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Large-scale processing of within-bone nutrients by Neanderthals, 125,000 years ago
Get PDFDiet played a key role in human evolution, making the study of past diet and subsistence strategies a crucial research topic within paleoanthropology. Lipids are a crucial resource for hunter-gatherers, especially for foragers whose diet is based heavily on animal foods. Recent foragers have expended substantial amounts of energy to obtain this resource, including time-consuming production of bone grease, a resource intensification practice thus far only documented for Upper Paleolithic populations. We present archaeological data from the lake landscape of Neumark-Nord (Germany), where Last Interglacial Neanderthals processed at least 172 large mammals at a water’s edge site. Their (partial) carcasses were transported to this location for the extraction of within-bone nutrients, particularly bone grease. This “fat factory” constitutes a well-documented case of grease rendering predating the Upper Paleolithic, with the special task location devoted to extraction of nutritionally important lipids forming an important addition to our knowledge of Neanderthal adaptations
Interactions between Acute Oak Decline and woodland birds - examining behavioural, microbial and trophic level changes in response to a tree disease
Get PDFTree diseases have the potential to cause severe disruption to landscapes and ecosystems by
reducing the number of healthy trees within an ecosystem, which act as foundations for a plethora
of other species. The mechanism behind the spread of plant pathogens which cause such
diseases is variable across pathosystems but is less understood for tree diseases. Acute Oak
Decline (AOD) is a disease of oak trees which is fast acting and can result in the death of trees
within a few years from the presentation of symptoms. AOD is believed to be caused by the action
of a few pathogenic bacteria, however the mechanism behind the spread of these bacteria is not
fully understood. The close association between some woodland bird species and oak trees
allows for an ideal system where the wider ecological impacts of AOD can be investigated. In this
thesis the current knowledge of plant pathogens and their vectors is explored, finding significant
gaps in the research around tree diseases and vertebrate vectors. The role of woodland birds
as vectors of the bacteria of AOD is then explored, using both culture based and molecular
techniques. The results from this work allow me to explore variations in the microbial communities
of birds in areas with differing levels of AOD. In order to examine wider ecosystem impacts of
AOD, insect oak herbivory was quantified, along with bird breeding success across areas of
woodland with differing AOD severity levels, finding higher insect herbivory levels but lower bird
breeding intention in areas with higher AOD. Overall, this thesis utilises a variety of techniques
to explore the wider ecosystem impacts of AOD and gives us an insight into how tree diseases
may have knock-on consequences for other organisms within a habitat
Genome-wide association analysis identifies seven loci conferring resistance to multiple wheat foliar diseases, including brown and yellow rust resistance originating from Aegilops ventricosa
Get PDFWe assembled a European bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) association mapping panel ( n = 480) genotyped using a 90,000 feature single nucleotide polymorphism array, with the aim of identifying genetic loci controlling resistance to four fungal diseases: yellow (stripe) rust (YR), brown (leaf) rust (BR), Septoria tritici blotch (ST) and powdery mildew (PM). Simulations showed our panel to have good power to detect genetic loci, with > 50% probability of identifying loci controlling as little as 5% of the variance when heritability was 0.6 or more. Using disease infection data collected across 31 trials undertaken in five European countries, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified 34 replicated genetic loci (20 for YR, 12 for BR, two for PM, 0 for ST), with seven loci associated with resistance to two or more diseases. Construction and analysis of eight bi-parental populations enabled two selected genetic loci, yellow rust resistance locus YR_2A010 (chromosome 2A) and YR_6A610 (6A), to be independently cross-validated, along with the development of genetic markers to track resistance alleles at these loci. Notably, the chromosome 2A yellow and brown rust resistance locus corresponds to the 2N v S introgression from the wild wheat species, Aegilops ventricosa . We found evidence of strong selection for 2N v S over recent breeding history, being present in 48% of the most recent cultivars in our panel. Collectively, we define the genetic architectures controlling resistance to major fungal diseases of wheat under European field environments, and provide resources to exploit these for the development of new wheat cultivars with improved disease resistance
Towards a conceptual framework for understanding deliberative urban health adaptation planning (DUHAP) in U.K. cities: a review
No full textThis review article examines the climate adaptation and public health nexus by exploring the role of deliberative democracy within U.K. cities. A deliberative democratic approach is increasingly being applied by local governments through citizens’ assemblies and citizens’ juries to overcome problems that democracies face when dealing with the complexity of climate change actions. The article aims, in the context of U.K. cities, (a) to explore the role of deliberative democracy in integrating public health considerations into urban climate policies, (b) to identify how deliberative democracy has been applied within U.K. local authorities, and (c) to develop a conceptual framework for deliberative urban health adaptation planning (DUHAP) to guide further research. Using secondary data from academic literature and policy sources, key themes in urban climate-health governance are reviewed. The findings illustrate deliberative democracy’s potential role in urban adaptation and health planning. From the emerging themes, good-practice examples (Bristol and Manchester) are selected to provide evidence of deliberative democracy in action. From the review, the article presents a DUHAP conceptual framework for further research on deliberative democracy. The authors highlight the opportunities for integrating public health objectives into adaptation planning to realize wider co-benefits, as well as the challenges with a deliberative democracy approach. The approach requires more joined-up thinking between stakeholders and agencies toward the co-production of effective adaptation-health policies and improved resources from the central government for place-based actions. These findings are useful for both practitioners and academics to better understand how to meaningfully engage with citizens on urban adaptation and public health policy
Punicic acid: a potential nutraceutical compound in pomegranate seed oil and its cardiovascular benefits
Get PDFPomegranate seed oil (PSO) is rich in punicic acid (PA), a conjugated isomer of α-linolenic acid, and exhibits a range of pharmacological properties. Given the significant role of nutraceuticals in the prevention of various diseases, PA stands out as an important phytoconstituent within this category. This review aimed to examine the composition of PSOs and their positive effects on cardiovascular risk factors. PA possesses potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as aids in managing obesity and diabetes while improving lipid profiles. Additionally, the diverse cardiovascular health benefits associated with PSO consumption are detailed. There are various health benefits that are derived from PSO consumption; however, despite these promising findings, there remains a critical need for further clinical studies to validate these effects
Emergent and growing entrepreneurial ecosystems: how do institutional logics shape fields of entrepreneurship?
Get PDFThis article explores two different types of entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) – emergent and growing – using the institutional logics perspective. Fields of entrepreneurship within EEs are analysed empirically in two U.K. cities, and the institutional orders that inform the dominant entrepreneurial institutional logic in each ecosystem are uncovered. The study reveals that, in an emergent ecosystem, entrepreneurs notice institutional voids and take part in institutional entrepreneurship to strengthen the institutional order of ‘Profession’ and ‘Community’ institutional orders. In a growing EE, the strength of ‘Community’ and ‘Market’ institutional orders and overlapping activity-based fields helps to strengthen the entrepreneurial institutional logic. This perspective develops and enriches our understanding of EEs as localised contexts in which embedded fields of entrepreneurship are sensitive to local institutional conditions, particularly highlighting divergent institutional logics in different ecosystem contexts. This represents a novel approach to analysing EEs through the lens of the institutional logics perspective, by utilising a framework to understand the interinstitutional system-based institutional orders as influencers that shape the dominant institutional logic in a field of entrepreneurship
