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Carex dianae Steud. is an endemic sedge of St. Helena, an isolated island in the South Atlantic. Our study provides the first molecular sequence data for this taxon. We generated sequence data for plastid matK and trnK regions and nuclear internal transcribed spacer and external transcribed spacer regions to determine the placement of C. dianae in the broader Carex phylogeny. The placement of C. dianae falls within Carex sect. Spirostachyae Drejer, and it is sister to a clade including Carex clavata Thunb., Carex aethiopica Schkuhr (both from the Cape region of S. Africa), and Carex gunniana Boott (southern Australia). The existence of three divergent nucleotype groups and two plastotypes is revealed from genetic variation within C. dianae. The results suggest that the ancestor of C. dianae likely originated in the Cape region of South Africa, followed by transoceanic dispersal to St. Helena estimated at 4.4–4.9 million years ago, likely by a bird vector. The most divergent population is that on an isolated hill known as "The Barn", which may represent a distinct taxon. The existence of highly structured molecular variation within an island only 16 km long is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The model simulation focuses on an extreme rainfall event that triggered a flood hazard in the Lake Victoria basin region of East Africa from June 24th to 26th, 2022. This study investigates the impacts of its urban canopy on the extreme rainfall events over the Lake Victoria basin in East Africa, employing the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model at a convective-permitting resolution. The rapid urbanization of the region has given rise to an urban canopy, which has notable effects on local weather patterns, including the intensity and distribution of rainfall. The model incorporates high-resolution land use and urban canopy parameters to accurately capture the influences of urbanization on local weather patterns. This research comprises three sets of experiments, two with urban areas and one without, using the WRF model; the experiments focus on three days of an extreme rainfall event in the Lake Victoria basin. Satellite-based precipitation products and reanalysis datasets are employed for a synoptic analysis and model evaluation. The results demonstrate the model's effectiveness in capturing meteorological variables during an extreme event compared to observed data. The synoptic patterns reveal that, during the extreme event, the Mascarene and St. Helena influenced rainfall conditions over the Lake Victoria Basin by directing moist air toward the northwest. This led to increased moisture convergence from the urban–rural interface toward urban areas, enhancing convection and processes that result in extreme rainfall. Moreover, this study indicates that the urban canopy, specifically the building effect parameterization, significantly amplifies the intensity and duration of rainfall in the urban areas of the region. This research also indicates a general increase in air temperature, relative humidity, latent heat flux, and surface sensible heat flux due to the urban canopy. These findings highlight the substantial influence of urbanization on rainfall patterns in the urban environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the sources of precipitation and their impacts is crucial for basin-wide water balance research. Previous research concentrated on the sources of moisture in Ethiopia. The southern part's moisture sources, however, were not investigated. The primary objective of this study is to trace the source of atmospheric moisture in the Abaya-Chamo sub-basin of southern Ethiopia using numerical water vapor tracers like Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. Exploring the possible regions of atmospheric vapor roots and the path of moist air initiating rainfall that reaches the basin was feasible for the year 2018–2020. The anticyclone from the Arabian High, which is positioned in the Arabian and Mediterranean seas, was the primary source of moisture supply in the study area during the Belg (March to May) season, according to the back trajectory cluster analysis results. Additionally, the Indian Ocean adds moisture resulting from Mascarene highs brought by equatorial easterlies. Furthermore, during Kiremt (June to September), air masses from the Congo basin were the potential moisture source region for the study areas in combination with air masses originating from the Mascarene highs, located in the South Indian Ocean, and the St. Helena high, centered in the subtropical southern Atlantic Ocean. This study primarily focuses on the complex dynamics of atmospheric moisture sources around Abaya-Chamo sub-basin of southern Ethiopia, offering insight into seasonal fluctuations and contributing various components. These findings contribute to basin-specific water balance research by filling gaps in the previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the behavior of Ti isotope fractionation during alkaline magma differentiation, we studied well characterized alkaline lavas from St. Helena Island (South Atlantic), as well as their titanomagnetite separates. The lavas are classified into three groups according to petrographic observations and major element composition. Group 1 and Group 2 samples (5 to > 13 wt.% MgO) have a narrow δ49/47Ti range (− 0.02 to 0.05‰), suggesting that Ti isotopic fractionation is insignificant in less evolved basaltic lavas. Conversely, Group 3 samples (MgO < 5 wt.%) are saturated with titanomagnetite and display a wide range in δ49/47Ti (− 0.02 to 1.96‰). The δ49/47Ti values for Group 3 samples show significant correlation with TiO2 and SiO2 content, as well as with Mg and Fe isotopic values. Moreover, titanomagnetite phenocrysts from Group 3 rocks have remarkably lighter δ49/47Ti values (− 0.54 to 0.01‰) relative to the corresponding whole rock (− 0.02 to 0.21‰), indicating that titanomagnetite crystallization exerts significant control over the δ49/47Ti of Group 3 samples. These observations are further supported by modeling calculations. Together with published Ti isotope data, the results demonstrate that the range in Ti isotopic evolution in alkaline, calc-alkaline and tholeiitic magmatic systems is controlled by fractional crystallization of diverse Fe-Ti oxides with contrasting Ti isotopic compositions. This makes Ti stable isotopes an important geochemical tracer for magma evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1680s the English East India Company (EIC) sought to develop a plantation economy in its South Atlantic colony of St. Helena, using the Caribbean island of Barbados as a colonial model. The EIC's attempt to develop Barbadian-style plantations on St. Helena demonstrates the global reach of the Caribbean sugar colonies and their importance as an exemplar for English imperial projects in the early modern period. Colonial theorists working outside the remit of the EIC even sought to expand the Caribbean plantation system beyond the Cape of Good Hope in this period, highlighting how English overseas expansion was an interconnected phenomenon which defies rigid categorization along regional lines. Yet the failure of the EIC's top-down plan for St. Helena also underscores how both historical contingencies and local factors were central to the success of colonial plantation, and that misunderstanding these conditions could undermine the best-laid plans and models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oswell Blakeston's four now largely forgotten travel books, Portuguese Panorama (1955), Isle of St. Helena (1957), Sun at Midnight: Finland Holiday (1958), and Thank You Now: An Exploration of Ulster (1960), warrant the attention of contemporary scholars of travel writing. This article outlines how Blakeston's writing about his travels, or holidays, further illuminates contemporary historical explorations of the continuum, rather than categorical opposition, between tourist guidebooks and travel writing. Blakeston's travel writing also exhibits a degree of what Debbie Lisle describes as "political reflexivity". Related to this, his work narrates ethical interactions with new friends encountered on his journeys, while also dramatising some of the inevitable limitations this entails. Analysis of Blakeston's travel writing also highlights links between the preoccupations detailed above and his queer modernist cultural lineage. This article therefore expands our historical understanding of the diversity of queer British travel writing during the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses the empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis to identify and describe continental‐scale seasonal (MAM, JJA, SON and DJF) precipitation modes over Africa based on observation (Global Precipitation Climatology Centre; GPCC) and reanalysis (ERA5) data from 1982 to 2014. Using composite analysis, we attempt to identify the atmospheric circulations (wind and relative humidity) associated with each precipitation mode. Precipitation from ERA5 has a good agreement with that of GPCC, as observed in the good spatial congruence in the EOF analysis and precipitation composites. The EOF results for each season show that the loading patterns of Mode 1 (variance >20% for all seasons) match the long‐term mean precipitation distribution. Atmospheric conditions across the continent are primarily driven by the four main high‐pressure systems (Azores, St. Helena, Arabian and Mascarene High) that influence moisture distribution and subsequently modulate the seasonal rain belt distribution. Modes 2 (variance >11% for all seasons) and 3 (variance >10% for all seasons) are deviations of the leading mode associated with smaller‐scale atmospheric systems. However, large‐scale factors still dominate the overall precipitation pattern by modulating the seasonal energy transfer between the hemispheres. The results provide a comprehensive understanding of the continental‐wide African seasonal precipitation modes and the associated atmospheric circulation from observations. The findings can be used as a reference for future work using model data for historical and projection studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Squall lines observed over the sahelo-sudanese regions are responsible for most of the annual rainfall recorded in these regions. They originate from the development of convective processes embedded in the Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS). The impact assessment of the West African Monsoon (WAM) on the development of squall lines in the sahelo-sudanese regions, particularly the far north region of Cameroon is studied. In this study, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission data (TRMM 3A12 and 3B43) and ERA5 reanalysis data from 1998 to 2008 have been used. The technique used is based on the use of the Climate Data Operator (CDO) software and the NCAR command language (NCL). Analysis of these data shows that the seasonal distribution of winds from the saharan heat-low and the Saint Helena high is the dominant atmospheric dynamics associated with the disturbances behind the development of squall lines. This distribution makes it possible to specifically draw up the evolution of the InterTropical Discontinuity (ITD) on the African continent, and thus, highlight the contribution of the WAM on precipitation in the far north region of Cameroon. This study is performed to contribute to the prediction of hydro-meteorological phenomena to improve disaster risks management associated with floods and landslides in this region, the most vulnerable in Cameroon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lycosid fauna of Saint Helena, consisting of entirely endemic species, is revised. Lycosa ringensTongiorgi, 1977 and Lycosa elysaeTongiorgi, 1977 are redescribed and transferred to Antembolusgen. nov., creating the new combinations Antembolus elysaecomb. nov. and Antembolus ringenscomb. nov.Dolocosa dolosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873, Hogna cinicaTongiorgi, 1977, H. inexorabilis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870), H. ligata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870), and H. nefastaTongiorgi, 1977 are re-diagnosed and illustrated. Hogna sanctaehelenae (Strand, 1909) is confirmed to be a junior synonym of H. ligata, based on examination of photographs of the immature holotype. A remarkable new monotypic lycosine genus, Molearachnegen. nov., with a new species M. sanctaehelenaesp. nov., is described based on both sexes from Prosperous Bay Plain, where it makes unique mounds which have earnt it the local common name Mole Spider. Two further new endemic species are described: Dolocosa joshuaisp. nov., based on the female, and Hogna veseyensissp. nov., based on both sexes. Thus, the fauna consists of four genera, including three endemic, and nine species, which are all endemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type material of three species of the endemic genus TecutionBenoit, 1977 on Saint Helena are re-examined. Tecution helenicolaBenoit, 1977syn. nov. and Tecution mellissi (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873) syn. nov. are synonymized with Tecution planum (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873), based on identical palpal morphology and the discovery of a gradient of cheliceral size variation in a large amount of non-type material from Saint Helena Island. A brief discussion on the habitat and ecology of T. planum is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural communities are resource-constrained and at higher risk of obesity and obesity-related conditions. Thus, studying self-assessed health status and underlying vulnerabilities is critical to provide insights to the program planners for effective and efficient planning of obesity prevention programs. This study aims to investigate the correlates of self-assessed health status and subsequently determine the obesity vulnerability level of residents in rural communities. Randomly sampled data were obtained from in-person community surveys in three rural Louisiana counties–East Carroll, Saint Helena, and Tensas–in June 2021. The association of social-demographic factors, grocery store choice, and exercise frequency with self-assessed health was investigated using the ordered logit model. An obesity vulnerability index was constructed using the weights obtained from the principal component analysis. The results show that gender, race, education, possession of children, exercise frequency, and grocery store choice significantly influence self-assessed health status. Around 20% of respondents fall into the most-vulnerable segment and 65% of respondents are vulnerable to obesity. The obesity vulnerability index ranged from -4.036 to 4.565, indicating a wide heterogeneity in the vulnerability level of rural residents. The findings show that the self-assessed health status of rural residents is not promising along with a high level of vulnerability to obesity. The findings from this study could serve as a reference in the policy discussion regarding an effective and efficient suite of interventions in rural communities to address obesity and promote well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea) hosts important nesting habitat for leatherback sea turtles, with the main nesting beaches found on the island's southern end. Nest monitoring and protection have been ongoing for more than two decades, although distribution and habitat range at sea remains to be determined. This study uses satellite telemetry to describe the movements of female leatherback turtles (n = 10) during and following the breeding season, tracking them to presumed offshore foraging habitats in the south Atlantic Ocean. Leatherback turtles spent 100% of their time during the breeding period within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Equatorial Guinea, with a core distribution focused on the south of Bioko Island extending up to 10 km from the coast. During this period, turtles spent less than 10% of time within the existing protected area. Extending the border of this area by 3 km offshore would lead to a greater than threefold increase in coverage of turtle distribution (29.8 ± 19.0% of time), while an expansion to 15 km offshore would provide spatial coverage for more than 50% of tracking time. Post-nesting movements traversed the territorial waters of Sao Tome and Principe (6.4%of tracking time), Brazil (0.85%), Ascension (1.8%), and Saint Helena (0.75%). The majority (70%) of tracking time was spent in areas beyond national jurisdiction (i.e. the High Seas). This study reveals that conservation benefits could be achieved by expanding existing protected areas stretching from the Bioko coastal zone, and suggests shared migratory routes and foraging space between the Bioko population and other leatherback turtle rookeries in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aids from London to Saint Helena is currently being reduced due to global economic challenges. Despite these economic challenges, public healthcare in developed and underdeveloped countries has introduced the TQM approach since the 80s to facilitate change, increase team involvement, and improve the quality of healthcare services while saving costs (Chiarini & Vagnoni, 2017). If TQM can be introduced in the health directorate of Saint Helena Island, it can bring about a culture of quality healthcare services; thus, the main customers (patients and employees) will be satisfied while saving costs, which have long-term benefits (van Schoten et al., 2016). Reduced costs of poor quality, effective implementation of TQM will lead to a significant reduction in costs of poor quality, such as rework and patients suing the hospital. There are many more benefits of implementing TQM in healthcare that is not listed by this study stated by other researchers in quality management. This is an empirical study to examine the possibility of TQM implementation in Saint Helena General Hospital (SHGH) to define TQM in healthcare further and to propose an implementable framework. The primary research question for this study is the implementation of TQM in the remote island of Saint Helena General hospital possible. The study attempted to answer the following questions 1) What TQM means in healthcare services. 2) What are the benefits of TQM implementation within hospitals? 3) How to apply TQM in hospitals? The study proposes a framework to implement TQM in SHGH.

This article presents an overview of published and unpublished Byzantine and post-Byzantine hymnographic texts dedicated to Saint Constantine, founder of Constantinople and first Byzantine emperor, and his mother Saint Helena. Specifically, we cite and comment upon some indicative passages primarily found in canons of the Matins, which refer to historical events from the lives of the saints and attribute to them, especially to Saint Constantine, virtues such as justice, piety, wisdom, and the defense of the true faith. These qualities are directly associated with the imperial political ideology as this was shaped principally by Eusebius of Caesarea in his works Life of Constantine and Tricennial Oration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) tourism is increasingly popular wherever the species occur, including a fledgling industry on the South Atlantic island of St. Helena. We interviewed 154 people to elicit the social and economic value of whale shark tourism on the island. Additionally, 77 survey participants were queried about their willingness to pay, 32% of those responding indicated that they would be willing to pay at least £10 more, a 20% increase from existing charges. Tourists also supported the concept that the local population should pay less for whale shark snorkel tours. Perceptions among visitors and locals were that the marine environment was well managed on St. Helena and that protecting it was important. Results from this study could help inform St. Helena Government policy and support MWT operators on the island to further develop a sustainable and equitable whale shark tourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New faunistic records based on a small number of oonopids collected in Saint Helena are presented. Two unavailable names, "Xeroonops" and "Xeroonops spinipalpis", previously not remarked on by other authors, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compositions of ocean island basalts (OIB) can record signatures of ancient subducted crust that has been recycled through the mantle. Based on their radiogenic isotope, major and trace element compositions, several geochemically-extreme mantle compositions are suggested to host components of recycled crust. Barium (Ba) stable isotopes can serve as a tracer of crustal recycling into the mantle sources of OIB because 1) Ba isotopes are fractionated in surface crustal reservoirs and 2) Ba is highly enriched in crust relative to the mantle. Therefore, the Ba isotopic compositions of the subducted crust could be detected in OIB. Here, we characterized Ba isotopic compositions of fresh OIB from hotspots sampling a range of mantle compositions. We first explore δ 138/134Ba (permil deviation of the 138Ba/134Ba ratio from the standard SRM3104a) in a suite of Hekla samples and demonstrate that magmatic differentiation does not impact the δ 138/134Ba values of OIB over MgO concentrations from 2.3 to 8.0 wt%, and higher MgO lavas are unlikely to experience δ 138/134Ba fractionation. After excluding OIB samples that experienced low-temperature alteration—which may shift the δ 138/134Ba values of samples away from their mantle sources—the δ 138/134Ba values of Samoan (including EM2 and high 3He/4He) lavas range from -0.07 to 0.07‰, while for Cook-Austral (HIMU) lavas the δ 138/134Ba values range from 0.00 to 0.11‰, and for St. Helena (HIMU) samples the δ 138/134Ba values range from 0.02 to 0.05‰. High 3He/4He (> 20 Ra, ratio to atmosphere) lavas from Vestfirðir of Iceland (-0.09 to 0.14‰) and Samoa (-0.02 to 0.01‰) also exhibit Ba isotopic variability. An extreme EM2 lava examined here (143Nd/144Nd = 0.512582) has lighter Ba isotopic composition (-0.07 ± 0.02‰, 2SE) than the depleted mantle sampled by MORB (0.05 ± 0.05‰, 2SD). The Samoan lavas show a possible positive trend between δ 138/134Ba values and 143Nd/144Nd ratios, and can be modeled as a binary mixing between the high 3He/4He (FOZO) mantle and recycled heterogeneous continental crust. In contrast, the extreme HIMU composition (206Pb/204Pb > 21.7) shows heavier Ba isotope signatures (0.11 ± 0.02‰, 2SE); δ 138/134Ba values positively correlate strongly with 206Pb/204Pb ratios in HIMU lavas, consistent with a contribution from recycled oceanic crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the 53rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Conference to be held in St. Helena in May 2024.

Carbonate, the major carbon reservoir on Earth's surface, can enter into the mantle by subduction. However, evidence for recycled surficial carbonates in the deep mantle is still scarce. Ocean island basalts from Cook-Austral islands and St. Helena Island, widely called HIMU basalts because of their high μ = 238U/204Pb sources, are thought to be fed by mantle plumes originating in the lower mantle. Here we report exceptionally high δ66Zn values (δ66Zn = 0.38 ± 0.03‰) of these HIMU lavas relative to most published data for oceanic basalts (δ66Zn = 0.31 ± 0.10‰), which requires a source contributed by isotopically heavy recycled surficial carbonates. During subduction of the oceanic lithosphere, melting of mixed surficial carbonates and basaltic crust in the deep mantle generates carbonatite melts, which metasomatizes the nearby mantle and the resultant carbonated mantle ultimately evolves into a high-δ66Zn HIMU source. High-δ66Zn signatures of HIMU basalts, therefore, demonstrate that carbonates can be transported into Earth's deep mantle. Zhang et al. perform high-precision zinc (Zn) isotopic analysis on lavas from St. Helena Island in the Atlantic, and Cook-Austral Islands in the Pacific, and confirm that ancient superficial carbonates were transported into the deep mantle billions of years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Separation of Fe–Ti oxides during magmatic differentiation plays an important role in controlling Fe isotopic evolution of residual magmas. Titanomagnetite (Tmag) is a common Fe–Ti oxide phenocryst phase in evolved basaltic lavas, but the effect of its separation on Fe isotopic evolution of residual melts remains poorly understood. Here we explore this issue with an Fe isotopic study on a suite of cogenetic alkaline volcanic rocks (range from picrobasalt to trachyandesite) and their titanomagnetite phenocrysts from St. Helena Island (South Atlantic). Results show that whole-rock δ57Fe values vary from 0.04 to 0.32‰ with decreasing MgO, and ulvöspinel-rich (X′usp ≈ 0.6) titanomagnetite phenocrysts have consistently lower δ57Fe than corresponding bulk samples with an average Δ57FeTmag−whole rock (δ57FeTmag − δ57Fewhole rock) value of − 0.05 ± 0.02‰ (2SD, N = 6). This value together with the speculated crystallization temperatures (~ 1100 ± 50 °C) of these titanomagnetite phenocrysts determine an equilibrium titanomagnetite-melt fractionation factor of Δ57FeTmag-melt = (− 0.094 ± 0.038) × 106/T2. Quantitative calculations involving this isotopic fractionation factor and previously suggested olivine-melt and clinopyroxene-melt isotopic fractionation factors can well reproduce the Fe isotopic evolution of St. Helena lavas. Specifically, the Fe isotopic variation before titanomagnetite saturation (MgO > 5 wt%) is dominated by fractional crystallization and accumulation of olivine and clinopyroxene, while that after titanomagnetite saturation is determined by fractional crystallization of multiphases including titanomagnetite, olivine and clinopyroxene. This study, combined with published mineral-melt fractionation factors for other Fe–Ti oxides, indicates that the removal of ulvöspinel-rich (X′usp > 0.5) titanomagnetite and near-pure ilmenite results in an increase of δ57Fe in evolved magmas, whereas separation of near-pure magnetite drives residual melt towards lighter Fe isotopic compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of an electronic data set of the tidal measurements made at St. Helena in 1761 by Nevil Maskelyne is described. These data were first analysed by Cartwright (1971, 1972) in papers which have importance within studies of changing tides. However, Cartwright's data files were never archived for the benefit of other researchers, demonstrating that "old data" at risk can sometimes take the form of electronic rather than paper records. In the present paper, the newly digitised Maskelyne data have been reanalysed by several techniques in order to obtain an updated impression of whether the tide has changed at that location in over two and a half centuries. This new data set may be found via 10.5285/e66db85a-eaae-6665-e053-6c86abc0bfb9 (Woodworth and Vassie, 2022). Our main conclusion, consistent with that of Cartwright, is that the major tidal constituent (M2) has changed little. However, the results of the various techniques demonstrate how difficult it is to obtain reliable conclusions for the smaller constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Latitudinal and bathymetric species diversity gradients in the deep sea have been identified, but studies have rarely considered these gradients across hard substratum habitats, such as seamount and oceanic island margins. This study aimed to identify whether the current understanding of latitudinal and bathymetric gradients in α‐diversity (species richness) apply to seamount ecosystems, as well as ascertaining whether identifiable trends were present in seamount β‐diversity along a bathymetric gradient. Location: Exclusive Economic Zones of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, spanning 8–40°S in the South Atlantic. Taxon: Seamount megabenthic communities. Methods: Images from 39 transects, collected between 250 and 950 m, were used to characterise species richness. We subsequently applied general linear models to test possible environmental drivers across latitudinal and bathymetric ranges. Regression models were employed to investigate the β‐diversity gradient of species turnover with depth. Results: Transects in temperate latitude had significantly higher species richness than those in the tropics. Surface primary productivity and substrate hardness both had significant positive effects on species richness, and a weak relationship between temperature and species richness was observed. No significant relationship between species richness and depth was detected, but there was significant species turnover with depth. Main conclusions: Seamounts and oceanic islands do not conform to established depth–diversity relationships within the depth range studied. However, seamounts and oceanic islands in the South Atlantic do appear to follow a parabolic latitudinal diversity gradient, closely associated with higher productivity in temperate regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) is an area of geomagnetic weakness that represents the most significant anomaly in the present‐day field. Notwithstanding anomalies such as these, a long‐lived hypothesis is that, if averaged over sufficient time (104–106 years), the Earth's magnetic field approximates a geocentric axial dipole (GAD). The question of how significant the non‐GAD features are in the time‐averaged field is an important and unresolved one. The SAA has not always been visible in the historic and paleo‐field models; yet an unstable field was reported in the South Atlantic region on a multimillion‐year timescale. This study presents the first paleointensity study from Saint Helena, a volcanic island in the South Atlantic consisting primarily of lavas emplaced between 10 and 8 Ma. While paleointensity success rates were low, we were able to recover results from five independent lavas that together suggest a low field intensity of 10.5 ± 3.0 μT corresponding to a virtual axial dipole moment (VADM) of 2.4 ± 0.7 × 1022 A m2. These low paleointensity estimates suggest a field in the South Atlantic that was not only unstable in directions, but also substantially weaker than expected. We consider this to constitute further evidence that the SAA is not a single occurrence but rather, the latest in a series of recurring weaknesses in the field in this region, probably caused by Reversed Flux Patches on the Core Mantle Boundary. Plain Language Summary: The Earth's magnetic field is created by liquid iron convecting within the outer core. This field is highly variable. In the South Atlantic region, there is a large patch where the field is less strong than expected, causing us and our technology to be less protected against solar radiation. In that region lies Saint Helena, a volcanic island from which we collected samples that we used for paleomagnetic analysis. We performed experiments to derive the intensity of the field at that location when the rocks formed, which was 10–8 million years ago. Our results show that the magnetic field of Saint Helena was very weak during that interval suggesting that the modern irregular weak patch has been a recurring irregularity on a multimillion‐year timescale. This suggests that the weakness is most likely linked to heterogeneities in the lowermost mantle, which interfere with convective flow in the outer core. Key Points: The first paleointensity results from Saint Helena suggest a low field in the South Atlantic between 10 and 8 MaLow paleointensity estimates provide further support of recurring anomalous behavior caused by reverse flux patches under AfricaResults from successful Ar/Ar experiments show that the Saint Helena volcanoes were active between 10 and 8 Ma [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charlotte Forten's Journals, especially the volumes that document the years when she worked as the first Black teacher at the Penn School in St. Helena, South Carolina (1862-1864), demonstrate the ways in which she imagines and represents nature through perspectives that bridge transcendentalism and radical abolition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aids from London to Saint Helena is currently being reduced due to global economic challenges. Despite these economic challenges, public healthcare in developed and underdeveloped countries has introduced the TQM approach since the 80s to facilitate change, increase team involvement, and improve the quality of healthcare services while saving costs (Chiarini & Vagnoni, 2017). If TQM can be introduced in the health directorate of Saint Helena Island, it can bring about a culture of quality healthcare services; thus, the main customers (patients and employees) will be satisfied while saving costs, which have long-term benefits (van Schoten et al., 2016). Reduced costs of poor quality, effective implementation of TQM will lead to a significant reduction in costs of poor quality, such as rework and patients suing the hospital. There are many more benefits of implementing TQM in healthcare that is not listed by this study stated by other researchers in quality management. This is an empirical study to examine the possibility of TQM implementation in Saint Helena General Hospital (SHGH) to define TQM in healthcare further and to propose an implementable framework. The primary research question for this study is the implementation of TQM in the remote island of Saint Helena General hospital possible. The study attempted to answer the following questions 1) What TQM means in healthcare services. 2) What are the benefits of TQM implementation within hospitals? 3) How to apply TQM in hospitals? The study proposes a framework to implement TQM in SHGH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the variations in mantle potential temperature and mantle Bouguer anomaly (MBA) along the South Mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMAR), aiming to understand the interaction of mid-ocean ridge (MOR) and mantle plume. The research focuses on the SMAR segments situated between 13°S and 25°S. Our findings indicate a positive correlation between mantle temperature and the depth at which initial melting takes place. This implies that higher mantle temperatures result in deeper initial partial melting depths. Moreover, there is a positive correlation between the degree of partial melting and the depth interval between the initial and final melting depths. This suggests that the extent of mantle melting in these SMAR regions is primarily controlled by decompression melting rather than the influence of increasing mantle temperature. As a result of the considerable distance of approximately 750 km between the SMAR and the Saint Helena plume, the range of mantle temperatures does not exhibit as much variation as that seen at the Reykjanes and Kolbeinsey ridges, which are influenced by the on-axis Iceland plume. The MBA values across the entire ridge segment (referred to as segment 2 in this study) are generally low, whereas the low MBA values are scattered along Segments 3–5. This observation suggests that the concentration of upwelling hot plume material is higher at the center of segment 2 compared to other ridge segments. Additionally, the gradient of MBA values along the SMAR segments between 13°S and 25°S indicates the presence of a large mantle domain (up to 700 km in length) that is influenced by the plume in the SMAR asthenosphere. The continuous variation in MBA between the Cardno Seamount group and segment 2 further suggests that this distinct mantle domain is associated with the Saint Helena mantle plume. Mantle preconditioning, as indicated by Yb/Nd and 143Nd/144Nd systematic, reveals that the flow channels resembling schlieren between segments 4–5 and the Saint Helena plume may contribute to the influence of melt extraction and transform offsets on the propagation of plume material. [Display omitted] • Higher mantle temperatures lead to deeper initial partial melting depths. • Mantle melting extent at the SMAR is mainly controlled by decompression melting. • The volume of hot plume material at the SMAR segment 2 is greater than at other segments. • Melt extraction causes discontinuity in the material flow from the plume to the ridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reef fish communities are shaped by historical and ecological factors, including abiotic and biotic mechanisms at different spatial scales, determining species composition, abundance and biomass. The oceanic islands in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (St. Peter and St. Paul's Archipelago - SPSPA, Ascension, and St. Helena), exhibiting differences in community structure along a 14-degree latitudinal and a 10 °C thermal gradient. We investigate the influence of sea surface temperature, area, age, isolation and phosphate on reef fish community structures. Reef fish trophic structure varies significantly across the islands, with planktivores and herbivore-detritivores showing the highest abundances in SPSPA and Ascension, while less abundant in St. Helena, aligning with the thermal gradient. Variations in reef fish community structures were predominantly influenced by thermal regimes, corroborating the expansion of species' thermal niche breadth at higher latitudes and lower temperatures. This study highlights that in addition to biogeographic factors, temperature is pivotal on shaping oceanic island reef fish community structure. • The reef fish community structure varied significantly among the three islands of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. • The thermal tolerance of species plays a pivotal role in shaping reef fish communities among these islands. • The thermal niche breadth of species widens towards colder regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 5 May 2021 we celebrate the bicentenary of Napoleon's death. Despite autopsy findings of a "gastric cancer" and, more importantly, gastric perforated ulcer complicated with bleeding, the questions about the illness that tormented Napoleon at St. Helena and whether the death was a consequence of a poisoning, maintain an unbroken fascination. PubMed/MEDLINE lists hundreds of articles. We also consulted Index-Cat library for articles dating back to the eighteenth century. The present paper presents for the first time a systematic review on this topic. The authors divided the selected articles according to the methodology of the papers: (a) illness and autopsy evidence revised by current pathological knowledge; (b) toxicological tests on Napoleon's hair performed by modern analytical techniques. None of the articles denied the toxicological evidence from Napoleon's hair, although analytical papers did not offer homogeneous results due to several biases. Few of them refuted the hypothesis of death due to primary toxic substances. Most considered gastric bleeding is the primary cause of Napoleon's death due to solely or nearly completely gastric cancer or to medications containing antimony, mercury, or arsenic. Upon review of the contemporary and modern evidence, we classify Napoleon's 1821 death as "unnatural" with massive gastric bleeding due to primary involvement of toxic substances that may have precipitated or exacerbated an underlying "natural" pathological condition or a disease as likely could be a stomach carcinoma; it does not imply criminal intent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western epistemologies on race defined blackness and indigeneity through scales of poverty, or more precisely, in frameworks privileging economic deprivation. Indigenous fishing communities are typically constructed as subsistence fishers whose practices only served to exacerbate resource scarcity as a result. I present a case study of the Gullah Geechee, self-defined as culturally indigenous and racially black, to explore how consciousness, indigenous knowledge, and cultural practices allow access to resources that enable them to achieve a level of autonomy. I draw on the livelihoods of three fishers, ranging from familial to commercial, to examine how the power of giving, through the cultural practices of reciprocity, sharing, and cooperation, yield abundances vital to building a sense of community. I suggest that indigenous ontologies offer alternate ways to conceptualize indigeneity in the Americas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'Rand flora' is a biogeographical disjunction which refers to plant lineages occurring at the margins of the African continent and neighbouring oceanic archipelagos. Here, we tested whether the phylogeographical pattern of Exormotheca pustulosa Mitt. was the result of vicariance induced by past climatic changes or the outcome of a series of recent long-distance dispersal events. Two chloroplast markers (rps 4- trn F region and psb A- trn H spacer) and one nuclear marker (ITS2) were analysed. Phylogenetic and phylogeographical relationships were inferred as well as divergence time estimates and ancestral areas. Exormotheca possibly originated in Eastern Africa during the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene while Exormotheca putulosa diversified during the Late Miocene. Three main E. pustulosa groups were found: the northern Macaronesia/Western Mediterranean, the South Africa/Saint Helena and the Cape Verde groups. The major splits among these groups occurred during the Late Miocene/Pliocene; diversification was recent, dating back to the Pleistocene. Climate-driven vicariance and subsequent long-distance dispersal events may have shaped the current disjunct distribution of E. pustulosa that corresponds to the Rand Flora pattern. Colonization of Macaronesia seems to have occurred twice by two independent lineages. The evolutionary history of E. pustulosa populations of Cape Verde warrants further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Basalts from the islands of Mangaia, Tubuai, Rurutu (old stage), and Raivavae (Rairua stage) in the South Pacific, and from St. Helena Island in the South Atlantic, are characterized by extremely radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions (e.g., 206Pb/204Pb > 20.5). These ocean island basalts (OIBs) define the famous HIMU (high μ, where μ = 238U/204Pb) component in the mantle 'zoo', which has traditionally been thought to represent ancient recycled oceanic crust with highly fractionated U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios. However, recent high-precision analyses of minor and trace elements in olivine phenocrysts from HIMU OIBs suggest a peridotitic mantle source rather than pyroxenitic/eclogitic remnants of subducted oceanic crust. To better constrain the lithology of the HIMU source is crucial for further understanding the nature of the HIMU component. Here we utilize stable iron (Fe) isotopes, a novel tool for identifying the mantle source lithology of basalts, to further investigate the lithology of the HIMU source by examining classic HIMU OIBs from the Cook-Austral volcanic chain in the South Pacific. The results show that these OIBs have δ57Fe values varying from 0.09‰ to 0.18‰, which are similar to those of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORBs, δ57Fe = 0.15 ± 0.05‰, 2SD). Quantitative calculations indicate that the fractional-crystallization-corrected δ57Fe corr values (0.06–0.15‰) of these basalts can well be explained by partial melting of garnet peridotite with δ57Fe values ranging from 0.05‰ to 0.09‰. Such low δ57Fe corr values, however, are difficult to be reproduced by partial melting of eclogite with a MORB-like δ57Fe value (δ57Fe = 0.15‰). Our new Fe isotope data, combined with previously reported heavy whole-rock zinc isotopes (δ66Zn = 0.38 ± 0.03‰) as well as high Mn/Fe (100Mn/Fe = 1.5–1.7) and Ca/Al (mostly >15) ratios of olivine phenocrysts in the HIMU OIBs, further confirm that the lithology of the HIMU mantle source is carbonated peridotite. • OIBs from the type localities for the HIMU component show MORB-like δ57Fe values. • The MORB-like Fe isotopic compositions cannot be attributed to magma evolution. • Partial melting of peridotitic HIMU source can explain the observed δ57Fe values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on a recent collection of caridean shrimps from St. Helena in the south-central Atlantic Ocean, raising the total number of species known from the island to 24. Six species are newly recorded for the area, with no endemic species present. Additional three species are recorded from Ascension Island. A close biogeographical connection between the caridean faunas of St. Helena and Ascension Island is evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is accumulating evidence that root system collapse is a primary symptom associated with Huanglongbing (HLB)-induced tree decline, especially for commercial sweet orange and grapefruit trees on Swingle and Carrizo rootstocks. Maintaining root health is imperative to keep trees productive in an HLB-endemic environment. Preliminary greenhouse and field studies have shown that HLB-impacted trees had secondary and micronutrient deficiencies that were much greater in the roots than in the leaves, and that treatments containing three-times the recommended dose of manganese (Mn) improved tree health and growth and increased feeder root density in greenhouse trees. These results suggested that trees in an HLB-endemic environment have higher specific micronutrient requirements than those currently recommended. To test this hypothesis, established Vernia sweet orange grafted onto rough lemon rootstock trees were divided into eight supplemental CRF nutrition treatments (including twotimes and four-times the recommended doses of Mn and boron) using a randomized complete block design in a commercial grove in St. Cloud, FL. The following supplemental nutrition treatments were used: no extra nutrition (control); Harrell's-St. Helena mix 0.9 kg per tree; Harrell's with 32 g of Florikan polycoated sodium borate (PSB) per tree; Harrell's with 90 g of TigerSul-Mn sulfate (MS) per tree; Harrell's with 32 g of PSB and 90 g of MS per tree; 180 g of MS per tree; 64 g of PSB per tree; and 180 g of MS plus 64 g of PSB per tree applied every 6 months since Fall 2015. Leaf and soil nutritional analyses were performed in Mar. 2017, Sept. 2017, and May 2018; a quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) titer estimation in Nov. 2017. Significantly higher cycle threshold (Ct) values indicating reduced CLas bacterial populations were observed in trees that received the higher doses of Mn, especially those receiving four-times the recommended dosage of Mn (180 g Mn). Many trees exhibited Ct values of 32 or more, indicating a nonactive infection. Fruit yields of these trees were also increased. No significant differences in juice characteristics, canopy volume, and trunk section area were found between control plants and plants treated with 180 g Mn. Soil and leaf nutrients B, K, Mn, and Zn were significantly different among treatments at various times during the study. Our results strongly suggest that overdoses of Mn can suppress CLas bacterial titers in sweet orange trees on rough lemon rootstock, thus providing a therapeutic effect that can help restore tree health and fruit yields. This response was not observed when Mn and B were combined in the overdose, suggesting an antagonistic effect from B on Mn metabolism. When an overdose of Mn is used, biological functions and tree tolerance lost due to nutritional imbalances caused by HLB might be restored. Further studies are needed to elucidate which metabolic pathways are altered by comparing overdosed and conventionally fertilized HLB-impacted trees and to determine if the observed therapeutic effects can be achieved in trees grafted to other important commercial rootstocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity surveys in isolated sites, such as oceanic islands, provide biogeographic data that can improve our analyses and knowledge of evolutionary processes in the oceans. Zoantharians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) are common and widespread components of shallow-water reefs, but distributional analyses are scarce for this group. In this study, we collected Zoantharia specimens from around Saint Helena Island (STH) in the mid-Atlantic and identified species using external morphology and molecular data. Moreover, we compiled and analysed the most comprehensive distributional data for zoantharian species in the subtropical and tropical Atlantic Ocean to date. Our results show eight zoantharian species in STH, which includes seven new records for STH waters. Furthermore, all families and genera of the suborder Brachycnemina recorded are widespread in the Atlantic Ocean, including at least four amphi-Atlantic species. The Caribbean is the richness centre in the Atlantic Ocean for zoantharian species, a pattern similar to that observed for many other subtropical/tropical marine taxa. However, Zoantharia may have a lower endemism rate in some areas than other common reef animals, for example zooxanthellate scleractinian corals and reef fishes. Moreover, zoantharian species have a more extensive distribution than close-related taxa such as zooxanthellate scleractinian corals and hydrocorals in the Atlantic Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of the invertebrates of St Helena using an invertebrate conservation evaluation framework, to review invertebrate data, highlight knowledge gaps and prioritise invertebrate conservation needs that perhaps could be applied to other regions of the world. St Helena's invertebrate fauna has 891 genera and 1133 species. The fauna has a high level of endemism with 450 species (equal to 96% of all native species) but the total species richness now comprises many introduced species (664) with 93 species in 24 orders that are entirely novel to St Helena. The elevation ranges of native species appear to be narrow, most being confined to higher elevations above 500 m. St Helena has had a large number of probable extinction events; 30 insects, and 19 molluscs, and the threat of further extinctions remains high. The cumulative invertebrate extinctions on St Helena exceed the global background extinction rate on an island barely covering 122 km2. We present actions and timelines to focus invertebrate conservation on St Helena; taxonomy, ecology, long term monitoring and invasive species control are priority areas to reduce extinction risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the Speaker of Great Britain's House of Commons and Joint Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) UK Branch President Lindsay Hoyle has visited the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean and met with its Members of the Legislature.

This article makes distinctions between stories of islands and island history, between descriptions of individual islands and the subject matter of Island Studies. St Helena is used as the case study, not during its days on the global stage as the prison for Napoleon, but earlier, when it was a revictualing station for East India Company ships returning from the Orient. Events and stories on St Helena during this period are seen to be part of a much wider historical setting of global trade and nascent imperialism. International contestation played a role, too, with the island changing hands twice in 1673 when the Dutch conquerors were displaced by the English navy. Following recapture, the earlier attempts of the East India Company to establish a utopian society on their island were abandoned and a harsh regime imposed, which was met with sedition, mutiny and a slave rebellion. The article concludes with a discussion of the growing realisation of the significance of St Helena and other islands to the study of imperial history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This remarkably fine sword was commissioned by General Baron Gaspard Gourgaud, the close personal aide of Napoleon Bonaparte, to commemorate the return of the Emperor’s body from St Helena to Paris in 1840. It was designed and made in 1842 by Alexandre Lapret, a distinguished artist-craftsman working in the famous Paris atelier of Henri Lepage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates how the South Atlantic harbour of St. Helena shaped the experiences, practices, and tactics of seamen from American whalers on shore leave. Based on logbooks, diaries, and other sources mainly from the nineteenth century, it argues that the harbour's reputation as a place of longing as well as a number of distinctive features -- among them the US consulate and the last residence of Napoleon -- encouraged seamen to revolt against the impositions of working life at sea by means of strikes, petitions, and desertions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]