Remarkable Response of Native Fishes to Invasive Trout Suppression Varies With Trout Density, Temperature, and Annual Hydrology

Recovery of imperiled fishes can be achieved through suppression of invasives, but outcomes may vary with environmental conditions. We studied the response of imperiled desert fishes to an invasive brown (Salmo trutta) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) suppression program in a Colorado River tributary, with natural flow and longitudinal variation in thermal characteristics. We investigated trends in fish populations related to suppression and tested hypotheses about the impacts of salmonid densities, hydrologic variation, and spatial–thermal gradients on the distribution and abundance of native fish species using zero-inflated generalized linear mixed effects models. Between 2012 and 2018, salmonids declined 89%, and native fishes increased dramatically (∼480%) once trout suppression surpassed ∼60%. Temperature and trout density were consistently retained in the top models predicting the abundance and distribution of native fishes. The greatest increases occurred in warmer reaches and in years with spring flooding. Surprisingly, given the evolution of native fishes in disturbance-prone systems, intense, monsoon-driven flooding limited native fish recruitment. Applied concertedly, invasive species suppression and efforts to mimic natural flow and thermal regimes may allow rapid and widespread native fish recovery

Exploring Metapopulation-Scale Suppression Alternatives for a Global Invader in a River Network Experiencing Climate Change

Invasive species can dramatically alter ecosystems, but eradication is difficult, and suppression is expensive once they are established. Uncertainties in the potential for expansion and impacts by an invader can lead to delayed and inadequate suppression, allowing for establishment. Metapopulation viability models can aid in planning strategies to improve responses to invaders and lessen invasive species’ impacts, which may be particularly important under climate change. We used a spatially-explicit metapopulation viability model to explore suppression strategies for ecologically-damaging invasive brown trout (Salmo trutta), established in the Colorado River and a tributary within Grand Canyon National Park. Our goals were to: 1) estimate the effectiveness of strategies targeting different life stages and subpopulations within a metapopulation, 2) quantify the effectiveness of a rapid response to a new invasion relative to delaying action until establishment; and 3) estimate whether future hydrology and temperature regimes related to climate change and reservoir management affect metapopulation viability and alter the optimal management response. We included scenarios targeting different life-stages with spatially-varying intensities of electrofishing, redd destruction, incentivized angler harvest, piscicides, and a weir. Quasi-extinction (QE) was obtainable only with metapopulation-wide suppression targeting multiple life-stages; subpopulations were most sensitive to age-0 and large adult mortality. The duration of suppression needed to reach QE for a large established subpopulation was triple compared to a rapid response to a new invasion. Isolated subpopulations were vulnerable to suppression; however, connected tributary subpopulations enhanced metapopulation persistence by serving as climate refuges. Water shortages driving changes in reservoir storage and subsequent warming would cause brown trout declines, but metapopulation QE was only achieved by re-focusing and increasing suppression. Our modeling approach improved our understanding of invasive brown trout metapopulation dynamics, which could lead to more focused and effective invasive species suppression strategies, and ultimately, maintenance of populations of endemic fishes

Positive psychology interventions in patients with medical illness: What predicts improvement in psychological state?

Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) have been shown to promote wellbeing in individuals with medical illness, although it is still unknown whether certain patient characteristics make participants more likely to benefit from such interventions. The present study tested whether, using individual patient data across five published PPI studies (three single-arm proof-of-concept trials, one non-randomized controlled trial, and one randomized controlled trial) in medically-ill persons, sociodemographic or psychological factors predicted subsequent change in wellbeing. In 208 participants, lower baseline psychological wellbeing and optimism, and higher symptoms of depression and anxiety were associated with greater improvement in psychological symptoms during the PPI. Other factors were unrelated to symptom changes. In a sub-analysis of controlled studies, there were no group differences in the relationship between baseline factors and changes in wellbeing from pre- to post-intervention. Findings suggest that patients with more severe psychiatric and/or medical comorbidity are no less likely to benefit from a PPI compared to those with higher levels of health, even though these programs do not directly target psychological distress. PPIs may be widely applicable to medical patients, with lower psychological wellbeing a potential predictor of increased benefit

Reserve and Reserve-building activities research: key challenges and future directions

Background: The concept of Cognitive Reserve has great appeal and has led to an interesting and important body of research. We believe, however, that it is unnecessarily limited by ‘habits’ of measurement, nomenclature, and intra-disciplinary thinking. Main body A broader, more comprehensive way of conceptualizing Reserve is proposed that invokes a broader measurement approach, nomenclature that uses specific terms embedded in a theoretical model, and crosses disciplines. Conclusion: Building on this comprehensive conceptualization, we will discuss fruitful directions for future research

Effects of Repeated Sublethal External Exposure to Deep Water Horizon Oil on the Avian Metabolome

We assessed adverse effects of external sublethal exposure of Deepwater Horizon, Mississippi Canyon 252 oil on plasma and liver metabolome profiles of the double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), a large (1.5 to 3.0 kg) diving waterbird common in the Gulf of Mexico. Metabolomics analysis of avian plasma showed significant negative effects on avian metabolic profiles, in some cases after only two external exposures (26 g cumulative) to oil. We observed significant (p \u3c 0.05) changes in intermediate metabolites of energy metabolism and fatty acid and amino acid metabolic pathways in cormorants after repeated exposure to oil. Exposure to oil increased several metabolites (glycine, betaine, serine and methionine) that are essential to the one-carbon metabolism pathway. Lipid metabolism was affected, causing an increase in production of ketone bodies, suggesting lipids were used as an alternative energy source for energy production in oil exposed birds. In addition, metabolites associated with hepatic bile acid metabolism were affected by oil exposure which was correlated with changes observed in bile acids in exposed birds. These changes at the most basic level of phenotypic expression caused by sublethal exposure to oil can have effects that would be detrimental to reproduction, migration, and survival in avian species

Identification of MS-specific serum miRNAs in an international multicenter study.

ObjectiveTo identify circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) linked to disease, disease stage, and disability in MS across cohorts.MethodsSamples were obtained from the Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis (CLIMB, Boston, MA), EPIC (San Francisco, CA), AMIR (Beirut, Lebanon) as part of the SUMMIT consortium, and Stockholm Prospective Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (Stockholm, Sweden) cohorts. Serum miRNA expression was measured using locked nucleic acid-based quantitative PCR. Four groups were compared: (1) MS vs healthy control (HC), (2) relapsing-remitting (RR) vs HC, (3) secondary progressive (SP) vs HC, and (4) RR vs SP. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for the comparisons. The association between each miRNA and the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was assessed using the Spearman correlation coefficient. For each comparison, the p values were corrected for multiple comparisons using the approach of Benjamini and Hochberg to control the false discovery rate.ResultsIn the CLIMB cohort, 5 miRNAs (hsa-miR-484, hsa-miR-140-5p, hsa-miR-320a, hsa-miR-486-5p, and hsa-miR-320c) showed a significant difference between patients with MS and healthy individuals; among these, miR-484 remained significant after accounting for multiple comparisons (p = 0.01). When comparing RRMS with HCs, hsa-miR-484 showed a significant difference (p = 0.004) between the groups after accounting for multiple group comparisons. When SP and HC were compared, 6 miRNAs (hsa-miR-484, hsa-miR-140-5p, hsa-miR-142-5p, hsa-miR-320a, hsa-miR-320b, and hsa-miR-320c) remained significantly different after accounting for multiple comparisons. Disability correlation analysis with miRNA provided 4 miRNAs (hsa-miR-320a, hsa-miR-337-3p, hsa-miR-199a-5p, and hsa-miR-142-5p) that correlated with the EDSS during the internal reproducibility phase. Among these, hsa-miR-337-3p was the most statistically significant miRNA that negatively correlated with the EDSS in three of the MS cohorts tested.ConclusionsThese findings further confirm the use of circulating serum miRNAs as biomarkers to diagnose and monitor disease status in MS.Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class III evidence that levels of circulating miRNAs identify patients with MS

No sex-specific difference in disease trajectory in multiple sclerosis patients before and after age 50

Background: The disease course in multiple sclerosis (MS) is influenced by many factors, including age, sex, and sex hormones. Little is known about sex-specific changes in disease course around age 50, which may represent a key biological transition period for reproductive aging. Methods: Male and female subjects with no prior chemotherapy exposure were selected from a prospective MS cohort to form groups representing the years before (38–46 years, N=351) and after (54–62 years, N=200)age 50. Primary analysis assessed for interaction between effects of sex and age on clinical (Expanded Disability Status Scale, EDSS; relapse rate) and radiologic (T2 lesion volume, T2LV; brain parenchymal fraction, BPF) outcomes. Secondarily, we explored patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Results: As expected, there were age- and sex- related changes with male and older cohorts showing worse disease severity (EDSS), brain atrophy (BPF), and more progressive course. There was no interaction between age and sex on cross-sectional adjusted clinical (EDSS, relapse rate) or radiologic (BPF, T2LV) measures, or on 2-year trajectories of decline. There was a significant interaction between age and sex for a physical functioning PRO (SF-36): the older female cohort reported lower physical functioning than men (p=0.002). There were no differences in depression (Center for Epidemiological Study – Depression, CES-D) or fatigue (Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, MFIS) scores. Conclusions: There was no interaction between age and sex suggestive of an effect of reproductive aging on clinical or radiologic progression. Prospective analyses across the menopausal transition are needed

Increased leptin and A-FABP levels in relapsing and progressive forms of MS

BACKGROUND: Leptin and adipocyte-fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) are produced by white adipose tissue and may play a role in chronic inflammation in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). To assess leptin and A-FABP in relapsing and progressive forms of MS. METHODS: Adipokine levels were measured in untreated adult relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), secondary progressive MS (SPMS), primary progressive MS (PPMS) and Healthy control (HC). Pediatric-onset MS (POMS) and pediatric healthy controls (PHC) were also assessed. Leptin and A-FABP levels were measured in serum by ELISA. Groups were compared using linear mixed-effects model. RESULTS: Excluding two patients with Body Mass Index (BMI) > 50, a significant difference in leptin level was found between RRMS and HC controlling for age (p = 0.007), SPMS and HC controlling for age alone (p = 0.002), or age and BMI (p = 0.007). A-FABP levels were higher in SPMS than HC (p = 0.007), controlling for age and BMI. Differences in A-FABP levels between POMS and PHC was observed after controlling for age (p = 0.019), but not when BMI was added to the model (p = 0.081). CONCLUSION: Leptin and A-FABP levels are highest in SPMS compared to HC, suggesting a role in pathogenesis of this disease subtype. A-FABP levels are increased in POMS patients and may play a role in the early stages of disease

Cu᎐P(2) 2.258(4)-2.269(1) Å, Cu᎐N

The mixed ligand P 2 CuN 2 copper() complexes [Cu(PPh 3 ) 2 (MeCN) 2 ]X have been studied by one-and twodimensional 31 P CP MAS NMR spectroscopy for X = PF 6 , BF 4 or ClO 4 and single crystal X-ray diffraction for X = PF 6 and ClO 4 , completing availability of precise structural data for this isomorphous series. The compounds crystallise as discrete cations and anions in space group P2 1 /n with a ≈ 15, b ≈ 27, c ≈ 9 Å, β = 95Њ, Z = 4. The anion is located ca. 6 Å from the copper atom and adjacent to a cleft formed between the acetonitrile ligands and phosphine ligand 2 while the crystallographically independent PPh 3 ligands adopt staggered three-bladed propeller-type conformations of opposite chirality. The geometric symmetry of the P 2 CuN 2 co-ordination sphere is low with Cu᎐P(1) 2.276(4)-2.287(2), Cu᎐P(2) 2.258 J( 31 P᎐ 31 P) 75 Hz. The copper quadrupolar induced distortion of the line spacings is different for the two sites and is postulated to be a consequence of variation in the angle between the Cu᎐P vectors and the z axis of the electric field gradient tensor. The magnitude of the distortion is relatively small and consistent with small copper quadrupolar coupling constants for the compounds and a balanced electronic charge distribution about the copper() site in spite of the low geometric symmetry of the P 2 CuN 2 co-ordination sphere. Bis(triphenylphosphine)copper() compounds with monovalent anions, Cu(PPh 3 ) 2 X, have been shown by single crystal structure determinations to crystallize from polar organic solvents as discrete monomeric [Cu(PPh 3 ) 2 X] or dimeric [{Cu(PPh 3 ) 2 X} 2 ] molecules with X acting as monodentate, bidentate or bridging ligands and the copper site(s) three-or four-co-ordinate, depending on the donor and steric properties of the anion. 1-9 For the weakly co-ordinating anions PF 6 Ϫ , BF 4 Ϫ and ClO 4 Ϫ , however, recrystallization from acetonitrile results instead in the formation of mixed ligand ionic compounds [Cu(PPh 3 ) 2 -(MeCN) 2 ]X in which the anion is displaced from the copper co-ordination sphere by a pair of solvent molecules. 10-13 Single crystal structure determinations for the ClO 4 10 and BF 4 12 compounds show the overall structure of the P 2 CuN 2 copper coordination sphere to be similar and considerably distorted from tetrahedral symmetry. However, line spacing distortions in the solid state 31 P CP MAS NMR spectra of the perchlorate compound 10 arising from perturbation of the spectra by copper quadrupolar interactions 14-18 were found to be unusually small and consistent with a relatively balanced charge distribution about the copper site. In order to improve the quality of the NMR data for these compounds, and because the cation has been shown to be an active catalyst in cyclopropanation reactions, 12 we recorded one-and two-dimensional (COSY) solid state 31 P CP MAS NMR parameters at 9.40 T for all three compounds, together with a determination of the structure of the PF 6 compound, completing the availability of structural data for the series. As part of this work we also redetermined the structure of the ClO 4 compound as the initial structure determination was completed on a crystal of marginal quality. The results of this work form the basis of the present report. † E-Mail: [email protected] Experimental Synthesis The compounds [Cu(PPh 3 ) 2 (MeCN) 2 ]X, for X = PF 6 , BF 4 , ClO 4 , were prepared according to established procedures. 10-13 Dissolution of [Cu(MeCN) 4 ]X (2 mmol) and PPh 3 (4 mmol) in warm acetonitrile (20 ml) followed by slow cooling and partial evaporation of the solvent gave well formed air stable crystals of the desired complex. Melting points: X = PF 6 , 168-172; BF 4 , 171-176; ClO 4 , 182-186 ЊC (decomp.). Crystallography Unique diffractometer data sets were measured at ca. 293 K (2θ-θ scan mode, monochromatic Mo-Kα radiation, λ = 0.710 73 Å) for [Cu(PPh 3 ) 2 (MeCN) 2 ]X, X = PF 6 or ClO 4 . N Independent reflections were obtained, N o with I > 3σ(I) being considered 'observed' and used in the full matrix least squares refinements after absorption correction. Anisotropic thermal parameters were refined for the non-hydrogen atoms; (x, y, z, U iso ) H were included, constrained at estimated values. Conventional residuals at convergence, R, RЈ on |F| are recorded, statistical reflection weights derivative of σ 2 (I) = σ 2 (I diff ) ϩ 0.0004σ 4 (I diff ) being used. Neutral atom complex scattering factors were used, computation with the XTAL 3.2 program system implemented by S. R. Hall. 19 The phenyl rings of the PPh 3 ligands are labelled nm where n is the ligand number 1 or 2 and m is the ring number 1, 2 or 3. Phenyl carbons are labelled C(nml), l = 1-6 where 1 is the ipso-and 2 the ortho-carbon that points towards the P atom. Crystal/refinement data. [Cu(PPh 3 ) 2 (MeCN) 2 ]PF 6 ≡ C 40 H 36 -CuF 6 N 2 P 3 , M = 814.9, monoclinic, space group P2 1 /n, (C 5 2h , no. 14, variant), a = 15.616(3), b = 27.38(1), c = 9.194(7) Å, β