Beyond Defenders: Future Problems of Extraterritoriality and Superterritoriality for the Endangered Species Act

The United States has developed what is probably the most advanced legal system for environmental protection in the world. Most American environmental law operates only domestically. In several instances, however, federal statutes apply beyond national boundaries. Many of these statutes concern relations defined by bilateral or multilateral treaty

Dates of birth and seasonal changes in well-being among 4904 subjects completing the seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire

Background: Abnormal distributions of birthdates, suggesting intrauterine aetiological factors, have been found in several psychiatric disorders, including one study of out-patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). We investigated birthdate distribution in relation to seasonal changes in well-being among a cohort who had completed the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Method: A sample of 4904 subjects, aged 16 to 64, completed the SPAQ. 476 were cases of S.A.D. on the SPAQ and 580 were cases of sub-syndromal S.A.D. (S-S.A.D.). 92 were interview confirmed cases of S.A.D. Months and dates of birth were compared between S.A.D. cases and all others, between S.A.D. and S-S.A.D. cases combined and all others, and between interview confirmed cases and all others. Seasonality, as measured through seasonal fluctuations in well-being on the Global Seasonality Scores (GSS) of the SPAQ, was compared for all subjects by month and season of birth. Results: There was no evidence of an atypical pattern of birthdates for subjects fulfilling criteria for S.A.D., for the combined S.A.D. / S-S.A.D. group or for interview confirmed cases. There was also no relationship between seasonality on the GSS and month or season of birth. Limitations: Diagnoses of S.A.D. made by SPAQ criteria are likely to be overinclusive. Conclusion: Our findings differ from studies of patients with more severe mood disorders, including psychiatric out-patients with S.A.D. The lack of association between seasonality and birthdates in our study adds credence to the view that the aetiology of S.A.D. relates to separable factors predisposing to affective disorders and to seasonality

Critical Role of FLRT1 Phosphorylation in the Interdependent Regulation of FLRT1 Function and FGF Receptor Signalling

Background Fibronectin leucine rich transmembrane (FLRT) proteins have dual properties as regulators of cell adhesion and potentiators of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) mediated signalling. The mechanism by which the latter is achieved is still unknown and is the subject of this investigation. Principal Findings Here we show that FLRT1 is a target for tyrosine phosphorylation mediated by FGFR1 and implicate a non-receptor Src family kinase (SFK). We identify the target tyrosine residues in the cytoplasmic domain of FLRT1 and show that these are not direct substrates for Src kinase suggesting that the SFK may exert effects via potentiation of FGFR1 kinase activity. We show that whilst FLRT1 expression results in a ligand-dependent elevation of MAP kinase activity, a mutant version of FLRT1, defective as an FGFR1 kinase substrate (Y3F-FLRT1), has the property of eliciting ligand-independent chronic activation of the MAP kinase pathway which is suppressed by pharmacological inhibition of either FGFR1 or Src kinase. Functional investigation of FGFR1 and FLRT1 signalling in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells reveals that FLRT1 alone acts to induce a multi-polar phenotype whereas the combination of FLRT1 and FGFR activation, or expression of Y3F-FLRT1, acts to induce neurite outgrowth via MAPK activation. Similar results were obtained in a dendrite outgrowth assay in primary hippocampal neurons. We also show that FGFR1, FLRT1 and activated Src are co-localized and this complex is trafficked toward the soma of the cell. The presence of Y3F-FLRT1 rather than FLRT1 resulted in prolonged localization of this complex within the neuritic arbour. Conclusions This study shows that the phosphorylation state of FLRT1, which is itself FGFR1 dependent, may play a critical role in the potentiation of FGFR1 signalling and may also depend on a SFK-dependent phosphorylation mechanism acting via the FGFR. This is consistent with an ‘in vivo’ role for FLRT1 regulation of FGF signalling via SFKs. Furthermore, the phosphorylation-dependent futile cycle mechanism controlling FGFR1 signalling is concurrently crucial for regulation of FLRT1-mediated neurite outgrowth

The Ultraviolet Detection of Diffuse Gas in Galaxy Groups

A small survey of the UV-absorbing gas in 12 low-$z$ galaxy groups has been conducted using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Targets were selected from a large, homogeneously-selected sample of groups found in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). A critical selection criterion excluded sight lines that pass close ($<1.5$ virial radii) to a group galaxy, to ensure absorber association with the group as a whole. Deeper galaxy redshift observations are used both to search for closer galaxies and also to characterize these $10^{13.5}$ to $10^{14.5} M_{\odot}$ groups, the most massive of which are highly-virialized with numerous early-type galaxies (ETGs). This sample also includes two spiral-rich groups, not yet fully-virialized. At group-centric impact parameters of 0.3-2 Mpc, these $\mathrm{S/N}=15$-30 spectra detected HI absorption in 7 of 12 groups; high (OVI) and low (SiIII) ion metal lines are present in 2/3 of the absorption components. None of the three most highly-virialized, ETG-dominated groups are detected in absorption. Covering fractions $\gtrsim50$% are seen at all impact parameters probed, but do not require large filling factors despite an enormous extent. Unlike halo clouds in individual galaxies, group absorbers have radial velocities which are too low to escape the group potential well without doubt. This suggests that these groups are "closed boxes" for galactic evolution in the current epoch. Evidence is presented that the cool and warm group absorbers are not a pervasive intra-group medium (IGrM), requiring a hotter ($T\sim10^6$ to $10^7$ K) IGrM to be present to close the baryon accounting.Comment: Resubmitted to ApJS after first review; 82 pages (27 for main text, rest are Appendices and supplemental figures and tables), 47 figures, 21 table

Nitrogen transport in the orchid mycorrhizal symbiosis - further evidence for a mutualistic association.

Mycorrhizas are symbioses integral to the health of plant-based ecosystems (Smith & Read, 2008). In a typical mycorrhizal association, fungi in, or on, plant roots pass soil-acquired inorganic nutrients and water to the plant host. In return, the host transfers excess photosynthate to the fungus

Thinking Like a Raven: Restoring Integrity, Stability, and Beauty to Western Ecosystems

Common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) are generalist predators that pose a threat to several rare wildlife species in the western United States. Recent increases in raven populations, which are fueled by increased human subsidies—notably food, water, and nest sites—are concerning to those seeking to conserve rare species. Due to the challenges and inefficiencies of reducing or eliminating subsidies, managers increasingly rely on lethal removal of ravens. Over 125,000 ravens were killed by the U.S. Government from 1996 to 2019, and annual removals have increased 4-fold from the 1990s to mid-2010s. We contend that lethal removal of ravens, while capable of improving the reproduction of rare species, is at best a short-term and ethically untenable solution to a problem that will continue to grow until subsidies are meaningfully reduced or made inaccessible to ravens. In part because of ravens’ abilities to track natural and anthropogenic resources across unfamiliar and expansive areas, the removal of subsidies can lead to sustained shifts in raven abundance, which can have long-lasting benefits for sensitive species. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA, for example, we documented extensive use of human subsidies during fall/winter, daily 1-way commutes regularly in excess of 50 km by territorial birds to such subsidies, and dispersals of \u3e700 km by nonbreeders that exploited food and roost subsidies. We call for managers to embrace new approaches to subsidy reduction including: increased involvement of conservation social scientists; increased enforcement of local, state, and federal laws; and increased deployment of a diversity of new technologies to haze and aversively condition ravens. Tackling the hard job of reducing subsidies over the expansive area exploited by ravens is right because it will increase the integrity, stability, and beauty of western ecosystems