Correction to “Recent western South Atlantic bottom water warming”

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 33 (2006): L21604, doi:10.1029/2006GL028294

Aspects of Common Eider Nesting Ecology in Labrador

The status, distribution, and nesting ecology of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) breeding in Labrador are not well known. This study is an initial effort to improve understanding of the nesting ecology of eiders on the Labrador coast, a zone of intergradation between the northern (S. m. borealis) and American (S. m. dresseri) subspecies of common eider. During 1998 and 1999, 187 islands were surveyed for nesting eiders at four sites (from north to south: Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, St. Peter’s Bay) along 750 km of the coast. Nest initiation dates (calculated by candling eggs) ranged over a four- to five-week period and were positively associated with latitude: the earliest mean initiation date (5 June) was in St. Peter’s Bay in the south and the latest (27 June) at Nain in the north. Mean clutch size ranged from 3.5 to 4.2 and varied by area and year; eiders nesting in Nain had the smallest clutches. In 1999, the highest nest density (49.8 nests/ha) was observed in Nain and the lowest (3.9 nests/ha) in Makkovik. In some cases, we used boat surveys to assess eider presence and absence and found it to be a reliable method; this search technique could be beneficial to researchers working in remote locations where operational costs are high.On connaît mal le statut, la distribution et l’écologie de nidification de l’eider à duvet (Somateria mollissima) qui se reproduit au Labrador. Cette étude représente un premier pas vers une meilleure compréhension de l’écologie de nidification de l’eider sur la côte du Labrador, une zone de chevauchement entre la sous-espèce du nord (S. m. borealis) et celle américaine (S. m. dresseri) de l’eider à duvet. Durant 1998 et 1999, on a cherché des eiders nicheurs dans 187 îlots à quatre endroits (du nord au sud: Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, baie de St. Peter’s) répartis sur 750 km de rivage. Les dates du début de la couvaison (calculées en mirant les oeufs) s’étalaient sur une période de quatre à cinq semaines et étaient associées positivement à la latitude: c’est dans la baie de St. Peter’s dans le sud qu’on a observé la date moyenne du début de la couvaison la plus précoce (5 juin), et à Nain dans le nord, la plus tardive (27 juin). La taille moyenne de la couvée allait de 3,5 à 4,2 et variait selon l’endroit et l’année; les eiders qui nichaient à Nain avaient les plus petites couvées. En 1999, la plus forte densité de nids (49,8 nids/ha) a été observée à Nain et la plus faible (3,9 nids/ha), à Makkovik. Dans certains cas, on a utilisé des relevés effectués à partir d’embarcations pour établir la présence et l’absence d’eiders, méthode qui s’est avérée fiable; cette technique de recherche pourrait être bénéfique aux chercheurs travaillant dans des lieux éloignés où les coûts d’opération sont élevés

Miniaturized data loggers and computer programming improve seabird risk and damage assessments for marine oil spills in Atlantic Canada

Obtaining useful information on marine birds that can aid in oil spill (and other hydrocarbon release) risk and damage assessments in offshore environments is challenging. Technological innovations in miniaturization have allowed archival data loggers to be deployed successfully on marine birds vulnerable to hydrocarbons on water. A number of species, including murres (both Common, Uria aalge, and Thick-billed, U. lomvia) have been tracked using geolocation devices in eastern Canada, increasing our knowledge of the seasonality and colony-specific nature of their susceptibility to oil on water in offshore hydrocarbon production areas and major shipping lanes. Archival data tags are starting to resolve questions around behaviour of vulnerable seabirds at small spatial scales relevant to oil spill impact modelling, specifically to determine the duration and frequency at which birds fly at sea. Advances in data capture methods using voice activated software have eased the burden on seabird observers who are collecting increasingly more detailed information on seabirds during ship-board and aerial transects. Computer programs that integrate seabird density and bird behaviour have been constructed, all with a goal of creating more credible seabird oil spill risk and damage assessments. In this paper, we discuss how each of these technological and computing innovations can help define critical inputs into seabird risk and damage assessments, and when combined, can provide a more realistic understanding of the impacts to seabirds from any hydrocarbon release

Occupational Exposure to Streptococcus suis among US Swine Workers

Despite numerous cases of human infection with Streptococcus suis worldwide, human disease is rarely diagnosed in North America. We studied 73 swine-exposed and 67 non–swine-exposed US adults for antibodies to S. suis serotype 2. Serologic data suggest that human infection with S. suis occurs more frequently than currently documented

K+A Galaxies as the Aftermath of Gas-Rich Mergers: Simulating the Evolution of Galaxies as Seen by Spectroscopic Surveys

Models of poststarburst (or "K+A") galaxies are constructed by combining fully three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy mergers with radiative transfer calculations of dust attenuation. Spectral line catalogs are generated automatically from moderate-resolution optical spectra calculated as a function of merger progress in each of a large suite of simulations. The mass, gas fraction, orbital parameters, and mass ratio of the merging galaxies are varied systematically, showing that the lifetime and properties of the K+A phase are strong functions of merger scenario. K+A durations are generally less than ~0.1-0.3 Gyr, significantly shorter than the commonly assumed 1 Gyr, which is obtained only in rare cases, owing to a wide variation in star formation histories resulting from different orbital and progenitor configurations. Combined with empirical merger rates, the model lifetimes predict rapidly-rising K+A fractions as a function of redshift that are consistent with results of large spectroscopic surveys, resolving tension between the observed K+A abundance and that predicted when one assumes the K+A duration is the lifetime of A stars (~1 Gyr). The effects of dust attenuation, viewing angle, and aperture bias on our models are analyzed. In some cases, the K+A features are longer-lived and more pronounced when AGN feedback removes dust from the center, uncovering the young stars formed during the burst. In this picture, the K+A phase begins during or shortly after the bright starburst/AGN phase in violent mergers, and thus offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of quasar and star formation feedback on the gas reservoir and evolution of the remnant. Analytic fitting formulae are provided for the estimates of K+A incidence as a function of merger scenario.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures; ApJ; minor changes to reflect accepted versio

\u3csup\u3e1\u3c/sup\u3eH-MRS Metabolites in Adults with Down Syndrome: Effects of Dementia

To determine if proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) detect differences in dementia status in adults with Down syndrome (DS), we used 1H-MRS to measure neuronal and glial metabolites in the posterior cingulate cortex in 22 adults with DS and in 15 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. We evaluated associations between 1H-MRS results and cognition among DS participants. Neuronal biomarkers, including N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and glutamate-glutamine complex (Glx), were significantly lower in DS patients with Alzheimer\u27s should probably be changed to Alzheimer (without \u27 or s) through ms as per the new naming standard disease (DSAD) when compared to non-demented DS (DS) and healthy controls (CTL). Neuronal biomarkers therefore appear to reflect dementia status in DS. In contrast, all DS participants had significantly higher myo-inositol (MI), a putative glial biomarker, compared to CTL. Our data indicate that there may be an overall higher glial inflammatory component in DS compared to CTL prior to and possibly independent of developing dementia. When computing the NAA to MI ratio, we found that presence or absence of dementia could be distinguished in DS. NAA, Glx, and NAA/MI in all DS participants were correlated with scores from the Brief Praxis Test and the Severe Impairment Battery. 1H-MRS may be a useful diagnostic tool in future longitudinal studies to measure AD progression in persons with DS. In particular, NAA and the NAA/MI ratio is sensitive to the functional status of adults with DS, including prior to dementia

Services just for men? Insights from a national study of the well men services pilots.

Men continue to have a lower life expectancy in most countries compared to women. Explanations of this gendered health inequality tend to focus on male risk taking, unhealthy lifestyle choices and resistance to seeking help from health services. In the period 2005-2008 the Scottish Government funded a nationwide community health promotion programme aimed at improving men's health, called Well Men Service Pilots (henceforth WMS)

Morphological Variation Among Herring Gulls (Larus Argentatus) And Great Black-Backed Gulls (Larus Marinus) In Eastern North America

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) and Great Black-backed Gull (L. marinus) morphometric data from various eastern North American locations was collected to examine the sources of variation in body size within and among geographic regions. For Herring Gulls, significant differences in all commonly taken measurements at local and regional scales were found. However, most of the variation in measurements was due to sex differences and the natural variance seen within local populations. Herring Gulls breeding in the Arctic did not show any evidence of being morphologically different from other groups. A discriminant function derived from a Newfoundland, Canada, breeding population of Herring Gulls successfully assigned the sex of birds in Atlantic Canada and Nunavut, Canada, further emphasizing that most of the variation seen is between sexes and not among local or even regional populations. It also indicates that the evitable variation introduced by inter-individual differences in measurements was insufficient to compromise the utility of the discriminant function. The correct classification rate was lower for Great Lakes breeding Herring Gulls, indicating that these birds have different morphologies than those of populations in easterly regions. In contrast, few differences and no clear geographic patterns were found in measurements for Great Black-backed Gulls. These results were consistent with recent genetic information, suggesting an older west to east radiation of Herring Gulls across North America and a lack of isolation among Great Black-Backed Gull populations