Double Brooding by the Northern Wheatear on Baffin Island

Most Arctic-breeding passerines raise a single brood in a season, presumably because the short Arctic summer does not provide sufficient time to raise a second brood. Here we document the first cases of two broods being raised or attempted, after successful fledging of a first brood, in an Arctic-breeding population of Northern Wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe, at Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, in 2010 and 2011. In one case, the same pair was involved in raising both broods. In a second case, the female that raised the first brood was mated to a different male for her second brood. In a third case, it was not known whether the same male was involved in a female’s attempts to raise two broods. The three females that attempted to raise two broods started their first clutches four to six days earlier than the estimated median date of laying first eggs and represented about 6% of all females in the study population. Potential constraints on raising two broods include not only the shortness of the summer season but also the nature and abundance of the food supply, trade-offs between the success of the first brood and that of the second brood, and effects of the one- and two-brood strategies on the survival and future reproductive output of the adults.La plupart des passereaux nicheurs de l’Arctique n’élèvent qu’une nichée par saison, vraisemblablement parce l’été est trop court dans l’Arctique, ce qui ne laisse pas de temps pour une deuxième nichée. Ici, nous décrivons les premiers cas pour lesquels deux nichées ont été élevées ou tentées d’être élevées, après le succès d’envol de la première nichée chez une population de traquets motteux (Oenanthe oenanthe) nichant dans l’Arctique, à Iqaluit, au Nunavut, Canada, en 2010 et en 2011. Dans un des cas, le même couple d’oiseaux a élevé les deux nichées. Dans un deuxième cas, la femelle qui a élevé la première nichée a eu sa deuxième nichée avec un autre mâle. Dans un troisième cas, nous ne savons pas si le mâle était le même pour les deux nichées. Les trois femelles qui ont essayé d’élever deux nichées ont fait leur première ponte de quatre à six jours plus tôt que la date médiane estimée de ponte des premiers oeufs, ce qui a représenté environ 6 % de toutes les femelles à l’étude. Parmi les contraintes auxquelles font face les femelles qui tentent d’élever deux nichées, notons non seulement les courts étés, mais aussi la nature et l’abondance des approvisionnements alimentaires, les concessions mutuelles entre le succès de la première nichée et celui de la deuxième nichée, et les effets des stratégies d’une nichée ou de deux nichées sur la survie et l’efficacité de la reproduction future des adultes

Salt iodization for the elimination of iodine deficiency

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Iodation du sel pour l'élimination de la carence en iod

Meniscus treatment and age associated with narrower radiographic joint space width 2–3 years after ACL reconstruction: data from the MOON onsite cohort

SummaryObjectiveTo identify risk factors for radiographic signs of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA) 2–3 years after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction through multivariable analysis of minimum joint space width (mJSW) differences in a specially designed nested cohort.MethodsA nested cohort within the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) cohort included 262 patients (148 females, average age 20) injured in sport who underwent ACL reconstruction in a previously uninjured knee, were 35 or younger, and did not have ACL revision or contralateral knee surgery. mJSW on semi-flexed radiographs was measured in the medial compartment using a validated computerized method. A multivariable generalized linear model was constructed to assess mJSW difference between the ACL reconstructed and contralateral control knees while adjusting for potential confounding factors.ResultsUnexpectedly, we found the mean mJSW was 0.35 mm wider in ACL reconstructed than in control knees (5.06 mm (95% CI 4.96–5.15 mm) vs 4.71 mm (95% CI 4.62–4.80 mm), P < 0.001). However, ACL reconstructed knees with meniscectomy had narrower mJSW compared to contralateral normal knees by 0.64 mm (95% C.I. 0.38–0.90 mm) (P < 0.001). Age (P < 0.001) and meniscus repair (P = 0.001) were also significantly associated with mJSW difference.ConclusionSemi-flexed radiographs can detect differences in mJSW between ACL reconstructed and contralateral normal knees 2–3 years following ACL reconstruction, and the unexpected wider mJSW in ACL reconstructed knees may represent the earliest manifestation of post-traumatic osteoarthritis and warrants further study

Iodation du sel pour l'élimination de la carence en iode

Versión en inglés disponible en la Biblioteca Digital del IDRC: Salt iodization for the elimination of iodine deficienc

Using stable-hydrogen isotopes to reveal immigration in an Arctic-breeding songbird population

Background: Knowledge of immigration and emigration rates is crucial for understanding of population dynamics, yet little is known about these vital rates, especially for arctic songbirds. We estimated immigration in an Arctic population of northern wheatears on Baffin Island, Canada, by the use of stable hydrogen isotopes in tail feathers (d2HK). We assumed that d2HK values of juvenile (hatch-year) feathers grown at the breeding grounds were representative of the local population, while those of breeding adults were indicative of where they grew their feathers during their postbreeding molt the previous year. The extent to which adul

Spectroscopic Coronal Observations during the Total Solar Eclipse of 11 July 2010

The flash spectrum of the solar chromosphere and corona was measured with a slitless spectrograph before, after, and during the totality of the solar eclipse, of 11 July 2010, at Easter Island, Chile. This eclipse took place at the beginning of the Solar Cycle 24, after an extended minimum of solar activity. The spectra taken during the eclipse show a different intensity ratio of the red and green coronal lines compared with those taken during the total solar eclipse of 1 August 2008, which took place towards the end of the Solar Cycle 23. The characteristic coronal forbidden emission line of forbidden Fe XIV (5303 {\AA}) was observed on the east and west solar limbs in four areas relatively symmetrically located with respect to the solar rotation axis. Subtraction of the continuum flash-spectrum background led to the identification of several extremely weak emission lines, including forbidden Ca XV (5694 {\AA}), which is normally detected only in regions of very high excitation, e.g., during flares or above large sunspots. The height of the chromosphere was measured spectrophotometrically, using spectral lines from light elements and compared with the equivalent height of the lower chromosphere measured using spectral lines from heavy elements.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 1 table; Solar Physics, 2012, Februar

Characterization of anticoagulant heparinoids by immunoprofiling

Heparinoids are used in the clinic as anticoagulants. A specific pentasaccharide in heparinoids activates antithrombin III, resulting in inactivation of factor Xa and–when additional saccharides are present–inactivation of factor IIa. Structural and functional analysis of the heterogeneous heparinoids generally requires advanced equipment, is time consuming, and needs (extensive) sample preparation. In this study, a novel and fast method for the characterization of heparinoids is introduced based on reactivity with nine unique anti-heparin antibodies. Eight heparinoids were biochemically analyzed by electrophoresis and their reactivity with domain-specific anti-heparin antibodies was established by ELISA. Each heparinoid displayed a distinct immunoprofile matching its structural characteristics. The immunoprofile could also be linked to biological characteristics, such as the anti-Xa/anti-IIa ratio, which was reflected by reactivity of the heparinoids with antibodies HS4C3 (indicative for 3-O-sulfates) and HS4E4 (indicative for domains allowing anti-factor IIa activity). In addition, the immunoprofile could be indicative for heparinoid-induced side-effects, such as heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, as illustrated by reactivity with antibody NS4F5, which defines a very high sulfated domain. In conclusion, immunoprofiling provides a novel, fast, and simple methodology for the characterization of heparinoids, and allows high-throughput screening of (new) heparinoids for defined structural and biological characteristics

Search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 in the second Advanced LIGO observing run with an improved hidden Markov model

We present results from a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves from the low-mass x-ray binary Scorpius X-1, using a hidden Markov model (HMM) to track spin wandering. This search improves on previous HMM-based searches of LIGO data by using an improved frequency domain matched filter, the J-statistic, and by analyzing data from Advanced LIGO's second observing run. In the frequency range searched, from 60 to 650 Hz, we find no evidence of gravitational radiation. At 194.6 Hz, the most sensitive search frequency, we report an upper limit on gravitational wave strain (at 95% confidence) of h095%=3.47×10-25 when marginalizing over source inclination angle. This is the most sensitive search for Scorpius X-1, to date, that is specifically designed to be robust in the presence of spin wandering. © 2019 American Physical Society