Tree species, state of decay, and orientation in relation to woodpecker cavity nesting

Biology of BirdsMany bird species construct nests to protect and incubate their eggs. Woodpeckers construct their nests in tree cavities they excavate themselves, and therefore can control what type of tree they are nesting in and where the entrance is oriented. Unhealthy trees of softer wood may be easier to excavate than healthy hardwood, and sunlight may assist parents in keeping their young at a stable incubation temperature. Based on historical accounts at the University of Michigan Biblogical Station and current observations, we hypothesized that woodpeckers favor dead or dying aspen trees, and their morning activity indicates that eastward facing holes would be the most favorable for sun exposure. We searched several northern Michigan forests for woodpecker nesting cavities and recorded the tree's state of decay and direction. Through our observations we determined that woodpeckers favor dead aspen trees, but there was no discernable preference for cavity direction. This data can inform future studies about the reproductive behavior of northern Michigan woodpeckers.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147895/1/Hines_Clemons_Maternowski_Park_2018.pd

Response of Old Skeletal Muscle to 8 Weeks of Electrical Stimulation (Should We Change the Conventional Electrical Stimulation Protocol for Cardiomyoplasty?)

We hypothesized that the conditioned muscles of elderly organisms have different responses to electrical stimulation than that of young adult organisms. One-year-old sheep and eight-year-old elderly sheep were used for this investigation. Results. The latissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) of old sheep has less fatigue resistance than LDM of younger animals. In all animals, LDH-5 fractions decreased after eight weeks ES; LDH-1+2 fractions increased. After a two week delay, the data completely returned to baseline values in old adult animals. The percent area occupied by mitochondria in old sheep was less after ES than in younger animals. In all animals, the mitochondrial area increased after ES and reverted to baseline values after the delay. The number of nuclei and fibers considerably increased after ES. Conclusions. Young skeletal muscle obtains more plasticity than adult muscle during ES. Elderly skeletal muscle does not convert to a fatigue resistant state as completely as adult skeletal muscle during a conventional eight week ES protocol. It is necessary to change and prolong the ES protocol for elderly patients

The analytical framework of water and armed conflict: a focus on the 2006 Summer War between Israel and Lebanon

This paper develops an analytical framework to investigate the relationship between water and armed conflict, and applies it to the ‘Summer War’ of 2006 between Israel and Lebanon (Hezbollah). The framework broadens and deepens existing classifications by assessing the impact of acts of war as indiscriminate or targeted, and evaluating them in terms of international norms and law, in particular International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In the case at hand, the relationship is characterised by extensive damage in Lebanon to drinking water infrastructure and resources. This is seen as a clear violation of the letter and the spirit of IHL, while the partial destruction of more than 50 public water towers compromises water rights and national development goals. The absence of pre-war environmental baselines makes it difficult to gauge the impact on water resources, suggesting a role for those with first-hand knowledge of the hostilities to develop a more effective response before, during, and after armed conflict