Distribution and Abundance of Introduced Fishes in Florida\u27s Charlotte Harbor Estuary

A growing number of non-native fishes have been introduced into Florida waters in recent years, yet little information has been available on their distribution and abundance in southwest Florida. The ichthyofauna of the Charlotte Harbor estuary, Florida, was intensively sampled from 1989 through 2007. We collected eight introduced fish taxa: African jewelfish (Hemichromis letourneuxi), blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus), brown hoplo (Hoplosternum littorale), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), Mayan cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus), sailfin catfishes (Pterygoplichthys spp.), spotted tilapia (Tilapia mariae), and walking catfish (Clarias batrachus). These fishes were found principally in tidal rivers, especially the Caloosahatchee River. Other introduced species, such as Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus), blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron), and pike killifish (Belonesox belizanus), are known to occur in neighboring bay systems but have yet to be reported in the Charlotte Harbor estuary. Continued monitoring will help us detect additional species that are introduced to the estuary, expansions in the ranges of documented species, and assemblage-level changes

Dynamics of Flux Tubes in Large N Gauge Theories

The gluonic field created by a static quark anti-quark pair is described via the AdS/CFT correspondence by a string connecting the pair which is located on the boundary of AdS. Thus the gluonic field in a strongly coupled large N CFT has a stringy spectrum of excitations. We trace the stability of these excitations to a combination of large N suppressions and energy conservation. Comparison of the physics of the N=infinity flux tube in the {\cal N}=4 SYM theory at weak and strong coupling shows that the excitations are present only above a certain critical coupling. The density of states of a highly excited string with a fold reaching towards the horizon of AdS is in exact agreement at strong coupling with that of the near-threshold states found in a ladder diagram model of the weak-strong coupling transition. We also study large distance correlations of local operators with a Wilson loop, and show that the fall off at weak coupling and N=infinity (i.e. strictly planar diagrams) matches the strong coupling predictions given by the AdS/CFT correspondence, rather than those of a weakly coupled U(1) gauge theory.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures; v2: clarifications in section 5, 1 reference added; v3: the final version (minor changes, 1 more reference added

Training of Instrumentalists and Development of New Technologies on SOFIA

This white paper is submitted to the Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Decadal Survey (Astro2010)1 Committee on the State of the Profession to emphasize the potential of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to contribute to the training of instrumentalists and observers, and to related technology developments. This potential goes beyond the primary mission of SOFIA, which is to carry out unique, high priority astronomical research. SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP aircraft with a 2.5 meter telescope. It will enable astronomical observations anywhere, any time, and at most wavelengths between 0.3 microns and 1.6 mm not accessible from ground-based observatories. These attributes, accruing from the mobility and flight altitude of SOFIA, guarantee a wealth of scientific return. Its instrument teams (nine in the first generation) and guest investigators will do suborbital astronomy in a shirt-sleeve environment. The project will invest $10M per year in science instrument development over a lifetime of 20 years. This, frequent flight opportunities, and operation that enables rapid changes of science instruments and hands-on in-flight access to the instruments, assure a unique and extensive potential - both for training young instrumentalists and for encouraging and deploying nascent technologies. Novel instruments covering optical, infrared, and submillimeter bands can be developed for and tested on SOFIA by their developers (including apprentices) for their own observations and for those of guest observers, to validate technologies and maximize observational effectiveness.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, White Paper for Astro 2010 Survey Committee on State of the Professio

An Analysis of Private School Closings

We add to the small literature on private school supply by exploring exits of K-12 private schools. We find that the closure of private schools is not an infrequent event, and use national survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics to study closures of private schools. We assume that the probability of an exit is a function of excess supply of private schools over the demand, as well as the school's characteristics such as age, size, and religious affiliation. Our empirical results generally support the implications of the model. Working Paper 07-0

Cardiorespiratory fitness levels and body mass index of pre-adolescent children and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionThe social and behavioral effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the health and physiology of most people, including those never diagnosed with COVID-19. While the impact of the pandemic has been felt across the lifespan, its effects on cardiorespiratory fitness (commonly considered a reflection of total body health) of older adults and children may be particularly profound due to social distancing and stay-at-home advisories, as well as the closure of sport facilities and non-essential businesses. The objective of this investigation was to leverage baseline data from two ongoing clinical trials to determine if cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index were different during COVID-19 relative to before COVID-19 in older adults and children.MethodsHealthy older individuals (N = 593; 65–80 years) and 200 typically developing children (8–10 years) completed a graded maximal exercise test and had their height and weight measured.ResultsResults revealed that older adults and children tested during COVID-19 had significantly lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels than those tested before COVID-19 shutdowns (older adults: 30% lower; children: 53% lower; p's ≤ 0.001). In addition, older adults and children tested during COVID-19 had significantly higher BMI (older adults: 31.34 ± 0.57 kg/m2, p = 0.004; children: 19.27 ± 0.44 kg/m2, p = 0.05) than those tested before COVID-19 shutdowns (older adults: 29.51 ± 0.26 kg/m2, children: 18.13 ± 0.35 kg/m2). However, these differences in BMI did not remain significant when controlling for cardiorespiratory fitness.DiscussionResults from this investigation indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic, and behavior changes taken to reduce potential exposure, may have led to lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels in older adults and children, as well as higher body mass index. These findings provide relevant public health information as lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels and higher body mass indexes recorded during the pandemic could have far-reaching and protracted health consequences. Public health guidance is needed to encourage physical activity to maintain cardiorespiratory fitness and healthy body composition.Clinical trial registrationOlder adults: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02875301, identifier: NCT02875301; Children: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03592238, identifier: NCT03592238

Glutathione-S-transferase P promotes glycolysis in asthma in association with oxidation of pyruvate kinase M2

Background: Interleukin-1-dependent increases in glycolysis promote allergic airways disease in mice and disruption of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) activity is critical herein. Glutathione-S-transferase P (GSTP) has been implicated in asthma pathogenesis and regulates the oxidation state of proteins via S-glutathionylation. We addressed whether GSTP-dependent S-glutathionylation promotes allergic airways disease by promoting glycolytic reprogramming and whether it involves the disruption of PKM2. Methods: We used house dust mite (HDM) or interleukin-1β in C57BL6/NJ WT or mice that lack GSTP. Airway basal cells were stimulated with interleukin-1β and the selective GSTP inhibitor, TLK199. GSTP and PKM2 were evaluated in sputum samples of asthmatics and healthy controls and incorporated analysis of the U-BIOPRED severe asthma cohort database. Results: Ablation of Gstp decreased total S-glutathionylation and attenuated HDM-induced allergic airways disease and interleukin-1β-mediated inflammation. Gstp deletion or inhibition by TLK199 decreased the interleukin-1β-stimulated secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators and lactate by epithelial cells. 13C-glucose metabolomics showed decreased glycolysis flux at the pyruvate kinase step in response to TLK199. GSTP and PKM2 levels were increased in BAL of HDM-exposed mice as well as in sputum of asthmatics compared to controls. Sputum proteomics and transcriptomics revealed strong correlations between GSTP, PKM2, and the glycolysis pathway in asthma. Conclusions: GSTP contributes to the pathogenesis of allergic airways disease in association with enhanced glycolysis and oxidative disruption of PKM2. Our findings also suggest a PKM2-GSTP-glycolysis signature in asthma that is associated with severe disease