Relationship between Surface Water Temperature and Steelhead Distributions in Lake Michigan

Salmonines support valuable recreational fisheries and are the predominant predators in the open waters of the Great Lakes, yet the spatial distributions of salmonines in these systems have not been fully documented. We analyzed the horizontal distributions of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in Lake Michigan from 1992 to 1997 and related these distributions to mean surface temperature and temperature variation. We used angler catch rate data from Lake Michigan natural resources agencies to index the spatial and temporal distributions of steelhead and obtained surface water temperature data from advanced very‐high‐resolution radiometer satellite imagery through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s CoastWatch Program. During most months, steelhead catch rates were negatively related to surface temperature and were highest in areas of high temperature variation (i.e., vertical thermal fronts and upwelling zones) where thermal conditions and prey densities may have been optimal for growth. Our results demonstrate how remotely sensed and creel survey data can be integrated to allow for more effective exploitation and management of lakewide fish stocks while enabling researchers to generate and test hypotheses regarding the spatial distributions of fish populations.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141241/1/nafm0211.pd

Note and Comment

The Doctrine of Unfair Trade; Valuing Property and Franchises of Public Service Corporations for Fixing Rates; Right of the Interstate Commerce Commission to Adduce Testimony; Rule in Shelley\u27s Case controls Estate Created by Deed to Trustee; The Right of the Garnishee to Dispose of Goods in His Possession While the Litigation is Pending; The Police Power, Billboards and Sky Signs; How Far the Record of Voting Machines is Conclusive

Exploring human-guided strategies for reaction network exploration:Interactive molecular dynamics in virtual reality as a tool for citizen scientists

The emerging fields of citizen science and gamification reformulate scientific problems as games or puzzles to be solved. Through engaging the wider non-scientific community, significant breakthroughs may be made by analyzing citizen-gathered data. In parallel, recent advances in virtual reality (VR) technology are increasingly being used within a scientific context and the burgeoning field of interactive molecular dynamics in VR (iMD-VR) allows users to interact with dynamical chemistry simulations in real time. Here, we demonstrate the utility of iMD-VR as a medium for gamification of chemistry research tasks. An iMD-VR "game" was designed to encourage users to explore the reactivity of a particular chemical system, and a cohort of 18 participants was recruited to playtest this game as part of a user study. The reaction game encouraged users to experiment with making chemical reactions between a propyne molecule and an OH radical, and "molecular snapshots" from each game session were then compiled and used to map out reaction pathways. The reaction network generated by users was compared to existing literature networks demonstrating that users in VR capture almost all the important reaction pathways. Further comparisons between humans and an algorithmic method for guiding molecular dynamics show that through using citizen science to explore these kinds of chemical problems, new approaches and strategies start to emerge.</p

Experiences of COVID-19 pandemic-related stress among sexual and gender minority emerging adult migrants in the United States

There is a dearth of research that examines COVID-19-related stress among multiply marginalised individuals who are in the developmental phase of emerging adulthood. This qualitative study investigated how the intersection of emerging adulthood, sexual and gender minority (SGM) identity, and migrant status were reflected in the experiences of SGM individuals (n = 37; ages 20–25 years old) who migrated to various parts of the United States in the last 5 years. Data were collected online using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed that participants\u27 developmental processes (e.g., identity exploration, building financial independence) were shaped by pandemic-related stressors, especially unemployment and financial instability. Participants who were able to maintain employment did so but at the risk of their health and safety. Findings also showed that participants experienced feelings of anxiety and depression due to social isolation, but online communication played an important role in combatting loneliness. Findings highlight the potential for trauma-informed and intersectional approaches to practice with SGM emerging adult migrants and expanded health services and temporary entitlement programs to mitigate the pandemic\u27s effects on this population\u27s psychosocial and financial well-being

Hypothesis Testing and Power Calculations for Taxonomic-Based Human Microbiome Data

This paper presents new biostatistical methods for the analysis of microbiome data based on a fully parametric approach using all the data. The Dirichlet-multinomial distribution allows the analyst to calculate power and sample sizes for experimental design, perform tests of hypotheses (e.g., compare microbiomes across groups), and to estimate parameters describing microbiome properties. The use of a fully parametric model for these data has the benefit over alternative non-parametric approaches such as bootstrapping and permutation testing, in that this model is able to retain more information contained in the data. This paper details the statistical approaches for several tests of hypothesis and power/sample size calculations, and applies them for illustration to taxonomic abundance distribution and rank abundance distribution data using HMP Jumpstart data on 24 subjects for saliva, subgingival, and supragingival samples. Software for running these analyses is available

Semaphorin 3A Contributes to Distal Pulmonary Epithelial Cell Differentiation and Lung Morphogenesis

altered distal lung structure.) littermate controls. mice that survived the immediate perinatal period. Furthermore, Sema3A deletion was linked with enhanced postnatal alveolar septal cell death.These data suggest that Sema3A modulates distal pulmonary epithelial cell development and alveolar septation. Defining how Sema3A influences structural plasticity of the developing lung is a critical first step for determining if this pathway can be exploited to develop innovative strategies for repair after acute or chronic lung injury

Suckler Bulls Slaughtered at 15 Months of Age: Effect of Different Production Systems on the Fatty Acid Profile and Selected Quality Characteristics of Longissimus Thoracis

peer-reviewedThe objective was to compare the quality of beef from bulls reared in typical Irish indoor systems or in novel grass-based systems. Bulls were assigned to one of the following systems: (a) grass silage plus barley-based concentrate ad libitum (CON); (b) grass silage ad libitum plus 5 kg of concentrate (SC); (c) grazed grass without supplementation (G0); (d) grazed grass plus 0.5 kg of the dietary dry matter intake as concentrate (GC) for (100 days) until slaughter (14.99 months). Carcass characteristics and pH decline were recorded. Longissimus thoracis was collected for analytical and sensory analysis. Lower carcass weight, conformation and fatness scores were found for grazing compared to CON and SC groups. CON bulls had highest intramuscular fat and lighter meat colour compared with grazing bulls. The SC meat (14 days aged) was rated higher for tenderness, texture, flavour and acceptability compared with grazing groups. CON saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid (FA) concentration was highest, conversely, omega-3 FA concentration was higher for GC compared with CON, while no differences were found in polyunsaturated FA. In conclusion, while market fatness specification was not reached by grazed grass treatments, beef eating quality was not detrimentally affected and nutritional quality was improved

The Colour, Composition and Eating Quality of Beef from Late- or Early-Maturing Suckler Bulls Finished at Pasture with or without Concentrate Supplementation

Carcasses from pasture-finished early-maturing (EM), rather than late-maturing (LM), breed bulls may be more suited to meet the minimum carcass fatness classification of 2+ (6.0 on a 15-point scale) required for some markets. The comparative colour and eating quality of beef from grass-fed bulls of different maturities are unknown. Sixty yearling suckler-bred bulls were assigned to a 2 (maturities: EM and LM) × 2 (finishing strategies: grass only (G0) or grass + 4.0 kg concentrate daily (GC)) factorial design. Bulls were at pasture from 7 April, concentrates were introduced (or not) 97 days later, and bulls were slaughtered at 192 d post-turnout (approximately 19 mo of age). Carcass fat scores averaged 5.02, 6.20, 6.33 and 7.30 for LMG0, LMGC, EMG0 and EMGC bulls, respectively. Muscle colour did not differ between treatments. Muscle from LM had lower intramuscular fat concentration, collagen solubility and a tendency (p < 0.1) towards lower ratings for tenderness, texture, and acceptability of 14 d aged beef. Concentrate supplementation decreased the ratings for muscle tenderness but ratings for acceptability were not affected. Achieving the minimum carcass fatness was therefore not required to produce beef of acceptable eating quality and suckler bulls can access the “grass-fed” beef market.This project (11/SF/322, “BullBeef”) was funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s competitive research programmes