scholarly journals Grizzled Skippers stuck in the south: Population‐level responses of an early‐successional specialist butterfly to climate across its UK range over 40 years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Bell ◽  
Marc Botham ◽  
Tom M. Brereton ◽  
Andy Fenton ◽  
Jenny Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Population Level ◽  
The South ◽  
Specialist Butterfly ◽  
Over 40 Years

Regeneration by three species of Banksia on the south coast of Western Australia in relation to fire interval

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 311 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Wooller ◽  
R. D. Wooller ◽  
K. L. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Seed Set ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
South Coast ◽  
The South ◽  
Coastal Species ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Canopy Seed Bank ◽  
Over 40 Years

The regeneration strategies of three Banksia species in relation to fire were studied over 20 years in a mediterranean heathland-shrubland on the south coast of Western Australia. Banksia baueri and B. nutans are both bushes 1–2 m high, while B. baxteri is a shrub 4 m high. All three species regenerated only from seed released from the canopy seed bank after fire. They did not start to flower until 6 years after fire and seed set took even longer. Differences between the species in age-related intensity of flowering were related to the rate at which each species accumulated seed in the canopy. Even plants over 40 years old were still increasing their overall canopy seed bank or replacing seeds that had been released or were no longer viable. The vegetation studied appeared to be little affected by humans historically and to have burnt only at intervals of 30–60 years or more. Consequently, although all three species needed fire to regenerate, management of fire regimes needs to allow adequate intervals between fires for the replacement of their canopy seed banks. Indeed, all three Banksia species studied were extinguished from one area burnt twice at an interval of 9 years. Models developed with Banksia species from the northern sand plains of Western Australia, where fires appear more frequent, may need modification to be applicable to all south-coastal species.

scholarly journals Prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among blood donors in Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, and Free State provinces of South Africa in January 2021.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Sykes ◽  
Laurette Mhlanga ◽  
Ronel Swanevelder ◽  
Tanya Nadia Glatt ◽  
Eduard Grebe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Blood Donors ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Free State ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
The South ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Northern Cape

Abstract Background: Population-level estimates of prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity (seroprevalence) is a crucial epidemiological indicator for tracking the Covid-19 epidemic. Such data are in short supply, both internationally and in South Africa. The South African blood services (the South African National Blood Service, SANBS and the Western Cape Blood Service, WCBS) are coordinating a nationally representative survey of blood donors, which it is hoped can become a cost-effective surveillance method with validity for community-level seroprevalence estimation.Methods: Leveraging existing arrangements, SANBS human research ethics committee permission was obtained to test blood donations collected on predefined days (7th, 10th ,12th ,15th ,20th ,23th and 25th January) for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, using the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay on the cobas e411 platform currently available in the blood services’ donation testing laboratories. Using standard methods, prevalence analysis was done by province, age and race, allowing age to be regarded as either a continuous or categorical variable. Testing was performed in the Eastern Cape (EC), Free State (FS), KwaZulu Natal (ZN) and Northern Cape (NC) provinces.Results: We report on data from 4858 donors - 1457 in EC; 463 in NC; 831 in FS and 2107 in ZN. Prevalence varied substantially across race groups and between provinces, with seroprevalence among Black donors consistently several times higher than among White donors, and the other main population groups (Coloured and Asian) not consistently represented in all provinces. There is no clear evidence that seroprevalence among donors varies by age. Weighted net estimates of prevalence (in the core age range 15-69) by province (compared with official clinically-confirmed COVID-19 case rates in mid-January 2021) are: EC-63%(2.8%), NC-32%(2.2%), FS-46%(2.4%), and ZN-52%(2.4%).Conclusions: Our study demonstrates substantial differences in dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 infection between different race groups, most likely explained by historically based differences in socio-economic status and housing conditions. As has been seen in other areas, even such high seroprevalence does not guarantee population-level immunity against new outbreaks – probably due to viral evolution and waning of antibody neutralization. Despite its limitations, notably a ‘healthy donor’ effect, it seems plausible that these estimates are reasonably generalisable to actual population level anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, but should be further verified.

scholarly journals Scots pine in different ecological conditions in the south of the Central Black Earth region: features of the genetic structure of the glutamate dehydrogenase locus

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-93
Author(s):  
Alina Petrovna Serdyukova ◽  
Irina Ivanovna Kamalova ◽  
Natalya Ivanovna Vnukova
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Glutamate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
The South ◽  
Ecological Conditions ◽  
Stress Effects ◽  
Clean Area

A comparative analysis of two Scots pine plantations growing in different ecological conditions of the steppe zone in the south of the Central Black Earth region (Kantemirovsky District of the Voronezh Region) has been carried out. One plantation is located in a relatively ecologically clean area, outside the urban environment, the other one - within the village Kantemirovka. The enzyme system has been studied; it is an important link in the main metabolic pathways in plant organisms influencing the general condition of plants. In the studied stands the genetic structure of the glutamate dehydrogenase locus has been analyzed, one of the alleles of which ( Gdh-1 ) in Scots pine is an embryonic semi-metal. It has been found that in a weakened plantation located in an urban environment and exposed to increased anthropogenic impact, the proportion of this allele and the proportion of genotypes homozygous for it is significantly (p 0,01) higher than in the population from an ecologically clean zone. It is known that organisms with semi-lethal genes in their genotype possess a complex of compensatory genes, which determines their increased resistance to unfavorable factors. An increase in the proportion of semi-lethal alleles in a plantation growing under anthropogenic load can be an adaptive mechanism for increasing resistance at the population level to stress effects of different nature.

scholarly journals Prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among blood donors in South Africa during the period January-May 2021

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Vermeulen ◽  
Laurette Mhlanga ◽  
Wendy Sykes ◽  
Charl Coleman ◽  
Nadia Pietersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Blood Donors ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Viral Evolution ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
The South ◽  
Short Supply

Abstract Background: Population-level estimates of the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity (seroprevalence) are crucial epidemiological indicators for tracking the Covid-19 epidemic. Such data are in short supply, both internationally and in South Africa. The South African blood services (the South African National Blood Service, SANBS and the Western Cape Blood Service, WCBS) are coordinating nationwide surveillance of blood donors. Methods: Leveraging existing arrangements, SANBS human research ethics committee permission was obtained to test blood donations collected on predefined days (in January and May 2021) for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, using the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay on the cobas e411 and e801 platforms currently available in the blood services’ donation testing laboratories. Using standard methods, prevalence analysis was done by province, age, time, sex and race. Results: We report on data from 16762 donations. Prevalence varied substantially across race groups and between provinces, with seroprevalence among Black donors consistently several times higher than among White donors, with the other main population groups (Coloured and Asian) not well represented in all provinces. There is no clear evidence that seroprevalence among donors varies by age or sex. The weighted national estimate of prevalence (in the core age range 15-69 years) is 47.4% (95% CI 46.2-48.6). From January to May, we noted a slight but statistically insignificant increase in seroprevalence in those provinces (Gauteng and Free State) where sufficient data were available to make such an estimate. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates substantial differences in dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 infection between different race groups and provinces, in patterns consistent with known differences in historically entrenched socio-economic status and housing conditions. As has been seen in other contexts, even such high seroprevalence does not guarantee population-level immunity against new outbreaks, as evidenced by a substantial third wave that has emerged almost contemporaneously with the end of sampling in this study. The relative importance of various contributions to this resurgence (notably viral evolution, waning of antibody neutralization efficacy, and infection control fatigue) are unclear. Despite its limitations, notably a ‘healthy donor’ effect and the possible waning of detectable antibodies over the time scale of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems plausible that these estimates are reasonably generalisable to actual population level antiSARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence. The interpretation of occasional seroprevalence surveys as a proxy for total attack rates, over the ever-lengthening pandemic time scale is likely to become ever more complex. More frequent sampling, including linked repeat observations of frequent donors, could substantially improve the utility of blood donor surveillance.

scholarly journals Prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among blood donors in South Africa during the period January-May 2021

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Vermeulen ◽  
Laurette Mhlanga ◽  
Wendy Sykes ◽  
Charl Coleman ◽  
Nadia Pietersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Viral Evolution ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
The South ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Human Research Ethics

Abstract Background:Population-level estimates of the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity (seroprevalence) are crucial epidemiological indicators for tracking the Covid-19 epidemic. Such data are in short supply, both internationally and in South Africa. The South African blood services (the South African National Blood Service, SANBS and the Western Cape Blood Service, WCBS) are coordinating nationwide surveillance of blood donors.Methods:Leveraging existing arrangements, SANBS human research ethics committee permission was obtained to test blood donations collected on predefined days (in January and May 2021) for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, using the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay on the cobas e411 and e801 platforms currently available in the blood services’ donation testing laboratories. Using standard methods, prevalence analysis was done by province, age, time, sex and race.Results:We report on data from 16762 donations. Prevalence varied substantially across race groups and between provinces, with seroprevalence among Black donors consistently several times higher than among White donors, with the other main population groups (Coloured and Asian) not well represented in all provinces. There is no clear evidence that seroprevalence among donors varies by age or sex. The weighted national estimate of prevalence (in the core age range 15-69 years) is 47.4% (95% CI 46.2-48.6). From January to May, we noted a slight but statistically insignificant increase in seroprevalence in those provinces (Gauteng and Free State) where sufficient data were available to make such an estimate.Conclusions:Our study demonstrates substantial differences in dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 infection between different race groups and provinces, in patterns consistent with known differences in historically entrenched socio-economic status and housing conditions. As has been seen in other contexts, even such high seroprevalence does not guarantee population-level immunity against new outbreaks, as evidenced by a substantial third wave that has emerged almost contemporaneously with the end of sampling in this study. The relative importance of various contributions to this resurgence (notably viral evolution, waning of antibody neutralization efficacy, and infection control fatigue) are unclear. Despite its limitations, notably a ‘healthy donor’ effect and the possible waning of detectable antibodies over the time scale of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems plausible that these estimates are reasonably generalisable to actual population level anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence. The interpretation of occasional seroprevalence surveys as a proxy for total attack rates, over the ever-lengthening pandemic time scale is likely to become ever more complex. More frequent sampling, including linked repeat observations of frequent donors, could substantially improve the utility of blood donor surveillance.

scholarly journals The Letting Die of the South Asian Body: a Foucauldian Analysis of White Hegemony in Western Cardiovascular Medicine

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Rishi Bansal
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
South Asians ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The South ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Asian Patients ◽  
Letting Die ◽  
Equitable Treatment

Cardiovascular disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada and disproportionately affects those of South Asian ancestry. Anecdotally, stories of missed signs and emergency bypass surgeries are abound; empirically, medical research has identified a series of distinct risk factors for South Asian individuals. However, these factors are typically unrecognized by healthcare workers who are typically trained to use recommendations that are founded research done using Caucasian participants. The consequence of this omission is the normalization of the Caucasian body as 'the body' in medicine through disciplinary and regulatory mechanisms, and the 'letting die' of the South Asian body as a result. In taking a Foucauldian approach to this issue, this essay first maps the empirical evidence for the heightened CVD risk in South Asians, namely their predisposition to developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia, among other factors. Disciplinary mechanisms to enforce social cohesion discount these differences as exceptions, and attempt to rehabilitate the South Asian body towards the Caucasian norm. These actions are often subconscious, but result in real actions like spending less time with South Asian patients, misuse of assessment metrics, and lower cardiac rehabilitation referral rates. On a population level, research funding is rarely given to studies investigating disease in particular ethnic groups. Hence, clinical practice guidelines must rely on incomplete data to create population-level recommendations. These guidelines act as if they apply to all individuals, but are in fact partisan; thus, the biopolitical control of populations is made apparent through the racist undertones that thrum beneath the veneer of an equal society.  Ultimately, this essay serves a counterhistorical function, and demands recognition of the South Asian body in the medical literature. The current medical regime routinely discounts populations who exist outside the norm. Future research and acknowledgement of these groups is necessary to ensure equitable treatment of all patients, regardless of their background.

scholarly journals Global cultural evolutionary model of humpback whale song

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1836) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lies Zandberg ◽  
Robert F. Lachlan ◽  
Luca Lamoni ◽  
Ellen C. Garland
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Vocal Learning ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
The South ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Cultural Evolutionary

Humpback whale song is an extraordinary example of vocal cultural behaviour. In northern populations, the complex songs show long-lasting traditions that slowly evolve, while in the South Pacific, periodic revolutions occur when songs are adopted from neighbouring populations and rapidly spread. In this species, vocal learning cannot be studied in the laboratory, learning is instead inferred from the songs' complexity and patterns of transmission. Here, we used individual-based cultural evolutionary simulations of the entire Southern and Northern Hemisphere humpback whale populations to formalize this process of inference. We modelled processes of song mutation and patterns of contact among populations and compared our model with patterns of song theme sharing measured in South Pacific populations. Low levels of mutation in combination with rare population interactions were sufficient to closely fit the pattern of diversity in the South Pacific, including the distinctive pattern of west-to-east revolutions. Interestingly, the same learning parameters that gave rise to revolutions in the Southern Hemisphere simulations gave rise to evolutionary patterns of cultural evolution in the Northern Hemisphere populations. Our study demonstrates how cultural evolutionary approaches can be used to make inferences about the learning processes underlying cultural transmission and how they might generate emergent population-level processes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Vocal learning in animals and humans’.

Presidential Republicanism in the South, 1960

1962 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Cosman
Keyword(s):  
The South

Long-term Cyclic Variations of Prominences, Green and Red Coronae over Solar Cycles

2000 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 201-204
Author(s):  
Vojtech Rušin ◽  
Milan Minarovjech ◽  
Milan Rybanský
Keyword(s):  
Emission Lines ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Green Line ◽  
Solar Cycles ◽  
The South ◽  
Coronal Emission ◽  
Local Maxima ◽  
The North ◽  
Cyclic Variations

AbstractLong-term cyclic variations in the distribution of prominences and intensities of green (530.3 nm) and red (637.4 nm) coronal emission lines over solar cycles 18–23 are presented. Polar prominence branches will reach the poles at different epochs in cycle 23: the north branch at the beginning in 2002 and the south branch a year later (2003), respectively. The local maxima of intensities in the green line show both poleward- and equatorward-migrating branches. The poleward branches will reach the poles around cycle maxima like prominences, while the equatorward branches show a duration of 18 years and will end in cycle minima (2007). The red corona shows mostly equatorward branches. The possibility that these branches begin to develop at high latitudes in the preceding cycles cannot be excluded.

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