A Study on the Life History and Seasonal Foraging Habits of the Salamander Desmognathus quadramaculatus Holbrook, in WV

A study was conducted on Desmognathus quadramaculatus in the northern periphery of its range with some aspects of its life history, surface density, and seasonal foraging habits. The results in this study are compared to studies done on D. quadramaculatus in the southern portion of its range. Female D. quadramaculatus have been found tending egg clutches from June to September in the southern portion of its range and data collected in this study shows that egg deposition also occurs during this period in the northern population. Female size (SVL) at which D. quadramaculatus reach sexual maturity ranged from 57.6- 77.5 mm in the northern population where sexually mature females females were found to have SVL of 73-75 mm in the southern portion of the range. Larval period and size class composition in the northern population also appeared to differ from studies done on southern populations. The smallest D. quadramaculatus found in the northern population had a SVL of 12.1 mm, whereas in the southern populations, it was 16 mm. Metamorphosis occurred anywhere from two, three, or even four years depending on the elevation and population studied. Other investigators estimated a 34-35 month larval period with some of the larvae having a fourth year. In this study, I found five size classes of larvae which indicated a 54-60 month larval period. Substrate utilization was examined for D. quadramaculatus and D. monticola. Post­ metamorphic D. monticola were almost entirely found foraging terrestrially. Post-metamorphic D. quadramaculatus were found foraging above the water surface 97.5% in June, 72.7% in July, 50.0% in August, and 40.0% in September. From October to April the post-metamorphic D. quadramaculatus foraged below the water surface. Larval dipterans were found to be the most abundant invertebrate taxa and made up the largest percentage of the overall diet and occurred in the most stomachs of D. quadramaculatus. The diet of pre-metamorphic salamanders was made up of predominantly aquatic invertebrate taxa throughout the year while the post-metamorphic diet varied by season and contained large portions of terrestrial invertebrate taxa

Enterprise imaging: Drawing a complex enterprise

Enterprise Imaging is an approach to provide a two-dimensional visual depiction of a multi-organizational enterprise which provides products and/or service output. It does not show process flows, rather the resource owners and capabilities which come together to produce an output. It is divided into front and back offices, where the front office shows the interaction with the two major contract partners and the back office shows the supporting resources they provide to help the front office succeed.This document introduces the concept of Enterprise Imaging and explains how to create an image for use in your organisation

The Economic Implications of Maine’s Changing Age Structure

The authors analyze the major implications of Maine’s aging population on the state’s workforce and economy. They note that there are steps that can be taken to partially mitigate the negative impacts and capitalize on the opportuni­ties associated with an aging population

The solution structure of sarafotoxin-c: implications for ligand recognition by endothelin

The solution structure of sarafotoxin-c has been determined using NMR spectroscopy. A total of 112 interproton distance constraints derived from two-dimensional MMR spectra were used to calculate a family of structures using a combination of distance geometry and dynamical simulated annealing calculations. The structures reveal a well defined cu helix extending from Glu(9) to Cys(15) and an N-terminal region (Cys(1)-Asp(8)) that is tightly constrained by disulfide bands to Cys residues in the central helix. In contrast, the C-terminal region (His(16)-Trp(21)) does not adopt a defined conformation in the final family of structures. This is consistent with the paucity of NMR-derived structural constraints obtained for this region and leads to the suggestion that the C-terminal region oscillates rapidly between a number of substantially different conformers. It is proposed that differences between the central helix of the endothelin and sarafotoxin isopeptides might be important in binding of these ligands by the G protein-coupled endothelin receptors

Factors associated with genital human papillomavirus infection among adult females in the United States, NHANES 2007–2010

BACKGROUND: Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection are at risk of developing cancer later in their life. Current research estimates the prevalence of genital HPV infection and explores the factors that are associated with the infection. FINDINGS: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2010 was used in this research study. The study population included females in the United States aged 18–59 years. The weighted prevalence of HPV infection was 41.9%. An estimated 59.4% of non-Hispanic black females had HPV infection. In a multivariate analysis, number of sexual partners, race, age, education level, marital status, income, smoking, and insurance status were associated with HPV infection. HPV infection was 5.77 times more likely for women with >11 sexual partners compared to women with 0–1 partners. Non-Hispanic black females were 1.87 times more likely to have HPV infection compared to non-Hispanic white females. Participants with only a high school degree had a 58% increased prevalence compared to college-educated women. Uninsured women had a 39% increased prevalence compared to those with insurance. CONCLUSION: This study found that 41.9% of U.S. females aged 18–59 years tested positive for genital HPV infection. We determined that individuals with more sexual partners, with a lower education level, with non-Hispanic black race, and with no insurance were the populations at greatest risk. It is necessary to continue monitoring the prevalence of this infection in the general population to provide a basis for effective treatment and prevention in the target populations

Detectability models for multiple access low-probability-of-intercept networks

Increased demands for communications in the tactical battlefield have driven the development of multiple access low-probability-of-intercept (LPT) networks. Most detectability studies of LPI networks focus on the individual links of the network, in which the intercept and detectability calculations are conducted for a single network transmitter. We assume here that the interceptor does not attempt to distinguish one emitter from another, hut rather focuses on the operational status of the network so that LPI network performance duality metrics can be established