding of our human potential. We at Witness see this yearning for transformation in the works we selected. The doorway must be crossed, and the voices and characters we featured in our Winter 2019 issue stand at the vestibule, ready for the light to warm them, primed to fight for that necessary illumination.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/witness/1000/thumbnail.jp

Multiple introductions and human-aided dispersal of the UK’s most widespread non-native amphibian

The alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris has achieved a widespread distribution as a non-native (alien) species in Britain since its initial introduction over a century ago, but the patterns of its release and subsequent dispersal have never yet been collectively analysed. We employed a multi-disciplinary combination of methods, using geographic profiling to estimate the likely number and locations of introductions, and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms to investigate the likely geographic source of primary introductions, including the potential role of the pet trade. In parallel we used population genetic analysis and coalescence-based modelling to infer the demographics and directionality of dispersal from founding populations. Our results show that alpine newts have been released at multiple sites. We found a close resemblance between patterns of mtDNA haplotypes in the pet trade and those of established alpine newt populations, suggesting a relationship between trade, releases, and dispersal. Results from demographic modelling using Approximate Bayesian Computation are also consistent with multiple independent introductions with limited local dispersal, and additionally suggest that releases may occur from intermediate sources, such as captive populations. Our results support the hypothesis that deliberate human activity is largely responsible for both introductions of alpine newts into the UK and their wider dispersal post-introduction. The likely involvement of the international pet trade highlights the risk that ongoing releases of I. alpestris may expose native species to pathogens, whether pre-existing or novel

Social Deprivation, Inequality, and the Neighborhood-Level Incidence of Psychotic Syndromes in East London

licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Measuring the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries : a baseline analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background In September, 2015, the UN General Assembly established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs specify 17 universal goals, 169 targets, and 230 indicators leading up to 2030. We provide an analysis of 33 health-related SDG indicators based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015). Methods We applied statistical methods to systematically compiled data to estimate the performance of 33 health-related SDG indicators for 188 countries from 1990 to 2015. We rescaled each indicator on a scale from 0 (worst observed value between 1990 and 2015) to 100 (best observed). Indices representing all 33 health-related SDG indicators (health-related SDG index), health-related SDG indicators included in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG index), and health-related indicators not included in the MDGs (non-MDG index) were computed as the geometric mean of the rescaled indicators by SDG target. We used spline regressions to examine the relations between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI, a summary measure based on average income per person, educational attainment, and total fertility rate) and each of the health-related SDG indicators and indices. Findings In 2015, the median health-related SDG index was 59.3 (95% uncertainty interval 56.8-61.8) and varied widely by country, ranging from 85.5 (84.2-86.5) in Iceland to 20.4 (15.4-24.9) in Central African Republic. SDI was a good predictor of the health-related SDG index (r(2) = 0.88) and the MDG index (r(2) = 0.2), whereas the non-MDG index had a weaker relation with SDI (r(2) = 0.79). Between 2000 and 2015, the health-related SDG index improved by a median of 7.9 (IQR 5.0-10.4), and gains on the MDG index (a median change of 10.0 [6.7-13.1]) exceeded that of the non-MDG index (a median change of 5.5 [2.1-8.9]). Since 2000, pronounced progress occurred for indicators such as met need with modern contraception, under-5 mortality, and neonatal mortality, as well as the indicator for universal health coverage tracer interventions. Moderate improvements were found for indicators such as HIV and tuberculosis incidence, minimal changes for hepatitis B incidence took place, and childhood overweight considerably worsened. Interpretation GBD provides an independent, comparable avenue for monitoring progress towards the health-related SDGs. Our analysis not only highlights the importance of income, education, and fertility as drivers of health improvement but also emphasises that investments in these areas alone will not be sufficient. Although considerable progress on the health-related MDG indicators has been made, these gains will need to be sustained and, in many cases, accelerated to achieve the ambitious SDG targets. The minimal improvement in or worsening of health-related indicators beyond the MDGs highlight the need for additional resources to effectively address the expanded scope of the health-related SDGs.Peer reviewe

Materials Characterization and Spectroscopy for a Methane Abatement Catalyst

Methane is the second-most emitted greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, and it is significantly more powerful as a short-term warmer, making it a valuable target for climate change mitigation efforts. Zeolites are earth-abundant minerals common in catalysis for their low price combined with high conversion and throughput potential. This study evaluates a specific copper-zeolite (mordenite) methane oxidation catalyst for long-term durability and potential performance at 400 and 950 C. Using materials characterization and spectroscopy techniques including scanning-electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical and structural changes are tracked, identified, and assessed over the course of three months. Samples treated at 400 °C show no major structural or chemical changes in the catalyst, while samples treated at 950 °C show gradual transformation into a nonporous quartz-mullite-cristobalite mixture. This suggests indefinite catalyst stability at the former temperature and progressive catalyst degradation at the latter temperature, providing plausible long-term operation conditions and peak temporary conditions for this method of methane abatement.M.Eng

Degradation of viral RNA in wastewater complex matrix models and other standards for wastewater-based epidemiology: A review

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) has become a powerful tool in pandemics, serving as a surveillance strategy. However, there are numerous variables that affect the results obtained from wastewater, ultimately affecting the reliability of the information. These variables include dilution, temperature-related degradation, biomass growth, and other unexplored processes. Current models only consider temperature in their analysis. Furthermore, previous research is focused on few viruses. Hence, more complete models for viral RNA degradation on complex matrices are needed. Direct wastewater indicators identified and quantified by analytical chemistry from human consumption e.g., secondary metabolites from caffeine consumption, hormones, and molecular analysis of enteric viruses, previously unexplored, can be used as not only health indicators but also to help to determine the initial content of viral RNA. This review explores modeling tools, their challenges, and advances in the field of WBE.The listed authors are highly obliged to their respective departments, institutes, and universities for providing literature facilities. All figures were created with BioRender.com.Peer reviewe