23 research outputs found
Ionization-induced star formation - IV. Triggering in bound clusters
No full textWe present a detailed study of star formation occurring in bound star-forming clouds under the influence of internal ionizing feedback from massive stars across a spectrum of cloud properties. We infer which objects are triggered by comparing our feedback simulations with control simulations in which no feedback was present. We find that feedback always results in a lower star formation efficiency and usually but not always results in a larger number of stars or clusters. Cluster mass functions are not strongly affected by feedback, but stellar mass functions are biased towards lower masses. Ionization also affects the geometrical distribution of stars in ways that are robust against projection effects, but may make the stellar associations more or less subclustered depending on the background cloud environment. We observe a prominent pillar in one simulation which is the remains of an accretion flow feeding the central ionizing cluster of its host cloud and suggest that this may be a general formation mechanism for pillars such as those observed in M16. We find that the association of stars with structures in the gas such as shells or pillars is a good but by no means foolproof indication that those stars have been triggered and we conclude overall that it is very difficult to deduce which objects have been induced to form and which formed spontaneously simply from observing the system at a single time.Peer reviewe
A mammalian messenger RNA sex determination method from humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) blubber biopsies
No full textThe large size of free-ranging mysticetes, such as humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), make capture and release health assessments unfeasible for conservation research. However, individual energetic condition or reproductive health may be assessed from the gene expression of remotely biopsied tissue. To do this, researchers must reliably extract RNA and interpret gene expression measurements within the context of an individual's sex. Here, we outline an RNA extraction protocol from blubber tissue and describe a novel mammalian RNA sex determination method. Our method consists of a duplex reverse transcription-quantitative (real-time) polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) with primer sets for a control gene (ACTB) and the X-chromosome inactivation gene (XIST). Products of each RT-qPCR had distinct melting temperature profiles based on the presence (female) or absence (male) of the XIST transcript. Using high-resolution melt analysis, reactions were sorted into one of two clusters (male/female) based on their melting profiles. We validated the XIST method by comparing results with a standard DNA-based method. With adequate quantities of RNA (minimum of approx. 9 ng µl(−1)), the XIST sex determination method shows 100% agreement with traditional DNA sex determination. Using the XIST method, future cetacean health studies can interpret gene expression within the context of an individual's sex, all from a single extraction
Diversity in leadership: Australian women, past and present
No full textThis book provides a new understanding of the historical and contemporary aspects of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women’s leadership in a range of local, national and international contexts.
Overview
While leadership is an over-used term today, how it is defined for women and the contexts in which it emerges remains elusive. Moreover, women are exhorted to exercise leadership, but occupying leadership positions has its challenges. Issues of access, acceptable behaviour and the development of skills to be successful leaders are just some of them.
Diversity in Leadership: Australian women, past and present provides a new understanding of the historical and contemporary aspects of Indigenous and non-Indigenous women’s leadership in a range of local, national and international contexts. It brings interdisciplinary expertise to the topic from leading scholars in a range of fields and diverse backgrounds. The aims of the essays in the collection document the extent and diverse nature of women’s social and political leadership across various pursuits and endeavours within democratic political structures
RNA extraction and qPCR sex determination protocol from A mammalian mRNA sex determination method from humpback whale (<i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i>) blubber biopsies
No full textcontains the materials required and protocol for replicating the method outlined in this stud
A minimally invasive marine mammal sex determination method using epidermal tissue recovered from suction-cup tags.
No full textFor many baleen whales, minimal sexual dimorphism means that sex cannot necessarily be reliably determined through observation alone. Suction cup tags deployed for behavioral studies of free-ranging whales sometimes retain exfoliated epidermal tissue from the tagged animal that can potentially be used for molecular genetic sexing. This study provides a protocol to recover and preserve skin from suction cup tags and compares the accuracy of resulting PCR-based sex determinations relative to independent data on individual sex. Skin samples (N = 43) were recovered from tags deployed on North Atlantic humpback and right whales of known sex. Of these, data were obtained from 21 tags deployed on 15 individuals. A PCR-based sex determination yielded correct results for 9 male and 11 female samples. One female was misidentified as male in one of two samples collected from the same tag, suggesting the potential for sexing error based on suction cup tag-derived tissue. The probability of accurate results given current information was estimated using Bayes theorem, with a female result estimated to be 100% reliable, and a male result estimated to be 91% reliable. The minimum DNA yield that resulted in a successful PCR run was 29 ng, however four samples with higher DNA yield did not. With further work, this protocol may increase the reliable data that can be collected as part of suction-cup tagging studies of cetaceans
The scale of the whale: using video-tag data to evaluate sea-surface ice concentration from the perspective of individual Antarctic minke whales
No full textBackgroundAdvances in biologging technology allow researchers access to previously unobservable behavioral states and movement patterns of marine animals. To relate behaviors with environmental variables, features must be evaluated at scales relevant to the animal or behavior. Remotely sensed environmental data, collected via satellites, often suffers from the effects of cloud cover and lacks the spatial or temporal resolution to adequately link with individual animal behaviors or behavioral bouts. This study establishes a new method for remotely and continuously quantifying surface ice concentration (SIC) at a scale relevant to individual whales using on-animal tag video data.ResultsMotion-sensing and video-recording suction cup tags were deployed on 7 Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) around the Antarctic Peninsula in February and March of 2018. To compare the scale of camera-tag observations with satellite imagery, the area of view was simulated using camera-tag parameters. For expected conditions, we found the visible area maximum to be ~ 100m2\ua0which indicates that observations occur at an equivalent or finer scale than a single pixel of high-resolution visible spectrum satellite imagery. SIC was classified into one of six bins (0%, 1–20%, 21–40%, 41–60%, 61–80%, 81–100%) by two independent observers for the initial and final surfacing between dives. In the event of a disagreement, a third independent observer was introduced, and the median of the three observer’s values was used. Initial results (n = 6) show that Antarctic minke whales in the coastal bays of the Antarctic Peninsula spend 52% of their time in open water, and only 15% of their time in water with SIC greater than 20%. Over time, we find significant variation in observed SIC, indicating that Antarctic minke occupy an extremely dynamic environment. Sentinel-2 satellite-based approaches of sea ice assessment were not possible because of persistent cloud cover during the study period.ConclusionTag-video offers a means to evaluate ice concentration at spatial and temporal scales relevant to the individual. Combined with information on underwater behavior, our ability to quantify SIC continuously at the scale of the animal will improve upon current remote sensing methods to understand the link between animal behavior and these dynamic environmental variables
Testing a global standard for quantifying species recovery and assessing conservation impact
No full textRecognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species’ viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics (conservation legacy, conservation dependence, conservation gain, and recovery potential). We tested the framework with 181 species representing diverse taxa, life histories, biomes, and IUCN Red List categories (extinction risk). Based on the observed distribution of species’ recovery scores, we propose the following species recovery categories: fully recovered, slightly depleted, moderately depleted, largely depleted, critically depleted, extinct in the wild, and indeterminate. Fifty-nine percent of tested species were considered largely or critically depleted. Although there was a negative relationship between extinction risk and species recovery score, variation was considerable. Some species in lower risk categories were assessed as farther from recovery than those at higher risk. This emphasizes that species recovery is conceptually different from extinction risk and reinforces the utility of the IUCN Green Status of Species to more fully understand species conservation status. Although extinction risk did not predict conservation legacy, conservation dependence, or conservation gain, it was positively correlated with recovery potential. Only 1.7% of tested species were categorized as zero across all 4 of these conservation impact metrics, indicating that conservation has, or will, play a role in improving or maintaining species status for the vast majority of these species. Based on our results, we devised an updated assessment framework that introduces the option of using a dynamic baseline to assess future impacts of conservation over the short term to avoid misleading results which were generated in a small number of cases, and redefines short term as 10 years to better align with conservation planning. These changes are reflected in the IUCN Green Status of Species Standard.
Inclusive author list: Molly K. Grace • H. Resit Akçakaya • Elizabeth L. Bennett • Thomas M. Brooks • Anna Heath • Simon Hedges • Craig Hilton-Taylor • Michael Hoffmann • Axel Hochkirch • Richard Jenkins • David A. Keith • Barney Long • David P. Mallon • Erik Meijaard • E.J. Milner-Gulland • Jon Paul Rodriguez • P.J. Stephenson • Simon N. Stuart • Richard P. Young • Pablo Acebes • Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto • Silvia Alvarez-Clare • Raphali Rodlis Andriantsimanarilafy • Marina Arbetman • Claudio Azat • Gianluigi Bacchetta • Ruchi Badola • Luís M.D. Barcelos • Joao Pedro Barreiros • Sayanti Basak • Danielle J. Berger • Sabuj Bhattacharyya • Gilad Bino • Paulo A.V. Borges • Raoul K. Boughton • H. Jane Brockmann • Hannah L. Buckley • Ian J. Burfield • James Burton • Teresa Camacho-Badani • Luis Santiago Cano-Alonso • Ruth H. Carmichael • Christina Carrero • John P. Carroll • Giorgos Catsadorakis • David G. Chapple • Guillaume Chapron • Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury • Louw Claassens • Donatella Cogoni • Rochelle Constantine • Christie Anne Craig • Andrew A. Cunningham • Nishma Dahal • Jennifer C. Daltry • Goura Chandra Das • Niladri Dasgupta • Alexandra Davey • Katharine Davies • Pedro Develey • Vanitha Elangovan • David Fairclough • Mirko Di Febbraro • Giuseppe Fenu • Fernando Moreira Fernandes • Eduardo Pinheiro Fernandez • Brittany Finucci • Rita Földesi • Catherine M. Foley • Matthew Ford • Michael R.J. Forstner • Néstor García • Ricardo Garcia-Sandoval • Penny C. Gardner • Roberto Garibay-Orijel • Marites Gatan-Balbas • Irene Gauto • Mirza Ghazanfar Ullah Ghazi • Stephanie S. Godfrey • Matthew Gollock • Benito A. González • Tandora D. Grant • Thomas Gray • Andrew J. Gregory • Roy H.A. van Grunsven • Marieka Gryzenhout • Noelle C. Guernsey • Garima Gupta • Christina Hagen • Christian A. Hagen • Madison B. Hall • Eric Hallerman • Kelly Hare • Tom Hart • Ruston Hartdegen • Yvette Harvey-Brown • Richard Hatfield • Tahneal Hawke • Claudia Hermes • Rod Hitchmough • Pablo Melo Hoffmann • Charlie Howarth • Michael A. Hudson • Syed Ainul Hussain • Charlie Huveneers • Hélène Jacques • Dennis Jorgensen • Suyash Katdare • Lydia K.D. Katsis • Rahul Kaul • Boaz Kaunda-Arara • Lucy Keith-Diagne • Daniel T. Kraus • Thales Moreira de Lima • Ken Lindeman • Jean Linsky • Edward Louis Jr. • Anna Loy • Eimear Nic Lughadha • Jeffrey C. Mangel • Paul E. Marinari • Gabriel M. Martin • Gustavo Martinelli • Philip J.K. McGowan • Alistair McInnes • Eduardo Teles Barbosa Mendes • Michael J. Millard • Claire Mirande • Daniel Money • Joanne M. Monks • Carolina Laura Morales • Nazia Naoreen Mumu • Raquel Negrao • Anh Ha Nguyen • Md. Nazmul Hasan Niloy • Grant Leslie Norbury • Cale Nordmeyer • Darren Norris • Mark O’Brien • Gabriela Akemi Oda • Simone Orsenigo • Mark Evan Outerbridge • Stesha Pasachnik • Juan Carlos Pérez-Jiménez • Charlotte Pike • Fred Pilkington • Glenn Plumb • Rita de Cassia Quitete Portela • Ana Prohaska • Manuel G. Quintana • Eddie Fanantenana Rakotondrasoa • Dustin H. Ranglack • Hassan Rankou • Ajay Prakash Rawat • James Thomas Reardon • Marcelo Lopes Rheingantz • Stephen C. Richter • Malin C. Rivers • Luke Rollie Rogers • Patrícia da Rosa • Paul Rose • Emily Royer • Catherine Ryan • Yvonne J. Sadovy de Mitcheson • Lily Salmon • Carlos Henrique Salvador • Michael J. Samways • Tatiana Sanjuan • Amanda Souza • dos Santos • Hiroshi Sasaki • Emmanuel Schutz • Heather Ann Scott • Robert Michael Scott • Fabrizio Serena • Surya P. Sharma • John A. Shuey • Carlos Julio Polo Silva • John P. Simaika • David R. Smith • Julia L.Y. Spaet • Shanjida Sultana • Bibhab Kumar Talukdar • Vikash Tatayah • Philip Thomas • Angela Tringali • Hoang Trinh-Dinh • Chongpi Tuboi • Aftab Alam Usmani • Aída M. Vasco-Palacios • Jean-Christophe Vié • Jo Virens • Alan Walker • Bryan Wallace • Lauren J. Waller • Hongfeng Wang • Oliver R. Wearn • Merlijn van Weerd • Simon Weigmann • Daniel Willcox • John Woinarski • Jean W.H. Yong • Stuart Young
Research on Scientific Journals: Implications for Editors and Authors
No full textA review of editorial policies of leading journals and of research relevant to scientific journals revealed conflicts between 'science' and 'scientists.” Owing to these conflicts, papers are often weak on objectivity and replicability. Furthermore, papers often fall short on importance, competence, intelligibility, or efficiency. Suggestions were made for editorial policies such as: (1) structured guidelines for referees, (2) open peer review, (3) blind reviews, and (4) full disclosure of data and method. Of major importance, an author's “Note to Referees” (describing the hypotheses and design, but not the results) was suggested to improve the objectivity of the ratings of importance and competence. Also, recommendations are made to authors for improving contributions to science (such as the use of multiple hypotheses) and for promoting their careers (such as using complex methods and obtuse writing).scientific journals, authors, research, editors
So what do we really mean when we say that systems biology is holistic?
No full textBackground: An old debate has undergone a resurgence in systems biology: that of reductionism versus holism. At least 35 articles in the systems biology literature since 2003 have touched on this issue. The histories of holism and reductionism in the philosophy of biology are reviewed, and the current debate in systems biology is placed in context. Results: Inter-theoretic reductionism in the strict sense envisaged by its creators from the 1930s to the 1960s is largely impractical in biology, and was effectively abandoned by the early 1970s in favour of a more piecemeal approach using individual reductive explanations. Classical holism was a stillborn theory of the 1920s, but the term survived in several fields as a loose umbrella designation for various kinds of anti-reductionism which often differ markedly. Several of these different anti-reductionisms are on display in the holistic rhetoric of the recent systems biology literature. This debate also coincides with a time when interesting arguments are being proposed within the philosophy of biology for a new kind of reductionism. Conclusions: Engaging more deeply with these issues should sharpen our ideas concerning the philosophy of systems biology and its future best methodology. As with previous decisive moments in the history of biology, only those theories that immediately suggest relatively easy experiments will be winners
Discovery and Communication of Important Marketing Findings: Evidence and Proposals
No full textMy review of empirical research on scientific publication led to the following conclusions. Three criteria are useful for identifying whether findings are important: replication, validity, and usefulness. A fourth criterion, surprise, applies in some situations. Based on these criteria, important findings resulting from academic research in marketing seem to be rare. To a large extent, this rarity is due to a reward system that is built around subjective peer review. Rather than using peer review as a secret screening process, using an open process likely will improve papers and inform readers. Researchers, journals, business schools, funding agencies, and professional organizations can all contribute to improving the process. For example, researchers should do directed research on papers that contribute to principles. Journals should invite papers that contribute to principles. Business school administrators should reward researchers who make important findings. Funding agencies should base decisions on researchers' prior success in making important findings, and professional organizations should maintain web sites that describe what is known about principles and what research is needed on principles.marketing, marketing findings
