Monitoring relative abundance of Young of Year American eel, Anguilla rostrata, in the Virginia tributaries of Chesapeake Bay

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (hereafter referred to as FMP) for the American Eel in November 1999. The FMP focuses on increasing the states’ efforts to collect data on the resource and the fishery it supports through both fishery dependent and independent studies. To this end, member jurisdictions (including Virginia) agreed to implement an annual abundance survey for young of year (YOY) American eels. The survey is intended to “…characterize trends in annual recruitment of the young of year eels over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic Coast (ASMFC, 2000). The development of these surveys began as pilot surveys in 2000 with full implementation by the 2001 season. Results from these surveys will provide necessary data on coastal recruitment success and further the understanding of American eel population dynamics

Evaluating Recruitment of American Eel, Anguilla rostrata, to the Potomac River Spring 2003

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adopted the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the American eel in November 1999. The FMP focuses on increasing the states’ efforts to collect data on the resource and the fishery it supports through both fishery dependent and fishery independent studies. To this end, member jurisdictions (including the PRFC) agreed to implement an annual abundance survey for young of year (YOY) American eels. The survey is intended to “…characterize trends in annual recruitment of young of year eels over time [to produce a] qualitative appraisal of the annual recruitment of American eel to the U.S. Atlantic coast (ASMFC, 2000). The development of these surveys began as pilot surveys in 2000 with full implementation by the 2001 season. Results from these surveys will provide critical data on eel coastal recruitment success and further understanding of American eel population dynamics

Evaluating the recruitment of American eel, Anguilla rostrata, to the Potomac - Spring 2002 : February 2002 - June 2002

Measures of juvenile recruitment success have long been recognized as valuable fisheries management tools. In Chesapeake Bay, these measures provide reliable indicators for future year class strength for blue crabs (Lipcius and Van Engel, 1990), striped bass (Goodyear, 1985), as well as several other recreationally and commercially important species (Geer and Austin, 1999). The American Eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a valuable commercial species along the entire Atlantic coast from New Brunswick to Florida. Landings along the U.S. Atlantic coast have varied from 290 MT in 1962 to a high of 1600 MT in 1975 (NMFS, 1999). In recent years, harvests along the U.S. Atlantic Coast seemingly declined, with similar patterns occurring in the Canadian Maritime Provinces. The Mid-Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia) comprised the largest portion of the East Coast catch (88% of the reported landings) since 1988 (NMFS 1999). The Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions of Virginia, Maryland, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) alone represent 30, 15, and 18% respectively, of the annual United States commercial harvest for 1987-1996 (ASMFC, 2000). Some fishery independent indices have shown a decline in American eel abundance in recent years (Richkus and Whalens, 1999). Hypotheses for this decline include locational shifts in the Gulf Stream, pollution, overfishing, parasites, and barriers to fish passage (Castonguay etal., 1994). Fisheries management techniques aren\u27t often applied to American eels because basic biological information is not well known. Unknown biological parameters such as variation in growth rates and length at age have complicated stock assessment methodologies and management efforts. Additionally, 3 relatively few studies have addressed the recruitment of glass eels to the estuaries from the spawning grounds of the Sargasso Sea

The tRNAscan-SE, snoscan and snoGPS web servers for the detection of tRNAs and snoRNAs

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are two of the largest classes of non-protein-coding RNAs. Conventional gene finders that detect protein-coding genes do not find tRNA and snoRNA genes because they lack the codon structure and statistical signatures of protein-coding genes. Previously, we developed tRNAscan-SE, snoscan and snoGPS for the detection of tRNAs, methylation-guide snoRNAs and pseudouridylation-guide snoRNAs, respectively. tRNAscan-SE is routinely applied to completed genomes, resulting in the identification of thousands of tRNA genes. Snoscan has successfully detected methylation-guide snoRNAs in a variety of eukaryotes and archaea, and snoGPS has identified novel pseudouridylation-guide snoRNAs in yeast and mammals. Although these programs have been quite successful at RNA gene detection, their use has been limited by the need to install and configure the software packages on UNIX workstations. Here, we describe online implementations of these RNA detection tools that make these programs accessible to a wider range of research biologists. The tRNAscan-SE, snoscan and snoGPS servers are available at , and , respectively

Focal Plate Structure Alignment of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is under construction to measure the expansion history of the universe using the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) technique. The spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars over $14000 \,\text{deg}^2$ will be measured during the life of the experiment. A new prime focus corrector for the KPNO Mayall telescope will deliver light to 5000 robotically positioned optic fibres. The fibres in turn feed ten broadband spectrographs. Proper alignment of focal plate structure, mainly consisting of a focal plate ring (FPR) and ten focal plate petals (FPP), is crucial in ensuring minimal loss of light in the focal plane. A coordinate measurement machine (CMM) metrology-based approach to alignment requires comprehensive characterisation of critical dimensions of the petals and the ring, all of which were 100% inspected. The metrology data not only served for quality assurance (QA), but also, with careful modelling of geometric transformations, informed the initial choice of integration accessories such as gauge blocks, pads, and shims. The integrated focal plate structure was inspected again on a CMM, and each petal was adjusted according to the updated focal plate metrology data until all datums were extremely close to nominal positions and optical throughput nearly reached the theoretically best possible value. This paper presents our metrology and alignment methodology and complete results for twelve official DESI petals. The as-aligned, total RMS optical throughput for 6168 positioner holes of twelve production petals was indirectly measured to be $99.88 \pm 0.12 \%$, well above the 99.5% project requirement. The successful alignment fully demonstrated the wealth of data, reproducibility, and micron-level precision made available by our CMM metrology-based approach.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 3 table

Climate Change and Biosphere Response: Unlocking the Collections Vault

Natural history collections (NHCs) are an important source of the long-term data needed to understand how biota respond to ongoing anthropogenic climate change. These include taxon occurrence data for ecological modeling, as well as information that can be used to reconstruct mechanisms through which biota respond to changing climates. The full potential of NHCs for climate change research cannot be fully realized until high-quality data sets are conveniently accessible for research, but this requires that higher priority be placed on digitizing the holdings most useful for climate change research (e.g., whole-biota studies, time series, records of intensively sampled common taxa). Natural history collections must not neglect the proliferation of new information from efforts to understand how present-day ecosystems are responding to environmental change. These new directions require a strategic realignment for many NHC holders to complement their existing focus on taxonomy and systematics. To set these new priorities, we need strong partnerships between NHC holders and global change biologists

Performance of PCA3 and TMPRSS2:ERG urinary biomarkers in prediction of biopsy outcome in the Canary Prostate Active Surveillance Study (PASS).

BackgroundFor men on active surveillance for prostate cancer, biomarkers may improve prediction of reclassification to higher grade or volume cancer. This study examined the association of urinary PCA3 and TMPRSS2:ERG (T2:ERG) with biopsy-based reclassification.MethodsUrine was collected at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months in the multi-institutional Canary Prostate Active Surveillance Study (PASS), and PCA3 and T2:ERG levels were quantitated. Reclassification was an increase in Gleason score or ratio of biopsy cores with cancer to ≥34%. The association of biomarker scores, adjusted for common clinical variables, with short- and long-term reclassification was evaluated. Discriminatory capacity of models with clinical variables alone or with biomarkers was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and decision curve analysis (DCA).ResultsSeven hundred and eighty-two men contributed 2069 urine specimens. After adjusting for PSA, prostate size, and ratio of biopsy cores with cancer, PCA3 but not T2:ERG was associated with short-term reclassification at the first surveillance biopsy (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.0-1.7, p = 0.02). The addition of PCA3 to a model with clinical variables improved area under the curve from 0.743 to 0.753 and increased net benefit minimally. After adjusting for clinical variables, neither marker nor marker kinetics was associated with time to reclassification in subsequent biopsies.ConclusionsPCA3 but not T2:ERG was associated with cancer reclassification in the first surveillance biopsy but has negligible improvement over clinical variables alone in ROC or DCA analyses. Neither marker was associated with reclassification in subsequent biopsies

Prevalence Rates of Arthritis Among US Older Adults with Varying Degrees of Depression: Findings from the 2011 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Arthritis and depressive symptoms often interact and negatively influence one another to worsen mental and physical health outcomes. Better characterization of arthritis rates among older adults with different levels of depressive symptoms is an important step toward informing mental health professionals of the need to detect and respond to arthritis and related mental health complications. The primary objective is to determine arthritis rates among US older adults with varying degrees of depression. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011 to 2014 data (N = 4792), we first identified participants aged ≥50 years. Measures screened for depressive symptoms and self‐reported doctor‐diagnosed arthritis. Weighted logistic regression models were conducted. Prevalence of arthritis was 55.0%, 62.9%, and 67.8% in participants with minor, moderate, and severe depression, respectively. In both unadjusted and adjusted regression models, a significant association between moderate depression and arthritis persisted. There were also significant associations between minor and severe depression with arthritis. Arthritis is commonly reported in participants with varying degrees of depression. This study highlights the importance of screening for and treating arthritis‐related pain in older adults with depressive symptoms and the need for future geriatric psychiatry research on developing integrated biopsychosocial interventions for these common conditions

Prevalence Rates of Arthritis Among US Older Adults with Varying Degrees of Depression: Findings from the 2011 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Arthritis and depressive symptoms often interact and negatively influence one another to worsen mental and physical health outcomes. Better characterization of arthritis rates among older adults with different levels of depressive symptoms is an important step toward informing mental health professionals of the need to detect and respond to arthritis and related mental health complications. The primary objective is to determine arthritis rates among US older adults with varying degrees of depression. Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011 to 2014 data (N = 4792), we first identified participants aged ≥50 years. Measures screened for depressive symptoms and self‐reported doctor‐diagnosed arthritis. Weighted logistic regression models were conducted. Prevalence of arthritis was 55.0%, 62.9%, and 67.8% in participants with minor, moderate, and severe depression, respectively. In both unadjusted and adjusted regression models, a significant association between moderate depression and arthritis persisted. There were also significant associations between minor and severe depression with arthritis. Arthritis is commonly reported in participants with varying degrees of depression. This study highlights the importance of screening for and treating arthritis‐related pain in older adults with depressive symptoms and the need for future geriatric psychiatry research on developing integrated biopsychosocial interventions for these common conditions