Using Global Positioning System Technology to Manage Human-Black Bear Incidents at Yosemite National Park

Managing human–bear (Ursus spp.) incidents is a top management priority in national parks inhabited by bears. Yosemite National Park (Yosemite), located in the Sierra Nevada in California, USA, receives up to 5 million visitors annually. It is also home to 300–500 black bears (U. americanus). Yosemite has an extensive history of black bear research, educational programs, and innovative solutions for reducing human–bear incidents. Despite this, human–bear incidents peaked in 1998 at 1,584. The resulting political fallout led to Yosemite receiving funds to expand its bear management program, including increasing its staffing and garbage pick-up, and improving the park’s bear-resistant infrastructure. In 2011, Yosemite reached a milestone when it recorded only 114 human–bear incidents—a 93% decrease from the 1998 high. To sustain this lower level of incidents while facing shrinking budgets and increasing visitation, bear managers turned to more modern technology. From 2014–2018, we evaluated the effectiveness of using global positioning system (GPS) collars to manage bears more proactively, increase staff and public engagement with bears, and gain insight into the bears’ spatial and temporal movements. The GPS collars were effective in achieving these goals, while also improving both our time management and our communication with park management. By the end of November 2018, Yosemite had recorded only 22 human–bear incidents—a 99% decrease from the 1998 high. The GPS collars are now an integral part of the Yosemite bear management program. We provide recommendations on how GPS technology may help other parks reduce human–bear incidents

The Pea Aphid Uses a Version of the Terminal System during Oviparous, but not Viviparous, Development

Background: In most species of aphid, female nymphs develop into either sexual or asexual adults depending on the length of the photoperiod to which their mothers were exposed. The progeny of these sexual and asexual females, in turn, develop in dramatically different ways. The fertilized oocytes of sexual females begin embryogenesis after being deposited on leaves (oviparous development) while the oocytes of asexual females complete embryogenesis within the mother (viviparous development). Compared with oviparous development, viviparous development involves a smaller transient oocyte surrounded by fewer somatic epithelial cells and a smaller early embryo that comprises fewer cells. To investigate whether patterning mechanisms differ between the earliest stages of the oviparous and viviparous modes of pea aphid development, we examined the expression of pea aphid orthologs of genes known to specify embryonic termini in other insects. Results: Here we show that pea aphid oviparous ovaries express torso-like in somatic posterior follicle cells and activate ERK MAP kinase at the posterior of the oocyte. In addition to suggesting that some posterior features of the terminal system are evolutionarily conserved, our detection of activated ERK in the oocyte, rather than in the embryo, suggests that pea aphids may transduce the terminal signal using a mechanism distinct from the one used in Drosophila. In contrast with oviparous development, the pea aphid version of the terminal system does not appear to be used during viviparous development, since we did not detect expression of torso-like in the somatic epithelial cells that surround either the oocyte or the blastoderm embryo and we did not observe restricted activated ERK in the oocyte. Conclusions: We suggest that while oviparous oocytes and embryos may specify posterior fate through an aphid terminal system, viviparous oocytes and embryos employ a different mechanism, perhaps one that does not rely on an interaction between the oocyte and surrounding somatic cells. Together, these observations provide a striking example of a difference in the fundamental events of early development that is both environmentally induced and encoded by the same genome

Implementation and sustainment of diverse practices in a large integrated health system: a mixed methods study

Background: One goal of health systems seeking to evolve into learning health systems is to accelerate the implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices (EBPs). As part of this evolution, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) developed the Innovation Ecosystem, which includes the Diffusion of Excellence (DoE), a program that identifies and diffuses Gold Status Practices (GSPs) across facilities. The DoE hosts an annual Shark Tank competition in which leaders bid on the opportunity to implement a GSP with 6 months of implementation support. Over 750 diverse practices were submitted in cohorts 2 and 3 of Shark Tank; 23 were designated GSPs and were implemented in 31 VA networks or facilities. As part of a national evaluation of the DoE, we identified factors contributing to GSP implementation and sustainment. Methods: Our sequential mixed methods evaluation of cohorts 2 and 3 of Shark Tank included semi-structured interviews with at least one representative from 30/31 implementing teams (N = 78/105 people invited) and survey responses from 29/31 teams (N = 39/47 invited). Interviews focused on factors influencing implementation and future sustainment. Surveys focused on sustainment 1.5-2 years after implementation. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) informed data collection and directed content analysis. Ordinal scales were developed inductively to rank implementation and sustainment outcomes. Results: Over 50% of teams (17/30) successfully implemented their GSP within the 6-month implementation period. Despite extensive implementation support, significant barriers related to centralized decision-making, staffing, and resources led to partial (n = 6) or no (n = 7) implementation for the remaining teams. While 12/17 initially successful implementation teams reported sustained use of their GSP, over half of the initially unsuccessful teams (n = 7/13) also reported sustained GSP use 1.5 years after the initial implementation period. When asked at 6 months, 18/27 teams with complete data accurately anticipated their future sustainability based on reported sustainment an average of 1.5 years later. Conclusions: Most teams implemented within 6 months and/or sustained their GSP 1.5 years later. High levels of implementation and sustainment across diverse practices and teams suggest that VHA\u27s DoE is a successful large-scale model of diffusion. Team predictions about sustainability after the first 6 months of implementation provide a promising early assessment and point of intervention to increase sustainability

Pol II Docking and Pausing at Growth and Stress Genes in C. elegans

Fluctuations in nutrient availability profoundly impact gene expression. Previous work revealed postrecruitment regulation of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) during starvation and recovery in Caenorhabditis elegans, suggesting that promoter-proximal pausing promotes rapid response to feeding. To test this hypothesis, we measured Pol II elongation genome wide by two complementary approaches and analyzed elongation in conjunction with Pol II binding and expression. We confirmed bona fide pausing during starvation and also discovered Pol II docking. Pausing occurs at active stress-response genes that become downregulated in response to feeding. In contrast, “docked” Pol II accumulates without initiating upstream of inactive growth genes that become rapidly upregulated upon feeding. Beyond differences in function and expression, these two sets of genes have different core promoter motifs, suggesting alternative transcriptional machinery. Our work suggests that growth and stress genes are both regulated postrecruitment during starvation but at initiation and elongation, respectively, coordinating gene expression with nutrient availability

Reproductive Success of Eastern Bluebirds (Siala sialis) on Suburban Golf Courses

Understanding the role of green space in urban—suburban landscapes is becoming critical for bird conservation because of rampant habitat loss and conversion. Although not natural habitat, golf courses could play a role in bird conservation if they support breeding populations of some native species, yet scientists remain skeptical. In 2003–2009, we measured reproduction of Eastern Bluebirds (Siala sialis) in Virginia on golf courses and surrounding reference habitats, of the type that would have been present had golf courses not been developed on these sites (e.g., recreational parks, cemeteries, agriculture land, and college campus). We monitored \u3e650 nest boxes and 2,255 nest attempts (n = 1,363 golf course, n = 892 reference site). We used an information-theoretic modeling approach to evaluate whether conditions on golf courses affected timing of breeding, investment, or nest productivity compared with nearby reference sites. We found that Eastern Bluebirds breeding on golf courses reproduced as well as those breeding in other disturbed habitats. Habitat type had no effect on initial reproductive investment, including date of clutch initiation or clutch size ( = 4 eggs). During incubation and hatching, eggs in nests on golf courses had higher hatching rates (80%) and brood sizes ( = 4.0 nestlings brood-1) than nests on reference sites (75% hatching rate; = 3.8 nestlings brood-1). Mortality of older nestlings was also lower on golf courses and, on average, golf course nests produced 0.3 more fledglings than nests on reference sites. Thus, within a matrix of human-dominated habitats, golf courses may support productive populations of some avian species that can tolerate moderate levels of disturbance, like Eastern Bluebirds

Acute Inflammatory Profiles Differ with Sex and Age After Spinal Cord Injury

Background Sex and age are emerging as influential variables that affect spinal cord injury (SCI) recovery. Despite a changing demographic towards older age at the time of SCI, the effects of sex or age on inflammation remain to be elucidated. This study determined the sex- and age-dependency of the innate immune response acutely after SCI. Methods Male and female mice of ages 4- and 14-month-old received T9 contusion SCI and the proportion of microglia, monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM), and neutrophils surrounding the lesion were determined at 3- and 7-day post-injury (DPI) using flow cytometry. Cell counts of microglia and MDMs were obtained using immunohistochemistry to verify flow cytometry results at 3-DPI. Microglia and MDMs were separately isolated using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) at 3-day post-injury (DPI) to assess RNA expression of 27 genes associated with activation, redox, and debris metabolism/clearance. Results Flow cytometry revealed that being female and older at the time of injury significantly increased MDMs relative to other phagocytes, specifically increasing the ratio of MDMs to microglia at 3-DPI. Cell counts using immunohistochemistry revealed that male mice have more total microglia within SCI lesions that can account for a lower MDM/microglia ratio. With NanoString analyses of 27 genes, only 1 was differentially expressed between sexes in MDMs; specifically, complement protein C1qa was increased in males. No genes were affected by age in MDMs. Only 2 genes were differentially regulated in microglia between sexes after controlling for false discovery rate, specifically CYBB (NOX2) as a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-associated marker as well as MRC1 (CD206), a gene associated with reparative phenotypes. Both genes were increased in female microglia. No microglial genes were differentially regulated between ages. Differences between microglia and MDMs were found in 26 of 27 genes analyzed, all expressed higher in MDMs with three exceptions. Specifically, C1qa, cPLA2, and CD86 were expressed higher in microglia. Conclusions These findings indicate that inflammatory responses to SCI are sex-dependent at both the level of cellular recruitment and gene expression

Unveiling the Phase Transition of the Universe During the Reionization Epoch with Lyman-alpha

The epoch of reionization (6 < z < 10) marks the period in our universe when the first large galaxies grew to fruition, and began to affect the universe around them. Massive stars, and potentially accreting supermassive black holes, filled the universe with ionizing radiation, burning off the haze of neutral gas that had filled the intergalactic medium (IGM) since recombination (z~1000). The evolution of this process constrains key properties of these earliest luminous sources, thus observationally constraining reionization is a key science goal for the next decade. The measurement of Lyman-alpha emission from photometrically-identified galaxies is a highly constraining probe of reionization, as a neutral IGM will resonantly scatter these photons, reducing detectability. While significant work has been done with 8-10m telescopes, these observations require extremely large telescopes (ELTs); the flux limits available from today's 10m class telescopes are sufficient for only the brightest known galaxies (m < 26). Ultra-deep surveys with the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will be capable of detecting Lyman-alpha emission from galaxies 2-3 magnitudes fainter than today's deepest surveys. Wide-field fiber spectroscopy on the GMT combined with narrow-field AO-assisted slit spectroscopy on the TMT will be able to probe the expected size of ionized bubbles throughout the epoch of reionization, following up degree scale deep imaging surveys with the Wide Field Infrared Space Telescope. These data will provide the first resolved Lyman-alpha-based maps of the ionized intergalactic medium throughout the epoch of reionization, constraining models of both the temporal and spatial evolution of this phase change.Comment: White paper submitted to the Astro2020 Decadal Review of the National Academy of Science

The pea aphid uses a version of the terminal system during oviparous, but not viviparous, development

BACKGROUND: In most species of aphid, female nymphs develop into either sexual or asexual adults depending on the length of the photoperiod to which their mothers were exposed. The progeny of these sexual and asexual females, in turn, develop in dramatically different ways. The fertilized oocytes of sexual females begin embryogenesis after being deposited on leaves (oviparous development) while the oocytes of asexual females complete embryogenesis within the mother (viviparous development). Compared with oviparous development, viviparous development involves a smaller transient oocyte surrounded by fewer somatic epithelial cells and a smaller early embryo that comprises fewer cells. To investigate whether patterning mechanisms differ between the earliest stages of the oviparous and viviparous modes of pea aphid development, we examined the expression of pea aphid orthologs of genes known to specify embryonic termini in other insects. RESULTS: Here we show that pea aphid oviparous ovaries express torso-like in somatic posterior follicle cells and activate ERK MAP kinase at the posterior of the oocyte. In addition to suggesting that some posterior features of the terminal system are evolutionarily conserved, our detection of activated ERK in the oocyte, rather than in the embryo, suggests that pea aphids may transduce the terminal signal using a mechanism distinct from the one used in Drosophila. In contrast with oviparous development, the pea aphid version of the terminal system does not appear to be used during viviparous development, since we did not detect expression of torso-like in the somatic epithelial cells that surround either the oocyte or the blastoderm embryo and we did not observe restricted activated ERK in the oocyte. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that while oviparous oocytes and embryos may specify posterior fate through an aphid terminal system, viviparous oocytes and embryos employ a different mechanism, perhaps one that does not rely on an interaction between the oocyte and surrounding somatic cells. Together, these observations provide a striking example of a difference in the fundamental events of early development that is both environmentally induced and encoded by the same genome