Dual community assembly processes in dryland biocrust communities

1. Biocrusts are critical components of drylands where they regulate a wide range of ecosystem functions, however, their response to the world‐wide phenomenon of shrub encroachment and to livestock grazing, the most extensive land use in drylands, is not well studied. Grazing by livestock and increases in shrub cover could influence biocrust communities directly via trampling or shading, or indirectly, by altering biotic interactions amongst biocrust taxa. The extent of these changes in biocrust cover, diversity and composition are poorly known. 2. We used linear models and structural equation modelling to examine the direct effects of grazing and shrubs on biocrust community composition and the indirect effects mediated by changes in species interactions. 3. Biocrust richness and cover increased with increasing shrub cover at the site level. This pattern occurred despite the negative response we found (lower cover and richness) under shrub patches versus open areas, which was consistent irrespective of the grazing level. Functional diversity and evenness were similar between shrubs and open at low grazing intensity, but at high grazing functional diversity was greater in the open. Competition between biocrust species was an important driver of their community assembly irrespective of shrub cover, grazing intensity or patch type. Structural equation models showed that the effects of grazing and shrub cover on functional evenness, functional diversity and richness were controlled by biotic interactions within the shrub microsites. In the open, however, these effects were either direct or mediated by changes in cover. 4. Biocrust cover, species richness and functional diversity increase with shrub cover at the site scale, despite the negative effects at the microsite level. We demonstrate here that drivers of community assembly differ markedly at small spatial scales. Though biocrust communities were directly driven by environmental filtering in the open, biotic interactions played a fundamental role in their assembly when growing beneath shrubs.Both authors acknowledge support from the Hermon Slade Foundation Grant no. HSF13/1. S.S. was supported by the Spanish Government under the Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC-2016-20604)

Intensified co-precipitation and ion exchange using an agitated tubular reactor (ATR) for enhanced removal of Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ ions

Composite coagulants were synthesised in both a batch system and an agitated tubular reactor (ATR) using natural clinoptilolite with barite (BaSO₄) co-precipitation for the intensified simultaneous removal of Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ ions. Ideal plug-flow characterisation of ATR was initially assessed under 3 and 5 Hz oscillations, showing pseudo plug-flow behaviour at the higher rate. Composite flocs were characterised by SEM and size analysis, while dewaterability was also studied by sedimentation and pressure filtration. Aggregate sizes were smaller, but denser and more monodisperse from the ATR than in batch. Composite flocs also gave measured specific cake resistances > 10 × smaller than pure BaSO₄. The higher metal removal performance was achieved using the ATR for Cs⁺ (95.7%) and Sr²⁺ (99.9%) at 5 Hz oscillation. A further enhancement for Cs⁺ removal was achieved by introducing Ba2+ ions into ATR after Na₂SO₄ addition, achieving > 96% Cs⁺ and > 99.9% Sr²⁺ removal. Overall, this study highlights that composite flocs outperform pure BaSO₄ in Cs⁺ and Sr²⁺ ion removal while achieving greater dewaterability and filterability. Additionally, we show the ATR effectively intensified the co-precipitation process, potentially reducing plant size and cost, making it a suitable process for modular nuclear cleanup and post-management operations

(Mis)understanding trauma informed approaches in mental health

The Journal of Mental Health has a history of publishing articles that explore the ways traumatic experiences lead to mental distress, and the experiences of trauma survivors (Cooke, 2016; Harper, Stalker, Palmer, & Gadbois, 2008; Karatzias, Ferguson, Gullone, & Cosgrove, 2016; Kucharska, 2017; Mueser & Rosenberg, 2003; Salter & Richters 2012; Xie, Jiuping, & Zhibin, 2017). These articles join other evi- dence demonstrating that large numbers of people in con- tact with mental health services have experienced traumatic events (Khalifeh et al., 2015), that these experiences are causal in the development of mental distress (Felitti et al., 1998; Morrison, Frame, & Larkin, 2003) and that there is a relationship between the severity, frequency and range of adverse experiences, and the subsequent impact on mental health (Dillon, Johnstone, & Longden, 2012). For instance, there is evidence of a strong link between childhood trauma and adulthood psychosis (Varese et al., 2012), and intimate partner violence and depression (Devries et al., 2013). It is also argued that social factors such as poverty and racism can be considered forms of trauma and that traumatic expe- riences are more common within ethnic minority and socially disadvantaged groups (Hatch & Dohrenwend, 2007; Paradies, 2006). This, coupled with evidence of iatrogenic harm in psychiatric services, has led to the development of trauma-informed approaches. Despite growing international interest, trauma-informed approaches can seem fuzzy, complex, something that service providers already do, or a theorised call for practitioners to “be nicer.” However, writing as trauma survivors and aca- demics/clinician, the more we learn about trauma-informed approaches, the more we argue that these approaches have the potential to lead to a fundamental shift in how mental health services are organised and delivered, meaning that they are better able to meet the needs of service users. In this editorial, we will explore the central drivers for trauma- informed approaches, outline the key principles of the approach, discuss some common misconceptions and high- light some of the dangers associated with trauma-informed practices. We conclude by arguing for the need for survivor organisations to have a key role in shaping the agenda

Treatment in the absence of disease reclassification among men on active surveillance for prostate cancer

BackgroundMaintaining men on active surveillance for prostate cancer can be challenging. Although most men who eventually undergo treatment have experienced clinical progression, a smaller subset elects treatment in the absence of disease reclassification. This study sought to understand factors associated with treatment in a large, contemporary, prospective cohort.MethodsThis study identified 1789 men in the Canary Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance Study cohort enrolled as of 2020 with a median follow-up of 5.6 years. Clinical and demographic data as well as information on patient-reported quality of life and urinary symptoms were used in multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models to identify factors associated with the time to treatment RESULTS: Within 4 years of their diagnosis, 33% of men (95% confidence interval [CI], 30%-35%) underwent treatment, and 10% (95% CI, 9%-12%) were treated in the absence of reclassification. The most significant factor associated with any treatment was an increasing Gleason grade group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 14.5; 95% CI, 11.7-17.9). Urinary quality-of-life scores were associated with treatment without reclassification (aHR comparing "mostly dissatisfied/terrible" with "pleased/mixed," 2.65; 95% CI, 1.54-4.59). In a subset analysis (n = 692), married men, compared with single men, were more likely to undergo treatment in the absence of reclassification (aHR, 2.63; 95% CI, 1.04-6.66).ConclusionsA substantial number of men with prostate cancer undergo treatment in the absence of clinical changes in their cancers, and quality-of-life changes and marital status may be important factors in these decisions.Lay summaryThis analysis of men on active surveillance for prostate cancer shows that approximately 1 in 10 men will decide to be treated within 4 years of their diagnosis even if their cancer is stable. These choices may be related in part to quality-or-life or spousal concerns

Genome-Wide Transcript Profiling of Endosperm without Paternal Contribution Identifies Parent-of-Origin–Dependent Regulation of AGAMOUS-LIKE36

Seed development in angiosperms is dependent on the interplay among different transcriptional programs operating in the embryo, the endosperm, and the maternally-derived seed coat. In angiosperms, the embryo and the endosperm are products of double fertilization during which the two pollen sperm cells fuse with the egg cell and the central cell of the female gametophyte. In Arabidopsis, analyses of mutants in the cell-cycle regulator CYCLIN DEPENDENT KINASE A;1 (CKDA;1) have revealed the importance of a paternal genome for the effective development of the endosperm and ultimately the seed. Here we have exploited cdka;1 fertilization as a novel tool for the identification of seed regulators and factors involved in parent-of-origin–specific regulation during seed development. We have generated genome-wide transcription profiles of cdka;1 fertilized seeds and identified approximately 600 genes that are downregulated in the absence of a paternal genome. Among those, AGAMOUS-LIKE (AGL) genes encoding Type-I MADS-box transcription factors were significantly overrepresented. Here, AGL36 was chosen for an in-depth study and shown to be imprinted. We demonstrate that AGL36 parent-of-origin–dependent expression is controlled by the activity of METHYLTRANSFERASE1 (MET1) maintenance DNA methyltransferase and DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase. Interestingly, our data also show that the active maternal allele of AGL36 is regulated throughout endosperm development by components of the FIS Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), revealing a new type of dual epigenetic regulation in seeds

Optimism and commitment: An elementary theory of bargaining and war

We propose an elementary theory of wars fought by fully rational contenders. Two parties play a Markov game that combines stages of bargaining with stages where one side has the ability to impose surrender on the other. Under uncertainty and incomplete information, in the unique equilibrium of the game, long confrontations occur: war arises when reality disappoints initial (rational) optimism, and it persist longer when both agents are optimists but reality proves both wrong. Bargaining proposals that are rejected initially might eventually be accepted after several periods of confrontation. We provide an explicit computation of the equilibrium, evaluating the probability of war, and its expected losses as a function of i) the costs of confrontation, ii) the asymmetry of the split imposed under surrender, and iii) the strengths of contenders at attack and defense. Changes in these parameters display non-monotonic effects