Effects of urbanization on the occurrence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis: do urban environments provide refuge from the amphibian chytrid fungus?

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a widespread pathogenic fungus that is known to cause the disease, chytridiomycosis, which can be lethal to many amphibians. We compared occurrence rates on spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) in urban and forested breeding sites in eastern Texas, USA. All study sites were at approximately the same latitude and altitude, and samples were collected at the same time of year to isolate differences in Bd infection rates between habitat types. We found significant differences (p\u3c0.001) in the occurrence of Bd between habitats; with dramatically lower rates of occurrence at urban sites (19.5 %), compared to forested sites (62.9 %). The exact reason for the observed differences in the occurrence of Bd is not known, however, we suspect that warmer temperatures or lower population densities and lower species richness at urban sites all could play a role in our results. Our findings suggest that urban environments may provide a refuge for some amphibians from the pathogen

Differential jumping performance in newly metamorphosed Blanchard\u27s cricket frogs, Acris blanchardi (Anura: Hylidae), from fish- and invertebrate-dominated ponds

Organisms that adopt phenotypically plastic anti-predator strategies during larval stages may incur fitness costs later in development. These costs are typically difficult to define in many species. The difficulty of identifying ecological trade-offs may result from experimental comparisons that do not adequately mirror naturally occurring predator-prey relatioships. To examine this, we captured 61 newly metamorphosed Acris blanchardi from ponds dominated either by fish or invertebrate predators. These predators are known to induce alternate phenotypic anti-predator responses at the larval stage. We use jumping performance as a measure of post-metamorphic fitness, and compared the morphological traits and jumping ability of frogs from ponds with and without fish. Frogs from fishless ponds can jump significantly farther than frogs from fish-dominated ponds. Morphological measurements indicated that overall frog size determined differences in jumping ability, with hind-leg length primarily explaining jumping performance. Differences in hind-leg length positively correlated with overall body size, which differed between the two types of ponds and did not result from allometric growth between them. Differences in frog sizes presumably are related to differences in developmental anti-predator morphologies in larvae

Services for young people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder transitioning from child to adult mental health services: a national survey of mental health trusts in England.

Transition from child to adult mental health services is considered to be a difficult process, particularly for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This article presents results from a national survey of 36 mental health National Health Service (NHS) trusts across England, the findings indicate a lack of accurate data on the number of young people with ADHD transitioning to, and being seen by, adult services. Less than half of the trusts had a specialist adult ADHD service and in only a third of the trusts were there specific commissioning arrangements for adult ADHD. Half of the trusts reported that young people with ADHD were prematurely discharged from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) because there were no suitable adult services. There was also a lack of written transition protocols, care pathways, commissioned services for adults with ADHD and inadequate information sharing between services. The findings advocate the need to provide a better transition service underpinned by clear, structured guidelines and protocols, routine data collection and information sharing across child and adult services. An increase in the commission of specialist adult ADHD clinics is needed to ensure individuals have access to appropriate support and care

Noise sensitivity of an atomic velocity sensor

We use Bloch oscillations to accelerate coherently Rubidium atoms. The variation of the velocity induced by this acceleration is an integer number times the recoil velocity due to the absorption of one photon. The measurement of the velocity variation is achieved using two velocity selective Raman pi-pulses: the first pulse transfers atoms from the hyperfine state 5S1/2 |F=2, mF=0> to 5S1/2, |F=1, mF = 0> into a narrow velocity class. After the acceleration of this selected atomic slice, we apply the second Raman pulse to bring the resonant atoms back to the initial state 5S1/2, |F=2, mF = 0>. The populations in (F=1 and F=2) are measured separately by using a one-dimensional time-of-flight technique. To plot the final velocity distribution we repeat this procedure by scanning the Raman beam frequency of the second pulse. This two pi-pulses system constitutes then a velocity sensor. Any noise in the relative phase shift of the Raman beams induces an error in the measured velocity. In this paper we present a theoretical and an experimental analysis of this velocity sensor, which take into account the phase fluctuations during the Raman pulses

The challenges of implementing ADHD clinical guidelines and research best evidence in routine clinical care settings: a Delphi survey and mixed-methods study

Background The landmark US Multimodal Treatment of ADHD (MTA) study established the benefits of individualised medication titration and optimisation strategies to improve short- to medium-term outcomes in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This individualised medication management approach was subsequently incorporated into the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ADHD Clinical Guidelines (NICE CG78). However, little is known about clinicians’ attitudes towards implementing these medication management strategies for ADHD in routine care. Aims To examine National Health Service (NHS) healthcare professionals’ consensus on ADHD medication management strategies. Method Using the Delphi method, we examined perceptions on the importance and feasibility of implementing 103 ADHD treatment statements from sources including the UK NICE ADHD guidelines and US medication management algorithms. Results Certain recommendations for ADHD medication management were judged as important and feasible to implement, including a stepwise titration of stimulant medication. Other recommendations were perceived as important but not feasible to implement in routine practice, such as weekly clinic follow-up with the family during titration and collection of follow-up symptom questionnaires. Conclusions Many of the key guideline recommendations for ADHD medication management are viewed by clinicians as important and feasible to implement. However, some recommendations present significant implementation challenges within the context of routine NHS clinical care in England

Detection of fast radio transients with multiple stations: a case study using the Very Long Baseline Array

Recent investigations reveal an important new class of transient radio phenomena that occur on sub-millisecond timescales. Often transient surveys' data volumes are too large to archive exhaustively. Instead, an on-line automatic system must excise impulsive interference and detect candidate events in real-time. This work presents a case study using data from multiple geographically distributed stations to perform simultaneous interference excision and transient detection. We present several algorithms that incorporate dedispersed data from multiple sites, and report experiments with a commensal real-time transient detection system on the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). We test the system using observations of pulsar B0329+54. The multiple-station algorithms enhanced sensitivity for detection of individual pulses. These strategies could improve detection performance for a future generation of geographically distributed arrays such as the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and the Square Kilometre Array.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for Ap

Women’s Perceptions of Caesarean Birth: A Roy International Study

The purpose of this Roy adaptation model-based multi-site international mixed method study was to examine the relations of type of caesarean birth (unplanned/planned), number of caesarean births (primary/repeat), and preparation for caesarean birth to women’s perceptions of and responses to caesarean birth. The sample included 488 women from the United States (n = 253), Finland (n = 213), and Australia (n = 22). Path analysis revealed direct effects for type of and preparation for caesarean birth on responses to caesarean birth, and an indirect effect for preparation on responses to caesarean birth through perception of birth the experience

The Multiwavelength Survey By Yale-Chile (MUSYC) Wide K-Band Imaging, Photometric Catalogs, Clustering, And Physical Properties Of Galaxies At Z Similar To 2

We present K-band imaging of two similar to 30' x 30' fields covered by the Multiwavelength Survey by Yale-Chile (MUSYC) Wide NIR Survey. The SDSS 1030+05 and Cast 1255 fields were imaged with the Infrared Side Port Imager (ISPI) on the 4 m Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) to a 5 sigma point-source limiting depth of K similar to 20 (Vega). Combining these data with the MUSYC optical UBVRIz imaging, we created multiband K-selected source catalogs for both fields. These catalogs, together with the MUSYC K-band catalog of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South (ECDF-S) field, were used to select K 20 BzK galaxies over an area of 0.71 deg(2). This is the largest area ever surveyed for BzK galaxies. We present number counts, redshift distributions, and stellar masses for our sample of 3261 BzK galaxies (2502 star-forming [sBzK] and 759 passively evolving [pBzK]), as well as reddening and star formation rate estimates for the star-forming BzK systems. We also present two-point angular correlation functions and spatial correlation lengths for both sBzK and pBzK galaxies and show that previous estimates of the correlation function of these galaxies were affected by cosmic variance due to the small areas surveyed. We have measured correlation lengths r(0) of 8.89 +/- 2.03 and 10.82 +/- 1.72 Mpc for sBzK and pBzK galaxies, respectively. This is the first reported measurement of the spatial correlation function of passive BzK galaxies. In the Lambda CDM scenario of galaxy formation, these correlation lengths at z similar to 2 translate into minimum masses of similar to 4 x 10(12) and similar to 9 x 10(12) M(circle dot) for the dark matter halos hosting sBzK and pBzK galaxies, respectively. The clustering properties of the galaxies in our sample are consistent with their being the descendants of bright Lyman break galaxies at z similar to 3, and the progenitors of present-day > 1L* galaxies.Astronom

The long-term impact of folic acid in pregnancy on offspring DNA methylation : follow-up of the Aberdeen folic acid supplementation trial (AFAST)

Funding This work was supported by the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health. R.C.R., G.C.S., N.K., T.G., G.D.S. and C.L.R. work in a unit that receives funds from the University of Bristol and the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12013/1, MC_UU_12013/2 and MC_UU_12013/8). This work was also supported by CRUK (grant number C18281/A19169) and the ESRC (grant number ES/N000498/1). C.M.T. is supported by a Wellcome Trust Career Re-entry Fellowship (grant number 104077/Z/14/Z).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Statewide survey of boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia 2015/16

The statewide survey of boat-based recreational fishing includes three components: (i) off-site Phone Surveys (encompassing an initial Screening Survey, a longitudinal Phone-Diary Survey, and Post-Enumeration Surveys); (ii) on-site Boat Ramp Surveys; and (iii) a Remote Camera Survey