Resilience of Birds to Habitat Change: Identification of Interspecific Variation in Avian Resilience and its Possible Mechanisms

Humans have been changing landscape features that are important to birds for many years. This is a problem because 3 billion birds have been lost since 1970 and this affects our lives every day, since birds help us by pollinating our crops and controlling pests, among other services. It is critical that we understand which birds are most susceptible to a changing landscape so that we can slow their decline. Understanding birds’ resilience to these habitat changes can help wildlife managers make better informed decisions for birds living in a changing world. We looked at which bird species are present in areas with different levels of habitat change throughout the state of Utah, and created two metrics that help describe how resilient bird species are to habitat change. We also investigated four hypotheses described by birds’ physical characteristics and preferences to explain the reasons why bird species are resilient. We found three patterns of bird responses to habitat change: positive, negative, and no response. Managers could integrate these relationships with their goals to choose the best habitat modification projects for their species and/or communities of interest. Within the four hypotheses explaining bird resilience, not all predictions about resilience were supported, and support was often driven by one trait (e.g. preference or physical characteristic). Understanding the traits that indicate birds’ resilience to habitat change can help develop new approaches to wildlife and habitat management. This could be done through predicting areas in which habitat change will have disproportionate negative impacts on the largest number of birds, for example

Exercise Motivation Based on Gender and Body Satisfaction

Title: Exercise Motivation Based on Gender and Body Satisfaction Authors: Amanda Myers, Macie Culbertson, Taylor Garrels, Caroline Gheen, Amelia Hayes, Christopher Toepfer The goals behind an individual\u27s wish to exercise varies depending on person and gender. Assumptions can be made that those who partake in exercise are individuals who are happier with their bodies, however, that may not always be the case. The purpose of this study was to measure the relationship between body appreciation and students’ motivation and frequency of exercise habits, and how these correlations differed between men and women. Research has found that women who workout tend to exercise due to appearance-based motivations, like weight control and toned physique (McDonald & Thompson, 1992). Men who workout are found to have more functional-based motivation such as increasing their strength and competition (McDonald & Thompson, 1992). Additionally, those who participate in appearance motivated workouts tend to have lower body appreciation and time spent exercising has been found to be inversely correlated (Homan & Tylka, 2014; Prichard & Tiggemann, 2008). This study hypothesized that women who workout more will have more appearance-based motivation, and will score lower on the body appreciation scale. Men who workout more are expected to have more functional motivation for exercise and will score higher on the body appreciation scale. Participants were undergraduate general psychology students that were voluntarily recruited through a midsized university in the South. Participants were measured on their body satisfaction using the Body Appreciation Scale, motivations to exercise using The Reasons for Exercise Inventory, and frequency of exercise using The Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire. A Pearson\u27s r correlation test was conducted to analyze the data. Keywords: Motivation, Exercise, Gender, Body Satisfaction, Exercise Frequency, Body Image, College Students, Healt

ZBP-89 function in colonic stem cells and during butyrate-induced senescence

ZBP-89 (Zfp148, ZNF148) is a Kruppel-type zinc-finger family transcription factor that binds to GC-rich DNA elements. Earlier studies in cell lines demonstrated that ZBP- 89 cooperates with Wnt β-catenin signaling by inducing β-catenin gene expression. Since β-catenin levels are normally highest at the crypt base, we examined whether ZBP-89 is required for stem cell maintenance. Lineage-tracing using a Zfp148Cre transgenic line demonstrated expression in both intestine and colonic stem cells. Deleting the Zfp148 locus in the colon using the Cdx2NLSCre transgene, reduced the size and number of polyps formed in the Apc-deleted mice. Since colon polyps form in the presence of butyrate, a short chain fatty acid that suppresses cell growth, we examined the direct effect of butyrate on colon organoid survival. Butyrate induced senescence of colon organoids carrying the Apc deletion, only when Zfp148 was deleted. Using quantitative PCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation, we determined that butyrate treatment of colon cell lines suppressed ZNF148 gene expression, inducing CDKN2a (p16 ) gene expression. Collectively, Zfp148 mRNA is expressed in CBCs, and is required for stem cell maintenance and colonic transformation. Butyrate induces colonic cell senescence in part through suppression of ZBP-89 gene expression and its subsequent occupancy of the CDKN2A promoter. ERT2 ERT2 Ink4ahttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/168213/2/ZBP-89 function in colonic stem cells and during butyrate-induced senescence.pdfPublished versionDescription of ZBP-89 function in colonic stem cells and during butyrate-induced senescence.pdf : Published versio

Exploring Gender, Race, and Sexuality with Social Media Data

We present a full day, hands-on workshop that will provide an opportunity for researchers in our community to explore social media data and ask questions about the intersectionalities of gender, race, and sexuality. We will discuss scholarly questions and methods related to application of social media data analysis and the implications of using, presenting, and communicating results in research contexts. Workshop participants will learn how to access and analyze data using various tools and methods, drawing specifically on a Twitter dataset collected May-June 2014 during the trending hashtag #YesAllWomen. Selected participants will also present their own work to foster opportunities for targeted discussion and continued collaboration. The goals of this workshop are not only to build community but also to enable researchers to begin collecting and analyzing social media data to further their own work. The workshop emphasizes the importance of analyzing social media data ethically, respecting and engaging the sometimes vulnerable and marginalized populations who may have generated the data.ye

Gastrin Induces Nuclear Export and Proteasomal Degradation of Menin in Enteric Glial Cells

Background & aims: The multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1 (MEN1) locus encodes the nuclear protein and tumor suppressor menin. MEN1 mutations frequently cause neuroendocrine tumors such as gastrinomas, characterized by their predominant duodenal location and local metastasis at time of diagnosis. Diffuse gastrin cell hyperplasia precedes the appearance of MEN1 gastrinomas, which develop within submucosal Brunner\u27s glands. We investigated how menin regulates expression of the gastrin gene and induces generation of submucosal gastrin-expressing cell hyperplasia. Methods: Primary enteric glial cultures were generated from the VillinCre:Men1FL/FL:Sst-/- mice or C57BL/6 mice (controls), with or without inhibition of gastric acid by omeprazole. Primary enteric glial cells from C57BL/6 mice were incubated with gastrin and separated into nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions. Cells were incubated with forskolin and H89 to activate or inhibit protein kinase A (a family of enzymes whose activity depends on cellular levels of cyclic AMP). Gastrin was measured in blood, tissue, and cell cultures using an ELISA. Immunoprecipitation with menin or ubiquitin was used to demonstrate post-translational modification of menin. Primary glial cells were incubated with leptomycin b and MG132 to block nuclear export and proteasome activity, respectively. We obtained human duodenal, lymph node, and pancreatic gastrinoma samples, collected from patients who underwent surgery from 1996 through 2007 in the United States or the United Kingdom. Results: Enteric glial cells that stained positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP+) expressed gastrin de novo through a mechanism that required PKA. Gastrin-induced nuclear export of menin via cholecystokinin B receptor (CCKBR)-mediated activation of PKA. Once exported from the nucleus, menin was ubiquitinated and degraded by the proteasome. GFAP and other markers of enteric glial cells (eg, p75 and S100B), colocalized with gastrin in human duodenal gastrinomas. Conclusions: MEN1-associated gastrinomas, which develop in the submucosa, might arise from enteric glial cells through hormone-dependent PKA signaling. This pathway disrupts nuclear menin function, leading to hypergastrinemia and associated sequelae

The Association between Sleep Patterns and Obesity in Older Adults

Background: Reduced sleep duration has been increasingly reported to predict obesity. However, timing and regularity of sleep may also be important. In this study, the cross-sectional association between objectively measured sleep patterns and obesity was assessed in two large cohorts of older individuals. Methods: Wrist actigraphy was performed in 3053 men (mean age: 76.4 years) participating in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS) and 2985 women (mean age: 83.5 years) participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). Timing and regularity of sleep patterns were assessed across nights, as well as daytime napping. Results: Greater night-to-night variability in sleep duration and daytime napping were associated with obesity independent of mean nocturnal sleep duration in both men and women. Each 1 hour increase in the variability of nocturnal sleep duration increased the odds of obesity 1.63-fold (95% CI [1.31-2.02]) among men and 1.22-fold (95% CI [1.01-1.47]) among women. Each 1 hour increase in napping increased the odds of obesity 1.23-fold (95%CI [1.12-1.37]) in men and 1.29-fold (95%CI [1.17-1.41]) in women. In contrast, associations between later sleep timing and night-to-night variability in sleep timing with obesity were less consistent. Conclusions: In both older men and women, variability in nightly sleep duration and daytime napping were associated with obesity independent of mean sleep duration. These findings suggest that characteristics of sleep beyond mean sleep duration may play a role in weight homeostasis, highlighting the complex relationship between sleep and metabolism

Identification and manipulation of the pleuromutilin gene cluster from Clitopilus passeckerianus for increased rapid antibiotic production

Semi-synthetic derivatives of the tricyclic diterpene antibiotic pleuromutilin from the basidiomycete Clitopilus passeckerianus are important in combatting bacterial infections in human and veterinary medicine. These compounds belong to the only new class of antibiotics for human applications, with novel mode of action and lack of cross-resistance, representing a class with great potential. Basidiomycete fungi, being dikaryotic, are not generally amenable to strain improvement. We report identification of the seven-gene pleuromutilin gene cluster and verify that using various targeted approaches aimed at increasing antibiotic production in C. passeckerianus, no improvement in yield was achieved. The seven-gene pleuromutilin cluster was reconstructed within Aspergillus oryzae giving production of pleuromutilin in an ascomycete, with a significant increase (2106%) in production. This is the first gene cluster from a basidiomycete to be successfully expressed in an ascomycete, and paves the way for the exploitation of a metabolically rich but traditionally overlooked group of fungi

Co-Occurrence of Marine and Freshwater Phycotoxins in Oysters, and Analysis of Possible Predictors for Management

Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were screened for 12 phycotoxins over two years in nearshore waters to collect baseline phycotoxin data and to determine prevalence of phycotoxin co-occurrence in the commercially and ecologically-relevant species. Trace to low concentrations of azaspiracid-1 and -2 (AZA1, AZA2), domoic acid (DA), okadaic acid (OA), and dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX1) were detected, orders of magnitude below seafood safety action levels. Microcystins (MCs), MC-RR and MC-YR, were also found in oysters (maximum: 7.12 μg MC-RR/kg shellfish meat wet weight), warranting consideration of developing action levels for freshwater phycotoxins in marine shellfish. Oysters contained phycotoxins that impair shellfish health: karlotoxin1-1 and 1–3 (KmTx1-1, KmTx1-3), goniodomin A (GDA), and pectenotoxin-2 (PTX2). Co-occurrence of phycotoxins in oysters was common (54%, n = 81). AZAs and DA co-occurred most frequently of the phycotoxins investigated that are a concern for human health (n = 13) and PTX2 and KmTxs co-occurred most frequently amongst the phycotoxins of concern for shellfish health (n = 9). Various harmful algal bloom (HAB) monitoring methods and tools were assessed for their effectiveness at indicating levels of phycotoxins in oysters. These included co-deployed solid phase adsorption toxin tracking (SPATT) devices, toxin levels in particulate organic matter (POM, \u3e1.5 μm) and whole water samples and cell concentrations from water samples as determined by microscopy and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The dominant phycotoxin varied between SPATTs and all other phycotoxin sample types, and out of the 11 phycotoxins detected in oysters, only four and seven were detected in POM and whole water respectively, indicating phycotoxin profile mismatch between ecosystem compartments. Nevertheless, there were correlations between DA in oysters and whole water (simple linear regression [LR]: R2 = 0.6, p \u3c 0.0001, n = 40), and PTX2 in oysters and SPATTs (LR: R2 = 0.3, p = 0.001, n = 36), providing additional monitoring tools for these phycotoxins, but oyster samples remain the best overall indicators of seafood safety

The patchwork governance of ecologically available water: A case study in the Upper Missouri Headwaters, Montana, United States

Institutional authority and responsibility for allocating water to ecosystems (“ecologically available water” [EAW]) is spread across local, state, and federal agencies, which operate under a range of statutes, mandates, and planning processes. We use a case study of the Upper Missouri Headwaters Basin in southwestern Montana, United States, to illustrate this fragmented institutional landscape. Our goals are to (a) describe the patchwork of agencies and institutional actors whose intersecting authorities and actions influence the EAW in the study basin; (b) describe the range of governance mechanisms these agencies use, including laws, policies, administrative programs, and planning processes; and (c) assess the extent to which the collective governance regime creates gaps in responsibility. We find the water governance regime includes a range of nested mechanisms that in various ways facilitate or hinder the governance of EAW. We conclude the current multilevel governance regime leaves certain aspects of EAW unaddressed and does not adequately account for the interconnections between water in different parts of the ecosystem, creating integrative gaps. We suggest that more intentional and robust coordination could provide a means to address these gaps