37 research outputs found
Selecting and Testing Cryptogam Species for Use in Wetland Delineation in Alaska
To support the determination of hydrophytic vegetation in wetland delineations in Alaska, USA, a series of tests were conducted to develop a group of âtest positiveâ species to be used in a âcryptogam indicator.â In 2004, non-vascular cryptogam species (bryophytes, lichens, and fungi) from Interior and South-Central Alaska in the vicinities of Fairbanks and Anchorage were collected at a series of ten 50 Ă 50 cm plots along two 30 m transects in each of six upland and five wetland sites. Nineteen moss and liverwort species were selected from 86 species surveyed to test for wetland fidelity. In 2005, a plot-based analysis of frequency and cover data yielded a revised list of 17 bryophyte species that were specific to wetland communities dominated by black spruce, Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P. Fungi and lichens were found to be inadequate wetland indicators in the sampled locations because the lichen species were sparsely distributed and the fungi were too ephemeral. The cryptogam indicator was thus restricted to bryophytes. Also in 2005, bryophytes were analyzed for their presence on microtopographic positions within the landscape, including tops of hummocks and hollows at the bases of hummocks. Upland bryophyte species were found on hummock tops inside the wetland boundary, but were not abundant in the hollows (p < 0.05). The fidelity of the species selected for use in the cryptogam indicator was tested. It was determined that if more than 50% of all bryophyte cover present in hollows is composed of one or more of the 17 wetland bryophytes tested in 2005, then vascular vegetation can be considered to be hydrophytic (p < 0.001).Afin dâĂ©tayer la prĂ©sence de vĂ©gĂ©tation hydrophytique dans les dĂ©limitations de zones humides de lâAlaska, aux Ătats-Unis, une sĂ©rie de tests a Ă©tĂ© effectuĂ©e dans le but dâaboutir Ă un groupe dâespĂšces « de test positives » Ă utiliser avec un « indicateur de sporophyte ». En 2004, des espĂšces de sporophytes non vasculaires (bryophytes, lichens et champignons) de lâintĂ©rieur et du centre-sud de lâAlaska, aux environs de Fairbanks et dâAnchorage, ont Ă©tĂ© recueillies Ă une sĂ©rie de dix parcelles de 50 sur 50 cm le long de deux transects de 30 m dans chacun de six sites montagnards et de cinq sites humides. Dix-neuf espĂšces de mousse et dâhĂ©patiques ont Ă©tĂ© choisies Ă partir de 86 espĂšces prĂ©levĂ©es dans le but dâen dĂ©terminer la fidĂ©litĂ© aux zones humides. En 2005, une analyse de frĂ©quence de parcelles et des donnĂ©es de couverture ont permis dâobtenir la liste rĂ©visĂ©e de 17 espĂšces de bryophytes propres aux zones humides dominĂ©es par lâĂ©pinette noire, Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P. Nous avons constatĂ© que les champignons et les lichens Ă©taient des indicateurs de zones humides inadĂ©quats aux sites Ă©chantillonnĂ©s parce que les espĂšces de lichen Ă©taient rĂ©parties maigrement et que les champignons Ă©taient trop Ă©phĂ©mĂšres. Par consĂ©quent, lâindicateur de sporophytes a Ă©tĂ© restreint aux bryophytes. Ăgalement en 2005, nous avons analysĂ© les bryophytes afin dâen dĂ©terminer la prĂ©sence Ă des positions microtopographiques du paysage, ce qui comprenait le sommet de hummocks et les creux Ă la base de hummocks. Des espĂšces de bryophytes montagnardes ont Ă©tĂ© dĂ©celĂ©es aux sommets de hummocks Ă lâintĂ©rieur de la limite des zones humides, mais celles-ci nâabondaient pas dans les creux (p < 0.05). La fidĂ©litĂ© des espĂšces choisies afin dâĂȘtre utilisĂ©es dans lâindicateur de sporophytes a Ă©tĂ© testĂ©e. Nous avons dĂ©terminĂ© que si plus de 50 % de toute la couverture de bryophyte prĂ©sente dans les creux est composĂ©e de lâune ou plusieurs des 17 bryophytes de zones humides testĂ©es en 2005, la vĂ©gĂ©tation vasculaire peut alors ĂȘtre considĂ©rĂ©e comme hydrophytique (p < 0,001)
Multimorbidity in bipolar disorder and under-treatment of cardiovascular disease: a cross sectional study
Background: Individuals with serious mental disorders experience poor physical health, especially increased rates of cardiometabolic morbidity and premature morbidity. Recent evidence suggests that individuals with schizophrenia have numerous comorbid physical conditions which may be under-recorded and under-treated but to date very few studies have explored this issue for bipolar disorder.
Methods:We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a dataset of 1,751,841 registered patients within 314 primary-care practices in Scotland, U.K. Bipolar disorder was identified using Read Codes recorded within electronic medical records. Data on 32 common chronic physical conditions were also assessed. Potential prescribing inequalities were evaluated by analyzing prescribing data for coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypertension.
Results: Compared to controls, individuals with bipolar disorder were significantly less likely to have no recorded physical conditions (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.54-0.63) and significantly more likely to have one physical condition (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.16-1.39), two physical conditions (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.30-1.62) and three or more physical conditions (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.30-1.64). People with bipolar disorder also had higher rates of thyroid disorders, chronic kidney disease, chronic pain, chronic obstructive airways disease and diabetes but, surprisingly, lower recorded rates of hypertension and atrial fibrillation. People with bipolar disorder and comorbid CHD or hypertension were significantly more likely to be prescribed no antihypertensive or cholesterol-lowering medications compared to controls, and bipolar individuals with CHD or hypertension were significantly less likely to be on 2 or more antihypertensive agents.
Conclusions: Individuals with bipolar disorder are similar to individuals with schizophrenia in having a wide range of comorbid and multiple physical health conditions. They are also less likely than controls to have a primary-care record of cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension and atrial fibrillation. Those with a recorded diagnosis of CHD or hypertension were less likely to be treated with cardiovascular medications and were treated less intensively. This study highlights the high physical healthcare needs of people with bipolar disorder, and provides evidence for a systematic under-recognition and under-treatment of cardiovascular disease in this group
Interleukin-1 regulates multiple atherogenic mechanisms in response to fat feeding
Background: Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory process that develops in individuals with known risk factors that include hypertension and hyperlipidaemia, influenced by diet. However, the interplay between diet, inflammatory mechanisms and vascular risk factors requires further research. We hypothesised that interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling in the vessel wall would raise arterial blood pressure and promote atheroma.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Apoe(-/-) and Apoe(-/-)/IL-1R1(-/-) mice were fed high fat diets for 8 weeks, and their blood pressure and atherosclerosis development measured. Apoe(-/-)/IL-R1(-/-) mice had a reduced blood pressure and significantly less atheroma than Apoe(-/-) mice. Selective loss of IL-1 signaling in the vessel wall by bone marrow transplantation also reduced plaque burden (p<0.05). This was associated with an IL-1 mediated loss of endothelium-dependent relaxation and an increase in vessel wall Nox 4. Inhibition of IL-1 restored endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and reduced levels of arterial oxidative stress.
Conclusions/Significance: The IL-1 cytokine system links atherogenic environmental stimuli with arterial inflammation, oxidative stress, increased blood pressure and atherosclerosis. This is the first demonstration that inhibition of a single cytokine can block the rise in blood pressure in response to an environmental stimulus. IL-1 inhibition may have profound beneficial effects on atherogenesis in man
The HETDEX Pilot Survey III: The Low Metallicities of High-Redshift Lyman Alpha Galaxies
We present Keck/NIRSPEC spectroscopic observations of three Lyman alpha
emitting galaxies (LAEs) at z ~ 2.3 discovered with the HETDEX pilot survey. We
detect Halpha, [OIII], and Hbeta emission from two galaxies at z = 2.29 and
2.49, designated HPS194 and HPS256, respectively, representing the first
detection of multiple rest-frame optical emission lines in galaxies at
high-redshift selected on the basis of their Lyman alpha emission. The
redshifts of the Lyman alpha emission from these galaxies are offset redward of
the systemic redshifts by Delta_v = 162 +/- 37 (photometric) +/- 42
(systematic) km/s for HPS194, and Delta_v = 36 +/- 35 +/- 18 km/s for HPS256.
An interpretation for HPS194 is that a large-scale outflow may be occurring in
its interstellar medium. The emission line ratios imply that neither LAE hosts
an active galactic nucleus. Using the upper limits on the [NII] emission we
place meaningful constraints on the gas-phase metallicities in these two LAEs
of Z < 0.17 and < 0.28 Zsol (1 sigma). Measuring the stellar masses of these
objects via spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting (~ 10^10 and 6 x 10^8
Msol, respectively), we study the nature of LAEs in a mass-metallicity plane.
At least one of these two LAEs appears to be more metal poor than
continuum-selected star-forming galaxies at the same redshift and stellar mass,
implying that objects exhibiting Lyman alpha emission may be systematically
less chemically enriched than the general galaxy population. We use the SEDs of
these two galaxies to show that neglecting the emission lines when fitting
stellar population models to the observed photometry can result in
overestimates of the population age by orders of magnitude, and the stellar
mass by a factor of ~ 2. This effect is particularly important at z > 7, where
similarly strong emission lines may masquerade in the photometry as a 4000 A
break (abridged).Comment: Replaced with the accepted (to ApJ) versio
Phylogeny of Fomitopsis pinicola: a species complex.
Fungal species with a broad distribution may exhibit considerable genetic variation over their geographic ranges. Variation may develop among populations based on geographic isolation, lack of migration, and genetic drift, though this genetic variation may not always be evident when examining phenotypic characters. Fomitopsis pinicola is an abundant saprotrophic fungus found on decaying logs throughout temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Phylogenetic studies have addressed the relationship of F. pinicola to other wood-rotting fungi, but pan-continental variation within F. pinicola has not been addressed using molecular data. While forms found growing on hardwood and softwood hosts exhibit variation in habit and appearance, it is unknown if these forms are genetically distinct. In this study, we generated DNA sequences of the nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacers (ITS), the TEF1 gene encoding translation elongation factor 1-α, and the RPB2 gene encoding the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II for collections across all major geographic regions where this fungus occurs, with a primary focus on North America. We used Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses and evaluated the gene trees within the species tree using coalescent methods to elucidate evolutionarily independent lineages. We find that F. pinicola sensu lato encompasses four well-supported, congruent clades: a European clade, southwestern US clade, and two sympatric northern North American clades. Each clade represents distinct species according to phylogenetic and population-genetic species concepts. Morphological data currently available for F. pinicola do not delimit these species, and three of the species are not specific to either hardwood or softwood trees. Originally described from Europe, F. pinicola appears to be restricted to Eurasia. Based on DNA data obtained from an isotype, one well-defined and widespread clade found only in North America represents the recently described Fomitopsis ochracea The remaining two North American clades represent previously undescribed species