Missouri\u27s Feral Hog Task Force: Addressing Increasing Feral Swine Populations

Feral hog (Sus scrofa) populations are expanding in size and distribution in Missouri and other parts of the United States. Increases of this invasive species are a serious concern because of the damage they cause and diseases they carry. Affected stakeholders in Missouri formed a task force in 1998 with sixteen member agencies and organizations to develop a program for the control/eradication of feral hogs in the state. The task force identified three objectives with appropriate supporting strategies to help achieve the ultimate goal: protection of Missouri \u27s public health, agricultural economy, and natural resources through eradication of feral swine in Missouri. The task force has been an essential vehicle in working toward these objectives during a time when member agencies and organizations are tight on funding. The collaboration has accomplished several tasks that could not have been implemented by any single participant. This paper presents the successes and shortcomings of Missouri\u27s efforts and provides recommendations to other states that may implement feral hog control

High-resolution functional MRI at 3 T: 3D/2D echo-planar imaging with optimized physiological noise correction.

High-resolution functional MRI (fMRI) offers unique possibilities for studying human functional neuroanatomy. Although high-resolution fMRI has proven its potential at 7 T, most fMRI studies are still performed at rather low spatial resolution at 3 T. We optimized and compared single-shot two-dimensional echo-planar imaging (EPI) and multishot three-dimensional EPI high-resolution fMRI protocols. We extended image-based physiological noise correction from two-dimensional EPI to multishot three-dimensional EPI. The functional sensitivity of both acquisition schemes was assessed in a visual fMRI experiment. The physiological noise correction increased the sensitivity significantly, can be easily applied, and requires simple recordings of pulse and respiration only. The combination of three-dimensional EPI with physiological noise correction provides exceptional sensitivity for 1.5 mm high-resolution fMRI at 3 T, increasing the temporal signal-to-noise ratio by more than 25% compared to two-dimensional EPI

The interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic factors in determining migration decisions in brown trout (Salmo trutta): An experimental study

Many species are capable of facultative migration, but the relative roles of extrinsic versus intrinsic factors in generating diverse migratory tactics remain unclear. Here we explore the proximate drivers of facultative migration in brown trout in an experimental laboratory setting. The effects of reduced food, as a putative environmental cue, were examined in two populations: one that exhibits high rates of anadromy (sea-migration) in nature, and one that does not exhibit anadromy in nature. Juveniles derived from wild-caught parents were reared for two years under four environmental treatments: low food in years 1 and 2 (Low-Low); high food in years 1 and 2 (High-High), low food in year 1 and high in year 2 (Low-High), and vice versa (High-Low). Food restriction had a significant effect on migratory tactics, with the frequency of smolts (juveniles choosing migration) highest in the Low-Low treatment in both populations. No individuals became smolts in the High-High treatment, and intermediate smolting rates were observed in the Low-High and High-Low treatments. Higher overall smolting rates in the naturally anadromous population suggested an inherited component to anadromy/migration decisions, but both populations showed variability in migratory tactics. Importantly, some fish from the naturally non-anadromous population became smolts in the experiment, implying the capacity for migration was lying ‘dormant’, but they exhibited lower hypo-osmoregulatory function than smolts from the naturally anadromous population. Tactic frequencies in the naturally anadromous population were more affected by food in the 2nd year, while food in the 1st year appeared more important for the naturally non-anadromous population. Migratory tactics were also related to sex, but underpinned in both sexes by growth in key periods, size and energetic state. Collectively these results reveal how migration decisions are shaped by a complex interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic factors, informing our ability to predict how facultatively migratory populations will respond to environmental change

Structural neural networks subserving oculomotor function in first-episode schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: Smooth pursuit and antisaccade abnormalities are well documented in schizophrenia, but their neuropathological correlates remain unclear. METHODS: In this study, we used statistical parametric mapping to investigate the relationship between oculomotor abnormalities and brain structure in a sample of first-episode schizophrenia patients (n = 27). In addition to conventional volumetric magnetic resonance imaging, we also used magnetization transfer ratio, a technique that allows more precise tissue characterization. RESULTS: We found that smooth pursuit abnormalities were associated with reduced magnetization transfer ratio in several regions, predominantly in the right prefrontal cortex. Antisaccade errors correlated with gray matter volume in the right medial superior frontal cortex as measured by conventional magnetic resonance imaging but not with magnetization transfer ratio. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results demonstrate that specific structural abnormalities are associated with abnormal eye movements in schizophrenia

Synthesis, Characterization, and Crystal Structure of the (η5-C5Ph5)Cr(CO)3 Radical

The reaction between Cr(CO)6 and Na(C5Ph5 ) in refluxing diglyme yields [Na(diglyme)3/2][(C5Ph5)Cr(CO)3], 1. Metathesis of 1 with [Ph3P=N=PPh3 ]Cl in CH2Cl2 yields [Ph3P=N=PPh3][(C5Ph5)Cr(CO)3], 2. Oxidation of 1 by AgBF4 in cold THF under an argon atmosphere produces (C5Ph5)Cr(CO)3, 3. Complexes 2 and 3 form a redox pair connected by a quasireversible one-electron process, E0 = -0.69 V vs ferrocene in CH2Cl2, E0 = -0.50 V in CH3CN, ks = 0.12 cm/s. ESR spectra of (C5Ph5)Cr(CO)3 in toluene at 90 K gave a rhombic g-tensor with components 2.1366, 2.0224, and 1.9953, consistent with the expected low-spin d5 electronic configuration. The largest g-tensor component was significantly temperature dependent, suggesting an equilibrium between conformations with 2A´ and 2A˝ ground states. Crystal structures of [Ph3P=N=PPh3][(C5Ph5)Cr(CO)3] and (C5Ph5)Cr(CO)3 were obtained

The protection of rights and advancement of GenderS: in conversation with Abigail Nappier Cherup, Kevin D. Thomas, Wendy Hein, and Jack Coffin

In this panel discussion, we explore various ways that academics can advance work related to genderS, intersectionality and inequities so that it has impact within academia and in society. Panelists offer practical insights, relate challenges in doing this work, and suggest avenues for alternative yet impactful dissemination of work. The purpose is to demonstrate how those interested in supporting or working in this space might move from being allies to advocates and accomplices

Reconceptualising the relationship between the creative economy and the city: Learning from the financial crisis

This paper uses the financial crisis as an opportunity to examine a number of key questions about the relationship of the creative economy and the city. We argue that weak conceptualisation of the nature of the relationship between the creative economy and the city, as well as a lack of clarity about what the creative economy is, has subverted debates about this important topic. This paper comprises four major sections: the first introduces the field of the creative economy, the second section seeks to clarify what exactly we mean by the term financial crisis; here we highlight the multifaceted character of the financial crisis and is variable impacts across the field of the creative economy. The third part outlines the range and diversity of the actually existing relations between the creative economy and the city. In the fourth section we reflect upon the earlier argument to consider what we can learn about the impacts (actual and expected) of the financial crisis on the creative economy and the city, and additionally to reflect upon what this might indicate about the changing and perhaps transformed relationship between the creative economy and the city in the last quarter century

Variant of TYR and Autoimmunity Susceptibility Loci in Generalized Vitiligo.

BACKGROUND Generalized vitiligo is an autoimmune disease characterized by melanocyte loss, which results in patchy depigmentation of skin and hair, and is associated with an elevated risk of other autoimmune diseases. METHODS To identify generalized vitiligo susceptibility loci, we conducted a genomewide association study. We genotyped 579,146 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 1514 patients with generalized vitiligo who were of European-derived white (CEU) ancestry and compared the genotypes with publicly available control genotypes from 2813 CEU persons. We then tested 50 SNPs in two replication sets, one comprising 677 independent CEU patients and 1106 CEU controls and the other comprising 183 CEU simplex trios with generalized vitiligo and 332 CEU multiplex families. RESULTS We detected significant associations between generalized vitiligo and SNPs at several loci previously associated with other autoimmune diseases. These included genes encoding major-histocompatibility-complex class I molecules (P=9.05×10−23) and class II molecules (P=4.50×10−34), PTPN22 (P=1.31×10−7), LPP (P=1.01×10−11), IL2RA (P=2.78×10−9), UBASH3A (P=1.26×10−9), and C1QTNF6 (P=2.21×10−16). We also detected associations between generalized vitiligo and SNPs in two additional immune-related loci, RERE (P=7.07×10−15) and GZMB (P=3.44×10−8), and in a locus containing TYR (P=1.60×10−18), encoding tyrosinase. CONCLUSIONS We observed associations between generalized vitiligo and markers implicating multiple genes, some associated with other autoimmune diseases and one (TYR) that may mediate target-cell specificity and indicate a mutually exclusive relationship between susceptibility to vitiligo and susceptibility to melanoma

Metabolic traits in brown trout (Salmo trutta) vary in response to food restriction and intrinsic factors

Metabolic rates vary hugely within and between populations, yet we know relatively little about factors causing intraspecific variation. Since metabolic rate determines the energetic cost of life, uncovering these sources of variation is important to understand and forecast responses to environmental change. Moreover, few studies have examined factors causing intraspecific variation in metabolic flexibility. We explore how extrinsic environmental conditions and intrinsic factors contribute to variation in metabolic traits in brown trout, an iconic and polymorphic species that is threatened across much of its native range. We measured metabolic traits in offspring from two wild populations that naturally show life-history variation in migratory tactics (one anadromous, i.e. sea-migratory, one non-anadromous) that we reared under either optimal food or experimental conditions of long-term food restriction (lasting between 7 and 17 months). Both populations showed decreased standard metabolic rates (SMR—baseline energy requirements) under low food conditions. The anadromous population had higher maximum metabolic rate (MMR) than the non-anadromous population, and marginally higher SMR. The MMR difference was greater than SMR and consequently aerobic scope (AS) was higher in the anadromous population. MMR and AS were both higher in males than females. The anadromous population also had higher AS under low food compared to optimal food conditions, consistent with population-specific effects of food restriction on AS. Our results suggest different components of metabolic rate can vary in their response to environmental conditions, and according to intrinsic (population-background/sex) effects. Populations might further differ in their flexibility of metabolic traits, potentially due to intrinsic factors related to life history (e.g. migratory tactics). More comparisons of populations/individuals with divergent life histories will help to reveal this. Overall, our study suggests that incorporating an understanding of metabolic trait variation and flexibility and linking this to life history and demography will improve our ability to conserve populations experiencing global change

Getting shot of elves: healing, witchcraft and fairies in the Scottish witchcraft trials

This paper re-examines the evidence of the Scottish witchcraft trials for beliefs associated by scholars with "elf-shot." Some supposed evidence for elf-shot is dismissed, but other material illuminates the interplay between illness, healing and fairy-lore in early modern Scotland, and the relationship of these beliefs to witchcraft itself