title: Adaptation to environmental temperature in divergent clades of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus

authors: Leaver, Mark

subjects: adaptation

abstract: Because of ongoing climate change, populations of organisms are being subjected to stressful temperatures more often. This is especially problematic for ectothermic organisms, which are likely to be more sensitive to changes in temperature. Therefore, we need to know if ectotherms have adapted to environmental temperature and, if so, what are the evolutionary mechanisms behind such adaptation. Here, we use the nematode Pristionchus pacificus as a case study to investigate thermal adaptation on the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion, which experiences a range of temperatures from coast to summit. We study the evolution of high-temperature tolerance by constructing a phylogenetic tree of strains collected from many different thermal niches. We show that populations of P. pacificus at low altitudes have higher fertility at warmer temperatures. Most likely, this phenotype has arisen recently and at least twice independently, consistent with parallel evolution. We also studied low-temperature tolerance and showed that populations from high altitudes have increased their fertility at cooler temperatures. Together, these data indicate that P. pacificus strains on La Réunion are subject to divergent selection, adapting to hot and cold niches at the coast and summit of the volcano. Precisely defining these thermal niches provides essential information for models that predict the impact of future climate change on these populations.

text: Adaptation to environmental temperature in divergent clades of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus Because of ongoing climate change, populations of organisms are being subjected to stressful temperatures more often. This is especially problematic for ectothermic organisms, which are likely to be more sensitive to changes in temperature. Therefore, we need to know if ectotherms have adapted to environmental temperature and, if so, what are the evolutionary mechanisms behind such adaptation. Here, we use the nematode Pristionchus pacificus as a case study to investigate thermal adaptation on the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion, which experiences a range of temperatures from coast to summit. We study the evolution of high-temperature tolerance by constructing a phylogenetic tree of strains collected from many different thermal niches. We show that populations of P. pacificus at low altitudes have higher fertility at warmer temperatures. Most likely, this phenotype has arisen recently and at least twice independently, consistent with parallel evolution. We also studied low-temperature tolerance and showed that populations from high altitudes have increased their fertility at cooler temperatures. Together, these data indicate that P. pacificus strains on La Réunion are subject to divergent selection, adapting to hot and cold niches at the coast and summit of the volcano. Precisely defining these thermal niches provides essential information for models that predict the impact of future climate change on these populations.

year: 2022

title: HIV/AIDS in Rural Northeast Thailand: Narratives of the impacts of HIV/AIDS on individuals and households

authors: Cameron, Michael Patrick

subjects: HIV/AIDS

abstract: HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest public health and development challenges currently faced by the global community. Amongst reported statistics, such as the estimated 39.5 million people infected with HIV at the end of 2006, the human face of HIV/AIDS is often lost. This paper presents several narratives of the impacts of HIV/AIDS on individuals and households, drawn from a 2003 survey of 71 HIV/AIDS patients in Khon Kaen Province, Northeast Thailand. These narratives illustrate the broad range of impacts of HIV/AIDS, as well as the diverse coping strategies that are employed to deal with those impacts. The narratives also demonstrate how the HIV/AIDS epidemic impacts not just those who are HIV-infected and other members of their household, but also the wider community.

text: HIV/AIDS in Rural Northeast Thailand: Narratives of the impacts of HIV/AIDS on individuals and households HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest public health and development challenges currently faced by the global community. Amongst reported statistics, such as the estimated 39.5 million people infected with HIV at the end of 2006, the human face of HIV/AIDS is often lost. This paper presents several narratives of the impacts of HIV/AIDS on individuals and households, drawn from a 2003 survey of 71 HIV/AIDS patients in Khon Kaen Province, Northeast Thailand. These narratives illustrate the broad range of impacts of HIV/AIDS, as well as the diverse coping strategies that are employed to deal with those impacts. The narratives also demonstrate how the HIV/AIDS epidemic impacts not just those who are HIV-infected and other members of their household, but also the wider community.

year: 2007-04

title: Anhedonia: He kohinga whiti mai i te tirohanga o ngā wahanga e rima o te pōuri / A collection of poetry themed around loss presented through the lens of the five stages of grief

authors: Nicholls, Rawiri Rangihouhiri Terrence

subjects: Grief

abstract: Anhedonia is a collection of personal experiences centred around loss examined through the lens of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) and framed within a personal confessional postmodernism style. It was also influenced by the collected works of Federico Garcia Lorca, Sylvia Plath, Cassandra Barnett (Ngāti Huri, Raukawa), Kirsty Dunn (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa), and Ngahuia Te Awekotuku (Te Arawa, Tūhoe).

While loss and grief are intrinsically linked to death, within this collection, I further explore other forms of loss and grief. I touch on my loss of cultural identity, mind, and self. As a student, I have been diving deeper into my cultural identity of being Māori and what that means to me. I have lost many things throughout my life at the hands of abuse, depression, grief, and mental health. The poetry within this collection will continue to serve as a blunt reminder of the experiences (both positive and negative) that I have endured or witnessed over the last couple of decades.

I have seen a multitude of losses (in its many variations) as I continue the dance to discover what the mortality of not only myself but those around me means to me. While everyone will experience feelings of grief and loss, I have framed my own experiences in my interpretation of our collective mortality.

text: Anhedonia: He kohinga whiti mai i te tirohanga o ngā wahanga e rima o te pōuri / A collection of poetry themed around loss presented through the lens of the five stages of grief Anhedonia is a collection of personal experiences centred around loss examined through the lens of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) and framed within a personal confessional postmodernism style. It was also influenced by the collected works of Federico Garcia Lorca, Sylvia Plath, Cassandra Barnett (Ngāti Huri, Raukawa), Kirsty Dunn (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa), and Ngahuia Te Awekotuku (Te Arawa, Tūhoe).

While loss and grief are intrinsically linked to death, within this collection, I further explore other forms of loss and grief. I touch on my loss of cultural identity, mind, and self. As a student, I have been diving deeper into my cultural identity of being Māori and what that means to me. I have lost many things throughout my life at the hands of abuse, depression, grief, and mental health. The poetry within this collection will continue to serve as a blunt reminder of the experiences (both positive and negative) that I have endured or witnessed over the last couple of decades.

I have seen a multitude of losses (in its many variations) as I continue the dance to discover what the mortality of not only myself but those around me means to me. While everyone will experience feelings of grief and loss, I have framed my own experiences in my interpretation of our collective mortality.

year: 2024