Basket Cases and Breadbaskets: Sacred Rice and Agricultural Development in Postcolonial Africa

Author's final manuscript.Based on ethnographic research among rural Diola in Guinea-Bissau, I provide a broad view of the history and interpenetration of rice in social, political, religious, and ecological domains, while chronicling the current difficulties of residents in this region who are no longer able to grown enough of it. These farmers’ experiences are unfolding at a time of revitalized attention to agricultural development in Africa, particularly under the auspices of the New Green Revolution for Africa. I examine the premises that constitute the resuscitated effort to address the plight of African farmers. I argue that the totalizing quality of rice in Diola and other rice-cultivating societies requires a development approach that takes into account dimensions of agrarian life not encapsulated by the high- modernist and anti-political orientation of the New Green Revolution for Africa

Development of Carbon Emission Assessment Tool Towards Promoting Sustainability in Cal State LA

The great demand for the burning of fossil fuels has greatly increased greenhouse gases (GHG) concentrations in the atmosphere. An increase in the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases produces a positive climate forcing or warming effect [EPA, Climate Change Indicators]. Therefore, mitigation of GHG concentrations is important to prevent long-term impacts on the environment. On April 4, 2016, California State University, Los Angeles signed the most comprehensive of Second Nature’s three Climate Leadership Commitments, the Climate Commitment. Following this commitment, California State University, Los Angeles, set the ambitious goal of operational carbon neutrality by the year 2040. To assist California State University, Los Angeles in moving effectively toward this goal, we developed an energy dashboard that can bring access, awareness, and education to campus about campus carbon footprint and promote energy-efficient behaviors. The developed energy dashboard is an interactive web application that works based on an energy model that is composed of various energy-consuming and GHG producing units such as Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Heated Potable Water (HPW), Electricity, and Campus-Related Commutes. This energy dashboard enables individuals to analyze the campus’s energy consumption and carbon footprint. Our research showed that campus-related commute was the first largest contributor to Cal State LA’s carbon footprint in 2018 and accounted for 71.5% of carbon emissions. Electricity and heated potable water accounted for 20%, and 8.5% of the total campus carbon emissions, respectively. * Our developed energy dashboard is currently accessible at the following link [Khodayari, Arezoo et. al.]: https://cysun.org/espc-researchlab/EnergyDashboard

The neutron star population in M28: a joint Chandra/GBT look at pulsar paradise

We present the results of a deep study of the neutron star (NS) population in the globular cluster M28 (NGC 6626), using the full 330-ks 2002-2015 ACIS dataset from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and coordinated radio observations taken with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in 2015. We investigate the X-ray luminosity (Lx), spectrum, and orbital modulation of the 7 known compact binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in the cluster. We report two simultaneous detections of the redback PSR J1824-2452I (M28I) and its X-ray counterpart. We discover a double-peaked X-ray orbital flux modulation in M28I during its pulsar state, centered around pulsar inferior conjunction. We analyze the spectrum of the quiescent neutron star low-mass X-ray binary to constrain its mass and radius. Using both hydrogen and helium NS atmosphere models, we find a NS radius of R = 9.5-11.5 km and R = 13.5 - 16.7 km, respectively, for a neutron star mass of 1.4 Msun. We also search for long-term variability in the 46 brightest X-ray sources and report the discovery of six new variable low luminosity X-ray sources in M28.Comment: 26 pages, Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

The Neutron Star Population in M28: A Joint Chandra/GBT Look at Pulsar Paradise

We present the results of a deep study of the neutron star (NS) population in the globular cluster M28 (NGC 6626), using the full 330 ks 2002–2015 ACIS data set from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and coordinated radio observations taken with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in 2015. We investigate the X-ray luminosity (LX), spectrum, and orbital modulation of the seven known compact binary millisecond pulsars in the cluster. We report two simultaneous detections of the redback PSR J1824-2452I (M28I) and its X-ray counterpart at LX = [8.3 ± 0.9] × 1031 erg s-1. We discover a double-peaked X-ray orbital flux modulation in M28I during its pulsar state, centered around pulsar inferior conjunction. We analyze the spectrum of the quiescent NS low-mass X-ray binary to constrain its mass and radius. Using both hydrogen and helium NS atmosphere models, we find an NS radius of R = 9.2–11.5 km and R = 13.0–17.5 km, respectively, for an NS mass of 1.4 M¿ (68% confidence ranges). We also search for long-term variability in the 46 brightest X-ray sources and report the discovery of six new variable low-luminosity X-ray sources in M28.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Variation in dental morphology and inference of continental ancestry in admixed Latin Americans

Objectives: To investigate the variation in dental nonmetric traits and to evaluate the utility of this variation for inferring genetic ancestry proportions in a sample of admixed Latin Americans. Materials and Methods: We characterized a sample from Colombia (N = 477) for 34 dental traits and obtained estimates of individual Native American, European, and African ancestry using genome‐wide SNP data. We tested for correlation between dental traits, genetic ancestry, age, and sex. We carried out a biodistance analysis between the Colombian sample and reference continental population samples using the mean measure of divergence statistic calculated from dental trait frequencies. We evaluated the inference of genetic ancestry from dental traits using a regression approach (with 10‐fold cross‐validation) as well as by testing the correlation between estimates of ancestry obtained from genetic and dental data. Results: Latin Americans show intermediate dental trait frequencies when compared to Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Significant correlations were observed for several dental traits, genetic ancestry, age, and sex. The biodistance analysis displayed a closer relationship of Colombians to Europeans than to Native Americans and Africans. Mean ancestry estimates obtained from the dental data are similar to the genetic estimates (Native American: 32% vs. 28%, European: 59% vs. 63%, and African: 9% vs. 9%, respectively). However, dental features provided low predictive power for genetic ancestry of individuals in both approaches tested (R2 < 5% for all genetic ancestries across methods). Discussion: The frequency of dental traits in Latin Americans reflects their admixed Native American, European and African ancestry and can provide reasonable average estimates of genetic ancestry. However, the accuracy of individual genetic ancestry estimates is relatively low, probably influenced by the continental differentiation of dental traits, their genetic architecture, and the distribution of genetic ancestry in the individuals examined

Multiple victimisation in socially excluded women: from prevalence to meanings

Studies about violence against women usually fail to account the multiple nature of victimisation. This study aims to characterize the phenomenon of multiple victimisation in a sample of 41 socially excluded women. In the quantitative study, results showed a high number of experiences of victimisation suffered throughout life, with a higher prevalence in adulthood perpetrated by partners. In the qualitative study, the aim was to explore the subjective understanding of multiple victimisation. The most significant experiences were victimisation in intimate relationships in adulthood. Even though some women label those experiences as growth opportunities

ATR is required to complete meiotic recombination in mice

Precise execution of recombination during meiosis is essential for forming chromosomally-balanced gametes. Meiotic recombination initiates with the formation and resection of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Cellular responses to meiotic DSBs are critical for efficient repair and quality control, but molecular features of these remain poorly understood, particularly in mammals. Here we report that the DNA damage response protein kinase ATR is crucial for meiotic recombination and completion of meiotic prophase in mice. Using a hypomorphic Atr mutation and pharmacological inhibition of ATR in vivo and in cultured spermatocytes, we show that ATR, through its effector kinase CHK1, promotes efficient RAD51 and DMC1 assembly at RPA-coated resected DSB sites and establishment of interhomolog connections during meiosis. Furthermore, our findings suggest that ATR promotes local accumulation of recombination markers on unsynapsed axes during meiotic prophase to favor homologous chromosome synapsis. These data reveal that ATR plays multiple roles in mammalian meiotic recombination.We thank M. A. Handel (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, USA) for the anti-H1T antibody; E. Marcon for the anti-RPA antibody (University of Toronto, Canada); A. Toth for the anti-pHORMAD2 antibody (U. Dresden, Germany) and N. Hunter for the anti- RNF212 antibody (UC Davis, USA); J. Turner (National Institute for Medical Research,London, UK) for assistance in the RNA-FISH experiments, for the X chromosome probe,for providing AtrFL/−testis samples and for sharing unpublished data; L. Kauppi(University of Helsinki, Finland) for providing us with protocols for the testis cultures;and members of the Roig lab and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación-funded Network of Spanish groups working on Meiosis (MeioNet, BFU201‐71786‐REDT) and Enrique Martínez Pérez (Imperial College, London, UK) for helpful discussions. M.M.O. was supported by a FPI fellowship from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (BES-2011-045381). J.L. was supported in part by American Cancer Society post-doctoral fellowship (PF-12-157-01-DMC). S.K. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (BFU2010-18965, BFU2013-43965-P and BFU2016-80370-P, I.R.), by the UAB-Aposta award to young investigators (APOSTA2011-03, I.R.) and by the NIH (R35 GM118175, to M.J.and R35 GM118092 to S.K.).S

Contribution of common and rare variants to bipolar disorder susceptibility in extended pedigrees from population isolates.

Current evidence from case/control studies indicates that genetic risk for psychiatric disorders derives primarily from numerous common variants, each with a small phenotypic impact. The literature describing apparent segregation of bipolar disorder (BP) in numerous multigenerational pedigrees suggests that, in such families, large-effect inherited variants might play a greater role. To identify roles of rare and common variants on BP, we conducted genetic analyses in 26 Colombia and Costa Rica pedigrees ascertained for bipolar disorder 1 (BP1), the most severe and heritable form of BP. In these pedigrees, we performed microarray SNP genotyping of 838 individuals and high-coverage whole-genome sequencing of 449 individuals. We compared polygenic risk scores (PRS), estimated using the latest BP1 genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics, between BP1 individuals and related controls. We also evaluated whether BP1 individuals had a higher burden of rare deleterious single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and rare copy number variants (CNVs) in a set of genes related to BP1. We found that compared with unaffected relatives, BP1 individuals had higher PRS estimated from BP1 GWAS statistics (P = 0.001 ~ 0.007) and displayed modest increase in burdens of rare deleterious SNVs (P = 0.047) and rare CNVs (P = 0.002 ~ 0.033) in genes related to BP1. We did not observe rare variants segregating in the pedigrees. These results suggest that small-to-moderate effect rare and common variants are more likely to contribute to BP1 risk in these extended pedigrees than a few large-effect rare variants

Estimation of the national disease burden of influenza-associated severe acute respiratory illness in Kenya and Guatemala : a novel methodology

Background: Knowing the national disease burden of severe influenza in low-income countries can inform policy decisions around influenza treatment and prevention. We present a novel methodology using locally generated data for estimating this burden. Methods and Findings: This method begins with calculating the hospitalized severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) incidence for children <5 years old and persons ≥5 years old from population-based surveillance in one province. This base rate of SARI is then adjusted for each province based on the prevalence of risk factors and healthcare-seeking behavior. The percentage of SARI with influenza virus detected is determined from provincial-level sentinel surveillance and applied to the adjusted provincial rates of hospitalized SARI. Healthcare-seeking data from healthcare utilization surveys is used to estimate non-hospitalized influenza-associated SARI. Rates of hospitalized and non-hospitalized influenza-associated SARI are applied to census data to calculate the national number of cases. The method was field-tested in Kenya, and validated in Guatemala, using data from August 2009–July 2011. In Kenya (2009 population 38.6 million persons), the annual number of hospitalized influenza-associated SARI cases ranged from 17,129–27,659 for children <5 years old (2.9–4.7 per 1,000 persons) and 6,882–7,836 for persons ≥5 years old (0.21–0.24 per 1,000 persons), depending on year and base rate used. In Guatemala (2011 population 14.7 million persons), the annual number of hospitalized cases of influenza-associated pneumonia ranged from 1,065–2,259 (0.5–1.0 per 1,000 persons) among children <5 years old and 779–2,252 cases (0.1–0.2 per 1,000 persons) for persons ≥5 years old, depending on year and base rate used. In both countries, the number of non-hospitalized influenza-associated cases was several-fold higher than the hospitalized cases. Conclusions: Influenza virus was associated with a substantial amount of severe disease in Kenya and Guatemala. This method can be performed in most low and lower-middle income countries

Wolbachia and DNA barcoding insects: patterns, potential and problems

Wolbachia is a genus of bacterial endosymbionts that impacts the breeding systems of their hosts. Wolbachia can confuse the patterns of mitochondrial variation, including DNA barcodes, because it influences the pathways through which mitochondria are inherited. We examined the extent to which these endosymbionts are detected in routine DNA barcoding, assessed their impact upon the insect sequence divergence and identification accuracy, and considered the variation present in Wolbachia COI. Using both standard PCR assays (Wolbachia surface coding protein – wsp), and bacterial COI fragments we found evidence of Wolbachia in insect total genomic extracts created for DNA barcoding library construction. When >2 million insect COI trace files were examined on the Barcode of Life Datasystem (BOLD) Wolbachia COI was present in 0.16% of the cases. It is possible to generate Wolbachia COI using standard insect primers; however, that amplicon was never confused with the COI of the host. Wolbachia alleles recovered were predominantly Supergroup A and were broadly distributed geographically and phylogenetically. We conclude that the presence of the Wolbachia DNA in total genomic extracts made from insects is unlikely to compromise the accuracy of the DNA barcode library; in fact, the ability to query this DNA library (the database and the extracts) for endosymbionts is one of the ancillary benefits of such a large scale endeavor – for which we provide several examples. It is our conclusion that regular assays for Wolbachia presence and type can, and should, be adopted by large scale insect barcoding initiatives. While COI is one of the five multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) genes used for categorizing Wolbachia, there is limited overlap with the eukaryotic DNA barcode region