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Continuous colonisation of the Atlantic Coastal Rain Forests of South America from Amazônia
No full textThe two main extensions of rain forest in South America are the Amazon (Amazônia) and the Atlantic rain forest (Mata Atlântica), which are separated by a wide ‘dry diagonal’ of seasonal vegetation. We used the species-rich tree genus Inga to test if Amazônia - Mata Atlântica dispersals have been clustered during specific time periods corresponding to past, humid climates. We performed hybrid capture DNA sequencing of 810 nuclear loci for 453 accessions representing 164 species that included 62% of Mata Atlântica species and estimated a dated phylogeny for all accessions using maximum likelihood, and a species-level tree using coalescent methods. There have been 16 to 20 dispersal events to the Mata Atlântica from Amazônia with only one or two dispersals in the reverse direction. These events have occurred over the evolutionary history of Inga, with no evidence for temporal clustering, and model comparisons of alternative biogeographic histories and null simulations showing the timing of dispersal events matches a random expectation. Time-specific biogeographic corridors are not required to explain dispersal between Amazônia and the Mata Atlântica for rain forest trees such as Inga, which are likely to have used a dendritic net of gallery forests to cross the dry diagonal
Cognitive rationality is heritable and lies under general cognitive ability
Get PDFIntelligence and rationality both predict optimal decision making. However, whether cognitive rationality (CR) and general cognitive ability (CA) are identical or reflect fundamentally distinct processes is hotly debated. Here, we report a twin study aimed at distinguishing the cognitive mechanisms involved in CR and CA. CR and CA tests were administered to a large twin sample. Univariate analyses indicated that both CA and CR were strongly heritable. Multivariate modelling of CA scales and CR indicated that CR was accounted for by a latent g-factor, which itself was strongly heritable. We conclude that CR is not a distinct disposition from CA, but instead that the reflexive and reflective aspects of cognitive ability make making CR a robust and efficient test of general cognitive ability
Financing smart local energy systems:A conceptual framework and research agenda
Get PDFSmart local energy systems (SLES) are expected to contribute to meeting net zero carbon emission targets, as well as enabling energy decentralisation, democratisation and digitalisation. There are, however, unresolved questions about finance. We extend the existing corporate governance and risk management model CLASS to a new CCLLASS model. The model is used to explore pathways to SLES investment through securitising future cash flows. Case study evidence is used to explore governance and risk management practices suited to building investor confidence in securitisation. Several governance and risk management measures already in place support implementation and operation of securitisation, and should strengthen investor confidence. There is however scope for improvement in several elements, including final market architecture and explicit characterisation of benefits to localities. Further research is needed to test feasibility of a SLES future cash flow securitisation mechanism, including quantitative asset aggregation and systematic comparison of securitisation and other financial instruments
Natural tree colonisation of organo-mineral soils does not provide a net carbon capture benefit at decadal timescales
Get PDFTree cover is often increased with the aim of increasing ecosystem carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change. However, when planting trees in ecosystems with carbon-rich soils, soil disturbance during ground preparation can cause soil carbon losses not counteracted by tree carbon gains at the decadal timescales relevant to climate change mitigation targets. Tree establishment via natural colonisation, which does not involve soil disturbance, might prevent these soil carbon losses, but this is unknown.We measured soil, ground vegetation, and tree carbon stocks and tree inputs along an 8 metre transect from single, native, 25-year-old naturally colonised trees (Pinus sylvestris or Betula spp.) onto Calluna vulgaris-dominated moorland, at sites with carbon-rich organo-mineral soils in the Cairngorms, UK.Along the transect away from the tree, organic soil carbon stocks increased from 4.0 kg C m−2 at 0.5 m, to 6.0 kg C m−2 at 8 m. Meanwhile, carbon stocks in the top 10 cm of the mineral soil horizon, 3.6 kg C m−2, did not vary. Ground vegetation carbon stocks increased only slightly, from 1.0 kg C m−2 at 0.5 m, to 1.3 kg C m−2 at 8 m. Mean carbon stock per tree was 32.4 kg, so overall, sparse natural colonisation resulted in no net ecosystem carbon gain.Policy implications: Sparse natural colonisation of carbon-rich soils by low biomass trees might not result in net ecosystem carbon gains at decadal timescales, and instead lead to unforeseen soil carbon losses. Soil carbon changes should be taken into account when quantifying the climate change mitigation potential of natural colonisation
Whole Genome Sequencing of ‘Mutation-Negative’ Individuals with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome
Get PDFThis study aimed to assess the diagnostic utility of whole genome sequence analysis in a well-characterised research cohort of individuals referred with a clinical suspicion of Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) in whom prior genetic testing had not identified a causative variant. Short read, whole genome sequencing was performed in 195 individuals from 105 families, 108 of whom were affected. 100/108 of the affected individuals had prior relevant genetic testing with no pathogenic variant being identified. The study group comprised 42 trios in which both parental samples were available for testing (42 affected individuals and 126 unaffected parents), 61 singletons (unrelated affected individuals) and two families with more than one affected individual. The results showed that 32 unrelated probands from 105 families (30.5%) had likely causative coding region disrupting variants. Four loci were identified in >1 proband: NIPBL (10), ANKRD11 (6), EP300 (3), EHMT1 (2). Single variants were detected in the remaining genes (EBF3, KMT2A, MED13L, NLGN3, NR2F1, PHIP, PUF60, SET, SETD5, SMC1A, TBL1XR1). Possibly causative variants in non-coding regions of NIPBL were identified in four individuals. Single de novo variants were identified in five genes not previously reported to be associated with any developmental disorder: ARID3A, PIK3C3, MCM7, MIS18BP1 and WDR18. Clustering of de novo non-coding variants implicate a single uORF and a small region in intron 21 in NIPBL regulation. Causative variants in genes encoding chromatin-associated proteins, with no defined influence on cohesin function, appear to result in CdLS-like clinical features. This study demonstrates the clinical utility of whole genome sequencing as a diagnostic test in individuals presenting with CdLS or CdLS-like phenotypes
Transmylohyoid endotracheal intubation in a dog for hard palate surgery
Get PDFA 7 year 2-month-old entire male Springer Spaniel dog was presented to the oncology service at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies for a nasopharyngeal mass. The patient underwent a debulking surgery of the tumour under general anaesthesia, and a transmylohyoid endotracheal intubation was performed for the airway management. The surgery and the anaesthesia were uneventful. No complication associated with the surgical site and intubation incision site was reported. The patient received radiotherapy following the surgery and there was no sign of disease recurrence in the follow up consults
ATP Regeneration from Pyruvate in the PURE System:ACS Synthetic Biology
Get PDFThe “Protein synthesis Using Recombinant Elements” (“PURE”) system is a minimal biochemical system capable of carrying out cell-free protein synthesis using defined enzymatic components. This study extends PURE by integrating an ATP regeneration system based on pyruvate oxidase, acetate kinase, and catalase. The new pathway generates acetyl phosphate from pyruvate, phosphate, and oxygen, which is used to rephosphorylate ATP in situ. Successful ATP regeneration requires a high initial concentration of ∼10 mM phosphate buffer, which surprisingly does not affect the protein synthesis activity of PURE. The pathway can function independently or in combination with the existing creatine-based system in PURE; the combined system produces up to 233 μg/mL of mCherry, an enhancement of 78% compared to using the creatine system alone. The results are reproducible across multiple batches of homemade PURE and importantly also generalize to commercial systems such as PURExpress from New England Biolabs. These results demonstrate a rational bottom-up approach to engineering PURE, paving the way for applications in cell-free synthetic biology and synthetic cell construction
Flexible Compression for Efficient Information Sharing in a Network of Radio Frequency Sensors
Get PDFThe efficient extraction of useful information from radio frequency (RF) sensors is one important application for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) approaches. In particular, there is a desire to maximise efficiency when sharing positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) information captured by distributed networks of low size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C) RF sensors when operating in congested or contested electromagnetic environments (EMEs). By implementing effective PNT information sharing strategies, these networks can more easily position the sensors or characterise targets of interest. In this work, we propose a novel ML-inspired compression design framework that improves efficiency when sharing PNT information in a network of sensors receiving radar waveforms. In addition, through novel learning procedures, the network can adapt to unforeseen EMEs such that network efficiency can be maintained in the presence of unforeseen RF waveforms and sensor surroundings. We show that our intelligent, model-driven, ML-inspired data reduction strategies can outperform alternative strategies that do not best-utilise the information content of waveforms within the EME. In addition, we demonstrate the ability of our strategies to adapt to changing mission goals by balancing different types of PNT information and learning from developing EMEs
Self-Supervised Deep Hyperspectral Inpainting with Plug-and-Play and Deep Image Prior Models
Get PDFHyperspectral images are typically composed of hundreds of narrow and contiguous spectral bands, each containing information regarding the material composition of the imaged scene. However, these images can be affected by various sources of noise, distortions, or data loss, which can significantly degrade their quality and usefulness. This paper introduces a convergent guaranteed algorithm, LRS-PnP-DIP(1-Lip), which successfully addresses the instability issue of DHP that has been reported before. The proposed algorithm extends the successful joint low-rank and sparse model to further exploit the underlying data structures beyond the conventional and sometimes restrictive unions of subspace models. A stability analysis guarantees the convergence of the proposed algorithm under mild assumptions, which is crucial for its application in real-world scenarios. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed solution consistently delivers visually and quantitatively superior inpainting results, establishing state-of-the-art performance
An evaluation of lived experience email peer support for young people with eating disorders
No full textPeer support is where individuals with the same shared experience provide mutual support. Using a non-controlled repeated measure design, this study evaluates initial efficacy of one-to-one email peer support. Young people with an eating disorder were matched with a recovered volunteer befriender, for up to one year, providing 1-3 email contacts a week. All participants completed measures (self-esteem, self-efficacy, wellbeing) at start of service, two and four-month intervals for recipients (n=92) and peer befrienders (n=86) respectively, and at end of service. Recipients also completed measures of social connectedness, impact of eating disorder, and goal-based outcomes. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models indicated significant improvements across all outcomes for recipients by 4 months, apart from self-esteem, and improvements self-efficacy, eating disorder impact and goal-based outcomes maintained at end of service. Peer befrienders did not show changes in self-esteem or self-efficacy, but there was a small significant reduction in wellbeing. The study provides evidence for email peer support for young people with eating disorders and highlights the need for robust support for befriending roles
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