Conspecific attraction and nest site selection in a nomadic species, the zebra finch

Conspecific nesting density affects many aspects of breeding biology, as well as habitat selection decisions. However, the large variations in breeding density observed in many species are yet to be fully explained. Here, we investigated the settlement patterns in a colonial species with variable breeding density and where resource distribution could be manipulated. The zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, is a classic avian model in evolutionary biology but we know surprisingly very little about nest site selection strategies and nesting densities in this species, and in fact, in nomadic species in general. Yet, important determinants of habitat selection strategies, including temporal predictability and breeding synchrony, are likely to be different in nomadic species than in the non-nomadic species studied to date. Here, we manipulated the distribution of nesting sites (by providing nest boxes) and food patches (feeders) to test four non-exclusive habitat selection hypotheses that could lead to nest aggregation: 1) attraction to resources, 2) attraction to breeding conspecifics, and 3) attraction to successful conspecifics and 4) use of private information (i.e. own reproductive success on a site). We found that wild zebra finches used conspecific presence and possibly reproductive success, to make decisions over where to locate their nests, but did not aggregate around water or food within the study areas. Moreover, there was a high degree of inter-individual variation in nesting density preference. We discuss the significance of our results for habitat selection strategy in nomadic species and with respect to the differential selection pressures that individuals breeding at different densities may experience.

Allosteric Modulation of the HIV-1 gp120-gp41 Association Site by Adjacent gp120 Variable Region 1 (V1) N-Glycans Linked to Neutralization Sensitivity

The HIV-1 gp120-gp41 complex, which mediates viral fusion and cellular entry, undergoes rapid evolution within its external glycan shield to enable escape from neutralizing antibody (NAb). Understanding how conserved protein determinants retain functionality in the context of such evolution is important for their evaluation and exploitation as potential drug and/ or vaccine targets. In this study, we examined how the conserved gp120-gp41 association site, formed by the N- and Cterminal segments of gp120 and the disulfide-bonded region (DSR) of gp41, adapts to glycan changes that are linked to neutralization sensitivity. To this end, a DSR mutant virus (K601D) with defective gp120-association was sequentially passaged in peripheral blood mononuclear cells to select suppressor mutations. We reasoned that the locations of suppressors point to structural elements that are functionally linked to the gp120-gp41 association site. In culture 1, gp120 association and viral replication was restored by loss of the conserved glycan at Asn136 in V1 (T138N mutation) in
conjunction with the L494I substitution in C5 within the association site. In culture 2, replication was restored with deletion of the N139INN sequence, which ablates the overlapping Asn141-Asn142-Ser-Ser potential N-linked glycosylation sequons in
V1, in conjunction with D601N in the DSR. The 136 and 142 glycan mutations appeared to exert their suppressive effects by altering the dependence of gp120-gp41 interactions on the DSR residues, Leu593, Trp596 and Lys601. The 136 and/or 142
glycan mutations increased the sensitivity of HIV-1 pseudovirions to the glycan-dependent NAbs 2G12 and PG16, and also pooled IgG obtained from HIV-1-infected individuals. Thus adjacent V1 glycans allosterically modulate the distal gp120-
gp41 association site. We propose that this represents a mechanism for functional adaptation of the gp120-gp41 association site to an evolving glycan shield in a setting of NAb selection.

Words and things: souvenirs of over-site/over-sight for place-making

This paper addresses the problem of making things in a given place (Qatar), and asks how anticipations and memories of place contribute to practice-based manoeuvres of place-making. Flying across time zones and travelling through sites suggests aspects of place-making that would draw upon both a notion of meteorites coming to earth and an awareness of the sensory consequences of global travelling. What this experience also suggests is an ‘over-sight’ (‘over-site’) in how travellers remember a place for themselves, and how they re-member it for others in the form of souvenirs. Going to a place might often default to an envisioning of pre-emptive or imaginary souvenirs in anticipation of the destination; thinking about what a place might be like is hard to separate from what we think we will eventually take away from it. Thus, the idea to be explored is how we might ‘make in to place’ as much as we ‘make something in-place,’ which perhaps results in ‘making some thing into a place’. Etymologically, souvenir already suggests this in its derivation from Old French: ‘to remember, come to mind.’ How does one ‘come to remembering’ in a place that, like all planetary places, will always be both global and local? Perhaps it depends on how one lands in a place…. Meteoroids remain in orbit around a place: nascent souvenirs always above the horizon, un-made place-makings. Meteors come closer to landing but still, by definition, burn up in the atmospheres of the new place. Meteorites, though, land: they suggest what we mean by the human element of ‘makings in-/to place.’ Travelling from somewhere, to somewhere yet to be fully determined, meteorites (people and/or words and/or senses) reflect the dispersion and compression of sensory (thing-based) and word-based experiences of place. Drawing on the work of Paul Hopper, Paul Carter, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, Michel Serres, William Desmond and Julia Kristeva, the paper concludes that words evoke a place in which the present might take place, and that the senses evoke a present in which place might take place.

Design of multiligand inhibitors for the swine flu H1N1 neuraminidase binding site

Viral neuraminidase inhibitors such as oseltamivir and zanamivir prevent early virus multiplication by blocking sialic acid cleavage on host cells. These drugs are effective for the treatment of a variety of influenza subtypes, including swine flu (H1N1). The binding site for these drugs is well established and they were designed based on computational docking studies. We show here that some common natural products have moderate inhibitory activity for H1N1 neuraminidase under docking studies. Significantly, docking studies using AutoDock for biligand and triligand forms of these compounds (camphor, menthol, and methyl salicylate linked via methylene bridges) indicate that they may bind in combination with high affinity to the H1N1 neuraminidase active site. These results also indicate that chemically linked biligands and triligands of these natural products could provide a new class of drug leads for the prevention and treatment of influenza. This study also highlights the need for a multiligand docking algorithm to understand better the mode of action of natural products, wherein multiple active ingredients are present.

The site of 'becoming' - music and adolescence as liminal spaces in a selection of young adult fictions

Both the experience of music (Boyce-Tillman 2009, DeChaine 2002) and that of adolescence (Bettis and Adams 2005, Bradford 2013, Meyer and Land 2005) have been described as "liminal spaces" - that is, spaces in which transformation of those involved can occur. This paper will examine three texts with an implied young adult audience - Marion's Angels (K. M. Peyton, 1979, later republished as Falling Angels), The Bamboo Flute (Gary Disher, 1992), and The Carbon Diaries 2017 (Saci Lloyd, 2009) - to demonstrate how engagement with music assists the young adult protagonist with negotiating certain necessary developmental tasks of adolescence.

The M4 muscarinic antagonist MT-3 inhibits myopia in chick: evidence for site of action

It is well established that the broad-band muscarinic antagonist, atropine is effective at inhibiting the progression of myopia and does so by preventing the elongation of the vitreous chamber of the eye. However, uncertainty remains as to whether this effect occurs through a receptoral mechanism and, if so, which muscarinic receptor subtype mediates this effect. Previous work, in avian and mammalian models of myopia, implicates the M1 and M4 receptors as potential targets. The current study used physiologically relevant concentrations of highly selective muscarinic antagonists (MT-3 and MT-7) to further characterise the role of the M4 receptor in the control of myopia in the chick model of refractive development.

Embracing off-site innovation in construction in China to enhance a sustainable built environment in urban housing

With the rapid rate of urbanization and pressing need for higher levels of sustainable development within the built environment in China, the housing construction industry presently is facing urgency of shaping a sustainable construction process. This paper examines several sustainability challenges from the large-scale urban housing construction, and explores the connection between off-site innovation and sustainability within a context of China's housing construction industry. The study also identifies four pillars of strategy agendas that could enhance an enabling innovation environment for the ultimate goal of sustainability: (1) institutional environment, (2) public housing market, (3) organisational actions and (4) technological capacity. The knowledge and research findings presented in this paper would provide a ground framework that helps evaluate and assess the significances of off-site innovation to assist with a sustainable built environment.

East Rennell World Heritage Site : misunderstandings, inconsistencies and opportunities in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in the Pacific Islands

Continuing traditional land tenure and resource use pattern the landscapes and seascapes of the Pacific Islands, and the rights of customary land owners are enshrined in the constitutions of many Pacific Island states. The implications of this for heritage conservation programs implemented by national governments under international Conventions and Agreements are explored through a case study of East Rennell World Heritage site, the first site to be inscribed based on natural criteria under customary ownership and management. Dissatisfaction with World Heritage listing expressed by the community of East Rennell is argued to reflect inconsistencies in the requirements for inscription of the property and a tension between the conservation and ‘beauty pageant’ functions of the World Heritage List.

An un-inherited past: preserving the Khami world heritage site, Zimbabwe

 National narratives are not collective memory. They are socially engineered processes that requires forgetting. The thesis analyses the social dynamics of heritage in postcolonial Africa using Khami World Heritage Site, Zimbabwe. It traces how Khami was uninherited through changing identities, population movement, processes of remembering and forgetting in nation-building processes.

Getting everyone on the same page : A staff focus group study for library web site redesign

Purpose - Using staff focus groups in the redevelopment of a library web site deploys their knowledge of user navigation issues and search strategies and addresses the unique needs of library staff. This paper seeks to describe the process of planning, recruiting, and conducting staff focus groups and provide a discussion of lessons learned. Design/methodology/approach - A committee of professionals and non-professionals from the University of Calgary Library conducted a series of five focus groups with library staff. The goals were to determine their content and service priorities for the redesigned library web site, and also to ensure that staff was included in the redesign process. Findings - This paper makes recommendations for library staff focus group interviewing, including planning, formulating questions, recruitment, conducting sessions, and analysis and reporting. Practical implications - Focus group interviews can be effectively conducted in-house, with careful planning and adherence to established guidelines. Focus groups are a very useful method for gathering staff input for web site redesign or any other library-planning project. Originality/value - This paper will be useful to librarians interested in assessing staff needs and priorities through focus group interviews. The paper fills a void in the library literature regarding the use of library staff as both focus group leaders and participants.