Test Environmental Research Collection

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https://hdl.handle.net/1911/118256

This is a test collection created as part of a Fondren Fellows project (2024-2025). This collection is intended to serve as a proof of concept for a permanent collection that showcases environmental research conducted by Rice researchers. All items currently in this collection have been mapped from other collections in R-3.

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A School Effects Analysis of First-Generation, Working-Class Students’ Long-Term Outcomes
(2024-10-28) Harvey, Lauren; Fiel, Jeremy
Sociologists have long recognized schools as important factors in student outcomes, but prior work often takes institutional forces for granted when analyzing class inequality in higher education, focusing instead on students’ skills and resources. This study applies the Critical Cultural Wealth Model to argue that institutions differentially impact long-term academic, professional, and social-emotional outcomes of first-generation, working-class (FGWC) students and their peers. School effects analyses of data from the College and Beyond II Study reveal several key findings. First, colleges and universities differentially affect student outcomes. Second, these institutions shape academic, professional, and social-emotional disparities between FGWC students and their peers. Finally, the institutions that most positively affect academic outcomes for FGWC students have more negative impacts on these students’ social psychological outcomes. These results affirm that shows higher education institutions matter for student success and class inequality but show they may do so in contradictory ways for different outcomes.
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Healthcare Access and Equity
(2024-12-05) Mishra, Dibya Deepta; Coughlin, Maura; Tang, Xun
This dissertation presents three essays examining healthcare access and equity in developing contexts, with a focus on India. The first essay investigates patient behavior in hospital selection following the implementation of a universal insurance program, shedding light on factors influencing healthcare utilization patterns. The second essay evaluates the multifaceted impacts of a large-scale subsidized menstrual hygiene product distribution scheme on women's health outcomes and educational attainment. The final essay assesses the effects of a nutrition intervention program targeting adolescent girls on both educational performance and health indicators. Together, these studies contribute to our understanding of how targeted health interventions and policy changes can address disparities in healthcare access and improve overall well-being in resource-constrained settings.
How African Immigrants Interpret The Connection Between Their Religion and Health.
(2024-10-22) Biney, Moses Ohene; Howard Ecklund, Elaine; Diaz, Christina J
Religion can positively and negatively influence individuals’ health behaviors. While religion can deter risky behaviors like alcohol abuse, it can sometimes discourage seeking healthcare. Religion has primarily been presented as a barrier to seeking healthcare. Additionally, African immigrants in the United States of America have received less coverage in research about their religion and health despite being part of a demographic group (Blacks) that has developed a mistrust of the medical health system in the U.S. due to historical treatment. This thesis examines the health experiences of African immigrants in Houston, Texas, focusing on how they interpret the connection between their religion and physical health. It also explores the perceived role that religious congregations play in the health experiences of African immigrants. Drawing on in-depth interviews of 37 Christian African immigrants living in Houston, I find that religion acts as a pathway to healthy living and seeking healthcare among African immigrants. Thus, religion provides a framework for a positive perspective on medical healthcare. By focusing on African immigrants, this study serves as a case for understanding the health experience and behaviors of highly educated and religious populations.
Politics at Play: The Jewish Community and the Development of the Visual Arts in Buenos Aires, 1943-1952
(2024-12-06) Mohl, Rachel Grace; Lopez Duran, Fabiola
My dissertation asserts that, between 1943 and 1952, distinct factions of the Jewish community in Buenos Aires deployed artmaking and collecting to promote a communist-leaning platform to emerge from the margins of society into intellectual leftist circles while concurrently encouraging Argentina to engage in the global shift of capital formation towards development economic practices. In this way the Jewish diasporic impulse towards avant-garde cosmopolitanism in the visual arts, characterized by the instrumentalization of current artistic trends in the service of creating an interconnected, global community, goes beyond navigating identities and becomes the foundation for actively constructing culture in Argentina. This dissertation interrogates how culture is constructed through a network of interacting political, economic, and social agendas. Within this framework, I contend that the Jewish community strove to establish cultural capital as a resource that it invested, accumulated, and converted into other forms of capital. In this sense, cultural production became a process of position-taking and nation-building for the Jews in Argentina. The first part of my dissertation focuses on the seminal institution Sociedad Hebraica de Argentina (SHA), which acted as a mediator between the Jewish community and the Argentinean intellectual elites using artmaking and collecting as cultural capital to influence the development of the nation. Chapters 1 and 2 examine various artistic endeavors that the SHA promoted a leftist leaning ideological stance with subtle communist undertones, while establishing a vehicle to integrate the Jewish community into the larger national rhetoric through its commitment to modernization and development in Buenos Aires. The second part of my dissertation explores the Jewish contingency of Arte Concreto Invención, one of the most important and innovative avant-garde movements to emerge in Buenos Aires in the 1940s. This group created a space outside of official channels for Jews to navigate their place within the local, cultural scene with like-minded intellectuals, many of whom were also emigrés. Because they functioned outside of consecrated spaces, these Jews had more freedom than affiliated institutions and collectors to take a radical and innovative approach to artmaking and challenge the dominant discourses. Chapters 3 and 4 address how these artists, including Gyula Kosice, Martín Blazsko, Grete Stern, Yente, and Diyi Laañ, embraced non-figurative art as a way to propel Argentinean society forward. I contend that this coincides with the Jewish community’s desire to make the country global and modern and promote communist ideology.
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Evolution of Holiness Camp Kwali, Abuja: Gnosis and History Exemplifying a shift from Church-Centric to Community-Centric Christianity
(2024-11-15) Adamu, Dauda Umaru; Bongmba , Elias K
Abstract Historically, the Evangelical Revival and the Great Awakenings of the eighteenth century primarily resulted in the establishment of church institutions through rituals. This work is going to demonstrate that while the early history of revivalism is well documented in Nigeria, the contrast today is that the current revival leaders have also expanded the scope of their vision to create Nigerian Pentecostal camp meeting revivals beyond church institutions into creating Christian neighborhoods governed according to the teachings and doctrines of specific movements. This research focuses on the Holiness Camp, Abuja. Ruth Marshall's observation that "In Nigeria, the line between the city and the church is rapidly vanishing" underscores the transformation of the Redemption Camp into the Redemption City of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, highlighting significant real estate investments that have turned the camp into a residential area. Despite the extensive literature on Nigerian Pentecostalism, a significant gap remains in understanding the connection between Pentecostalism and neighborhood development through the tradition of Pentecostal revival camps and their evolution into exclusive Christian enclaves. This dissertation addresses how daily spiritual devotions transform a camp space into a new and settled community by examining the Holiness Camp in Abuja, Nigeria, as a case study of a diastolic camp. It categorizes Pentecostal revival camps in Nigeria into three types: systolic, equilibrium, and diastolic (residential) camps. The research posits the perspective that the frequency and constancy of spiritual devotion, large expanse of land, and founder’s residence in the camp, are crucial for an equilibrium or seasonal camp to transition into a Holiness Revival Movement Worldwide’s camp into a diastolic or residential camp. Key activities for neighborhood development shift from seasonal to daily or weekly devotions, with four quarterly conferences hosted at the camp. I demonstrate that the presence of the founder's residence, internal security system, large expanses of land available for sale or gift to members, the administrative headquarters being located within the camp, and the emergence of socio-economic activities such as commercial laundry, printing press, mechanic workshops, restaurants, medical clinics, schools, and factories for block and water production, all guided by the doctrines of the movement, endow the camp with the features of a neighborhood with a religious worldview. This research employs descriptive analysis methods and Anthony Wallace’s event-analysis methodological principle to examine the spiritual and doctrinal systems addressing everyday needs in the Holiness Camp. The study is grounded in comprehensive fieldwork, utilizing diverse data sources, including field notes, diaries, devotional tracts, oral and telephone interviews, participant observation, and an extensive collection of over fifty books authored by Paul Rika, the founder of HOREMOW. Additionally, it incorporates the analysis of multimedia sources such as photographs, YouTube and Facebook videos, audio and video disks, websites, maps, Zoom meetings, and academic journal articles. This dissertation contributes to the understanding of the evolving nature of Pentecostal revival camps in Nigeria, providing insights into the complex interplay between Pentecostalism and neighborhood development.
Public advocates, private advisors: the autonomy, function, and influence of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2024) Evans, Kenneth M.; Matthews, Kirstin R.W.; Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program
US national expert advisory bodies related to science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy have a wide range of missions, governing structures, operational practices, cultures, and impact on federal policymaking. This paper offers an analytical framework for assessing the autonomy, function, and influence of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), a federal advisory committee consisting of 30 elite scientists, engineers, and industry leaders appointed by and advising the president. We demonstrate that PCAST carries both a strong instrumental advisory role, providing substantive advice to White House STI policy development, and a significant symbolic advisory role, offering visible public support to presidential decisions and initiatives related to STI. However, we find that the council’s engagement with either or both roles has shifted depending on its available resources, the policy agenda of the administration it serves, the level of presidential attention, and the priorities of council leadership. The paper concludes with recommendations to guide future PCASTs in fulfilling their mission and appropriately influencing US national STI policy.
Protracted carbon burial following the Early Jurassic Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (Posidonia Shale, Lower Saxony Basin, Germany)
(Springer Nature, 2024) Celestino, R. F. S.; Ruhl, M.; Dickson, A. J.; Idiz, E.; Jenkyns, H. C.; Leng, M. J.; Mattioli, E.; Minisini, D.; Hesselbo, S. P.
Lower Jurassic marine basins across the northwest European epicontinental shelf were commonly marked by deposition of organic-rich black shales. Organic-carbon burial was particularly widespread during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE: also known as the Jenkyns Event) with its accompanying negative carbon-isotope excursion (nCIE). Lower Toarcian black shales in central and southern Germany are known as the Posidonia Shale Formation (Posidonienschiefer) and are thought to have formed during the T-OAE nCIE. Here, we present stratigraphic (carbon-isotope, Rock–Eval, calcareous nannofossil) data from the upper Pliensbachian and lower Toarcian strata from a core drilled on the northern flank of the Lower Saxony Basin, north–west Germany. The bio- and chemostratigraphic framework presented demonstrates that (i) the rock record of the T-OAE at the studied locality registered highly condensed sedimentation and/or multiple hiatuses and (ii) the deposition of organic-rich black shale extended significantly beyond the level of the T-OAE, thereby contrasting with well-studied sections of the Posidonia Shale in southern Germany but showing similarities with geographically nearby basins such as the Paris Basin (France). Prolonged and enhanced organic-carbon burial represents a negative feedback mechanism in the Earth system, with locally continued environmental perturbance accelerating the recovery of the global climate from T-OAE-associated hyperthermal conditions, whilst also accelerating a return to more positive δ13C values in global exogenic carbon pools.
A global Data Assimilation of Moisture Patterns from 21 000–0 BP (DAMP-21ka) using lake level proxy records
(Copernicus Publications, 2024) Hancock, Christopher L.; Erb, Michael P.; McKay, Nicholas P.; Dee, Sylvia G.; Ivanovic, Ruza F.
Global hydroclimate significantly differed from modern climate during the mid-Holocene (6 ka) and Last Glacial Maximum (21 ka). Consequently, both periods have been described as either a partial or reverse analogue for current climate change. To reconstruct past hydroclimate, an offline paleoclimate data assimilation methodology is applied to a dataset of 216 lake status records which provide relative estimates of water level change. The proxy observations are integrated with the climate dynamics of two transient simulations (TraCE-21ka and HadCM3) using a multivariate proxy system model (PSM) which estimates relative lake status from available climate simulation variables. The resulting DAMP-21ka (Data Assimilation of Moisture Patterns 21 000–0 BP) reanalysis reconstructs annual lake status and precipitation values at 500-year resolution and represents the first application of the methodology to global hydroclimate on timescales spanning the Holocene and longer. Validation using Pearson's correlation coefficients indicates that the reconstruction (0.24) is more skillful, on average, than model simulations (0.09), particularly in portions of North America and east Africa, where data density is high and proxy–model disagreement is prominent during the Holocene. Results of the PSM and assimilation are used to evaluate climatic controls on lake status, spatiotemporal patterns of moisture variability, and proxy–model disagreement. During the mid-Holocene, wetter conditions are reconstructed for northern and eastern Africa, Asia, and southern Australia, but in contrast to the model prior, negative anomalies are observed in North America, resulting in drier-than-modern conditions throughout the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes. Proxy–model disagreement in western North America may reflect a bias in model simulations to stronger sea level pressure gradients in the North Pacific during the mid-Holocene. The data assimilation framework is able to reconcile these differences by integrating the constraints of proxy observations with the dynamics of the model prior to produce a more robust estimation of hydroclimate variability during the past 21 000 years.
Defaunation Increases Clustering and Fine-Scale Spatial Genetic Structure in a Small-Seeded Palm Despite Remaining Small-Bodied Frugivores
(Wiley, 2025) Lamperty, Therese; Diaz-Martin, Zoe; Swamy, Varun; Karubian, Jordan; Choo, Juanita; Dunham, Amy E.
Anthropogenic pressures such as hunting are increasingly driving the localised functional extinctions of large- and medium-sized wildlife in tropical forests, a phenomenon broadly termed ‘defaunation’. Concurrently in these areas, smaller-bodied species benefit from factors such as competitive release and increase in numbers. This transformation of the wildlife community can impact species interactions and ecosystem services such as seed dispersal and seed-mediated geneflow with far-reaching consequences. Evidence for negative genetic effects following defaunation is well-documented in large-seeded plants that require large frugivores for long-distance seed dispersal. However, how defaunation affects plants with small or medium-small seeds (< 1.5 cm), which tend to be consumed and dispersed by frugivorous mutualists of a range of body sizes and responses to anthropogenic threats, is not well understood. To better understand defaunation's impacts on tropical plant communities, we investigated spatial and genetic patterns in a hyperabundant medium-to-small-seeded palm, Euterpe precatoria in three sites with different defaunation levels. Results indicate that defaunation is associated with higher fine-scale spatial genetic structure among seedlings and increased spatial clustering within seedling cohorts and between seedlings and conspecific adults, as well as a reduction in nearest-neighbour distances between seedlings and conspecific adults. There were no clear effects on inbreeding or genetic diversity. However, we caution these trends may indicate that defaunation reduces seed dispersal services for species previously presumed to be robust to deleterious effects of losing large frugivores by virtue of having smaller seeds and broad suites of dispersal agents, and negative downstream effects on genetic diversity could occur.
Interplay Between Residential Nature Exposure and Walkability and Their Association with Cardiovascular Health
(Elsevier, 2025) Makram, Omar M.; Nwana, Nwabunie; Pan, Alan; Nicolas, Juan C.; Gullapelli, Rakesh; Bose, Budhaditya; Sabharwal, Ashutosh; Chang, Jenny; Javed, Zulqarnain; Kash, Bita; Maddock, Jay E.; Nasir, Khurram; Al-Kindi, Sadeer
Background Green space has been linked with cardiovascular (CV) health. Nature access and quality may have significant impact on CV risk factors and health. Objectives The authors aimed to investigate the relationship between NatureScore, a composite score for natural environment exposure and quality of green spaces, with CV risk factors and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD). Methods A cross-sectional study including one million adult patients from the Houston Methodist Learning Health System Outpatient Registry (2016-2022). NatureScore is a composite measure of natural environment exposure and quality (0-100) calculated for each patient based on residential address. NatureScores was divided into 4 categories: nature deficient/light (0-39), nature adequate (40-59), nature rich (60-79), and nature utopia (80-100). CV risk factors included hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Results Among 1.07 million included patients (mean age 52 years, female 59%, Hispanic 16%, Non-Hispanic Black 14%), median NatureScore was 69.4. After adjusting for neighborhood walkability, patients living in highest NatureScore neighborhoods had lower prevalence of CV risk factors (OR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.90-0.93) and ASCVD (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.93-0.98) than those in lowest NatureScore neighborhoods. A significant interaction existed between NatureScore and Walkability (P < 0.001), where those in high NatureScore (≥60) high walkability (≥40) areas had lower prevalence of CV risk factors (OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.90-0.97, P < 0.001) and were more likely to have optimal CV risk profile (relative risk ratio: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04-1.14, P = 0.001). Conclusions These findings suggest that while green spaces benefit health, their accessibility through walkable environments is crucial for cardiovascular disease protection.
Big Data, Big Insights: Leveraging Data Analytics to Unravel Cardiovascular Exposome Complexities
(Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, 2024) Ibrahim, Ramzi; Pham, Hoang Nhat; Nasir, Khurram; Hahad, Omar; Sabharwal, Ashutosh; Al-Kindi, Sadeer
The exposome encompasses the full range of environmental exposures throughout a person’s lifetime and plays an important role in cardiovascular health. Interactions with the social, natural, and built components of the exposome significantly impact cardiovascular disease prevalence and mortality. Robust data analytics, including machine learning and geospatial analysis, have advanced our understanding of how these factors converge to influence cardiovascular disease risk. The integration of multiomics platforms and advanced computational approaches enhances our ability to characterize the exposome, leading to targeted public health interventions and innovative risk reduction strategies aimed at improving cardiovascular health globally. These multiomics platforms that integrate factors such as genomics, epigenomics, clinical data, social factors, environmental factors, and wearable technology will characterize the exposome in greater detail concerning cardiovascular health. In this review, we aimed to elucidate the components of the exposome and discuss recent literature regarding their relationship to cardiovascular health.
Climate Reality On-Screen: The Climate Crisis in Popular Films, 2013-22
(Buck Lab for Climate and Environment at Colby College and Good Energy, 2024) Schneider-Mayerson, Matthew; Lim, Jerald; Bellido, Dominic; Stringer, Moya; Wilson, Adria Zheng; Zhou, Zoky
Most research that has examined climate change in film has focused on anomalous climate-focused films such as The Day After Tomorrow and Don’t Look Up, but fictional narratives have their greatest impact in the aggregate, through repetition of common settings, themes, and actions. Is the film industry as a whole helping us face and respond to the climate crisis—or avoid it? To answer this question, Matthew Schneider-Mayerson worked with five current and former students (Dominic Bellido, Moya Stringer, Adria Zheng Wilson, and Zoky Zhou) to apply a communication studies methodology to the 250 most popular films of the last decade (2013 to 2022), identifying the presence of climate c hange in a film’s story world; climate awareness; scenes with climate mentions; common climate impacts; and climate-positive and climate-negative behaviors in each film. The result is “Climate Change On-screen,” a groundbreaking systematic analysis of climate change in popular films, published by the Buck Lab for Climate & Energy at Colby College and Good Energy, a leading climate consultancy.
RoadsTaken: The history of highway displacement in Houston
(Rice University, 2024-10-31) Drwenski, Matt; Franco, Uilvim Ettore Gardin; Sousa, Bruno; Baker Institute for Public Policy, Center for Energy Studies; Center for Research Computing's Spatial Studies Lab
roadsTaken is an interactive map and geospatial database of buildings removed and people displaced that supports research on highway construction in Houston, Texas. Accompanying this map is a time slider that shows the progression of highway displacement and construction year by year. Displayed alongside the interactive database are historical maps of Houston, aerial photography before and after highway construction, freeway plans and proposals, and details about each of the more than 11,000 structures in our database of buildings removed for urban freeways.
Perceived partner responsiveness alters the association between marital distress and well-being in dementia spousal caregivers
(Elsevier, 2024) Lai, Vincent D.; Paoletti-Hatcher, Jensine; Wu-Chung, E. Lydia; Mahant, Itee; Argueta, Daniel L.; Brice, Kelly N.; Denny, Bryan T.; Green, Charles; Medina, Luis D.; Schulz, Paul E.; Stinson, Jennifer M.; Heijnen, Cobi J.; Fagundes, Christopher P.
Caregivers for spouses with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience drastic changes in the marital relationship that may put them at risk for worsening well-being. Perceived partner responsiveness, or feeling cared for, understood, and appreciated by one's spouse, may help mitigate these effects. In this study, we investigated the associations between marital distress, perceived partner responsiveness, and psychological and physiological well-being indicators among ADRD spousal caregivers. Method A sample of 161 caregivers provided blood samples and completed self-report measures of marital distress, perceived partner responsiveness, and depressive symptoms. We tested hypotheses in our sample cross-sectionally based on two theoretical frameworks. Results Testing the marital discord model of depression, caregivers who reported greater marital distress also reported more depressive symptoms, and this association was stronger as participants reported lower perceived partner responsiveness. Caregivers who reported greater marital distress exhibited elevated proinflammatory cytokine production by in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated peripheral blood leukocytes at low levels of perceived partner responsiveness, but not mean or high levels. Testing the vulnerability-stress-adaptation model, caregivers who reported more depressive symptoms also reported greater marital distress. Further, caregivers who exhibited elevated LPS-stimulated proinflammatory cytokine production reported greater marital distress at mean and high levels of perceived partner responsiveness, but not low levels. These patterns of results held even when accounting for the dementia stage and reported hours of caregiving per day. Discussion This study's findings contribute to the body of research examining interpersonal factors that shape health and well-being among the caregiver population.
The Sensitivity of the Spatial Pattern of Sea Level Changes to the Depth of Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes
(Wiley, 2024) Eisenman, Ian; Basinski-Ferris, Aurora; Beer, Emma; Zanna, Laure
Regional patterns of sea level rise are affected by a range of factors including glacial melting, which has occurred in recent decades and is projected to increase in the future, perhaps dramatically. Previous modeling studies have typically included fluxes from melting glacial ice only as a surface forcing of the ocean or as an offline addition to the sea surface height fields produced by climate models. However, observational estimates suggest that the majority of the meltwater from the Antarctic Ice Sheet actually enters the ocean at depth through ice shelf basal melt. Here we use simulations with an ocean general circulation model in an idealized configuration. The results show that the simulated global sea level change pattern is sensitive to the depth at which Antarctic meltwater enters the ocean. Further analysis suggests that the response is dictated primarily by the steric response to the depth of the meltwater flux.
The body as a mirror of inequality in México during the second half of the twentieth century
(SciELO, 2024) Lopez-Alonso, Moramay
This paper examines how variations in the height and health of Mexicans during the second half of the twentieth century reflect the evolution of economic inequality, as its effects have repercussions on the health and nutritional conditions of the population. The average height of Mexican adults had a modest increase with respect to the possibilities of human plasticity. These anthropometric variations were the result of the incorporation of advances in science and technology leading to improved standards of living among the population. Body changes were impacted by dietary habits, urbanization, and government policies supporting food production and distribution.
Technology and health inequities in diabetes care: How do we widen access to underserved populations and utilize technology to improve outcomes for all?
(Wiley, 2024) Ebekozien, Osagie; Fantasia, Kathryn; Farrokhi, Farnoosh; Sabharwal, Ashutosh; Kerr, David
Abstract Digital health technologies are being utilized increasingly in the modern management of diabetes. These include tools such as continuous glucose monitoring systems, connected blood glucose monitoring devices, hybrid closed-loop systems, smart insulin pens, telehealth, and smartphone applications (apps). Although many of these technologies have a solid evidence base, from the perspective of a person living with diabetes, there remain multiple barriers preventing their optimal use, creating a digital divide. In this article, we describe many of the origins of these barriers and offer recommendations on widening access to digital health technologies for underserved populations living with diabetes to improve their health outcomes.
Unveiling 4500 years of environmental dynamics and human activity at Songo Mnara, Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2024) Englong, Apichaya; Punwong, Paramita; Seelanan, Tosak; Marchant, Rob; Wynne-Jones, Stephanie; Jirapinyakul, Akkaneewut; Fleisher, Jeffrey
Coastal East Africa has undergone massive transformations through the Late Holocene, with a combination of changes in sea level, increasing human settlement, and ensuing use of coastal resources. A comprehensive multi-proxy analysis, including pollen, phytolith, charcoal, stratigraphy, particle size, and geochemical data from sedimentary cores extracted from mangrove ecosystems combined with soils from archaeological contexts, provided valuable insights into vegetation dynamics, environmental changes, and human interactions within the mangrove ecosystem of Songo Mnara Island, Tanzania over the last 2590 BCE (4540 cal yr BP). The bottommost layers indicate a lack of vegetation, as deduced from the presence of coral rags and high calcium and carbonate content, possibly due to high mid-Holocene sea-level. Evidence of mangrove taxa suggests a decrease in sea level, enabling the establishment of mangroves from around 2590 BCE. A brief period of sea-level rise occurred between 90 BCE and 320 CE before sea-level fell until 1570 CE. Significant evidence of human activity is recorded from around 1400 CE indicated by increased charcoal, crop phytoliths, and evidence of marine resource utilisation. The timing of this human-environment interaction is also linked to the time of lower sea level. However, there was evidence suggesting human abandonment of the island from around 1500 CE. This coincided with a subsequent rise in sea levels and potentially prolonged drought conditions spanning from 1570 to 1700 CE. These factors likely contributed to a shortage of food resources in the area, impacting both agricultural practices due to the scarcity of natural freshwater and the accessibility of marine food resources. From 1700 CE to the present, fluctuations in sea level have been observed, with a signal of recent sea-level rise in tandem with shifts in mangrove, terrestrial herbaceous taxa and fire activity. The low sedimentation rates within mangrove areas suggest that the mangroves on Songo Mnara Island may not keep pace with the current rate of sea-level rise.
The impact of clinical genome sequencing in a global population with suspected rare genetic disease
(Elsevier, 2024) Thorpe, Erin; Williams, Taylor; Shaw, Chad; Chekalin, Evgenii; Ortega, Julia; Robinson, Keisha; Button, Jason; Jones, Marilyn C.; Campo, Miguel del; Basel, Donald; McCarrier, Julie; Keppen, Laura Davis; Royer, Erin; Foster-Bonds, Romina; Duenas-Roque, Milagros M.; Urraca, Nora; Bosfield, Kerri; Brown, Chester W.; Lydigsen, Holly; Mroczkowski, Henry J.; Ward, Jewell; Sirchia, Fabio; Giorgio, Elisa; Vaux, Keith; Salguero, Hildegard Peña; Lumaka, Aimé; Mubungu, Gerrye; Makay, Prince; Ngole, Mamy; Lukusa, Prosper Tshilobo; Vanderver, Adeline; Muirhead, Kayla; Sherbini, Omar; Lah, Melissa D.; Anderson, Katelynn; Bazalar-Montoya, Jeny; Rodriguez, Richard S.; Cornejo-Olivas, Mario; Milla-Neyra, Karina; Shinawi, Marwan; Magoulas, Pilar; Henry, Duncan; Gibson, Kate; Wiafe, Samuel; Jayakar, Parul; Salyakina, Daria; Masser-Frye, Diane; Serize, Arturo; Perez, Jorge E.; Taylor, Alan; Shenbagam, Shruti; Abou Tayoun, Ahmad; Malhotra, Alka; Bennett, Maren; Rajan, Vani; Avecilla, James; Warren, Andrew; Arseneault, Max; Kalista, Tasha; Crawford, Ali; Ajay, Subramanian S.; Perry, Denise L.; Belmont, John; Taft, Ryan J.
There is mounting evidence of the value of clinical genome sequencing (cGS) in individuals with suspected rare genetic disease (RGD), but cGS performance and impact on clinical care in a diverse population drawn from both high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has not been investigated. The iHope program, a philanthropic cGS initiative, established a network of 24 clinical sites in eight countries through which it provided cGS to individuals with signs or symptoms of an RGD and constrained access to molecular testing. A total of 1,004 individuals (median age, 6.5 years; 53.5% male) with diverse ancestral backgrounds (51.8% non-majority European) were assessed from June 2016 to September 2021. The diagnostic yield of cGS was 41.4% (416/1,004), with individuals from LMIC sites 1.7 times more likely to receive a positive test result compared to HIC sites (LMIC 56.5% [195/345] vs. HIC 33.5% [221/659], OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.9–3.4, p < 0.0001). A change in diagnostic evaluation occurred in 76.9% (514/668) of individuals. Change of management, inclusive of specialty referrals, imaging and testing, therapeutic interventions, and palliative care, was reported in 41.4% (285/694) of individuals, which increased to 69.2% (480/694) when genetic counseling and avoidance of additional testing were also included. Individuals from LMIC sites were as likely as their HIC counterparts to experience a change in diagnostic evaluation (OR 6.1, 95% CI 1.1–∞, p = 0.05) and change of management (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.5–1.3, p = 0.49). Increased access to genomic testing may support diagnostic equity and the reduction of global health care disparities.
Description of a new species of Chrysonotomyia Ashmead from Houston, Texas, USA (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae)
(Pensoft Publishers, 2024) O’Loughlin, Brendan; Brandão-Dias, Pedro F. P.; Gates, Michael W.; Egan, Scott P.
A new species of the genus Chrysonotomyia Ashmead, Chrysonotomyia susbelli sp. nov., is described from the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas, USA. The species is a parasitoid emerging from Neuroterus nr. bussae galls in leaves of the southern live oak (Quercus virginiana). This represents the 6th species described from North America north of Mexico and the first in the world known to parasitize cynipid gall wasps. This discovery hints at an entire undiscovered niche between Chrysonotomyia parasitoids, cynipid gall wasps, and oaks in the Nearctic, which is a global biodiversity hotspot for oaks and cynipids. This new species description is complemented by mtDNA-COI-barcode data and information on the natural history of this species. We record host association, phenology, and report a leaf-scanning behavior performed by females, presumably to search for host galls. Modifications to the key of New World members of the genus (Hansson 2004) are included to integrate this new species.

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