Blood Trail

Pages 52-5

Space use and resource selection by Eastern spotted skunks in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 31, 2008)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.S.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Fisheries and wildlife.Once a common and economically important furbearer, the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is now listed as endangered, threatened, or a species of conservation concern throughout much of its historical range. Virtually nothing is known about the fundamental ecology of the species or the potential effects of forest management strategies on habitat use. To elucidate home range dynamics and habitat selection, we conducted telemetry-based field work in the Ouachita National Forest of western Arkansas. During two years of field work we collected locations at 28-hour intervals for 33 eastern spotted skunks. Using kernel-based utilization distributions and the volume of intersection index analysis, we found significant seasonal and intersexual differences in the home range dynamics. Adult males maintained spring ranges of 866 ([plus or minus] 235 SE) ha, which were much larger than the 76 to 175 ([plus or minus] 22-62 SE) ha ranges during the nonbreeding season and the 54 to 135 ([plus or minus] 7-30 SE) ha ranges of females. We observed little home range overlap between adults, especially between adult females. Using weighted compositional analysis we determined that during each season young shortleaf pine and hardwood stands were selected over other available habitat types. A comparison of used and available resting and denning sites using discrete choice analysis revealed similar patterns; selection for sites with young pine and old hardwood stands, higher canopy closures, rock and vine densities, steeper slopes, and smaller site entrances.These findings suggest that eastern spotted skunks are solitary carnivores that select structurally complex habitat that enhances protection from predators. The species may be vulnerable to forest ecosystem changes that result in a more open canopy and herbaceous understory, a management strategy used extensively in parts of the Ouachita National Forest

Therapie und Überleben von HIV-infizierten Patienten mit Keimzelltumoren

Männer mit HIV-Infektion weisen ein ca. zwei- bis dreifach erhöhtes Risiko für die Entwicklung eines Keimzelltumors auf. In die vorliegende Studie wurden 89 Männer aus 23 Institutionen mit insgesamt 92 KZT eingeschlossen (zwei synchron bilaterale und ein metachron bilateraler KZT). Hierbei handelte es sich um 64 Seminome (70 %) und 28 Nichtseminome (30 %). Das mediane Patientenalter betrug bei Erstdiagnose des KZT 36 Jahre und bei Erstdiagnose der HIV-Infektion 30 Jahre. In 89 % der Fälle lag ein gonadaler Tumor vor, 3 % der Patienten hatten einen primär mediastinalen und 8 % einen primär retroperitonelen KZT. Die mediane CD4-Zellzahl lag bei 420/μl und bei Diagnose des KZT befanden sich 83 % der Patienten unter cART. 44 von 80 Patienten (55 %) mit primär gonadalem KZT wiesen ein UICC Stadium I auf. Von diesen erhielten 22 (50 %) eine aktive Surveillance und jeweils 11 (25 %) eine adjuvante Chemotherapie oder Strahlentherapie. Von 46 Patienten mit fortgeschrittenen Stadien bzw. extragonadalen KZT zählten 78 % zur guten, 17 % zur intermediären und 4 % zur ungünstigen IGCCCGPrognosegruppe. Mit wenigen Ausnahmen wurden die Patienten entsprechend den bei HIV-negativen Patienten etablierten Standards behandelt. Nach Abschluss der onkologischen Therapie befanden sich 92 % der Patienten in kompletter Remission. Ein Rezidiv trat bei insgesamt 14 Patienten auf, von denen acht eine primär disseminierte und acht ein initiales Stadium I hatten. Von den 14 Patienten erhielten 13 mindestens eine Salvage-Chemotherapie, die in drei Fällen eine Hochdosis-Chemotherapie mit ASCT umfasste. Insgesamt sind 12 der 89 Patienten (13 %) verstorben. Fünf Patienten verstarben am refraktären KZT, drei an einer AIDS-definierenden Erkrankung und vier an verschiedenen anderen Todesursachen. Nach einem medianen Follow-Up von 6.5 Jahren betrug das progressionsfreie Überleben nach 5 und 10 Jahren 81 % bzw. 73 %, und das Gesamtüberleben nach 5 und 10 Jahren 91 % bzw. 85 %. Hierbei gab es keine signifikanten Unterschiede zwischen Patienten der günstigen und intermediären IGCCCG Prognosegruppe oder zwischen Patienten mit < 200/μl oder ≥ 200/μl CD4-Zellen. Die vorliegende Studie zeigt, dass sich die Überlebensraten HIV-positiver Patienten mit KZT weiter verbessert haben und sich nicht mehr relevant von den Überlebensraten HIVnegativer Patienten mit KZT unterscheiden

Comenzate a tormentarglie – Studien zur Provenienz der Strafwerkzeuge auf monumentalen Weltgerichtsdarstellungen des toskanischen Trecento –

Die Dissertation ist der Zusammenfassung und Analyse möglicher Bild- und Textquellen für die Visualisierung von Folterstrafen auf mittelalterlichen Weltgerichtsdarstellungen der Toskana gewidmet. Bis dato ist in der Kunstgeschichte des Mittelalters noch keine systematische Untersuchung unternommen worden, inwieweit irdische Gewalt sowie geistliche und weltliche Rechtsnormen im Rahmen der instrumentellen Folter auf mittelalterlichen Weltgerichtsdarstellungen präsent werden. Nach einer kurzen Skizzierung der Darstellungsmodi von instrumentellen Folterstrafen in der christlichen Kunst wird die ikonographische Tradition des Weltgerichts in Ost und West bis hin zur Ausbildung einer Strafhölle beleuchtet. Dem folgt die Analyse der Höllendarstellungen im Florentiner Baptisterium San Giovanni, der Arenakapelle in Padua und dem Camposanto in Pisa. Im Anschluss werden textuelle Quellen, die als mögliche Grundlage für die Ausgestaltung des Höllenverständnisses als einem Ort der Strafe anzusehen sind, bearbeitet. Beginnend mit der Unterwelt der alten Ägypter bis hin zur Römischen Antike werden die antike Strafpraxis und ihr Niederschlag in der Kunst erläutert. Dem folgen christliche Textquellen zu jenseitigen Strafen, wobei die mittelalterlichen Visionsberichte von größter Bedeutung sind. Die frühe volkssprachige italienische Literatur (Bonvesin della Riva, Giacomino da Verona, Dante Alighieri) wird ebenfalls als textuelle Quelle herangezogen. Schließlich werden mögliche Zusammenhänge mit der zeitgenössischen Strafpraxis und profanen Darstellungen von Straffolter bzw. Hinrichtungen untersucht, die vor allem in der profanen Buchmalerei zu finden sind. Im Vergleich zu anderen Genres der italienischen Malerei ist die Buchmalerei bis dato noch unzureichend erforscht. So muss man sich bei der Suche nach Darstellungen von Folter und Straffolter auf die wenigen bekannten toskanischen Handschriften beschränken. In vorliegender Studie wird erstmals ein Bezug der illustrierten Strafpraxis aus drei exemplarisch ausgewählten Codices, den Chigi Codex der Villani Chronik, der Lucheser Sercambi Chronik und den Biadaiolo-Codex, den Specchio umano des Florentiner Getreidehändlers Domenico Lenzi, zur Darstellung von Höllenstrafen auf monumentalen Weltgerichtsbildern hergestellt

Using Focus Groups to Evaluate Youth Development Program Direction

Focus groups are an efficient and effective assessment tool for youth development practitioners with limited time and resources. This article examines the practical use and limitations of focus groups to assess a county 4-H program\u27s response to a changing demographic profile. A complete description of the process is followed by a report of results and implications for program direction

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL STRUCTURE OF A CARNIVORE GUILD IN THE CENTRAL HARDWOOD REGION

Ecological communities are most commonly structured by a mixture of bottom-up processes such as habitat or prey, competition within the same trophic level, and top-down forces from higher trophic levels. Carnivore guilds play a vital role in the broader ecological community by stabilizing or destabilizing food webs. Consequently, factors influencing the structure of carnivore guilds can be critical to patterns in ecosystems. Coyotes (Canis latrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) occur sympatrically throughout much of their geographic ranges in North America and overlap in resource use, indicating potential for interspecific interactions. Although much is known about space use, habitat relationships, and activity patterns of the individual species separately, little is known about factors that facilitate coexistence and how interactions within this guild influence distribution, activity, and survival of the smaller carnivores. For example, gray fox populations appear to have declined in Illinois since the early 1990s and it is unknown if the increase in bobcat and coyote populations during the same time period is the cause. I conducted a large-scale non-invasive carnivore survey using an occupancy modeling framework to quantify factors affecting the structure of this widely-occurring carnivore guild. I used baited remote cameras during 3-week surveys to detect carnivores at 1,118 camera-points in 357 2.6-km2 sections (clusters of 3-4 cameras/section) in the 16 southernmost counties of Illinois (16,058 km2) during January-April, 2008-2010. I collected microhabitat data at each camera-point and landscape-level habitat data for each camera-cluster. In a multi-stage approach, I used information-theoretic methods to develop and evaluate models for detection, species-specific habitat occupancy, multi-species co-occupancy, and multi-season (colonization and extinction) occupancy dynamics. I developed hypotheses for each species regarding the occupancy of areas based on anthropogenic features, prey availability, landscape complexity, and vegetative landcover. I used photographic data, Poisson regression, and mixed-model logistic regression to quantify temporal activity of carnivores in the study area and how interspecific factors influence temporal patterns of activity. Of the 102,711 photographs of endothermic animals I recorded photographs of bobcats (n = 412 photographs), coyotes (n = 1,397), gray foxes (n = 546), raccoons (n = 40,029), red foxes (n = 149) and striped skunks (n = 2,467). Bobcats were active primarily during crepuscular periods, and their activity was reduced with precipitation and higher temperatures. The probability of detecting bobcats at a camera point decreased after a bobcat photograph was recorded, suggesting avoidance of remote cameras. Across southern Illinois, bobcat occupancy at the camera-point and camera-cluster scale (point = 0.24 ± 0.04, cluster = 0.75 ± 0.06) was negatively influenced by anthropogenic features and infrastructure. Bobcats had high rates of colonization (0.86) and low rates of extinction (0.07) during the study, suggesting an expanding population, but agricultural land was less likely to be colonized. The number of coyote photographs decreased with increased temperature, but increased with previous coyote photographs, suggesting an attraction to bait in cold weather. Nearly all camera clusters were occupied by coyotes (cluster = 0.95 ± 0.03) during the entire study. At the camera-point scale, coyote occupancy (overall point = 0.58 ± 0.03) was higher in hardwood forest stands with open understories than in other habitats. Similar to coyotes, gray foxes were more likely to be photographed in cold weather and after a previous detection had occurred. However, gray fox occupancy was much lower (point = 0.13 ± 0.01, cluster = 0.29 ± 0.03) at all scales. At the camera-cluster scale, with a buffer-area size that represented 20% of the estimated home-range size of gray foxes, the species selected spatially-complex areas with high proportions of forest, and low proportions of grassland and agriculture land cover. Gray fox occupancy of camera clusters was positively related to anthropogenic features within 100% estimated home-range buffers. Collectively, the results suggest gray fox occupancy was greatest near, but not in, anthropogenic developments. Red foxes occupied a similar proportion of the study area as gray foxes (point = 0.12 ± 0.02, cluster = 0.26 ± 0.04), but were more closely associated with anthropogenic features. Indeed, at all three scales of red fox occupancy analysis, anthropogenic feature models received more support than other hypotheses. Camera-cluster extinction probabilities were higher for both gray foxes (0.57) and red foxes (0.35) than their colonization rates (gray fox = 0.16, red fox = 0.06), suggesting both species may be declining in southern Illinois. I recorded more striped skunk photographs in January and February (i.e., during the breeding period) than in March and April. Striped skunks occupied a large portion of the study area (point = 0.47 ± 0.01, cluster = 0.79 ± 0.03) and were associated primarily with anthropogenic features, especially if the features were surrounded by agricultural land and not forest. Raccoons were essentially ubiquitous within the study area, being photographed in 99% of camera clusters. In some instances, the presence of other carnivores appeared to be an important factor in the occupancy of the 4 smaller species, but in general, habitat models were more supported than co-occurrence models. Habitat had a stronger influence on the occupancy of gray foxes and red foxes than did the presence of bobcats. However, the level of red fox activity, represented by the number of photographs recorded in a camera cluster, was negatively correlated with bobcat activity. Gray fox occupancy and level of activity were reduced in camera-clusters occupied by coyotes, but were not related to bobcat occupancy. When not considering the presence of coyotes, gray foxes appeared to use camera points with fewer hardwood and more conifer trees, which was counter to previous findings. However, when adding the effect of coyote presence, gray fox point models indicated a positive relationship with hardwood stands. Therefore, gray foxes were more likely to occupy camera points in hardwood stands than conifer stands if coyotes were also present; suggesting that hardwood stands may enhance gray fox-coyote coexistence. The 2 fox species appeared to co-occur with each other at the camera-point scale more frequently than expected on the basis of their individual selection of habitat. Similarly, camera-point occupancy of red foxes was higher when coyotes were present. These apparent canid associations may be a response to locally-high prey abundance or an unmeasured habitat variable. Activity levels of raccoons, bobcats, and coyotes were all positively correlated. Collectively, my results suggest that although gray foxes and red foxes currently coexist with bobcats and coyotes, the foxes have reduced activity in the areas occupied by larger carnivores, especially when bobcats and coyotes are highly active. Further, hardwood stands may contain trees with structure that enhances tree-climbing by gray foxes, a behavior that probably facilitates coexistence with coyotes. Therefore, efforts to manage gray foxes should focus on maintaining and increasing the amount of mature oak-hickory forest, which presumably provides a suitable prey base and refugia from intraguild predation. Additionally, the varying results from different scales of analyses underscore the importance of considering multiple spatial scales in carnivore community studies

Spatial and Temporal Structure of a Mesocarnivore Guild in Midwestern North America

Carnivore guilds play a vital role in ecological communities by cascading trophic effects, energy and nutrient transfer, and stabilizing or destabilizing food webs. Consequently, the structure of carnivore guilds can be critical to ecosystem patterns. Body size is a crucial influence on intraguild interactions, because it affects access to prey resources, effectiveness in scramble competition, and vulnerability to intraguild predation. Coyotes (Canis latrans), bobcats (Lynx rufus), gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) occur sympatrically throughout much of North America and overlap in resource use, indicating potential for interspecific interactions. Although much is known about the autecology of the individual species separately, little is known about factors that facilitate coexistence and how interactions within this guild influence distribution, habitat use, and temporal activity of the smaller carnivores. To assess how habitat autecology and interspecific interactions affect the structure of this widespread carnivore guild, we conducted a large-scale, non-invasive carnivore survey using an occupancy modeling framework. We deployed remote cameras during 3-week surveys to detect carnivores at 1,118 camera locations in 357 2.6-km2 sections (3–4 cameras/section composing a cluster) in the 16 southernmost counties of Illinois (16,058 km2) during January–April, 2008–2010. We characterized microhabitat at each camera location and landscape-level habitat features for each camera-cluster. In a multi-stage approach, we used information-theoretic methods to evaluate competing models for detection, species-specific habitat occupancy, multi-species co-occupancy, and multi-season (colonization and extinction) occupancy dynamics. We developed occupancy models for each species to represent hypothesized effects of anthropogenic features, prey availability, landscape complexity, and vegetative land cover. We quantified temporal activity patterns of each carnivore species based on their frequency of appearance in photographs. Further, we assessed whether smaller carnivores shifted their diel activity patterns in response to the presence of potential competitors. Of the 102,711 photographs of endothermic animals, we recorded photographs of bobcats (n = 412 photographs), coyotes (n = 1,397), gray foxes (n = 546), raccoons (n = 40,029), red foxes (n = 149), and striped skunks (n = 2,467). Bobcats were active primarily during crepuscular periods, and their activity was reduced with precipitation and higher temperatures. The probability of detecting bobcats decreased after a bobcat photograph was recorded, suggesting avoidance of remote cameras after the first encounter. Across southern Illinois, bobcat occupancy at the camera-location and camera-cluster scale (local = 0.24 ± 0.04, camera-cluster cluster = 0.75 ± 0.06) was negatively influenced by anthropogenic features and infrastructure. Bobcats had high rates of colonization (= 0.86) and low rates of extinction (= 0.07), suggesting an expanding population, but agricultural land was less likely to be colonized. Nearly all camera clusters were occupied by coyotes (cluster = 0.95 ± 0.03). At the local scale, coyote occupancy (local = 0.58 ± 0.03) was higher in hardwood forest stands with open understories than in other areas. Compared to coyotes, gray foxes occupied a smaller portion of the study area (local = 0.13 ± 0.01, cluster = 0.29 ± 0.03) at all scales. At the scale of the camera-cluster, gray fox occupancy was highest in fragmented areas with high proportions of forest, and positively related to anthropogenic features within 100% home-range buffers. Red foxes occupied a similar proportion of the study area as gray foxes (local = 0.12 ± 0.02, cluster = 0.26 ± 0.04) but were more closely associated with anthropogenic features. Only anthropogenic feature models made up the 90% confidence set at all scales of analysis for red foxes. Extinction probabilities at the scale of the camera-cluster were higher for both gray foxes (= 0.57) and red foxes (= 0.35) than their colonization rates (gray fox = 0.16, red fox = 0.06), suggesting both species may be declining in southern Illinois. Striped skunks occupied a large portion of the study area (local = 0.47 ± 0.01, cluster = 0.79 ± 0.03) and were associated primarily with anthropogenic features. Raccoons were essentially ubiquitous within the study area, being photographed in 99% of camera clusters. We observed little evidence for spatial partitioning based on interspecific interactions, with the exception of the gray fox-coyote pairs, and found that habitat preferences were more important in structuring the carnivore community. Habitat had a stronger influence on the occupancy of foxes than did the presence of bobcats. However, the level of red fox activity was negatively correlated with bobcat activity at a camera cluster. Gray fox occupancy and the number of detections within occupied sites were reduced in camera-clusters occupied by coyotes but not bobcat occupancy. Overall, gray fox occupancy was highest at camera locations with fewer hardwood and more conifer trees. However, gray foxes were more likely to occupy camera locations in hardwood stands than conifer stands if coyotes were also present indicating that hardwood stands may enhance gray fox-coyote coexistence. The 2 fox species appeared to co-occur with each other at the local scale more frequently than expected based on their individual selection of habitat. Similarly, occupancy of camera-location by red foxes was higher when coyotes were present. These positive spatial associations among canids may be a response to locally high prey abundance or unmeasured habitat variables. Activity levels of raccoons, bobcats, and coyotes were all positively correlated. Overall, our co-occurrence and activity models indicate competitor-driven adjustments in space use among members of a carnivore community might be the exception rather than the norm. Nevertheless, although our results indicate that gray foxes and red foxes currently coexist with bobcats and coyotes, their distribution appears to be contracting on our study area. Coexistence of foxes with larger carnivores may be enhanced by temporal partitioning of activity and by habitat features that reduce vulnerability of intraguild predation. For instance, hardwood stands may contain trees with structure that enhances tree-climbing by gray foxes, a behavior that probably facilitates coexistence with coyotes. Efforts to enhance gray fox populations in this region would likely benefit from increasing the amount of mature oak-hickory forest. Additionally, the varying results from different scales of analyses underscore the importance of considering multiple spatial scales in carnivore community studies

17beta-estradiol suppresses TLR3-induced cytokine and chemokine production in endometrial epithelial cells

BACKGROUND: The human endometrium is an important site for contact between the host and pathogens ascending the reproductive tract, and thus plays an important role in female reproductive tract immunity. Previous work in our laboratory has suggested that Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are involved in endometrial epithelial recognition of pathogens and that ligation of endometrial TLRs results in the production of cytokines and chemokines important for both immune and reproductive functions of the endometrium. We have also demonstrated cyclic regulation of TLR3 mRNA and protein expression in human endometrium, suggesting that steroid hormones might play a role in the expression and function of TLR3. In this study, the effects of 17beta-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) on TLR3 expression and function in endometrial cell lines were investigated. METHODS: Endometrial epithelial cell lines were cultured and examined for the presence of TLR3 and hormone receptors by endpoint RT-PCR. For hormonal studies, cells were pre-treated with ethanol vehicle, 10^(-8) M E2, and/or 10^(-7) M P. For antagonist assays, cells were treated with the ER antagonist, ICI 182, 780, or the PR antagonist, RU486, for two hours prior to treatment with hormones. Following hormone or hormone/antagonist pre-treatment, cells were stimulated with vehicle, the synthetic TLR3 ligand, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C), a negative dsDNA control, or a positive control. Cytokine and chemokine production post-stimulation was measured by ELISA. The effects of E2 and P on TLR3 mRNA and protein expression were measured using Real Time RT-PCR and FACS analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Stimulation of TLR3-expressing cells with the synthetic TLR3 ligand, Poly I:C, resulted in the production of cytokines and chemokines important for endometrial function and regulation. Suppression of Poly I:C-induced cytokine and chemokine production by cells treated with 10^(-8) M E2, but not cells treated with 10^(-7) M P, was observed in endometrial epithelial cell lines expressing TLR3 and estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha). The effects of E2 were not observed on cells which did not express ERalpha or in cells pre-treated with the ER antagonist, ICI 182, 780. Treatment with E2 did not affect TLR3 mRNA or protein expression. However, treatment with E2 did suppress cytokine and chemokine production resulting from TLR3 stimulation with Poly I:C, suggesting that E2 modulates TLR3 function. CONCLUSION: The data presented in this study are the first indication that E2 can markedly alter the innate immune response to dsRNA, providing a previously unreported process by which E2 can alter immune responses