-methyladenosine (m
A) is a critical regulator of gene expression and cellular function. Much of our knowledge of m
A has been enabled by the identification of m
A sites transcriptome-wide. However, ...global m
A profiling methods require high amounts of input RNA to accurately identify methylated RNAs, making m
A profiling from rare cell types or scarce tissue samples infeasible. To overcome this issue, we previously developed DART-seq, which relies on the expression of a fusion protein consisting of the APOBEC1 cytidine deaminase tethered to the m
A-binding YTH domain. APOBEC1-YTH directs C-to-U mutations adjacent to m
A sites, therefore enabling single nucleotide-resolution m
A mapping. Here, we present an improved version of DART-seq which utilizes a variant of the YTH domain engineered to achieve enhanced m
A recognition. In addition, we develop
DART-seq and show that it performs similarly to cellular DART-seq and can map m
A in any sample of interest using nanogram amounts of total RNA. Altogether, these improvements to the DART-seq approach will enable better m
A detection and will facilitate the mapping of m
A in samples not previously amenable to global m
A profiling.
Background
Historically, wildfire regimes produced important landscape‐scale disturbances in many regions globally. The “pyrodiversity begets biodiversity” hypothesis suggests that wildfires that ...generate temporally and spatially heterogeneous mosaics of wildfire severity and post‐burn recovery enhance biodiversity at landscape scales. However, river management has often led to channel incision that disconnects rivers from their floodplains, desiccating floodplain habitats and depleting groundwater. In conjunction with predicted increases in frequency, intensity and extent of wildfires under climate change, this increases the likelihood of deep, uniform burns that reduce biodiversity.
Predicted synergy of river restoration and biodiversity increase
Recent focus on floodplain re‐wetting and restoration of successional floodplain habitat mosaics, developed for river management and flood prevention, could reduce wildfire intensity in restored floodplains and make the burns less uniform, increasing climate‐change resilience; an important synergy. According to theory, this would also enhance biodiversity. However, this possibility is yet to be tested empirically. We suggest potential research avenues.
Illustration and future directions
We illustrate the interaction between wildfire and river restoration using a restoration project in Oregon, USA. A project to reconnect the South Fork McKenzie River and its floodplain suffered a major burn (“Holiday Farm” wildfire, 2020), offering a rare opportunity to study the interaction between this type of river restoration and wildfire; specifically, the predicted increases in pyrodiversity and biodiversity. Given the importance of river and wetland ecosystems for biodiversity globally, a research priority should be to increase our understanding of potential mechanisms for a “triple win” of flood reduction, wildfire alleviation and biodiversity promotion.
Background Human impacts on the environment are so great that we are at risk of changing the state of the planet from one that is hospitable to one that is hostile to humanity. Scientists have ...proposed nine Planetary Boundaries, global environmental limits within which the risk of changing the state of the planet is low, but already, four have been exceeded. Policy makers and scientists want to use the Planetary Boundaries as a tool for global environmental management. However, the Boundaries were intended as a gauge of the magnitude and urgency of the situation, not as a guide to resolving it. They are not easily applied to personal or policy action that is measurable or scalable. Here we show how the Planetary Boundaries can be translated into a framework for the management of the global environment, the Planetary Accounting Framework. Results The Planetary Accounting Framework is a new approach to environmental accounting in which environmental impacts are compared to global limits, the Planetary Quotas. The Planetary Quotas are limits for human activity, derived from the Planetary Boundaries. Each Quota is a limit for an “environmental currency” such as carbon dioxide emissions, or reforestation that can be scaled and compared to human activity using existing environmental assessment frameworks. The Quotas and Framework were developed by combining three key theories. Management theory shows that a multi-level, poly-scalar approach is needed to manage the global environment. Accounting theory highlights the importance of accounting against limits if a realistic approach to achieving change is sought. Environmental accounting theory demonstrates that there are different categories of indicators, and that only if indicators are uniformly in the pressure category can human activity be related to a limit and scaled accordingly. Conclusions The Planetary Accounting Framework shows how individual actions, strategies by firms, city level infrastructure, and national policies can be expressed in terms of the Planetary Boundaries. Decisions can now be made at different levels or sectors regarding policy, planning, technology, business operations, legislation, and behaviour in the context of global environmental limits. It enables the practical application and communication of the Planetary Boundaries to different scales of human activity. Video abstract. (MP4 600 kb)
A moral dilemma is an ethical situation that cannot be fully resolved because an agent is unable to fulfill all her moral obligations. A tragic dilemma is a special kind of moral dilemma that ...involves great harm. The existence of moral and tragic dilemmas is contested within moral philosophy and denied by many scholars of Christian ethics. At first glance, a moral dilemma seems nonsensical: How can a moral agent be obligated to satisfy a duty that is impossible to fulfill? Added confusion comes from the fact that there are various definitions of moral and tragic dilemmas. Yet real-life experience
This chapter examines moral and tragic dilemmas from the theological perspective of Thomas Aquinas and the Thomistic tradition. I argue that while Aquinas and traditional interpretations of Thomistic ...thought deny moral and tragic dilemmas, Aquinas’s treatment of mixed actions admits the ambiguity of hard cases. Aquinas is a formidable interlocutor because his work raises theological challenges for the concepts of moral and tragic dilemmas. As with much philosophical literature, the focus of Aquinas and Thomistic scholars is often on moral dilemmas generally, without major special attention to tragic dilemmas. As such, this chapter first attends to moral dilemmas with the
In this chapter I construct a modest framework for a Christian approach to healing from tragic dilemmas where healing occurs within a Christian community setting. As I argue in the prior chapter, the ...only kind of plausible dilemma in the Christian view is properly considered a tragic dilemma. This is because, as I argue, in the Christian view, nonnegotiable moral obligations arise from the sanctity of life and human vulnerabilities. Tragedy occurs when these obligations are not upheld. Moral agents who act in tragic dilemmas may experience personal moral repercussions, which is why healing is crucial and should be offered
Augustine and those who follow his approach, particularly Paul Ramsey, demonstrate an acute awareness of the difficulties of life in our fallen world, and they tend to pay special attention to the ...various decisions and trade-offs this involves. Augustine is known for his musings on the challenges of life and his struggles to do what he perceived to be right. Augustine does not explicitly address the topic of moral or tragic dilemmas, but his thinking interacts and overlaps with many of the themes invoked by those categories. Augustine addresses the expectation for the Christian to embody the example of Christ
Chapter 1 assesses the philosophical debate on moral and tragic dilemmas. Within this literature, I highlight the definition of moral dilemmas, which states that moral dilemmas are situations where ...moral requirements remain even after adjudicating a moral event. Weaving together various philosophical views, tragic dilemmas are a kind of moral dilemma that involve transgressions causing great harm or marring agents’ lives. In chapters 2 and 3, I investigate the limits of Augustinian and Thomistic approaches to hard cases and the relevance of their thought to moral and tragic dilemmas.
In this chapter, I develop a definition and understanding of moral
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