Facultative Altitudinal Movements by Mountain White-Crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia Leucophrys Oriantha) in the Sierra Nevada

Mountain White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha) winter in Mexico and often arrive in the vicinity of their breeding grounds in the Sierra Nevada well before nesting is possible. Arrival at Tioga Pass, California (elevation 3,030 m), usually occurs in early May, but residual winter snow and adverse weather can delay nesting for weeks. We used radiotelemetry to determine whether prebreeding Mountain White-crowned Sparrows engaged in weather-related altitudinal movements during the waiting period between the end of spring migration and onset of breeding during 1995-2001, with a range of residual winter snowpacks. Interannual variation in arrival date and onset of egg laying was 18 and 41 days, respectively. We tracked females for two years and males for all seven years. During spring snowstorms (which occurred in four years), radiomarked individuals moved to lower elevation sites, where they often remained for several days. Departing birds left Tioga Pass by early afternoon and returned early in the morning after storms. More frequent storms during tracking increased the likelihood of facultative altitudinal movements, but heavier residual winter snowpack did not. Warm days increased the likelihood of birds returning to Tioga Pass from low elevation. This study demonstrates that facultative altitudinal movement behavior can be a common feature of spring arrival biology in montane-breeding birds. Received 1 November 2002, accepted 30 June 2004.Integrative Biolog

The Rise and Impact of High Profile Spectator Sports on American Higher Education

Intercollegiate athletics at colleges and universities have been referred to as “American higher education’s ‘peculiar institution.’ Their presence is pervasive, yet their proper balance with academics remains puzzling” (Thelin, 1994, p.1). Scandals such as the one at the University of Colorado at Boulder involving improper conduct of athletes and improper recruiting practices highlight the problems in athletic departments all over the country (Jacobsen, as cited in Umbach, Palmer, Kuh and Hannah, 2006). Organizations such as the Knight Commission, Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA), and the Drake Group dedicate much of their resources toward examining reform in intercollegiate athletics. This all begs the question: How has the rise of high-profile intercollegiate athletics impacted post-secondary education? The purpose of this literature review was to examine the acceleration and impact of high profile spectator sports on American higher education. Specifically, the purpose is to serve as a primer for those unfamiliar with intercollegiate athletics at postsecondary institutions. The researchers sought to examine the rise of intercollegiate athletics at Division I schools, the use of “brand equity” as an institution, the commercialization of big time college sports, and the impact these have on the athletes, faculty, and higher education as a whole. Lastly, the researchers provide recommendations to those involved in setting policy for higher education athletics in order to help combat the current trends in intercollegiate athletics in the hopes of eliminating the negative actions that have become the norm in college athletics. Intercollegiate athletics at colleges and universities have been referred to as American higher education’s “peculiar institution.” Their presence is pervasive, yet their proper balance with academics remains puzzling” (Thelin, 1994, p.1). In A Larger Sense of Purpose, Harold Shapiro (2005) opined, “Why should an institution whose primary devotion to education and scholarship devote so much effort to competitive athletics?” (p. 29). Recent scandals in intercollegiate athletic give one pause: at the University of Colorado at Boulder, improper conduct of athletes and improper recruiting practices were cited after an 18 year old recruit was taken to a strip club; The president of Auburn University recently took a trip on a booster’s private jet to “woo” a football coach at another university when they already had one under contract; and at Purdue University, the women’s basketball team is serving out a two year suspension after allegations that a former assistant coach made over 100 impermissible recruiting calls (Brunt, 2007). These problems highlight the issues in athletic departments all over the country (Jacobsen, as cited in Umbach, Palmer, Kuh and Hannah, 2006). Faculty members at institutions with some of the nation’s largest athletic programs gathered recently to discuss what role they should play in their schools’ athletic programs. They grappled with such issues as how and whether faculty should be involved, and how professors, coaches and sports administrators can collaborate to help athletes perform well in the classroom and on the field (Sander, 2007). This all begs the question: How has the rise of high-profile intercollegiate athletics impacted post-secondary education

A survey of diffuse interstellar bands in the Andromeda galaxy: optical spectroscopy of M31 OB stars

We present the largest sample to-date of intermediate-resolution blue-to-red optical spectra of B-type supergiants in M31 and undertake the first survey of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) in this galaxy. Spectral classifications, radial velocities and interstellar reddenings are presented for 34 stars in three regions of M31. Radial velocities and equivalent widths are given for the 5780 and 6283 DIBs towards 11 stars. Equivalent widths are also presented for the following DIBs detected in three sightlines in M31: 4428, 5705, 5780, 5797, 6203, 6269, 6283, 6379, 6613, 6660, and 6993. All of these M31 DIB carriers reside in clouds at radial velocities matching those of interstellar Na I and/or H I. The relationships between DIB equivalent widths and reddening (E(B-V)) are consistent with those observed in the local ISM of the Milky Way. Many of the observed sightlines show DIB strengths (per unit reddening) which lie at the upper end of the range of Galactic values. DIB strengths per unit reddening are found (with 68% confidence), to correlate with the interstellar UV radiation field strength. The strongest DIBs are observed where the interstellar UV flux is lowest. The mean Spitzer 8/24 micron emission ratio in our three fields is slightly lower than that measured in the Milky Way, but we identify no correlation between this ratio and the DIB strengths in M31. Interstellar oxygen abundances derived from the spectra of three M31 H II regions in one of the fields indicate that the average metallicity of the ISM in that region is 12 + log[O/H] = 8.54 +- 0.18, which is approximately equal to the value in the solar neighbourhood

Investigating the medium range order in amorphous Ta₂O₅ coatings

Ion-beam sputtered amorphous heavy metal oxides, such as Ta2O5, are widely used as the high refractive index layer of highly reflective dielectric coatings. Such coatings are used in the ground based Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), in which mechanical loss, directly related to Brownian thermal noise, from the coatings forms an important limit to the sensitivity of the LIGO detector. It has previously been shown that heat-treatment and TiO2 doping of amorphous Ta2O5 coatings causes significant changes to the levels of mechanical loss measured and is thought to result from changes in the atomic structure. This work aims to find ways to reduce the levels of mechanical loss in the coatings by understanding the atomic structure properties that are responsible for it, and thus helping to increase the LIGO detector sensitivity. Using a combination of Reduced Density Functions (RDFs) from electron diffraction and Fluctuation Electron Microscopy (FEM), we probe the medium range order (in the 2-3 nm range) of these amorphous coatings

Phylogenetics links monster larva to deep-sea shrimp.

Mid-water plankton collections commonly include bizarre and mysterious developmental stages that differ conspicuously from their adult counterparts in morphology and habitat. Unaware of the existence of planktonic larval stages, early zoologists often misidentified these unique morphologies as independent adult lineages. Many such mistakes have since been corrected by collecting larvae, raising them in the lab, and identifying the adult forms. However, challenges arise when the larva is remarkably rare in nature and relatively inaccessible due to its changing habitats over the course of ontogeny. The mid-water marine species Cerataspis monstrosa (Gray 1828) is an armored crustacean larva whose adult identity has remained a mystery for over 180 years. Our phylogenetic analyses, based in part on recent collections from the Gulf of Mexico, provide definitive evidence that the rare, yet broadly distributed larva, C. monstrosa, is an early developmental stage of the globally distributed deepwater aristeid shrimp, Plesiopenaeus armatus. Divergence estimates and phylogenetic relationships across five genes confirm the larva and adult are the same species. Our work demonstrates the diagnostic power of molecular systematics in instances where larval rearing seldom succeeds and morphology and habitat are not indicative of identity. Larval-adult linkages not only aid in our understanding of biodiversity, they provide insights into the life history, distribution, and ecology of an organism

Neuronal Reprogramming for Tissue Repair and Neuroregeneration.

Stem cell and cell reprogramming technology represent a rapidly growing field in regenerative medicine. A number of novel neural reprogramming methods have been established, using pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) or direct reprogramming, to efficiently derive specific neuronal cell types for therapeutic applications. Both in vitro and in vivo cellular reprogramming provide diverse therapeutic pathways for modeling neurological diseases and injury repair. In particular, the retina has emerged as a promising target for clinical application of regenerative medicine. Herein, we review the potential of neuronal reprogramming to develop regenerative strategy, with a particular focus on treating retinal degenerative diseases and discuss future directions and challenges in the field

Clinical outcomes of Single-Visit oral Prophylaxis: A practice-based randomised controlled trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD