West Nile Virus and Wildlife Health

The West Nile Virus and Wildlife Health Workshop, hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, National Audubon Society, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, was held February 5–7, 2003, at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. The event was attended by more than 100 scientists, who heard 29 speakers and participated in strategy discussions during the 2-day meeting. The main focus of the conference was the present and future impact of West Nile virus on wildlife populations. Talks and discussions emphasized how basic research, public health, and land management can contribute to our understanding of the disease’s impact and spread. A primary objective of this meeting was to develop future research priorities from both basic and applied perspectives. The conference centered around four main themes: 1) host, vector, and pathogen interactions (disease ecology); 2) vertebrate behavior and ecology; 3) vector behavior and ecology; and 4) modeling and spatial statistics. We describe some of the findings from the meeting. For an in-depth summary of this meeting, please visit the conference website for meeting abstracts and a downloadable conference white paper (available from: URL: www.serc.si.edu/migratorybirds/ migratorybirds_index.htm)

The Flipper Phenomenon: Perspectives On The Panama Declaration And The Dolphin Safe Label

During the past twenty years, few marine conservation issues have aroused as much public interest as the drowning of dolphins in purse seine nets. For a generation that grew up watching the playful antics of Flipper on television, graphic video footage of dolphins hauled to their deaths in tuna nets was simply too much to stomach. Led by American school children and their baby-boomer parents, consumer boycotts of tuna spurred tuna harvesters and Congress to adopt measures requiring dolphin safe labeling and prohibiting the importation of non-dolphin-safe tuna into the United States. Since the adoption of these measures, the number of dolphins killed in the ETP tuna fishery has dramatically declined. Curiously, however, encirclement of dolphins by tuna fishers occurs as frequently today as it did before the adoption of dolphin safe restrictions. In a remarkable display of innovation and commitment to solving an environmental problem and a public-relations nightmare, ETP tuna fishers have perfected fishing methods that allow the encirclement and safe release of dolphins while tuna are caught. Despite this progress, however, tuna caught in this manner are still not considered dolphin safe. Moreover, tuna from other nations which allow encirclement and safe release are still embargoed under U.S. law. Faced with this situation, on October 4, 1995, twelve nations adopted the Panama Declaration. This blueprint for developing a legally binding and enforceable agreement within the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) is intended to further reduce and eventually eliminate dolphin deaths caused by tuna fishing operations. The Panama Declaration forms the basis for an international agreement that will provide protection for individual dolphin stocks and species to ensure their continued growth and recovery. It will also help reduce the incidental capture of other marine life, such as sea turtles, sharks, and billfish. Finally, the Panama Declaration adopts measures designed to guarantee the sustained health of the tuna fishery and the marine ecosystem of the ETP. Impeding implementation of the Panama Declaration, however, is the definition of dolphin safe. The implementation of the Panama Declaration calls for dolphin safe to be re-defined from its current meaning of no encirclement of dolphins to a more meaningful definition of no dolphin mortality. Legislation introduced in Congress to implement the Panama Declaration, which proposes to change the definition of dolphin safe, has resulted in a heated debate-one which pits the Clinton Administration, the fishing industry, several national environmental groups, and a bipartisan coalition in Congress against an array of animal welfare and environmental organizations, Hollywood stars, and their congressional allies. Consequently, quick passage of this pivotal legislation has been hampered.. This Article explores the history of efforts under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA or the Act ), to reduce dolphin mortality, including the development and implementation of the dolphin safe label, international efforts to reduce dolphin mortality, and the genesis of the Panama Declaration. This Article concludes by examining the impact that implementation of the Panama Declaration would most likely have on dolphins and other marine life in the ETP

The Flipper Phenomenon: Perspectives On The Panama Declaration And The Dolphin Safe Label

During the past twenty years, few marine conservation issues have aroused as much public interest as the drowning of dolphins in purse seine nets. For a generation that grew up watching the playful antics of Flipper on television, graphic video footage of dolphins hauled to their deaths in tuna nets was simply too much to stomach. Led by American school children and their baby-boomer parents, consumer boycotts of tuna spurred tuna harvesters and Congress to adopt measures requiring dolphin safe labeling and prohibiting the importation of non-dolphin-safe tuna into the United States. Since the adoption of these measures, the number of dolphins killed in the ETP tuna fishery has dramatically declined. Curiously, however, encirclement of dolphins by tuna fishers occurs as frequently today as it did before the adoption of dolphin safe restrictions. In a remarkable display of innovation and commitment to solving an environmental problem and a public-relations nightmare, ETP tuna fishers have perfected fishing methods that allow the encirclement and safe release of dolphins while tuna are caught. Despite this progress, however, tuna caught in this manner are still not considered dolphin safe. Moreover, tuna from other nations which allow encirclement and safe release are still embargoed under U.S. law. Faced with this situation, on October 4, 1995, twelve nations adopted the Panama Declaration. This blueprint for developing a legally binding and enforceable agreement within the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) is intended to further reduce and eventually eliminate dolphin deaths caused by tuna fishing operations. The Panama Declaration forms the basis for an international agreement that will provide protection for individual dolphin stocks and species to ensure their continued growth and recovery. It will also help reduce the incidental capture of other marine life, such as sea turtles, sharks, and billfish. Finally, the Panama Declaration adopts measures designed to guarantee the sustained health of the tuna fishery and the marine ecosystem of the ETP. Impeding implementation of the Panama Declaration, however, is the definition of dolphin safe. The implementation of the Panama Declaration calls for dolphin safe to be re-defined from its current meaning of no encirclement of dolphins to a more meaningful definition of no dolphin mortality. Legislation introduced in Congress to implement the Panama Declaration, which proposes to change the definition of dolphin safe, has resulted in a heated debate-one which pits the Clinton Administration, the fishing industry, several national environmental groups, and a bipartisan coalition in Congress against an array of animal welfare and environmental organizations, Hollywood stars, and their congressional allies. Consequently, quick passage of this pivotal legislation has been hampered.. This Article explores the history of efforts under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA or the Act ), to reduce dolphin mortality, including the development and implementation of the dolphin safe label, international efforts to reduce dolphin mortality, and the genesis of the Panama Declaration. This Article concludes by examining the impact that implementation of the Panama Declaration would most likely have on dolphins and other marine life in the ETP

Body size trends in response to climate and urbanization in the widespread North American deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus

© 2020, The Author(s). Body size decline is hypothesized to be a key response to climate warming, including warming driven by urban heat islands. However, urbanization may also generate selective gradients for body size increases in smaller endotherms via habitat fragmentation. Here we utilize a densely sampled, multi-source dataset to examine how climate and urbanization affect body size of Peromyscus maniculatus (PEMA), an abundant rodent found across North America. We predicted PEMA would conform to Bergmann’s Rule, e.g. larger individuals in colder climates, spatially and temporally. Hypotheses regarding body size in relation to urbanization are less clear; however, with increased food resources due to greater anthropogenic activity, we expected an increase in PEMA size. Spatial mixed-models showed that PEMA conform to Bergmann’s Rule and that PEMA were shorter in more urbanized areas. With the inclusion of decade in mixed-models, we found PEMA mass, but not length, is decreasing over time irrespective of climate or population density. We also unexpectedly found that, over time, smaller-bodied populations of PEMA are getting larger, while larger-bodied populations are getting smaller. Our work highlights the importance of using dense spatiotemporal datasets, and modeling frameworks that account for bias, to better disentangle broad-scale climatic and urbanization effects on body size

Efficacy Beliefs are Related to Task Cohesion: Communication is a Mediator

Efficacy beliefs and communication are key constructs which have been targeted to develop task cohesion. This study’s purpose was to: (1) examine whether collective efficacy, team-focused other-efficacy, and team-focused relation-inferred self-efficacy (RISE) are predictive of task cohesion, and (2) evaluate the possibility that communication mediates efficacy-task cohesion relationships. British university team-sport athletes (n = 250) completed questionnaires assessing efficacy beliefs, communication (i.e., positive conflict, negative conflict, and acceptance communication), and task cohesion (i.e., attractions to group; ATG-T, group integration; GI-T). Data were subjected to a multi-group path analysis to test mediation hypotheses while also addressing potential differences across males and females. Across all athletes, collective efficacy and team-focused other-efficacy significantly predicted ATG-T and GI-T directly. Positive conflict and acceptance communication significantly mediated relationships between efficacy (team-focused other-efficacy, collective efficacy) and cohesion (ATG-T, GI-T). Findings suggest enhancing athletes’ collective efficacy and team-focused efficacy beliefs will encourage communication factors affecting task cohesion

Clonal Expansion of Lgr5-Positive Cells from Mammalian Cochlea and High-Purity Generation of Sensory Hair Cells

Death of cochlear hair cells, which do not regenerate, is a cause of hearing loss in a high percentage of the population. Currently, no approach exists to obtain large numbers of cochlear hair cells. Here, using a small-molecule approach, we show significant expansion (>2,000-fold) of cochlear supporting cells expressing and maintaining Lgr5, an epithelial stem cell marker, in response to stimulation of Wnt signaling by a GSK3β inhibitor and transcriptional activation by a histone deacetylase inhibitor. The Lgr5-expressing cells differentiate into hair cells in high yield. From a single mouse cochlea, we obtained over 11,500 hair cells, compared to less than 200 in the absence of induction. The newly generated hair cells have bundles and molecular machinery for transduction, synapse formation, and specialized hair cell activity. Targeting supporting cells capable of proliferation and cochlear hair cell replacement could lead to the discovery of hearing loss treatments.United States. National Institutes of Health (DE-013023)United States. National Institutes of Health (DC-007174)United States. National Institutes of Health (DC-013909)United States. National Institutes of Health (RR-00168

Clinical Characteristics of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Co-Occurring Epilepsy

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of epilepsy in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of children with ASD and epilepsy in a large patient population. Methods: Cross-sectional study using four samples of children with ASD for a total of 5,815 participants with ASD. The prevalence of epilepsy was estimated from a population-based sample. Children with and without epilepsy were compared on demographic and clinical characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between demographic and clinical characteristics and epilepsy. Results: The average prevalence of epilepsy in children with ASD 2–17 years was 12.5%; among children aged 13 years and older, 26% had epilepsy. Epilepsy was associated with older age, lower cognitive ability, poorer adaptive and language functioning, a history of developmental regression and more severe ASD symptoms. The association between epilepsy and the majority of these characteristics appears to be driven by the lower IQ of participants with epilepsy. In a multivariate regression model, only age and cognitive ability were independently associated with epilepsy. Children age 10 or older had 2.35 times the odds of being diagnosed with epilepsy (p<.001) and for a one standard deviation increase in IQ, the odds of having epilepsy decreased by 47% (p<.001). Conclusion: This is among the largest studies to date of patients with ASD and co-occurring epilepsy. Based on a representative sample of children with ASD, the average prevalence of epilepsy is approximately 12% and reaches 26% by adolescence. Independent associations were found between epilepsy and older age and lower cognitive ability. Other risk factors, such as poor language and developmental regression, are not associated with epilepsy after controlling for IQ. These findings can help guide prognosis and alert clinicians to patients with ASD who are at increased risk for epilepsy

Monitoring recombinant protein expression in bacteria by rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE:There is increasing interest in methods of direct analysis mass spectrometry that bypass complex sample preparation steps. METHODS:One of the most interesting new ionisation methods is rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry (REIMS) in which samples are vapourised and the combustion products are subsequently ionised and analysed by mass spectrometry (Synapt G2si). The only sample preparation required is the recovery of a cell pellet from a culture that can be analysed immediately. RESULTS:We demonstrate that REIMS can be used to monitor the expression of heterologous recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. Clear segregation was achievable between bacteria harvesting plasmids that were strongly expressed and other cultures in which the plasmid did not result in the expression of large amounts of recombinant product. CONCLUSIONS:REIMS has considerable potential as a near-instantaneous monitoring tool for protein production in a biotechnology environment

Triple phase dynamic computed tomographic perfusion characteristics of spirocercosis induced esophageal nodules in non-neoplastic versus neoplastic canine cases

Neoplastic transformation of Spirocerca lupi induced esophageal nodules carries a poor prognosis. Clinical, clinicopathological, endoscopic, and radiographic characteristics may be indicative of neoplastic transformation but variable sensitivity and specificity of these parameters makes their use questionable. We hypothesized that CT would be a better diagnostic modality to discriminate between non-neoplastic and neoplastic nodules. In this prospective study of 38 dogs, the appearance and perfusion characteristics of confirmed spirocercosis-induced neoplastic and non-neoplastic esophageal nodules were described using survey CT and triple phase dynamic CT angiography (CTA). Pre- and post-contrast early arterial, late arterial, and venous CTA images were evaluated. Non-neoplastic nodules were smooth and nonmineralized with a higher proportion of hypoattenuating necropurulent cavities compared to neoplastic nodules that had a more irregular surface, with 93% having mineralized foci and rarely any hypoattenuating pockets. Non-neoplastic nodules were significantly more perfused than neoplastic nodules with the difference being up to 23 Hounsfield units. The difference was most marked in the early and late arterial phases (P = 0.0005 and 0.00005, respectively). Ratios of the normal esophagus adjacent to the neoplastic and non-neoplastic nodules did not differ significantly from each other. Perfusion findings demonstrated relative hypoperfusion of the esophageal sarcomas. Findings from the current study indicated that CT characteristics of relative postcontrast hypoperfusion, combined with nodule irregularity and mineralization warrant a high level of concern for neoplastic transformation in canine spirocercosis-induced esophageal nodules.South African National Research Foundationhttp://www.elsevier.com/locate/funbiohb2016Companion Animal Clinical Studie