Collective Conscience in Complex Society: A Study in the Sociology of Sport

Sociolog

Effects of Drought and the Emergency Drought Barrier on the Ecosystem of the California Delta

In 2015, the fourth year of the recent drought, the California Department of Water Resources installed a rock barrier across False River west of Franks Tract to limit salt intrusion into the Delta at minimal cost in freshwater. This Barrier blocked flow in False River, greatly reducing landward salt transport by decreasing tidal dispersion in Franks Tract. We investigated some ecological consequences of the Barrier, examining its effects on water circulation and exchange, on distributions of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and bivalves, and on phytoplankton and zooplankton. The Barrier allowed SAV to spread to areas of Franks Tract that previously had been clear. The distributions of bivalves (Potamocorbula and Corbicula) responded to the changes in salinity at time–scales of months for newly settled individuals, to 1 or more years for adults, but the Barrier’s effect was confounded with that of the drought. Nutrients, phytoplankton biomass, and a Microcystis abundance index showed little response to the Barrier. Transport of copepods — determined using output from a particle-tracking model — indicated some intermediate-scale reduction with the Barrier in place, but monitoring data did not show a larger-scale response in abundance. These studies were conducted separately and synthesized after the fact, and relied on reference conditions that were not always suitable for identifying the Barrier’s effects. If barriers are considered in the future, we rcommend a modest program of investigation to replicate study elements, and to ensure suitable reference conditions are available to allow barrier effects to be distinguished unambiguously from other sources of variability

The regulation of equatorial Pacific new production and pCO 2 by silicate-limited diatoms

a b s t r a c t Modeling and data from the JGOFS EqPac program suggested that the eastern equatorial Pacific upwelling ecosystem includes a quasi-chemostat culture system dominated by diatoms and limited by Si(OH) 4 due to a low ratio of Si(OH) 4 to NO 3 in the upwelling source water, the Equatorial Undercurrent. Diatoms were hypothesized to be the major users of NO 3 in this system and the amount assimilated limited by the low amount of Si(OH) 4 available. As a consequence NO 3 is left in the surface waters along with unused CO 2 . Two cruises to the eastern equatorial Pacific (EB04 and EB05) were made to test the existing hypothesis of Si(OH) 4 limitation, and study the roles of source concentrations of Si(OH) 4 and Fe, and nutrient uptake kinetics for comparison with model predictions. Fractionated nitrogen uptake measurements showed that diatoms at times take up the major portion of the NO 3 . Picoplankton and some phytoplankton in the 4 5-mm size group carried out primarily regenerated production, i.e. NH 4 uptake in a grazing dominated system. Equatorial diatoms followed uptake kinetics for Si(OH) 4 and NO 3 uptake as observed in laboratory investigations of diatoms under Si(OH) 4 and Fe limitations. Si(OH) 4 uptake responded to additions of Si(OH) 4 on a time scale of hours in uptake kinetic experiments while NO 3 uptake was unaffected by added NO 3 . The uptake of Si(OH) 4 varied in a narrow range on a Michaelis-Menten hyperbola of Si(OH) 4 uptake vs. Si(OH) 4 concentration, with a maximal Si(OH) 4 uptake rate, V 0 maxSi set to a relatively low value by some factor(s) other than Fe on a longer time scale, i.e., days in shipboard enclosures. Simply enclosing water collected from the mid euphotic zone and incubating for some days on deck at 50% surface irradiance increased

The dominant Anopheles vectors of human malaria in the Asia-Pacific region: occurrence data, distribution maps and bionomic précis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The final article in a series of three publications examining the global distribution of 41 dominant vector species (DVS) of malaria is presented here. The first publication examined the DVS from the Americas, with the second covering those species present in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Here we discuss the 19 DVS of the Asian-Pacific region. This region experiences a high diversity of vector species, many occurring sympatrically, which, combined with the occurrence of a high number of species complexes and suspected species complexes, and behavioural plasticity of many of these major vectors, adds a level of entomological complexity not comparable elsewhere globally. To try and untangle the intricacy of the vectors of this region and to increase the effectiveness of vector control interventions, an understanding of the contemporary distribution of each species, combined with a synthesis of the current knowledge of their behaviour and ecology is needed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Expert opinion (EO) range maps, created with the most up-to-date expert knowledge of each DVS distribution, were combined with a contemporary database of occurrence data and a suite of open access, environmental and climatic variables. Using the Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) modelling method, distribution maps of each DVS were produced. The occurrence data were abstracted from the formal, published literature, plus other relevant sources, resulting in the collation of DVS occurrence at 10116 locations across 31 countries, of which 8853 were successfully geo-referenced and 7430 were resolved to spatial areas that could be included in the BRT model. A detailed summary of the information on the bionomics of each species and species complex is also presented.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This article concludes a project aimed to establish the contemporary global distribution of the DVS of malaria. The three articles produced are intended as a detailed reference for scientists continuing research into the aspects of taxonomy, biology and ecology relevant to species-specific vector control. This research is particularly relevant to help unravel the complicated taxonomic status, ecology and epidemiology of the vectors of the Asia-Pacific region. All the occurrence data, predictive maps and EO-shape files generated during the production of these publications will be made available in the public domain. We hope that this will encourage data sharing to improve future iterations of the distribution maps.</p

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

Impact of Animal Assisted Therapy on Anxiety Levels Among Mentally Ill Female Inmates

There are now more women with serious mental illness treated in correctional facilities than in county or state hospitals in the United States. These women have high rates of relational trauma, resulting in post-traumatic stress and other anxiety disorders, at a higher rate those in the community. In addition, the prison setting serves as a trigger for anxiety symptoms. Existing treatment outcome studies primarily focus on male prisoners or interventions in community settings. Therefore, a need for gender-specific, trauma-informed interventions in prison settings exists. The current study is a single-case, repeated measures experimental design exploring the impact of an animal-assisted therapy intervention on levels of anxiety among women incarcerated in a prison mental health unit. The study demonstrates moderate to high effect sizes for women with significant pre-treatment anxiety

Quasi-Experimental Single-Subject Design: Comparing Seeking Safety and Canine-Assisted Therapy Interventions Among Mentally Ill Female Inmates

This repeated measures quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of 2 interventions, Seeking Safety and canine-assisted therapy, with female prisoners with trauma histories on a mental health unit. Results indicate both are effective at reducing anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder

Ecosystem Recovery in Progress? Initial Nutrient and Phytoplankton Response to Nitrogen Reduction from Sewage Treatment Upgrade in the San Francisco Bay Delta

The San Francisco Bay Delta has been an estuary of low productivity, with causes hypothesized to relate to light limitation, grazing by invasive clams, and polluting levels of NH4+ discharge from a wastewater treatment plant. Suppression of phytoplankton NO3&minus; uptake by NH4+ has been well documented, and thus this estuary may have experienced the counterintuitive effect of depressed productivity due to wastewater NH4+ enrichment. In 2021, a new wastewater treatment plant came online, with a ~75% reduction in nitrogen load, and within-plant nitrification, converting the discharge to NO3&minus;. The expectation was that this change in nitrogen loading would support healthier phytoplankton production, particularly of diatoms. Here, responses of the post-upgrade Bay Delta phytoplankton were compared to five years of data collected pre-upgrade during the fall season. Indeed, increased chlorophyll a accumulation in the estuary was documented after the implementation of the upgraded wastewater treatment and photophysiological responses indicated comparatively less stress. Major differences in river flow were also observed due to drought conditions during the decade covered by this study. While short-term favorable effects were observed, understanding longer-term ecological feedback interactions that may follow from this major nutrient change under variable flow conditions will require more years of observations

The effect of inorganic nitrogen speciation on primary production in the San Francisco Estuary

We describe the results of a series of 96-h enclosure experiments conducted using water from stations in\ud the northern San Francisco Estuary (SFE) along a gradient in ammonium (NH4) and nitrate (NO3)\ud concentrations. Using dual-labeled 13C/15N tracers, we followed the timing and sequence of primary\ud (carbon, C) production and phytoplankton nitrogen (N) use during experimental phytoplankton blooms.\ud Our results show that diatoms consistently drive the phytoplankton blooms in the enclosures. By tracing\ud both C and N uptake we provide clear evidence that high rates of C uptake are linked to phytoplankton\ud NO3, and not NH4, use. Results from kinetics experiments demonstrated higher specific uptake rates\ud (VMAx) for NO3 compared to NH4 in the SFE. Finally, dissolved inorganic carbon and nutrient drawdown\ud ratios in the enclosures from the chronically high NH4 regions of the SFE were substantially lower than\ud predicted from the Redfield ratio, suggesting suppressed C uptake, in relation to other elemental uptake.\ud Our conceptual model of the DIN interactions that lead to higher primary production and phytoplankton\ud blooms in the SFE suggests that higher rates of primary production that accompany phytoplankton NO3\ud uptake are sufficient to outpace phytoplankton losses, leading to blooms, compared to the lower rates\ud associated with NH4 uptake (only 20% of that based upon NO3). Historical changes in wastewater\ud practices have increased the proportion of NH4 to the DIN pool in the SFE leading to reduced access to\ud NO3 by phytoplankton. This may help to explain some of the reduced primary production and phytoplankton\ud biomass observed there since the 1970s