Unintended Facilitation Between Marine Consumers Generates Enhanced Mortality for Their Shared Prey

We manipulated predator densities and prey vulnerability to explore how interactions between two predators affect overall mortality of their shared prey. Our threemember study system included eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and two of its major consumers: southern oyster drills (Stramonita haemastoma) and stone crabs (Menippe adina). Field experiments demonstrated that drills and crabs foraging together generated higher than expected oyster mortality based on each species operating independently, even though crabs also killed some drills. In subsequent laboratory trials, we experimentally mimicked the handling of oysters by foraging crabs and confirmed that crabs facilitated drills by breeching oyster valves, thereby granting easy access for drills to their prey. Facilitation between cooccurring predators is uncommon and typically occurs because the behavior or habitat selection of a prey species is altered by the presence of one predator, consequently making the prey more susceptible to another predator. Whereas oysters are sedentary regardless of the predator field, we observed an entirely different mechanism that resulted in predator facilitation. This involved direct attacks on the physical defenses of oysters by one predator that ultimately increased the overall consumption rate of foraging species. These dynamics significantly enhanced mortality risk for a foundation species within an estuarine ecosystem

Interventional Response of Hospital and Health Services to the Mental Health Effects of Viral Outbreaks on Health Professionals

The aim of this integrative review was to examine the impact of past viral epidemics on staff mental health interventional responses, with a specific focus on healthcare provider response in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following PRISMA methodology, databases were searched for relevant articles. A total of 55 articles with a range of methodologies (e.g., commentary papers, cohort studies, qualitative studies) were included to ensure broad coverage of this rapidly emerging research area. The literature showed that many healthcare providers implemented a variety of wellbeing initiatives to support their staff during a viral outbreak. Most of these interventions, however, were not formally evaluated. Interventions included leadership/team support; online psychoeducational resources and updated information on the pandemic; respite spaces; peer support outreach; staff resilience training; telephone hotline support; staff support groups; and individual counseling. Staff were generally supportive of the initiatives offered by hospital and health services, with certain interventions being more appreciated (e.g., staff respite areas). Rapid, locally, and culturally appropriate workplace-based responses may counter the negative mental health impact on staff; but a stepped response is required for a smaller number of staff at risk of mental illness, or those with pre-existing mental illness. Systematic Review Registration: Unique Identifier: CRD42020222761

Strategies from a multi-national sample of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) services: Managing anesthesia for ECT during the COVID-19 pandemic

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is important in the management of severe, treatment-resistant, and life-threatening psychiatric illness. Anesthesia supports the clinical efficacy and tolerability of ECT. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted ECT services, including anesthesia. This study documents strategies for managing ECT anesthesia during the pandemic. Data were collected between March and November 2021, using a mixed-methods, cross-sectional, electronic survey. Clinical directors in ECT services, their delegates, and anesthetists worldwide participated. One hundred and twelve participants provided quantitative responses to the survey. Of these, 23.4% were anesthetists, and the remainder were ECT clinical directors. Most participants were from Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Europe. Most were located in a public hospital, in a metropolitan region, and in a ‘medium/high-risk’ COVID-19 hotspot. Half of the participants reported their services made changes to ECT anesthetic technique during the pandemic. Services introduced strategies associated with anesthetic induction, ventilation, use of laryngeal mask airways, staffing, medications, plastic barriers to separate staff from patients, and the location of extubation and recovery. This is the first multi-national, mixed-methods study to investigate ECT anesthesia practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results are vital to inform practice during the next waves of COVID-19 infection, ensuring patients continue to receive ECT

A planet within the debris disk around the pre-main-sequence star AU Microscopii

AU Microscopii (AU Mic) is the second closest pre main sequence star, at a distance of 9.79 parsecs and with an age of 22 million years. AU Mic possesses a relatively rare and spatially resolved3 edge-on debris disk extending from about 35 to 210 astronomical units from the star, and with clumps exhibiting non-Keplerian motion. Detection of newly formed planets around such a star is challenged by the presence of spots, plage, flares and other manifestations of magnetic activity on the star. Here we report observations of a planet transiting AU Mic. The transiting planet, AU Mic b, has an orbital period of 8.46 days, an orbital distance of 0.07 astronomical units, a radius of 0.4 Jupiter radii, and a mass of less than 0.18 Jupiter masses at 3 sigma confidence. Our observations of a planet co-existing with a debris disk offer the opportunity to test the predictions of current models of planet formation and evolution.Comment: Nature, published June 24th [author spelling name fix

Movement ecology of a mobile predatory fish reveals limited habitat linkages within a temperate estuarine seascape

Large predatory fishes, capable of traveling large distances, can facilitate energy flow linkages among spatially separated habitat patches via extended foraging behaviors over large areas. Here, we tested this concept by tracking the movement of a large mobile estuarine fish, red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Specifically, we addressed the following questions: 1) What are the spatial and temporal patterns of red drum movement (rates of dispersal) and activity space? and 2) Does red drum movement facilitate linkages among estuarine marsh complexes? Dispersal from the release location was greatest during the first two weeks at liberty before declining to less than 0.5 km/week for the remainder of the study. Activity space initially also increased rapidly before reaching an asymptote at 2.5 kmThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

First Images of the Protoplanetary Disk around PDS 201

Scattered light imaging has revealed nearly a dozen circumstellar disks around young Herbig Ae/Be stars-enabling studies of structures in the upper disk layers as potential signs of ongoing planet formation. We present the first images of the disk around the variable Herbig Ae star PDS 201 (V* V351 Ori) and an analysis of the images and spectral energy distribution through 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations and forward modeling. The disk is detected in three data sets with the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer/Large Binocular Telescope mid-infrared camera at the Large Binocular Telescope, including direct observations in the Ks and L ' filters, and an L ' observation with the 360 degrees vector apodizing phase plate coronagraph. The scattered light disk extends to a very large radius of similar to 250 au, which places it among the largest of such disks. Exterior to the disk, we establish detection limits on substellar companions down to similar to 5 M-Jup at greater than or similar to 15 (greater than or similar to 500 au), assuming the Baraffe et al. models. The images show a radial gap extending to similar to 04 (similar to 140 au at a distance of 340 pc) that is also evident in the spectral energy distribution. The large gap is a possible signpost of multiple high-mass giant planets at orbital distances (similar to 60-100 au) that are unusually massive and widely separated compared to those of planet populations previously inferred from protoplanetary disk substructures.NASA Hubble Fellowship ProgramThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Overview of Technologies for Direct Optical Imaging of Exoplanets

International audienc