International procurement policies influencing renewable energy siting – implications for South Africa

The South African Renewable Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme selects bid winners based on bid tariff (70% weighting) and various economic development criteria (30% weighting). Locating renewable energy (RE) projects in areas with better resources increases their cost competitiveness. As a result, most successful bids for wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to date have been concentrated in the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape provinces, respectively. Studies have shown that a wider geographic distribution of wind and solar PV projects mitigates the impacts of the variability of wind and solar PV resources, eases grid congestion and generally improves the power system’s operation. This paper conducts a literature review to investigate the procurement methods used in different regions of the world to influence the placement of RE plants, the results of which then inform proposals on adjustments to the current REI4P. The study finds that, after congestion incidents due to concentration of RE plants, some regions implement location-based tariff, where high-resource areas receive the lowest tariff and vice versa. Other regions prioritise on building transmission infrastructure in high-resource areas, while others limit the size of RE installations in one area. Given the current generation and transmission constraints in South Africa, it is important to encourage geographical dispersion of RE plants and avoid RE curtailment, since this can escalate the cost of RE integration significantly.

Temporal-Geographical Dispersion of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein Variant Lineages and Their Functional Prediction Using in Silico Approach

Our study showed the global distribution of SARS-CoV-2 S protein variants from January 2020 to the end of April 2021. We highlighted the key amino acids of S protein subjected to positive selection.

The Origins of the First Reported Cases of the Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases

Background: Inborn Errors of Immunity (IEI) or Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (PID), are heterogeneous diseases with defects on the components of the immune system. We have provided information about the consanguinity and origins of over 400 affected patients for the first time. Methods: To study the genes, we used the classification tables provided by the IUIS (the International Union of Immunological Societies) in 2020, that documents the key clinical and laboratory features of more than 400 inborn errors of immunity. Results: We have identified the national origins of 301 cases with a known gene, while national origins’ information of the 90 other genes (90 cases) was left incomplete, due to the unavailability of the first case reports or the fail to mention the patients’ origin in the article publication of the first report. Among the 301 genes, Asia has the largest geographical dispersion with 103 reported cases. We found that the 101 first case reports, were identified in more than one patient, regardless of the geography they live in. Our survey demonstrated that out of the 165 first reported cases with genetic defects resulted from a consanguineous marriage, 112 cases were identified in Asia. Conclusions: This report provides valuable information on the geographical data and the prevalence of the various genetic disorders, worldwide. Also, by providing information related to parental consanguinity of the first reported cases with a genetic defect, valuable information about inborn errors of immunity, will be accessible for the researchers, which can be used effectively in future studies.

Distribution of lacustrine plankton crustaceans and biogeographic patterns of biodiversity in Chile

The pattern of species richness and its potential causes are fundamental knowledge for an adequate management of biodiversity. In the present study, based on georeferenced lacustrine zooplankton, we evaluated the general species richness pattern and its relationship with hydrographic zonation, assessing four hypotheses: (1) the Rapoport latitudinal effect; (2) geometric restrictions as hard limits to geographical dispersion; (3) nestedness as a measure of the historical dynamics of extinction-colonization; and (4) environmental variables, as a measurement of the habitat as a recent ecological factor. Our results show a heterogeneous species richness pattern, with maxima located between 32-34°S, showing a general decrease towards higher latitudes. However, this pattern does not relate to the Rapoport latitudinal effect or the geometric restrictions. Instead, the pattern is associated with historical extinction-colonization dynamics between the waterbodies and ecological factors such as landscape, water, and energy availability that determine the number of species that these waterbodies can currently support.

Affectionate remittances: Materialism and care in Filipino transnational families in Japan

In this article, the author interrogates how Filipino transnational families in Japan circulate love and care through material exchanges and economic transactions. Specifically, the author explains how and why the Filipino traditions of gift-giving and the sending of balikbayan boxes are closely linked to the creation, embodiment and maintenance of familial ties and belonging, despite geographical dispersion. Also, the article shows how the parenting of children is not a dichotomous process between parents and children, but rather, is a wider process of care circulation undertaken by the entire family unit. The rich narratives presented are drawn from a larger multi-sited ethnographic study that was conducted in Japan and the Philippines with migrants and their family members.

AMAΛΘΕΙA: A Dish-Driven Ontology in the Food Domain

We present AΜAΛΘΕΙA (AMALTHIA), an application ontology that models the domain of dishes as they are presented in 112 menus collected from restaurants/taverns/patisseries in East Macedonia and Thrace in Northern Greece. AΜAΛΘΕΙA supports a tourist mobile application offering multilingual translation of menus, dietary and cultural information about the dishes and their ingredients, as well as information about the geographical dispersion of the dishes. In this document, we focus on the food/dish dimension that constitutes the ontology’s backbone. Its dish-oriented perspective differentiates AΜAΛΘΕΙA from other food ontologies and thesauri, such as Langual, enabling it to codify information about the dishes served, particularly considering the fact that they are subject to wide variation due to the inevitable evolution of recipes over time, to geographical and cultural dispersion, and to the chef’s creativity. We argue for the adopted design decisions by drawing on semantic information retrieved from the menus, as well as other social and commercial facts, and compare AMAΛΘΕΙA with other important taxonomies in the food field. To the best of our knowledge, AΜAΛΘΕΙA is the first ontology modeling (i) dish variation and (ii) Greek (commercial) cuisine (a component of the Mediterranean diet).

Toward Coexistence of Immigrants and Local People in Japan: Implications from Spatial Assimilation Theory

We investigate the validity of spatial assimilation theory (SAT), which predicts geographical dispersion of immigrants from ethnically concentrated areas to non-concentrated areas as time elapses. This can be tested by analyzing the concentration tendency among immigrants who arrive in Japan from overseas and relocate within the country. Using spatial models, we find that immigrants from overseas tend to move to ethnically concentrated regions in Japan, which is in line with SAT. By contrast, this trend substantially weakens with their subsequent domestic relocation, and it differs by national group. The results reveal slow assimilation among nationals from countries characterized as being low-income or culturally dissimilar from Japan. Based on these findings, we discuss potential deficiencies in a new immigration policy (2018), which has been designed to increase the number of immigrants and compensate for a labor shortage in Japan.

Presence of Bromotyrosine Alkaloids in Marine Sponges Is Independent of Metabolomic and Microbiome Architectures

ABSTRACT Marine sponge holobionts are prolific sources of natural products. One of the most geographically widespread classes of sponge-derived natural products is the bromotyrosine alkaloids. A distinguishing feature of bromotyrosine alkaloids is that they are present in phylogenetically disparate sponges. In this study, using sponge specimens collected from Guam, the Solomon Islands, the Florida Keys, and Puerto Rico, we queried whether the presence of bromotyrosine alkaloids potentiates metabolomic and microbiome conservation among geographically distant and phylogenetically different marine sponges. A multi-omic characterization of sponge holobionts revealed vastly different metabolomic and microbiome architectures among different bromotyrosine alkaloid-harboring sponges. However, we find statistically significant correlations between the microbiomes and metabolomes, signifying that the microbiome plays an important role in shaping the overall metabolome, even in low-microbial-abundance sponges. Molecules mined from the polar metabolomes of these sponges revealed conservation of biosynthetic logic between bromotyrosine alkaloids and brominated pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids, another class of marine sponge-derived natural products. In light of prior findings postulating the sponge host itself to be the biosynthetic source of bromotyrosine alkaloids, our data now set the stage for investigating the causal relationships that dictate the microbiome-metabolome interconnectedness for marine sponges in which the microbiome may not contribute to natural product biogenesis. IMPORTANCE Our work demonstrates that phylogenetically and geographically distant sponges with very different microbiomes can harbor natural product chemical classes that are united in their core chemical structures and biosynthetic logic. Furthermore, we show that independent of geographical dispersion, natural product chemistry, and microbial abundance, overall sponge metabolomes tightly correlate with their microbiomes.

Effects of Teleassistance on the Quality of Life of People With Rare Neuromuscular Diseases According to Their Degree of Disability

Rare neuromuscular diseases (RNMDs) are a group of pathologies characterized by a progressive loss of muscular strength, atrophy, fatigue, and other muscle-related symptoms, which affect quality of life (QoL) levels. The low prevalence, high geographical dispersion and disability of these individuals involve difficulties in accessing health and social care services. Teleassistance is presented as a useful tool to perform psychosocial interventions in these situations. The main aim of this research is to assess the effects of a teleassistance psychosocial program on the QoL levels of people with RNMDs who have different levels of disability. A sample of 73 participants was divided into an experimental group (n = 40), which participated in the intervention, and a control wait list group (n = 33). QoL was evaluated through the SIP and the SF-36, and disability through the WHO-DAS II. The participants with a moderate to severe level of disability were those who most benefited from the intervention. The results also revealed that the psychosocial teleassistance program was suitable to improve physical and psychosocial aspects of people suffering from a rare neuromuscular disease with a moderate level of disability, but just psychosocial aspects in those with a severe level of disability.