Wolf space use in a seasonally changing environment

In this study, we investigate the space use of a recolonizing predator in Scandinavia in relation to the density of its main prey and other environmental variables. Animal space use is influenced by intrinsic factors, such as age, sex and reproductive phase, presence of other animals (e.g., mates, competitors, predators, prey) and habitats providing food, shelter or disturbance. In heterogeneous landscapes, resources are often not evenly distributed which can influence animal movement and behavior, as well as species interactions. For predators, obtaining food resources is often challenging as prey tend to develop anti-predator strategies and adaptations after predators settle in an environment. In addition, seasonal variation shifts both the spatial and temporal resource availability, which in turn affects the space use of the predator. Here, we study the space use of the Scandinavian wolf (Canis lupus) in relation to its main prey, the moose (Alces Alces) to gain insight into which parameters lie at the cause. We analyzed GPS locations of nine breeding wolves in five wolf territories and compared their utilization distribution with the seasonally changing distribution of moose fecal pellet groups and other habitat covariates. Contrary to our initial predictions, we found that moose pellet group density was negatively correlated with wolf space use in summer, and that the relationship between pellet group density and wolf space use was weak and its direction unclear during in winter. The space use of wolves reflects multiple behavioral strategies of predator and prey that may explain this pattern. Wolves selected transitional forest stands (young forests) during both summer and winter. Additionally, wolves significantly avoided areas with human infrastructures (buildings and roads) both in summer and winter. In summary, the relationship between wolf space use, prey density and different habitat types differed between seasons, although anthropogenic variables had a negative effect throughout the year. Further research should differentiate between different behavioral states of the wolves, such as resting, breeding, travelling and consuming prey. This would help to understand the importance of seasonal shifts in prey distributions and different habitat types and support the management and conservation of this protected, but conflict-prone species

The Conservation Reserve Program: Economic Implications for Rural America

This report estimates the impact that high levels of enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) have had on economic trends in rural counties since the program's inception in 1985 until today. The results of a growth model and quasi-experimental control group analysis indicate no discernible impact by the CRP on aggregate county population trends. Aggregate employment growth may have slowed in some high-CRP counties, but only temporarily. High levels of CRP enrollment appear to have affected farm-related businesses over the long run, but growth in the number of other nonfarm businesses moderated CRP's impact on total employment. If CRP contracts had ended in 2001, simulation models suggest that roughly 51 percent of CRP land would have returned to crop production, and that spending on outdoor recreation would decrease by as much as $300 million per year in rural areas. The resulting impacts on employment and income vary widely among regions having similar CRP enrollments, depending upon local economic conditions.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Land Economics/Use,

Characterization of Novel Antimalarial Compound ACT-451840: Preclinical Assessment of Activity and Dose-Efficacy Modeling.

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin resistance observed in Southeast Asia threatens the continued use of artemisinin-based combination therapy in endemic countries. Additionally, the diversity of chemical mode of action in the global portfolio of marketed antimalarials is extremely limited. Addressing the urgent need for the development of new antimalarials, a chemical class of potent antimalarial compounds with a novel mode of action was recently identified. Herein, the preclinical characterization of one of these compounds, ACT-451840, conducted in partnership with academic and industrial groups is presented. METHOD AND FINDINGS: The properties of ACT-451840 are described, including its spectrum of activities against multiple life cycle stages of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (asexual and sexual) and Plasmodium vivax (asexual) as well as oral in vivo efficacies in two murine malaria models that permit infection with the human and the rodent parasites P. falciparum and Plasmodium berghei, respectively. In vitro, ACT-451840 showed a 50% inhibition concentration of 0.4 nM (standard deviation [SD]: ± 0.0 nM) against the drug-sensitive P. falciparum NF54 strain. The 90% effective doses in the in vivo efficacy models were 3.7 mg/kg against P. falciparum (95% confidence interval: 3.3-4.9 mg/kg) and 13 mg/kg against P. berghei (95% confidence interval: 11-16 mg/kg). ACT-451840 potently prevented male gamete formation from the gametocyte stage with a 50% inhibition concentration of 5.89 nM (SD: ± 1.80 nM) and dose-dependently blocked oocyst development in the mosquito with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 30 nM (range: 23-39). The compound's preclinical safety profile is presented and is in line with the published results of the first-in-man study in healthy male participants, in whom ACT-451840 was well tolerated. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling was applied using efficacy in the murine models (defined either as antimalarial activity or as survival) in relation to area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC), maximum observed plasma concentration (Cmax), and time above a threshold concentration. The determination of the dose-efficacy relationship of ACT-451840 under curative conditions in rodent malaria models allowed prediction of the human efficacious exposure. CONCLUSION: The dual activity of ACT-451840 against asexual and sexual stages of P. falciparum and the activity on P. vivax have the potential to meet the specific profile of a target compound that could replace the fast-acting artemisinin component and harbor additional gametocytocidal activity and, thereby, transmission-blocking properties. The fast parasite reduction ratio (PRR) and gametocytocidal effect of ACT-451840 were recently also confirmed in a clinical proof-of-concept (POC) study

High-resolution laser system for the S3-Low Energy Branch

In this paper we present the first high-resolution laser spectroscopy results obtained at the GISELE laser laboratory of the GANIL-SPIRAL2 facility, in preparation for the first experiments with the S$^3$-Low Energy Branch. Studies of neutron-deficient radioactive isotopes of erbium and tin represent the first physics cases to be studied at S$^3$. The measured isotope-shift and hyperfine structure data are presented for stable isotopes of these elements. The erbium isotopes were studied using the $4f^{12}6s^2$ $^3H_6 \rightarrow 4f^{12}(^3 H)6s6p$ $J = 5$ atomic transition (415 nm) and the tin isotopes were studied by the $5s^25p^2 (^3P_0) \rightarrow 5s^25p6s (^3P_1)$ atomic transition (286.4 nm), and are used as a benchmark of the laser setup. Additionally, the tin isotopes were studied by the $5s^25p6s (^3P_1) \rightarrow 5s^25p6p (^3P_2)$ atomic transition (811.6 nm), for which new isotope-shift data was obtained and the corresponding field-shift $F_{812}$ and mass-shift $M_{812}$ factors are presented

Elgvandringer i grenseland med følger for skogbruk, jakt og rovdyr

Forvaltning av elg i områder med en delvis trekkende elgbestand byr på utfordringer, fordi kostnadene i form av beiteskader på skogen og goder i form av elgjakt ofte berører forskjellige grunneiere. Dette blir ytterligere komplisert når elgtrekket går på tvers av forvaltningsinndelinger eller til og med over riksgrensen. GRENSEVILT har studert samspillet mellom elg, ulv, skogbruk og jakt i nordre Finnskogen, et stort barskogsområde som er delt av riksgrensen. For å berenge størrelsenpå elgbestanden og beskrive den romlige fordelingen av elg for vintrene 2019/20 og 2020/21, samt somrene 2020 og 2021,har vi gjennomført elgmøkktellinger over et areal på mer enn 3500 km2. Vi ønsket også å studere hvordan elgtrekket påvirker ulvens områdebruk, beitepå furu, og jaktuttaket. Derfor har vived hjelp av GPS-halsbånd analysert områdebruken til fire ulveflokker i samme område. Dessuten gjennomførte vi på våren 2021 en stor beitetakst som kombinerte den norke Solbraa-og den svenske Äbin-metoden. Til slutt har vi sammenstilt jaktdata fra norske vald og svenske älgjaktområder for jaktårene 2019/20 og 2020/21.Vi beregnet elgens tetthet for tidsserien vinter 2019/20, sommer 2020, vinter 2020/21, og sommer 2021 til henholdsvis 1,18, 1,37, 1,01, og 1,70dyr/km2. Om sommeren var elgen noksåjevnt fordelt over hele studieområdet, og om vinteren stod elgen mer konsentrert i de snøfattige områdene, mens det var lite elgi de nordlige, snørike områdene. Til tross for at elgens fordeling endret seg mellom sommer og vinter, opprettholdt ulveflokkene de samme revirgrensene gjennom hele året. Derimot tilpasset de sine aktivitetsområder innenfor revirgrensene til endringen i elgfordelingen. Elgens vinterkonsentrasjonsområder var kjennetegnet ved et større beitetrykk på furu. Skader på produksjontrær var mest hyppig langs dalbunnen og i områder med mye lauvkratt, men vi fant ikke noe tydelig sammenheng mellom skadegrad og elgens vinterfordeling. Elgens effekt på skogbruk målt med den norske Solbraa-metoden viste at beitegraden på furu var stort sett liten. Den svenske Äbin-metoden tegnet et helt motsatt bilde, og bedømmetskadegraden på de samme prøveflatenesomsvært alvorlig. Jaktuttaket i jaktområdene gjenspeilet fordelingen av elg sommerstid i Norge, men ikke i Sverige, der det ble skutt mest elg i områdene med lavest sommertetthet. De hardest beskattede jaktområdene i Sverige hadde en lavere elgtetthet vinteren etter jakt. Vi fant ikke noensammenheng mellom beite-eller skadegrad på furu og jaktuttak i jaktområdene. I den østlige delen av studieområdet som har et stort innslag av trekkelg som oppholder seg på norsk side på sommeren og under jakta, men trekker til Sverige når snøen hoper seg opp lenger nord, var det en tydelig mismatch i forvaltningen av elg mellom de to landene. Mens man i Sverige satset på et høyt jaktuttak for å få bukt med beiteskader,og i tillegg beskattet trekkelg ved januarjakt,sparte man på avskytingen på norsk side fordi beitegraden ikke var bekymringverdigog elgens sommerbestand også ble utsatt for ulvens uttak i tillegg til vinterjakt på svensk side .Vi foreslår en bedre samordning av elgforvaltningen på tvers av riksgrensen. Det krever dialog og samarbeid mellom rettighetshaverne. Et felles elgforvaltningsområde som strekker seg over grensen og dekker trekkelgens helårsområde hadde gjort et slikt samarbeid enklere. Dessuten foreslår vi en samordning av beitetakstmetoden og en felles trafikklysmodell som baserer seg på tetthet av uskadde produksjonstrær heller enn beite-eller skadegraden

Supplement: "Localization and broadband follow-up of the gravitational-wave transient GW150914" (2016, ApJL, 826, L13)

This Supplement provides supporting material for Abbott et al. (2016a). We briefly summarize past electromagnetic (EM) follow-up efforts as well as the organization and policy of the current EM follow-up program. We compare the four probability sky maps produced for the gravitational-wave transient GW150914, and provide additional details of the EM follow-up observations that were performed in the different bands

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Identification of Novel Genetic Markers Associated with Clinical Phenotypes of Systemic Sclerosis through a Genome-Wide Association Strategy

Contains fulltext : 97006.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The aim of this study was to determine, through a genome-wide association study (GWAS), the genetic components contributing to different clinical sub-phenotypes of systemic sclerosis (SSc). We considered limited (lcSSc) and diffuse (dcSSc) cutaneous involvement, and the relationships with presence of the SSc-specific auto-antibodies, anti-centromere (ACA), and anti-topoisomerase I (ATA). Four GWAS cohorts, comprising 2,296 SSc patients and 5,171 healthy controls, were meta-analyzed looking for associations in the selected subgroups. Eighteen polymorphisms were further tested in nine independent cohorts comprising an additional 3,175 SSc patients and 4,971 controls. Conditional analysis for associated SNPs in the HLA region was performed to explore their independent association in antibody subgroups. Overall analysis showed that non-HLA polymorphism rs11642873 in IRF8 gene to be associated at GWAS level with lcSSc (P = 2.32x10(-12), OR = 0.75). Also, rs12540874 in GRB10 gene (P = 1.27 x 10(-6), OR = 1.15) and rs11047102 in SOX5 gene (P = 1.39x10(-7), OR = 1.36) showed a suggestive association with lcSSc and ACA subgroups respectively. In the HLA region, we observed highly associated allelic combinations in the HLA-DQB1 locus with ACA (P = 1.79x10(-61), OR = 2.48), in the HLA-DPA1/B1 loci with ATA (P = 4.57x10(-76), OR = 8.84), and in NOTCH4 with ACA P = 8.84x10(-21), OR = 0.55) and ATA (P = 1.14x10(-8), OR = 0.54). We have identified three new non-HLA genes (IRF8, GRB10, and SOX5) associated with SSc clinical and auto-antibody subgroups. Within the HLA region, HLA-DQB1, HLA-DPA1/B1, and NOTCH4 associations with SSc are likely confined to specific auto-antibodies. These data emphasize the differential genetic components of subphenotypes of SSc