OPINIONS ABOUT MOOSE AND MOOSE MANAGEMENT AT THE SOUTHERN EXTENT OF MOOSE RANGE IN CONNECTICUT

Increasing moose (Alces alces populations in the northeastern United States present new challenges for wildlife managers who must balance beneficial and adverse aspects of moose populations. It is important that managers understand stakeholder attitudes and values about moose and incorporate such into outreach and management programs. The objective of this research was to assess landowner and hunter perceptions about status, management, and concerns associated with a small moose population in Connecticut. The majority of landowners and hunters correctly believed that <100 moose existed in Connecticut, half believed that the population was increasing but had no opinion about appropriate size, and few had ever observed a moose in Connecticut or been involved in a moose-vehicle accident (MVA). Landowner support for viewing areas was high and moose hunting low unless MVAs increased; support for hunting moose was high among hunters. If human-moose conflicts increase, principally MVAs, we expect reduced public support for the resident moose population. Proactive education and management are suggested to reduce human-moose conflicts, MVAs, and increase acceptance of hunting as a possible population management tool

A novel fluorescence-based assay for the rapid detection and quantification of cellular deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates

Current methods for measuring deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) employ reagent and labor-intensive assays utilizing radioisotopes in DNA polymerase-based assays and/or chromatography-based approaches. We have developed a rapid and sensitive 96-well fluorescence-based assay to quantify cellular dNTPs utilizing a standard real-time PCR thermocycler. This assay relies on the principle that incorporation of a limiting dNTP is required for primer-extension and Taq polymerase-mediated 5–3′ exonuclease hydrolysis of a dual-quenched fluorophore-labeled probe resulting in fluorescence. The concentration of limiting dNTP is directly proportional to the fluorescence generated. The assay demonstrated excellent linearity (R2 > 0.99) and can be modified to detect between ∼0.5 and 100 pmol of dNTP. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for all dNTPs were defined as <0.77 and <1.3 pmol, respectively. The intra-assay and inter-assay variation coefficients were determined to be <4.6% and <10%, respectively with an accuracy of 100 ± 15% for all dNTPs. The assay quantified intracellular dNTPs with similar results obtained from a validated LC–MS/MS approach and successfully measured quantitative differences in dNTP pools in human cancer cells treated with inhibitors of thymidylate metabolism. This assay has important application in research that investigates the influence of pathological conditions or pharmacological agents on dNTP biosynthesis and regulation

3 years of liraglutide versus placebo for type 2 diabetes risk reduction and weight management in individuals with prediabetes: a randomised, double-blind trial

Background: Liraglutide 3·0 mg was shown to reduce bodyweight and improve glucose metabolism after the 56-week period of this trial, one of four trials in the SCALE programme. In the 3-year assessment of the SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial we aimed to evaluate the proportion of individuals with prediabetes who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Methods: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, adults with prediabetes and a body-mass index of at least 30 kg/m2, or at least 27 kg/m2 with comorbidities, were randomised 2:1, using a telephone or web-based system, to once-daily subcutaneous liraglutide 3·0 mg or matched placebo, as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Time to diabetes onset by 160 weeks was the primary outcome, evaluated in all randomised treated individuals with at least one post-baseline assessment. The trial was conducted at 191 clinical research sites in 27 countries and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01272219. Findings: The study ran between June 1, 2011, and March 2, 2015. We randomly assigned 2254 patients to receive liraglutide (n=1505) or placebo (n=749). 1128 (50%) participants completed the study up to week 160, after withdrawal of 714 (47%) participants in the liraglutide group and 412 (55%) participants in the placebo group. By week 160, 26 (2%) of 1472 individuals in the liraglutide group versus 46 (6%) of 738 in the placebo group were diagnosed with diabetes while on treatment. The mean time from randomisation to diagnosis was 99 (SD 47) weeks for the 26 individuals in the liraglutide group versus 87 (47) weeks for the 46 individuals in the placebo group. Taking the different diagnosis frequencies between the treatment groups into account, the time to onset of diabetes over 160 weeks among all randomised individuals was 2·7 times longer with liraglutide than with placebo (95% CI 1·9 to 3·9, p&lt;0·0001), corresponding with a hazard ratio of 0·21 (95% CI 0·13–0·34). Liraglutide induced greater weight loss than placebo at week 160 (–6·1 [SD 7·3] vs −1·9% [6·3]; estimated treatment difference −4·3%, 95% CI −4·9 to −3·7, p&lt;0·0001). Serious adverse events were reported by 227 (15%) of 1501 randomised treated individuals in the liraglutide group versus 96 (13%) of 747 individuals in the placebo group. Interpretation: In this trial, we provide results for 3 years of treatment, with the limitation that withdrawn individuals were not followed up after discontinuation. Liraglutide 3·0 mg might provide health benefits in terms of reduced risk of diabetes in individuals with obesity and prediabetes. Funding: Novo Nordisk, Denmark

An Assessment of Moose (Alces alces americana) and Moose Management in Connecticut

Eastern moose (Alces alces americana) populations have been increasing in New England over the past decade. Moose populations have the potential to generate human conflict due to their size, speed, nocturnal behavior, and seasonal mobility. As problems associated with increasing moose populations become more common, the need to develop management strategies that are both effective and acceptable to stakeholders becomes increasingly important. The potential for moose to continue to expand in southern New England and the long-term impacts they may have on Connecticut residents, is unclear. The overall purpose of this study was to assess how suitable Connecticut is for moose and respond by developing acceptable and effective strategies for managing future moose populations. Specific objectives were to: 1) determine landscape suitability for moose in Connecticut based on applications of a moose habitat suitability model with temperature constraints; 2) estimate number of moose based on public and hunter sightings; and 3) determine public and hunter attitudes about moose and moose management, and willingness of deer hunters to support various management efforts using mail surveys. . Data for evaluating landscape suitability were obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Forest Inventory Database Online; and the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climate Data Center Open Geospatial Consortium. Public and hunter sightings were obtained from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and used to develop population estimates, predict future population growth under various management scenarios, and to validate model outputs. Data on landowner and hunter experiences and opinions about moose were collected using mail surveys and surveys distributed at selected town halls. Potential number of moose per square kilometer was greatly affected by amount of suitable habitat and ambient air temperatures which varied geographically. Encouraging aggressive forest management practices, such as clear-cutting and shelter wood cutting in northern Connecticut, would be beneficial for moose. Connecticut’s moose population was conservatively estimated at 73 in 2008. Although unlikely, the moose population potentially could grow exponentially in the next 20 years. If the moose population expands as predicted by the model, it would be valuable to establish a limited moose hunting season sooner rather than later to minimize potential human-moose conflicts. At present, the majority of landowners and hunters believe \u3c 100 moose exist in Connecticut and most think the population is too low, but believe it is increasing. Support for hunting by landowners initially was low, but increased as potential concerns, especially related to moose-vehicle accidents increased. Support for hunting by hunters was high. We expect a reduction in the public’s tolerance for moose given further conflicts. The need for increased public education, e.g. the role of lethal management to protect humans, and being proactive rather than reactive, will be critical for successful moose management in Connecticut. Most hunters were supportive of using moose hunting to control population growth, but would prefer restrictions on the harvest of cow moose and permit availability. Hunter insight was valuable from a management perspective for determining which geographic areas should be considered for hunting, timing and length of seasons, equitable hunter selection processes, and methods of hunting acceptable to hunters

The physical properties of the stick insect pad secretion are independent of body size.

Many insects use adhesive organs to climb. The ability to cling to surfaces is advantageous but is increasingly challenged as animals grow, due to the associated reduction in surface-to-volume ratio. Previous work has demonstrated that some climbing animals overcome this scaling problem by systematically altering the maximum force per area that their adhesive pads can sustain; their adhesive organs become more efficient as they grow, an observation which is also of substantial relevance for the design of bioinspired adhesives. What is the origin of this change in efficiency? In insects, adhesive contact is mediated by a thin film of a liquid, thought to increase adhesive performance via capillary and viscous forces. Here, we use interference reflection microscopy and dewetting experiments to measure the contact angle and dewetting speed of the secretion of pre-tarsal adhesive pads of Indian stick insects, varying in mass by over two orders of magnitude. Neither contact angle nor dewetting speed change significantly with body mass, suggesting that the key physical properties of the pad secretion-its surface tension and viscosity-are size-invariant. Thus, the observed change in pad efficiency is unlikely to arise from systematic changes of the physical properties of the pad secretion; the functional role of the secretion remains unclear

Comparing traditional and participatory dissemination of a shared decision making intervention (ADAPT-NC): a cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a common disease that affects people of all ages and has significant morbidity and mortality. Poor outcomes and health disparities related to asthma result in part from the difficulty of disseminating new evidence and care delivery methods such as shared decision making (SDM) into clinical practice. This 3-year study explores the ideal framework for rapid dissemination of an evidence-based SDM toolkit for asthma management. The study leverages a partnership between the North Carolina (NC) statewide Medicaid network and the NC Network Consortium of practice-based research networks (PBRNs). METHODS/DESIGN: This non-blinded study will randomize 30 primary care clinics in NC stratified by four PBRNs. We will test dissemination across these practices using a facilitator-led participatory approach to dissemination (FLOW), a novel method of participatory dissemination involving key principles of community-based participatory research, and a more typical “lunch and learn” dissemination method. Specifically, we will use cluster randomization to assign each of the 30 practices to one of three arms: (1) control, no dissemination; (2) traditional dissemination, one didactic session a year and distribution of educational material; and (3) FLOW dissemination. We hypothesize that at the unit of randomization, the clinic, patients in the FLOW dissemination arm will be more likely to share in their treatment decisions compared to patients in the traditional dissemination or control arms. All outcomes will be measured at the level of the clinic. Adoption of the SDM approach will be evaluated by 1) asthma exacerbations, 2) level of patient involvement in the decision making process, and 3) qualitative assessments from patients and providers. The research question is: What dissemination strategy most effectively increases practice level adoption of a shared decision making approach to asthma management? This study will provide important data to support best practices in dissemination of an evidence-based toolkit and implementation of shared decision making into primary care practices. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered on January 27, 2014 through the United States National Institutes of Health’s ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02047929 and funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)