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The coalition for conservation genetics: Working across organizations to build capacity and achieve change in policy and practice
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The Coalition for Conservation Genetics (CCG) brings together four eminent organizations with the shared goal of improving the integration of genetic information into conservation policy and practice. We provide a historical context of conservation genetics as a field and reflect on current barriers to conserving genetic diversity, highlighting the need for collaboration across traditional divides, international partnerships, and coordinated advocacy. We then introduce the CCG and illustrate through examples how a coalition approach can leverage complementary expertise and improve the organizational impact at multiple levels. The CCG has proven particularly successful at implementing large synthesis-type projects, training early-career scientists, and advising policy makers. Achievements to date highlight the potential for the CCG to make effective contributions to practical conservation policy and management that no one “parent” organization could achieve on its own. Finally, we reflect on the lessons learned through forming the CCG, and our vision for the future
High-Resolution transect sampling and multiple scale diversity analyses for evaluating grassland resilience to climatic extremes
Get PDFDiversity responses to climatic factors in plant communities are well understood from experiments, but less known in natural conditions due to the rarity of appropriate long-term observational data. In this paper, we use long-term transect data sampled annually in three natural grasslands of different species pools, soils, landscape contexts and land use histories. Analyzing these specific belt transect data of contiguous small sampling units enabled us to explore scale dependence and spatial synchrony of diversity patterns within and among sites. The 14-year study period covered several droughts, including one extreme event between 2011 and 2012. We demonstrated that all natural grasslands responded to droughts by considerable fluctuations of diversity, but, overall, they remained stable. The plant functional group of annuals showed high resilience at all sites, while perennials were resistant to droughts. Our results were robust to changing spatial scales of observations, and we also demonstrated that within-site spatial synchrony could be used as a sensitive indicator of external climatic effects. We propose the broad application of high-resolution belt transects for powerful and adaptive vegetation monitoring in the future
‘Because I said so?’ Revisiting the ‘letters’ in early modern letters patent
No full textLetters patent have been used as a tool of governance in England since medieval times – though their functions have changed. The uses to which Henry II put his were limited by the socio-political context of the feudal system. When Elizabeth I began to use them as a tool of ‘economic’ policy – such as handing them out to regulate trade with the continent – it was only one of a number of uses. The role of the letters in governance, including the disbursement of peerages, under Henry II and in the sixteenth to the seventeenth century are compared here. The conclusion is that their use, at the time of the passing of the Statute of Monopolies, should best be seen as the Crown sharing part of its ‘body politic’, bringing the patentee into the monarch’s inner circle, rather than as a granting of an individual ‘right’
Antisense oligonucleotide: A potential therapeutic intervention for chronic kidney disease
Get PDFChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health issue that places an increasing burden on the healthcare systems of both the developed and developing countries. CKD is a progressive and irreversible condition, affecting approximately 10% of the population worldwide. Patients that have progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) require expensive renal replacement therapy, i.e., dialysis or kidney transplantation. Current CKD therapy largely relies on the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). However, these treatments by no means halt the progression of CKD to ESRD. Therefore, the development of new therapies is urgently needed. Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) has recently attracted considerable interest as a drug development platform. Thus far, eight ASO-based drugs have been granted approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of various diseases. Herein, we review the ASOs developed for the identification of CKD-relevant genes and/or the simultaneous development of the ASOs as potential therapeutics towards treating CKD
Smart Parenting? The Internet of Things, Children’s Privacy, and Data Justice
No full textThis paper examines children’s privacy and the Internet of Things (IoT). After describing the operation of IoTs directly marketed to and for children, we outline research concerning the surveillance of children and issues associated with children’s right to privacy, including the role of parents or guardians in protecting their children’s right to privacy. We then present the findings of a survey of Australian IoT consumers and non-consumers (n = 1,052), which shows parents and guardians who purchase IoTs care about their children’s privacy and are concerned about practices of corporate surveillance. Finally, our data show that female parents or guardians have lower rates of privacy literacy than males. Analysed through the lens of data justice (), we argue the protection of children’s privacy rights must be understood with regard to broader structural factors, such as gender discrimination and digital housekeeping, and ultimately requires addressing corporate practices that characterise the contemporary surveillance landscape
Latitudinal variation in diversity and abundance of mesopelagic fishes associated with change in oceanographic variables along 110°E, south-east Indian Ocean
No full textAs part of the second International Indian Ocean Expedition, an oceanic transect from 39.5°S to 11.5°S along 110°E in the south-eastern Indian Ocean enabled concurrent oceanographic measurements and sampling of early stages of mesopelagic fishes within the upper 500 m of the water column. Notable oceanographic features along the generally oligotrophic transect included an increase in surface water temperature from 12 to 28 °C from south to north and low salinities at both ends of the transect. High salinity Subtropical Surface Water was evident over the central part of the transect and low dissolved oxygen occurred at depth at the northern end where tropical waters were influenced by the Indonesian Throughflow. Throughout the study region larval fish stages were generally concentrated in the epipelagic zone. Species richness, abundance and diversity of fishes (n = 166 species) increased towards the tropical waters. The families Myctophidae (lanternfishes; 60 species), Phosichthyidae (lightfishes; 2 species) and Gonostomatidae (bristlemouths; 5 species) were numerically dominant. Clustering of integrated abundance data (0–500 m depth) revealed four major fish assemblages along the transect. When linked to oceanographic variables, multivariate multiple regression indicated that surface temperature, surface salinity and dissolved oxygen at 400 m depth provided the best fitting model explaining fish distribution patterns. Where possible, comparisons have been made with early data collected along this 110° E line in the 1960s during the first International Indian Ocean Expedition
Revealing microhabitat requirements of an endangered specialist lizard with LiDAR
Get PDFA central principle of threatened species management is the requirement for detailed understanding of species habitat requirements. Difficult terrain or cryptic behaviour can, however, make the study of habitat or microhabitat requirements difficult, calling for innovative data collection techniques. We used high-resolution terrestrial LiDAR imaging to develop three-dimensional models of log piles, quantifying the structural characteristics linked with occupancy of an endangered cryptic reptile, the western spiny-tailed skink (Egernia stokesii badia). Inhabited log piles were generally taller with smaller entrance hollows and a wider main log, had more high-hanging branches, fewer low-hanging branches, more mid- and understorey cover, and lower maximum canopy height. Significant characteristics linked with occupancy were longer log piles, an average of three logs, less canopy cover, and the presence of overhanging vegetation, likely relating to colony segregation, thermoregulatory requirements, and foraging opportunities. In addition to optimising translocation site selection, understanding microhabitat specificity of E. s. badia will help inform a range of management objectives, such as targeted monitoring and invasive predator control. There are also diverse opportunities for the application of this technology to a wide variety of future ecological studies and wildlife management initiatives pertaining to a range of cryptic, understudied taxa
Correction to: Design of an international multicentre RCT on group schema therapy for borderline personality disorder
Get PDFCorrection to: BMC Psychiatry 14, 319 (2014)..
A secure and efficient decentralized access control scheme based on blockchain for vehicular social networks
No full textThe vehicular social network (VSN) is an emerging mobile communication system combining a vehicle ad hoc network (VANET) with a social network. It provides a new means of sharing, disseminating, and delivering data for passengers, drivers, and vehicles. However, a VSN may expose users’ private information, such as identities, location information, and trajectories, and tampering with shared data may lead to security and safety problems in vehicle systems. Considering the security and privacy-preservation of shared data, we propose a lightweight decentralized multi-authority access control scheme based on ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) and blockchain, by which a decentralized multi-authorization node supports vehicle users by performing lightweight calculations with the assistance of the vehicle cloud service provider (VCSP). We use blockchain to record storage and access transactions, achieving self-verification by users and tamper-resistance of ciphertexts. An improved smart contract reduces the workload of verification by users and achieves privacy preservation by hiding the policy. It supports user revocation and outsourced decryption, enabling more flexibility and better performance. A security and performance analysis shows that our scheme has clear advantages over existing schemes
Who’s included? The role of the Clinical Research Nurse in enabling research participation for under-represented and under-served groups
No full textBackground
There is a global call for more inclusive clinical research that is representative of all populations, particularly those historically under-represented or under-served. A lack of broad representation results in disproportionate health outcomes and limits the applicability and translation of research findings.
Aim
Identify and describe barriers to participation across the research lifecycle and consider the role of the Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) in promoting inclusivity, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples within Australia.
Discussion
Review of recent literature and best practice identified barriers to research participation across the research process; at system, participant and practitioner levels. This discussion paper explores the role of the CRN; acting as enablers, facilitators and navigators, to mitigate participation barriers.
Conclusion
With their comprehensive understanding of the research process, clinical care pathways, reflective practices and participant-centred approaches, CRNs are uniquely positioned to advocate for greater equity in access to clinical research and to motivate stakeholders across the research enterprise to embed inclusive approaches in the design, conduct and dissemination of research.
Implications for Practice
An in-depth understanding of the research process, self, and cultural norms of the populations they serve is essential for CRNs to effectively advocate for equity in access to research