Light-Level Geolocation Reveals The Migration Route And Non-Breeding Location Of An Antillean Nighthawk (Chordeiles Gundlachii)

The Antillean Nighthawk’s (Chordeiles gundlachii) migration routes and non-breeding location were previously unknown. We deployed a geolocator on a female Antillean Nighthawk found breeding on the Lesser Antilles island of Guadeloupe and tracked her annual movements between 2013 and 2014. Her journey included a 2-month stopover on Isla La Tortuga, Venezuela, during southward migration, and a non-breeding season in the remote forestlands of the state of Amazonas, Brazil, approximately 2,100 km south of her breeding grounds. Her migration route was geographically similar in both the fall and spring, following a north-south trajectory, but lacked a prolonged stopover in the spring

Unusually High Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotubes

Combining equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations with accurate carbon potentials, we determine the thermal conductivity $\lambda$ of carbon nanotubes and its dependence on temperature. Our results suggest an unusually high value ${\lambda}{\approx}6,600$~W/m$\cdot$K for an isolated (10,10) nanotube at room temperature, comparable to the thermal conductivity of a hypothetical isolated graphene monolayer or diamond. Our results suggest that these high values of $\lambda$ are associated with the large phonon mean free paths in these systems; substantially lower values are predicted and observed for the basal plane of bulk graphite.Comment: 4 pages 3 figures (5 postscript files), submitted for publicatio

Évolution de la densité de population de l'iguane des Petites Antilles (Iguana delicatissima) dans la réserve naturelle des îles de la Petite Terre (Guadeloupe) entre 1995 et 2002

The ecosystem of the two Petite Terre Islands (a natural reserve of 148,6 ha since 1998, Guadeloupe, French West Indies) is original because it is dominated by a large size vegetarian reptile, the Lesser Antillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima), a IUCN vulnerable species. A survey of the Lesser Antillean Iguana population was carried on by the AEVA Natural History Society at the request of the authority in charge of the management of this protected area. The main goals of this study were to gather data on the interannual evolution of the population density and to identify possible threats. A line-transect census, based on a method accounting for the perpendicular distance between the animal and the line transect, was conducted annually from 1995 to 2002 (except in 1997). Correlations were established between large declines of the population and two major climatic events, i.e. two hurricanes in 1995 and a long drought in 2001. With an estimated size of 10,000 adults outside the breakdown periods, the Lesser Antillean Iguana population of the Petite Terre Islands appears as one of three largest ones in the world, with those in Dominica and Désirade Islands. These protected islands are thus a quite important place for this threatened species. The size of the population and its location on two protected islands should favour studies on the biology and the ecology of the species. Hypotheses about the origin of the present population and on the factors that might limit its perpetuity are discussedLes îles de la Petite Terre (148,6 ha, Guadeloupe), situées entre la pointe des Châteaux de la Grande-Terre et l'île de La Désirade, bénéficient du statut de réserve naturelle depuis 1998. Elles constituent un écosystème original dont la biomasse de vertébrés est dominée par l'Iguane des Petites Antilles (Iguana delicatissima). Endémique du nord des Petites Antilles où elle ne vit plus que dans certaines îles, souvent en très petites populations, cette espèce est actuellement classée comme vulnérable par l'UICN. Le gestionnaire de la réserve naturelle a confié à l'association naturaliste AEVA le développement d'études destinées à apprécier l'effectif de la population d'iguanes et ses variations interannuelles. Une méthode de dénombrement sur transect, modélisant la détectabilité des individus en fonction de la distance, a été adaptée à l'espèce et aux conditions locales. Reproduite annuellement entre 1995 et 2002, à l'exception de l'année 1997, elle a permis d'établir la corrélation entre d'importants déclins de la population et deux événements climatiques majeurs, le passage de deux ouragans en 1995 et une période prolongée de sécheresse en 2001. L'effectif de cette population, en dehors des périodes consécutives à ces événements, est estimé à 10 000 individus adultes. Cette estimation lui confère le statut d'une des trois plus importantes populations mondiales de l'espèce avec celles des îles de la Dominique et de La Désirade. L'important effectif de cette population et sa répartition sur deux îles ainsi que la situation géographique et le statut de protection du site, confèrent à la Réserve Naturelle des îles de la Petite Terre un rôle de premier plan dans le domaine de la conservation et de l'étude de la biologie et de l'écologie d'I. delicatissima. La discussion porte sur diverses hypothèses relatives à l'origine de la population actuelle et sur la nature des facteurs susceptibles d'en limiter la pérennité

Five years of ocrelizumab in relapsing multiple sclerosis : OPERA studies open-label extension

Objective: To assess over 3 years of follow-up the effects of maintaining or switching to ocrelizumab (OCR) therapy on clinical and MRI outcomes and safety measures in the open-label extension (OLE) phase of the pooled OPERA: I/II studies in relapsing multiple sclerosis. Methods:After 2 years of double-blind, controlled treatment, patients continued OCR (600 mg infusions every 24 weeks) or switched from interferon (IFN)-β-1a (44 g 3 times weekly) to OCR when entering the OLE phase (3 years). Adjusted annualized relapse rate, time to onset of 24-week confirmed disability progression (CDP)/improvement (CDP), brain MRI activity (gadolinium-enhanced and new/enlarging T2 lesions), and percentage brain volume change were analyzed. Results:Of patients entering the OLE phase, 88.6% completed year 5. The cumulative proportion with 24-week CDP was lower in patients who initiated OCR earlier vs patients initially receiving IFN-β-1a (16.1% vs 21.3% at year 5; p = 0.014). Patients continuing OCR maintained and those switching from IFN-β-1a to OCR attained near complete and sustained suppression of new brain MRI lesion activity from years 3-5. Over the OLE phase, patients continuing OCR exhibited less whole brain volume loss from double-blind study baseline vs those switching from IFN-β-1a (-1.87% vs-2.15% at year 5; p < 0.01). Adverse events were consistent with past reports and no new safety signals emerged with prolonged treatment.ConclusionCompared with patients switching from IFN-β-1a, earlier and continuous OCR treatment up to 5 years provided sustained benefit on clinical and MRI measures of disease progression.Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class III evidence that earlier and continuous treatment with OCR provided sustained benefit on clinical and MRI outcomes of disease activity and progression compared with patients switching from IFN-β-1a. The study is rated Class III because of the initial treatment randomization disclosure that occurred after inclusion in OLE.Clinical trial identifiersNCT01247324/NCT01412333

Planning for Sustainability in Small Municipalities: The Influence of Interest Groups, Growth Patterns, and Institutional Characteristics

How and why small municipalities promote sustainability through planning efforts is poorly understood. We analyzed ordinances in 451 Maine municipalities and tested theories of policy adoption using regression analysis.We found that smaller communities do adopt programs that contribute to sustainability relevant to their scale and context. In line with the political market theory, we found that municipalities with strong environmental interests, higher growth, and more formal governments were more likely to adopt these policies. Consideration of context and capacity in planning for sustainability will help planners better identify and benefit from collaboration, training, and outreach opportunities

A review of the diversity and impact of invasive non-native species in tropical marine ecosystems

Tropical marine ecosystems are biologically diverse and economically invaluable. However, they are severely threatened from impacts associated with climate change coupled with localized and regional stressors, such as pollution and overfishing. Non-native species (sometimes referred to as ‘alien’ species) are another major threat facing these ecosystems, although rarely discussed and overshadowed by the other stressors mentioned above. NNS can be introduced accidentally (for example via shipping activities) and/or sometimes intentionally (for aquaculture or by hobbyists). Understanding the extent of the impacts NNS have on native flora and fauna often remains challenging, along with ascertaining when the species in question actually became ‘invasive’. Here we review the status of this threat across key tropical marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, algae meadows, mangroves, and seagrass beds. We aim to provide a baseline of where invasive NNS can be found, when they are thought to have been introduced and what impact they are thought to be having on the native ecosystems they now inhabit. In the appended material we provide a comprehensive list of NNS covering key groups such as macroalgae, sponges, seagrasses and mangroves, anthozoans, bryozoans, ascidians, fishes, and crustaceans.N

Evolution of late-stage metastatic melanoma is dominated by aneuploidy and whole genome doubling

Although melanoma is initiated by acquisition of point mutations and limited focal copy number alterations in melanocytes-of-origin, the nature of genetic changes that characterise lethal metastatic disease is poorly understood. Here, we analyze the evolution of human melanoma progressing from early to late disease in 13 patients by sampling their tumours at multiple sites and times. Whole exome and genome sequencing data from 88 tumour samples reveals only limited gain of point mutations generally, with net mutational loss in some metastases. In contrast, melanoma evolution is dominated by whole genome doubling and large-scale aneuploidy, in which widespread loss of heterozygosity sculpts the burden of point mutations, neoantigens and structural variants even in treatment-naïve and primary cutaneous melanomas in some patients. These results imply that dysregulation of genomic integrity is a key driver of selective clonal advantage during melanoma progression

Binding of Hyaluronan to the Native Lymphatic Vessel Endothelial Receptor LYVE-1 Is Critically Dependent on Receptor Clustering and Hyaluronan Organization

The lymphatic endothelial receptor LYVE-1 has been implicated in both uptake of hyaluronan (HA) from tissue matrix and in facilitating transit of leukocytes and tumor cells through lymphatic vessels based largely on in vitro studies with recombinant receptor in transfected fibroblasts. Curiously, however, LYVE-1 in lymphatic endothelium displays little if any binding to HA in vitro, and this has led to the conclusion that the native receptor is functionally silenced, a feature that is difficult to reconcile with its proposed in vivo functions. Nonetheless, as we reported recently, LYVE-1 can function as a receptor for HA-encapsulated Group A streptococci and mediate lymphatic dissemination in mice. Here we resolve these paradoxical findings and show that the capacity of LYVE-1 to bind HA is strictly dependent on avidity, demanding appropriate receptor self-association and/or HA multimerization. In particular, we demonstrate the prerequisite of a critical LYVE-1 threshold density and show that HA binding may be elicited in lymphatic endothelium by surface clustering with divalent LYVE-1 mAbs. In addition, we show that cross-linking of biotinylated HA in streptavidin multimers or supramolecular complexes with the inflammation-induced protein TSG-6 enables binding even in the absence of LYVE-1 cross-linking. Finally, we show that endogenous HA on the surface of macrophages can engage LYVE-1, facilitating their adhesion and transit across lymphatic endothelium. These results reveal LYVE-1 as a low affinity receptor tuned to discriminate between different HA configurations through avidity and establish a new mechanistic basis for the functions ascribed to LYVE-1 in matrix HA binding and leukocyte trafficking in vivo