Tree species, state of decay, and orientation in relation to woodpecker cavity nesting

Biology of BirdsMany bird species construct nests to protect and incubate their eggs. Woodpeckers construct their nests in tree cavities they excavate themselves, and therefore can control what type of tree they are nesting in and where the entrance is oriented. Unhealthy trees of softer wood may be easier to excavate than healthy hardwood, and sunlight may assist parents in keeping their young at a stable incubation temperature. Based on historical accounts at the University of Michigan Biblogical Station and current observations, we hypothesized that woodpeckers favor dead or dying aspen trees, and their morning activity indicates that eastward facing holes would be the most favorable for sun exposure. We searched several northern Michigan forests for woodpecker nesting cavities and recorded the tree's state of decay and direction. Through our observations we determined that woodpeckers favor dead aspen trees, but there was no discernable preference for cavity direction. This data can inform future studies about the reproductive behavior of northern Michigan woodpeckers.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147895/1/Hines_Clemons_Maternowski_Park_2018.pd

ADAPTAÇÃO DA GLOBAL MEANING VIOLATION SCALE PARA REFUGIADOS DE LÍNGUA ÁRABE

Refugees are survivors of extreme, cumulative potentially-traumatic events (PTEs), which can violate their goals, beliefs and sense of purpose (i.e. global meaning) and cause significant psychological distress. Despite being disproportionately affected by PTEs, there are few psychological instruments available in refugees’ native languages, and which consider their cultural and traumatic diversity. Our aim is to describe the process of cross-cultural adaption of the Global Meaning Violation Scale (GMVS) for use with Arabic-speaking refugees in resettlement. Methods: Following the ITC Guidelines for Translating and Adapting Tests, we engaged the assistance of psychometry, language, cultural and content experts to translate and adapt the GMVS to Arabic. Results: Experts based in Portugal, Jordan, US and Germany participated in the translation and adaptation process. The scale was considered straightforward and overall cohesive and, by addressing feelings rather than mental health issues, culturally-appropriate. Potential problems related to the complexity of the construct, cultural appropriateness of the “Intimacy (emotional closeness)” item, and use of a Likert Scale. Discussion: The overall process of translating and adapting the GMVS to Arabic was lengthy and resource-intensive. Researchers should carefully consider availability of resources when planning research with culturally diverse populations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

“It’s the God factor”: A qualitative study of Syrian Muslims’ post-war religious meaning-making

Objective: Religious meaning-making may facilitate psychological adjustment to even the most extreme traumatic stressors, including war and forced displacement. Yet few studies have examined the religious meaning-making trajectories of refugees and none from an Islamic perspective. Method: This qualitative cross-sectional study investigated Syrian Muslims’ post-war meaning-making experiences, guided by Park’s (2010) meaning-making model. Results: Thirty-three Syrian Muslim refugees living in Portugal were interviewed eight years after the onset of the war. Thematic analysis was used to explore cognitive reappraisal processes informed by Islam. Key results suggest: the recurrent nature of meaning-making throughout refugees’ displacement trajectories; religious struggles as a key determinant of religious meaning-making; meaning-making as dynamic trajectories with no clear end; place of settlement as a source of meaning; and the ability of Islam to withstand extreme challenges and provide a last-resort narrative, even for those individuals with severely eroded beliefs. Findings highlight the need for practitioners in host countries to incorporate faith and religious traditions in the provision of care.info:eu-repo/semantics/submittedVersio

Sec1/Munc18 Protein Stabilizes Fusion-Competent Syntaxin for Membrane Fusion in Arabidopsis Cytokinesis

SummaryIntracellular membrane fusion requires complexes of syntaxins with other SNARE proteins and regulatory Sec1/Munc18 (SM) proteins. In membrane fusion mediating, e.g., neurotransmitter release or glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in mammals, SM proteins preferentially interact with the inactive closed, rather than the active open, conformation of syntaxin or with the assembled SNARE complex. Other membrane fusion processes such as vacuolar fusion in yeast involve like membranes carrying cis-SNARE complexes, and the role of SM protein is unknown. We investigated syntaxin-SM protein interaction in membrane fusion of Arabidopsis cytokinesis, which involves cytokinesis-specific syntaxin KNOLLE and SM protein KEULE. KEULE interacted with an open conformation of KNOLLE that complemented both knolle and keule mutants. This interaction occurred at the cell division plane and required the KNOLLE linker sequence between helix Hc and SNARE domain. Our results suggest that in cytokinesis, SM protein stabilizes the fusion-competent open form of syntaxin, thereby promoting trans-SNARE complex formation

Fluorescent Microplastic Uptake by Immune Cells of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.)

The ubiquitous presence of microplastics and their marine ecotoxicity are major public concerns. Microplastics are ingested accidentally by the marine fauna or are taken up indirectly through the food chain. These particles can accumulate in cells and tissues and affect the normal biological functions of organisms, including their defense mechanisms. There is limited information available about the response of immune cells to microplastics; the degree of uptake by the cells, the response of different organs or the impact of environmental concentrations of microplastic are matters that remain unclear. Moreover, very little is known about the toxicity of different polymer types. This study aimed to shed light on the physical impact of small microplastics (1–5 μm) on cells from Atlantic salmon. Immune cells from intestine, blood, and head kidney were exposed to green fluorescent polyethylene microplastic (PE-MP), yellow fluorescent polystyrene microplastic (PS-MP) and both. High (50 mg/L), medium (5 mg/L), and low (0.05 mg/L) concentrations were tested for 1, 24, 48, and 72 h to study cell mortality and microplastic uptake. Quantitative data of microplastic uptake by fish immune cells were obtained for the first time by imaging flow cytometry. Salmon immune cells showed a relatively low ability to phagocytose microplastics. Less than 6% of the cells ingested the particles after 48 h of exposure to high concentrations. Cells also phagocytosed microplastics at low concentrations although at low rates (<0.1%). PE-MPs was phagocytosed by higher percentage of cells compared to PS-MPs and the former bioaccumulated in time while the latter decreased over time. However, each cell generally phagocytosed more PS-MPs particles than PE-MPs. Cells from different tissues showed different responses to the microplastic polymers. In conclusion, this study shows that immune cells of Atlantic salmon can phagocytose microplastics, and the impact is dependent on the microplastic type. PE-MPs, the most abundant polymer in the oceans and a widely used plastic in salmon aquaculture, was more easily taken up than PS-MPs. Furthermore, the study demonstrates how imaging flow cytometry can be applied in microplastics research.publishedVersionUnit Licence Agreemen

‘The War Made Me a Better Person’: Syrian Refugees’ Meaning-Making Trajectories in the Aftermath of Collective Trauma

first_pagesettings Open AccessArticle ‘The War Made Me a Better Person’: Syrian Refugees’ Meaning-Making Trajectories in the Aftermath of Collective Trauma by Lisa Matos 1,*ORCID,Pedro A. Costa 1ORCID,Crystal L. Park 2ORCID,Monica J. Indart 3 andIsabel Leal 1 1 William James Center for Research, ISPA—Instituto Universitário, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal 2 Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA 3 Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Academic Editors: Alessandra Talamo and Camilla Modesti Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8481; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168481 Received: 6 July 2021 / Revised: 3 August 2021 / Accepted: 6 August 2021 / Published: 11 August 2021 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Refugees across Communities: Health and Place Attachment in Resettlement) Download PDF Browse Figure Citation Export Abstract The centrality of the collective to Syrian identity and the ability of war to disrupt community ties have led to significant violations of Syrians’ pre-war assumptions about themselves, the world, and their place in the world. Guided by the integrated meaning-making model, this qualitative cross-sectional study assessed Syrian refugees’ meaning trajectories through their reappraisals of the war, attempts to repair community-informed shattered meanings, and those processes’ outputs (i.e., meanings-made) and outcomes (i.e., perceived psychological adjustment). We conducted semi-structured cognitive interviews with 39 Syrian war-exposed adults living in urban communities across Portugal, most of whom were beneficiaries of higher education programs for refugees. Interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis. Results suggest that the war severely disrupted Syrians’ sense of collective self, and that they repeatedly engaged in search for meaning, appraisals of the war, and reappraisals of shattered beliefs, life goals, and sense of purpose, both during wartime and in resettlement. In Portugal, despite persistent negative beliefs about the collective and ongoing and distressing searches for meaning, participants’ lived experiences concomitantly informed positive meaning reappraisals, including progressive restoration of worldviews, new opportunities for self-realization, and newly-found purpose, leading to perceived psychological benefits and growth. These findings suggest that meaning-making is both a trajectory and a dynamic process, informed by place and sociopolitical context. Clinical work to facilitate adaptive meaning-making and meaning-informed psychosocial interventions that help restore refugees’ shattered beliefs about safety, predictability, trust, and belonging, may be helpful directions to promote positive psychological adjustment and improve long-term integration prospects in refugees.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Achieving Privacy

Is privacy a luxury for the rich? Remarkably, there is a dearth of literature evaluating whether data privacy is too costly for companies to implement or too expensive for governments to enforce. This paper is the first to offer a review of the costs of compliance and to summarize national budgets for enforcement. Our study suggests that, while privacy may indeed prove costly for companies to implement and may present a special burden for small and medium-sized businesses, it is not too costly for governments to enforce. Indeed, the European Union, seen as a global champion of privacy, expends less than a dollar a year per citizen on data protection enforcement. Effective data protection agencies are not prohibitively costly, even for small administrations, especially if they collaborate through regional bodies. This study will help inform governments as they fashion and implement privacy laws to address the “privacy enforcement gap”—the disparity between privacy on the books and privacy on the ground

Achieving Privacy: Costs of Compliance and Enforcement of Data Protection Regulation

Is privacy a luxury for the rich world? Remarkably, there is a dearth of literature evaluating whether data privacy is too costly for companies to implement, or too expensive for governments to enforce. This paper is the first to offer a review of surveys of costs of compliance, and to summarize national budgets for enforcement. The study shows that while privacy may indeed prove costly for companies to implement, it is not too costly for governments to enforce. This study will help inform governments as they fashion and implement privacy laws to address the “privacy enforcement gap”—the disparity between the privacy on the books, and the privacy on the ground

Una tendencia actual del comercio mundial: El comercio Sur-Sur

Una de las grandes transformaciones que se vienen dando desde comienzos del siglo XXI en el comercio internacional, está protagonizada principalmente por la expansión de los mercados del Sur (países en desarrollo y en transición) frente a una menor actividad comercial de los países desarrollados (Norte). Este proyecto intenta analizar más de cerca este fenómeno que se está dando actualmente en base a un análisis de la evolución de los flujos comerciales del Sur y de los productos intercambiados entre ellos y su diversificación. Como resultado, se ha visto que en el comercio Sur-Sur ha habido una redirección en las exportaciones procedentes de regiones de América y África, sobre todo de recursos primarios, hacia los países asiáticos, más concretamente a China, la cual ha ido concentrando sus exportaciones en manufacturas. Se estima una expansión del comercio Sur-Sur aun con riesgo de una desaceleración si los países del Sur no aumentan su demanda interna

Elliptic Models, Type IIB Orientifolds and the Ads/CFT Correspondence

We analyze the large N supergravity descriptions of the class of type IIB models T-dual to elliptic type IIA brane configurations containing two orientifold 6-planes and up to two NS 5-branes. The T-dual IIB configurations contain N D3-branes in the background of an orientifold 7-plane and, in some models, a Z_2 orbifold and/or D7-branes, which give rise to four-dimensional N=2 (or N=4) gauge theories with at most two factors. We identify the chiral primary states of the supergravity theories, and match them to gauge invariant operators of the corresponding superconformal theories using Maldacena's duality.Comment: 44 pages (typo corrected