Climate-driven regime shifts in a mangrove-salt marsh ecotone over the past 250 years.

Climate change is driving the tropicalization of temperate ecosystems by shifting the range edges of numerous species poleward. Over the past few decades, mangroves have rapidly displaced salt marshes near multiple poleward mangrove range limits, including in northeast Florida. It is uncertain whether such mangrove expansions are due to anthropogenic climate change or natural climate variability. We combined historical accounts from books, personal journals, scientific articles, logbooks, photographs, and maps with climate data to show that the current ecotone between mangroves and salt marshes in northeast Florida has shifted between mangrove and salt marsh dominance at least 6 times between the late 1700s and 2017 due to decadal-scale fluctuations in the frequency and intensity of extreme cold events. Model projections of daily minimum temperature from 2000 through 2100 indicate an increase in annual minimum temperature by 0.5 °C/decade. Thus, although recent mangrove range expansion should indeed be placed into a broader historical context of an oscillating system, climate projections suggest that the recent trend may represent a more permanent regime shift due to the effects of climate change

A novel high-content phenotypic screen to identify inhibitors of mitochondrial DNA maintenance in trypanosomes

Kinetoplastid parasites cause diverse neglected diseases in humans and livestock, with an urgent need for new treatments. The survival of kinetoplastids depends on their uniquely structured mitochondrial genome (kDNA), the eponymous kinetoplast. Here, we report the development of a high-content screen for pharmacologically induced kDNA loss, based on specific staining of parasites and automated image analysis. As proof of concept, we screened a diverse set of ∼14,000 small molecules and exemplify a validated hit as a novel kDNA-targeting compound

Paranoid ideation during a simulated social encounter in people with either psychosis with persecutory delusions or anxiety disorder.

ABSTRACT Reason for Study To evaluate differences in the perception of threat by patients, with either psychosis in whom persecutory delusions are a key symptom or patients with an anxiety disorder. Method A between groups design in which patients who met DMS-IV criteria for psychosis, with persecutory delusions (n=20), were compared to patients with anxiety disorders (n=20) as well as a matched healthy control group (n=20). Participants observed videos of social encounters and rated the actors on four scales measuring different aspects of paranoid ideation. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore reports of perceived threat. Results The patient groups did not differ on any of the paranoid ideations measures ( p>.10) but both produced significantly higher scores than the healthy controls on all measures (p <.01 ) . However, patients with persecutory delusions inferred more detailed, negative attributes about the actors and failed to integrate the perception of hostile intent with other attributes. Major conclusions Anxiety causes paranoid ideas during person perception in non-psychotic as well as psychotic patients. We propose that cognitive processing in patients with persecutory delusions is characterized by poor integration of perceptual attributes and inadequate meta-cognition during person perception.Peer reviewe

Final Report: Task Force on Increasing Efficiency and Equity in the Use of K-12 Education Resources

On February 5, 2003, the Honorable John E. Baldacci, Governor of the State of Maine, signed an executive order establishing the Task Force on Increasing Efficiency and Equity in the Use of K-12 Education Resources, and charged it with the following duties: a. Examine all components of the K-12 education system in Maine to identify more efficient and equitable uses of resources. b. Examine state, regional, and local relationships with regard to school funding to determine practices that promote or detract from efficient and equitable use of resources. c. Consult with other study groups and stakeholders in carrying out its duties. d. Identify strategies used in other states to increase efficiencies. e. Identify incentives for improving efficiencies. f. Act as a working group to recommend to the Governor actions to produce greater elementary and secondary excellence, efficiency and equity. A copy of the entire executive order appears in Appendix A

Focus on form: A critical review

‘Focus on form’ (FonF) is a central construct in task-based language teaching. The term was first introduced by Michael Long to refer to an approach where learners’ attention is attracted to linguistic forms as they engage in the performance of tasks. It contrasts with a structure-based approach – ‘focus on forms’ (FonFs) – where specific linguistic forms are taught directly and explicitly. However, there is perhaps no construct in second language acquisition (SLA) that has proved so malleable and shifted in meaning so much. This review article begins by considering how Long’s original definition of it has stretched over time and then offers an updated definition of the construct based on the view that the term is best used to refer to specific kinds of ‘activities’ or ‘procedures’ rather than to an ‘approach’. A classification of different types of focus-on-form activities/procedures is then presented. There follows a discussion of focus on form from a psycholinguistic and discoursal perspective along with a review of research relevant to these perspectives. The article addresses a number of criticisms that have been levelled against focus on form, with special consideration paid to how focus on form can be utilized in instructional contexts where more traditional (i.e. FonFs) approaches have been the norm

Hemodynamics at Maximum Exercise and Exercise Recovery in Freshman Football Recruits at a BCS School

To determine if blood pressures assessed during max exercise and exercise recovery differ in Freshman football player recruits classified according to body mass index categories (BMICAT). A group of 107 freshman football recruits (mean age=18.2yrs, mean height=187.2 cm, mean weight = 103.0 kg, mean BMI=27.4 kg/meters squared, mean percent fat= 18.3%.) underwent graded exercise testing on a treadmill. Height and weight were assessed and BMI was calculated as weight (kg) / height (m) squared. All 97 subjects were classified as either “normal weight”(NW) (N=38), “overweight” (OW)(N=41) or “obese” (OB)(N=28) according to the National Institutes of Health guidelines. Body fat percentage (PCTFAT) was assessed using dual x-ray absorptiometry. Resting systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures were taken following a 3 minute rest period. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was estimated as [.3(SBP-DBP)]+DBP. Pressures were also assessed at max exercise and at 1, 3, and 5 minutes post exercise. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with PCTFAT as a covariate was used to determine if differences remained among BMICAT in adjusted values for max exercise and all recovery pressures. After ACOVA adjustment, all maximum and recovery pressures were different among BMICAT with statistical significance found at max exercise and 1 minute post exercise. After adjustment for PCTFAT, differences remain in blood pressures among BMI categories

Science for a wilder Anthropocene: synthesis and future directions for trophic rewilding research

Trophic rewilding is an ecological restoration strategy that uses species introductions to restore top-down trophic interactions and associated trophic cascades to promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems. Given the importance of large animals in trophic cascades and their widespread losses and resulting trophic downgrading, it often focuses on restoring functional megafaunas. Trophic rewilding is increasingly being implemented for conservation, but remains controversial. Here, we provide a synthesis of its current scientific basis, highlighting trophic cascades as the key conceptual framework, discussing the main lessons learned from ongoing rewilding projects, systematically reviewing the current literature, and highlighting unintentional rewilding and spontaneous wildlife comebacks as underused sources of information. Together, these lines of evidence show that trophic cascades may be restored via species reintroductions and ecological replacements. It is clear, however, that megafauna effects may be affected by poorly understood trophic complexity effects and interactions with landscape settings, human activities, and other factors. Unfortunately, empirical research on trophic rewilding is still rare, fragmented, and geographically biased, with the literature dominated by essays and opinion pieces. We highlight the need for applied programs to include hypothesis testing and science-based monitoring, and outline priorities for future research, notably assessing the role of trophic complexity, interplay with landscape settings, land use, and climate change, as well as developing the global scope for rewilding and tools to optimize benefits and reduce human–wildlife conflicts. Finally, we recommend developing a decision framework for species selection, building on functional and phylogenetic information and with attention to the potential contribution from synthetic biology