scholarly journals Measuring biodiversity from DNA in the air

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth L Clare ◽  
Chloe K Economou ◽  
Frances J Bennett ◽  
Caitlin E Dyer ◽  
Katherine Adams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Ecological Analysis ◽  
Air Samples ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Potential Interactions ◽  
Zoological Park

Impacts of the biodiversity crisis far exceed our ability to monitor changes in terrestrial ecosystems. Environmental DNA has revolutionized aquatic biomonitoring, permitting remote population and diversity assessments. Here we demonstrate that DNA from terrestrial animals can now be collected from the air under natural conditions, a ground-breaking advance for terrestrial biomonitoring. Using air samples from a zoological park, where species are spatially confined and unique compared to native fauna, we show that DNA in air can be used to identify the captive species and their potential interactions with local taxa. Air samples contained DNA from 25 species of mammal and bird including 17 known (and distinct) terrestrial zoo species. We also identified food items from air sampled in enclosures and detected four taxa native to the local area, including the Eurasian hedgehog, endangered in the UK, and the muntjac deer, a locally established invasive species. Our data provide evidence that airDNA is concentrated around recently inhabited areas (e.g., indoor enclosures) but that there is dispersal away from the source suggesting an ecology to airDNA movement which highlights the potential for airDNA sampling at distance. Our data clearly demonstrate the profound potential of air as a source of DNA for global terrestrial biomonitoring and ecological analysis.

scholarly journals An experimental assessment of the distribution of environmental DNA along the water column

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
André O. Agostinis ◽  
Giorgi Dal Pont ◽  
Alexandre Borio ◽  
Aline Horodesky ◽  
Ana Paula da Silva Bertão ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Aquatic Communities ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Sampling Protocol ◽  
Experimental Assessment ◽  
Qpcr Analysis ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Sampling Protocols ◽  
Different Depths

AbstractThe study of environmental DNA (eDNA) is increasingly becoming a valuable tool to survey and monitor aquatic communities. However, there are important gaps in our understanding of the dynamics governing the distribution of eDNA under natural conditions. In this report we carry out controlled experiments to assess the extent and timing of eDNA distribution along the water column. A sample of known eDNA concentration was placed at the bottom of a 5-m high tube (20 cm in diameter and total volume of 160 L), and water samples were obtained at different depths over an 8 h-period. The presence of the target eDNA was assessed by qPCR analysis. This sampling protocol allowed for assessing the timescale for the diffusion of eDNA while minimizing the influence of turbulence. We demonstrate that, after a time-period of as little as 30 min, the eDNA had spread across the entire container. The implications of these results for eDNA sampling protocols in the field are discussed.

scholarly journals Limits of UK Counterterrorism Policy and its Implications for Islamophobia and Far Right Extremism

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahir Abbas ◽  
Imran Awan
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Criminal Violence ◽  
Faith Leaders ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Counterterrorism Policy

The UK Government has recently announced a new Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 to facilitate tackling the threat of violent extremism. In light of this and previous initiatives, this paper provides a critical assessment of UK counterterrorism policy. This policy has created a notion of ‘suspect communities’ such that it has alienated young Muslims at the community engagement level, conceivably and empirically, potentially further exacerbating concerns government and communities have over questions of radicalisation, extremism, and the associated political and criminal violence. This paper argues that such policies can lead to the institutionalisation of Islamophobia, acting as an echo chamber for far right extremism to flourish. Significant gaps in government policy in this area can only be addressed by fostering effective relations between communities and policy makers, with enablers such as police officers, youth workers, activists and faith leaders empowered to formulate nuanced approaches in various local area settings. Given the social, cultural and political situation regarding British Muslim youth, including those presently thought to be fighting in parts of Iraq and Syria, as well as ongoing threats on UK soil presented as imminent and dangerous by UK government, there remain acute challenges with limited opportunities.

Commissioning and social determinants: evidence and opportunities

2020 ◽  
pp. 269-282
Author(s):  
Chris O’Leary ◽  
Chris Fox
Keyword(s):  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Purchasing Power ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Conceptual Confusion

This chapter argues that local authorities can and should use their purchasing power strategically to address the social determinants of health that affect their local area. It examines commissioning and procurement as local authority functions, defining these concepts and exploring the conceptual confusion between the two. The chapter then looks at the evidence of current practice of local authorities (with a particular focus on local authorities in the UK) in strategic use of their purchasing power. Core to the argument is the role of local voluntary organisations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), so there is a particular focus on the commissioning experience of these types of organisations. Finally, the chapter makes the case for the role that voluntary sector organisations can play in addressing social determinants of health, before drawing some broad conclusions about the way forward.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on orthopaedic emergency presentations in a remote and rural population

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (10) ◽  
pp. 621-627
Author(s):  
Ahmed S. Elhalawany ◽  
James Beastall ◽  
Gerard Cousins
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
Proportional Increase ◽  
Minor Injuries ◽  
The Uk ◽  
A Minor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second Wave

Aims COVID-19 remains the major focus of healthcare provision. Managing orthopaedic emergencies effectively, while at the same time protecting patients and staff, remains a challenge. We explore how the UK lockdown affected the rate, distribution, and type of orthopaedic emergency department (ED) presentations, using the same period in 2019 as reference. This article discusses considerations for the ED and trauma wards to help to maintain the safety of patients and healthcare providers with an emphasis on more remote geography. Methods The study was conducted from 23 March 2020 to 5 May 2020 during the full lockdown period (2020 group) and compared to the same time frame in 2019 (2019 group). Included are all patients who attended the ED at Raigmore Hospital during this period from both the local area and tertiary referral from throughout the UK Highlands. Data was collected and analyzed through the ED Information System (EDIS) as well as ward and theatre records. Results A total of 1,978 patients presented to the ED during the lockdown period, compared to 4,777 patients in the same timeframe in 2019; a reduction of 58.6%. Orthopaedic presentations in 2020 and 2019 were 736 (37.2%) and 1,729 (36.2%) respectively, representing a 57.4% reduction. During the lockdown, 43.6% of operations were major procedures (n = 48) and 56.4% were minor procedures (n = 62), representing a significant proportional shift. Conclusion During the COVID- 19 lockdown period there was a significant reduction in ED attendances and orthopaedic presentations compared to 2019. We also observed that there was a proportional increase in fractures in elderly patients and in minor injuries requiring surgery. These represented the majority of the orthopaedic workload during the lockdown period of 2020. Given this shift towards smaller surgical procedures, we suggest that access to a minor operating theatre in or close to ED would be desirable in the event of a second wave or future crisis.

scholarly journals Evidence for ethnic inequalities in mortality related to COVID-19 infections: Findings from an ecological analysis of England and Wales

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Nazroo ◽  
Laia Bécares
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
Area Deprivation ◽  
Ecological Analysis ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Ethnic Inequalities ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Minority People ◽  
Related Mortality

AbstractBackgroundIn the absence of direct data on ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 related mortality in the UK, we examine the relationship between ethnic composition of an area and rate of mortality in the area.MethodsEcological analysis using COVID-19 related mortality rates occurring by 24th April 2020, and ethnic composition of the population, across local authorities in England and Wales. Account is taken of age, population density, area deprivation and pollution.ResultsFor every 1% rise in proportion of the population who are ethnic minority, COVID-19 related deaths increased by 5·10 (3·99 to 6·21) per million. This rise is present for each ethnic minority category examined. The size of this increase is a little reduced in a fully adjusted model, suggesting that some of the association results from ethnic minority people living in more densely populated, more polluted and more deprived areas.This estimate suggests that the average England and Wales COVID-19 related death rate would rise by 25% in a local authority with twice the average number of ethnic minority people.DiscussionWe find clear evidence that rates of COVID-19 related mortality within a local authority increase as the proportion of the population who are ethnic minority increases. We suggest that this is a consequence of social and economic inequalities, including among key workers, driven by entrenched structural and institutional racism and racial discrimination. We argue that these factors should be central to any investigation of ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 outcomes.

scholarly journals Environmental DNA enables detection of terrestrial mammals from forest pond water

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masayuki Ushio ◽  
Hisato Fukuda ◽  
Toshiki Inoue ◽  
Kobayashi Makoto ◽  
Osamu Kishida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Cervus Nippon ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Illumina Miseq ◽  
Pcr Primers ◽  
Pond Water ◽  
Universal Primers ◽  
Taxonomic Assignment ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals

Terrestrial animals must have frequent contact with water to maintain their lives, implying that environmental DNA (eDNA) originating from terrestrial animals should be detectable from places containing water in terrestrial ecosystems. Aiming to detect the presence of terrestrial mammals using forest water samples, we applied a set of universal PCR primers (MiMammal, a modified version of fish universal primers) for metabarcoding mammalian eDNA. After verifying the primers’ usefulness in silico and using water samples from zoo cages of animals with known species compositions, we collected five 500-ml water samples from ponds in two cool-temperate forests in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Using eDNA extracted from the water samples, we constructed amplicon libraries using MiMammal primers for Illumina MiSeq sequencing. MiMammal metabarcoding yielded a total of 75,214 reads, which we then subjected to data pre-processing and taxonomic assignment. We thereby detected species of mammals common to the sampling areas, including deer (Cervus nippon), mouse (Mus musculus), vole (Myodes rufocanus), raccoon (Procyon lotor), rat (Rattus norvegicus) and shrew (Sorex unguiculatus). Previous applications of the eDNA metabarcoding approach have mostly been limited to aquatic/semiaquatic systems, but the results presented here show that the approach is also promising even in forest mammal biodiversity surveys.

scholarly journals Bacteraemia Variation During The COVID-19 Pandemic; A Multi-Centre UK Secondary Care Ecological Analysis.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Denny ◽  
Timothy M Rawson ◽  
Giovanni Satta ◽  
Scott JC Pallett ◽  
Ahmed Abdulaal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linear Trend ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Blood Cultures ◽  
Arima Models ◽  
Coagulase Negative Staphylococci ◽  
Ecological Analysis ◽  
Clear Area ◽  
Acute Hospitals ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Objectives – We investigated for change in blood stream infections (BSI) with Enterobacterales, coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS), Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus during the first UK wave of SARS-CoV-2 across six London hospitals.Methods – A retrospective multicentre ecological analysis was undertaken evaluating all blood cultures taken from adults from 01 April 2017 to 30 April 2020 across six acute hospitals in London. Linear trend analysis and ARIMA models allowing for seasonality were used to look for significant variation.Results –119,584 blood cultures were included. At the height of the UK SARS-CoV-2 first wave in April 2020, Enterobacterales bacteraemias were at an historic low across two London trusts (63/3814, 1.65%), whilst CoNS were at an historic high (173/3814, 4.25%). This differed significantly for both Enterobacterales (p=0.013) and CoNS (p<0.01), when compared with prior periods, even allowing for seasonal variation. S. pneumoniae (p=0.631) and S. aureus (p=0.617) BSI did not vary significant throughout the study period.Conclusions – Significantly fewer than expected Enterobacteriales BSI occurred during the UK peak of the COVID-19 pandemic; identifying potential causes, including potential unintended consequences of national self-isolation public health messaging, is essential. High rates of CoNS BSI, presumably representing contamination associated with increased use of personal protective equipment, may result in inappropriate antimicrobial use and indicates a clear area for intervention during further waves.

scholarly journals Spatial structure of fungal DNA assemblages revealed with eDNA metabarcoding in a forest river network in western Japan

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunsuke Matsuoka ◽  
Yoriko Sugiyama ◽  
Hirotoshi Sato ◽  
Izumi Katano ◽  
Ken Harada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Structure ◽  
River Water ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Terrestrial Habitats ◽  
Fungal Dna ◽  
Terrestrial Fungi ◽  
Functionally Diverse

Growing evidence has revealed high diversity and spatial heterogeneity of fungal communities in local habitats of terrestrial ecosystems. Recently, the analysis of environmental DNA has been undertaken to study the biodiversity of organisms, such as animals and plants, in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. In the present study, we investigated fungal DNA assemblages and their spatial structure using environmental DNA metabarcoding targeting the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region of the rRNA gene cluster in habitats across different branches of rivers in forest landscapes. A total of 1,956 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected. Of these, 770 were assigned as Ascomycota, 177 as Basidiomycota, and 38 as Chytridiomycota. The river water was found to contain functionally diverse OTUs of both aquatic and terrestrial fungi, such as plant decomposers and mycorrhizal fungi. These fungal DNA assemblages were more similar within, rather than between, river branches. In addition, the assemblages were more similar between spatially closer branches. This spatial structuring was significantly associated with geographic distances but not with vegetation of the catchment area and the elevation at the sampling points. Our results imply that information on the terrestrial and aquatic fungal compositions of watersheds, and therefore their spatial structure, can be obtained by investigating the fungal DNA assemblages in river water.

scholarly journals Environmental DNA reveals seasonal shifts and potential interactions in a marine community

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anni Djurhuus ◽  
Collin J. Closek ◽  
Ryan P. Kelly ◽  
Kathleen J. Pitz ◽  
Reiko P. Michisaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Potential Interactions ◽  
Marine Community ◽  
Seasonal Shifts

Crystal ball gazing: where next for UK competition law and policy post-Brexit?

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-88
Author(s):  
Noel Beale ◽  
Paschalis Lois
Keyword(s):  
Competition Policy ◽  
Competition Law ◽  
Cooperation Agreement ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Eu Competition Law ◽  
Eu Competition Policy ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Potential Interactions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Eu

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement broadly sets out the nature of the relationship contemplated between UK and EU competition law and policy following Brexit. The question is whether the UK will capitalize on its newfound discretion to deviate its competition policy from the EU in the future. This article considers some of the potential new directions that might be taken within the UK's competition law landscape, specifically in relation to merger control, antitrust and subsidy control. It explores some of the problems and opportunities created in the wake of Brexit, as well as the legal and practical ramifications of future divergences between UK and EU competition policy. Furthermore, it considers how the Competition and Markets Authority may fare in enforcing new policy, as well as its potential interactions with regimes both within and outside the EU.

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