Nest site selection in Arctic-breeding shorebirds: effects of habitat, social factors, and experience

Birds select nest sites based on factors that maximize their own survival and reproductive success. These factors include a location and structure that offers safety from predators, a favorable nest microclimate, proximity to food resources for adults and young, and social organizations with other birds. Furthermore, individual birds can learn from experience and modify their nest site selection criteria over their lifetimes. We investigated how these factors influenced nest site selection in six shorebird species that breed on the Arctic tundra around Barrow, Alaska. First, we developed predictive models to examine nest site selection patterns as they relate to the above habitat and social factors for each species. In a second analysis, we investigated the causes of breeding dispersal by a shorebird species, the Dunlin (Calidris alpina), and related hatching success to mate and site fidelity. Results indicated that shorebird nest site selection is not random, and all species studied select nest sites on the basis of both habitat and social cues. We also found that divorce influences breeding dispersal in female Dunlin, and territory-faithful males experience greater hatching success than those that change territories. We provide habitat models that may be used to predict the probability of nest site selection in other locations of the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, and offer insights of how shorebirds may be affected by climate change

Categories of insight and their correlates: An exploration of relationships among classic-type insight problems, rebus puzzles, remote associates and esoteric analogies.

A central question in creativity concerns how insightful ideas emerge. Anecdotal examples of insightful scientific and technical discoveries include Goodyear's discovery of the vulcanization of rubber, and Mendeleev's realization that there may be gaps as he tried to arrange the elements into the Periodic Table. Although most people would regard these discoveries as insightful, cognitive psychologists have had difficulty in agreeing on whether such ideas resulted from insights or from conventional problem solving processes. One area of wide agreement among psychologists is that insight involves a process of restructuring. If this view is correct, then understanding insight and its role in problem solving will depend on a better understanding of restructuring and the characteristics that describe it. This article proposes and tests a preliminary classification of insight problems based on several restructuring characteristics: the need to redefine spatial assumptions, the need to change defined forms, the degree of misdirection involved, the difficulty in visualizing a possible solution, the number of restructuring sequences in the problem, and the requirement for figure-ground type reversals. A second purpose of the study was to compare performance on classic spatial insight problems with two types of verbal tests that may be related to insight, the Remote Associates Test (RAT), and rebus puzzles. In doing so, we report on the results of a survey of 172 business students at the University of Waikato in New Zealand who completed classic-type insight, RAT and rebus problems

Prevalence of Ehrlichia muris in Wisconsin Deer Ticks Collected During the Mid 1990s

Human ehrlichiosis is due to infection by tick transmitted bacteria of the genus Ehrlichia. Based on a hypothesis for the biogeography of deer tick transmitted infections, we undertook a focused search for the Eurasian E. muris in North American deer ticks. The search was stimulated by anecdotal reports of E. muris-like infection in human ehrlichiosis patients from Wisconsin. We analyzed archived adult deer ticks collected in northern Wisconsin during the 1990s by specific polymerase chain reaction for evidence of infection, and sequenced amplification products to identify E. muris. About 1% of 760 adult deer ticks collected from Spooner, Wisconsin in the 1990s contained E. muris DNA. We conclude that E. muris was present in North American deer ticks a decade ago and is likely to infect this human biting vector elsewhere in the U.S. Biogeographic theory and molecular phylogenetic methods can facilitate a targeted search for potential zoonoses

Influence of a Parent Leadership Program on Participants' Leadership Capacity and Actions

Abstract This article investigates the influence of Parent Services Project's Vision and Voice Family Leadership Institute (VVFLI; formerly known as Parent Leadership Institute) on parent leadership capacity and action. Pre-and post-test data were collected from new VVFLI attendees during their first (N = 83) and last (N = 85) session, respectively. T-tests were used to test for significant differences between the pre-and post-test survey responses. Survey data were also collected from a subset of alumni (N = 100) who had completed at least one VVFLI between 2005 and 2008. Results indicate that VVFLI may positively influence parents' identities as leaders, general leadership and communication skills, and skills specific to school-and community-based settings, as well as promote increased parental involvement in a variety of school-based, advocacy, and wider constituency leadership activities. Schools and community-based organizations interested in strengthening the leadership capacity of parents should consider implementing parent leadership programs, such as VVFLI, with their constituents

The What’s, Where’s, and Why’s of What Your Family Eats: The Burlington Children’s Space Farm To Table Program

Introduction: Preventing childhood obesity is a national priority, and changing dietary behavior in both children and adults is challenging. Burlington Children’s Space, Inc. (BCS), a private, non-profit early education and childcare center providing services for families in the Burlington area, is trying to do just that. The Farm to Table Project was designed to positively influence the food choices of students and their families as well as to cultivate a relationship between families and local farmers. In an effort to secure expanded funding for the school’s food program, BCS requested that we assess the effectiveness of their Food Programhttps://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1032/thumbnail.jp

A cross-sectional survey of the access of older people in the Scottish Highlands to general medical practices, community pharmacies and prescription medicines.

Access to medicines and healthcare is more problematic in remote and rural areas. The purpose of this study was to quantify issues of access to general practitioners (GPs), community pharmacies and prescribed medicines in older people resident in the Scottish Highlands. Anonymized questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 2000 older people (≥60 years) resident in the Scottish Highlands. Questionnaire items were: access and convenience to GP and pharmacy services (10 items); prescribed medicines (13 items); attitudinal statements based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (12 items); quality of life (SF8, 8 items); and demographics (12 items). Results were analysed using descriptive, inferential and spatial statistics, and principal component analysis (PCA) of attitudinal items. With a response rate of 54.2%, the majority reported convenient access to GPs (89.1%) and community pharmacies (84.3%). Older age respondents (p < 0.0001) were more likely to state that their access to GP services was not convenient and those in rural areas to community pharmacies (p < 0.01). For access to prescribed medicines, those in poorer health (p < 0.001) and taking five or more regular prescribed medicines (p = 0.002) were more likely to state access not convenient. PCA identified three components of beliefs of capabilities, emotions and memory. Those with poorer health had more negative scores for all (p < 0.001). Those reporting issues of access to prescribed medicines had more negative scores for beliefs of capabilities (p < 0.001) while those of older age, living alone, and taking five or more regular prescribed medicines (all p < 0.001) had more negative scores for emotions. In conclusion, while the majority of respondents have convenient access to their GP practice, pharmacy and prescribed medicines, there is a need for further review of the pharmaceutical care of those of older age with poorer health, living alone in the more remote and rural areas and taking five or more prescribed medicines

Hearing the light: neural and perceptual encoding of optogenetic stimulation in the central auditory pathway

Optogenetics provides a means to dissect the organization and function of neural circuits. Optogenetics also offers the translational promise of restoring sensation, enabling movement or supplanting abnormal activity patterns in pathological brain circuits. However, the inherent sluggishness of evoked photocurrents in conventional channelrhodopsins has hampered the development of optoprostheses that adequately mimic the rate and timing of natural spike patterning. Here, we explore the feasibility and limitations of a central auditory optoprosthesis by photoactivating mouse auditory midbrain neurons that either express channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) or Chronos, a channelrhodopsin with ultra-fast channel kinetics. Chronos-mediated spike fidelity surpassed ChR2 and natural acoustic stimulation to support a superior code for the detection and discrimination of rapid pulse trains. Interestingly, this midbrain coding advantage did not translate to a perceptual advantage, as behavioral detection of midbrain activation was equivalent with both opsins. Auditory cortex recordings revealed that the precisely synchronized midbrain responses had been converted to a simplified rate code that was indistinguishable between opsins and less robust overall than acoustic stimulation. These findings demonstrate the temporal coding benefits that can be realized with next-generation channelrhodopsins, but also highlight the challenge of inducing variegated patterns of forebrain spiking activity that support adaptive perception and behavior

Changes in serogroup and genotype prevalence among carried meningococci in the United Kingdom during vaccine implementation.

BACKGROUND: Herd immunity is important in the effectiveness of conjugate polysaccharide vaccines against encapsulated bacteria. A large multicenter study investigated the effect of meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine introduction on the meningococcal population. METHODS: Carried meningococci in individuals aged 15-19 years attending education establishments were investigated before and for 2 years after vaccine introduction. Isolates were characterized by multilocus sequence typing, serogroup, and capsular region genotype and changes in phenotypes and genotypes assessed. RESULTS: A total of 8462 meningococci were isolated from 47 765 participants (17.7%). Serogroup prevalence was similar over the 3 years, except for decreases of 80% for serogroup C and 40% for serogroup 29E. Clonal complexes were associated with particular serogroups and their relative proportions fluctuated, with 12 statistically significant changes (6 up, 6 down). The reduction of ST-11 complex serogroup C meningococci was probably due to vaccine introduction. Reasons for a decrease in serogroup 29E ST-254 meningococci (from 1.8% to 0.7%) and an increase in serogroup B ST-213 complex meningococci (from 6.7% to 10.6%) were less clear. CONCLUSIONS: Natural fluctuations in carried meningococcal genotypes and phenotypes a can be affected by the use of conjugate vaccines, and not all of these changes are anticipatable in advance of vaccine introduction