Developing a Monitoring Framework to Estimate Wolf Distribution and Abundance in Southwest Alberta

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations are difficult to monitor because wolves can be elusive and occur in low densities.  Traditional radiotelemetry-based monitoring methods have limited application when turnover is high within the wolf population and resources to maintain long-term collaring programs are limited.  We worked collaboratively with Alberta Environmental Sustainable Resource Development between 2012 and 2014 to develop techniques for monitoring gray wolf populations in the absence of radiotelemetry in southwest Alberta.  We surveyed potential rendezvous sites and collected DNA samples from wolf scats for genetic analysis and surveyed hunters for wolf sightings made during the hunting seasons. We fit false-positive occupancy models to annual detection data derived from genetic results and hunter surveys with Program PRESENCE.  We found percent forest cover and human density positively influenced pack occupancy whereas detection probabilities varied by survey method, sampling effort, and sampling season.  The model predicted wolf pack occupancy well and distribution and abundance estimates were consistent with agency predictions.  While developing the monitoring framework, questions arose regarding pack turnover and population growth under widespread human harvest.  Previous studies have focused on population recovery following wolf control actions but little emphasis is put on populations that exist under regular harvest.  We will use genetic data to determine how immigration contributes to wolf population trends under a long-term harvest regime and tie this into pack occupancy through colonization and local extinction probabilities.  This will expand the application of our occupancy model and will further clarify how wolf populations respond to long-term regulated harvest

Reduction of Taxonomic Bias in Diatom Species Data

Inconsistency in taxonomic identification and analyst bias impede the effective use of diatom data in regional and national stream and lake surveys. In this study, we evaluated the effect of existing protocols and a revised protocol on the precision of diatom species counts. The revised protocol adjusts four elements of sample preparation, taxon identification and enumeration, and quality control (QC). We used six independent data sets to assess the effect of the adjustments on analytical outcomes. The first data set was produced by three laboratories with a total of five analysts following established protocols (Charles et al., Protocols for the analysis of algal samples collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment, 2002) or their slight variations. The remaining data sets were produced by one to three laboratories with a total of two to three analysts following a revised protocol. The revised protocol included the following modifications: (1) development of coordinated precount voucher floras based on morphological operational taxonomic units, (2) random assignment of samples to analysts, (3) postcount identification and documentation of taxa (as opposed to an approach in which analysts assign names while they enumerate), and (4) increased use of QC samples. The revised protocol reduced taxonomic bias, as measured by reduction in analyst signal, and improved similarity among QC samples. Reduced taxonomic bias improves the performance of biological assessments, facilitates transparency across studies, and refines estimates of diatom species distributions

Immigration as a Compensatory Mechanism to Offset Harvest Mortality in Harvested Wolf Populations

In less than a decade the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf (Canis lupus) population has experienced large shifts in management practices, from federal protection under the Endangered Species Act to increasingly liberal hunting and trapping seasons in many portions of their range after delisting.  As a result, there is interest in how current wolf management practices will affect this population over time.  Recent research suggests wolf pup recruitment in central Idaho has declined since harvest was initiated, yet wolf densities appear stable in many regions of the state, suggesting other compensatory mechanisms are offsetting the effects of harvest mortality.  Our objective was to evaluate immigration as a compensatory mechanism that may offset the effects of harvest mortality and facilitate population persistence in a heavily harvested wolf population.  Using noninvasively sampled DNA we identified dispersers into two focal study areas in central Idaho prior to and after harvest was initiated.  We measured genetic relatedness within and among wolf packs using three different metrics to assess how immigration has changed with changing management practices.  Our results suggest that at current harvest rates immigration is not acting as a compensatory mechanism to offset the effects of harvest mortality.  Local dispersal may be unaffected by harvest pressure whereas harvest has negative effects on long-distance dispersal.  Our research can help managers consider the effects of immigration on local wolf populations when making harvest management decisions

Wolf Pack Distribution in Relation to Heavy Harvest in Southwest Alberta

Gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations are difficult to monitor because wolves can be elusive and occur in low densities.  Harvest can further complicate wolf monitoring by affecting wolf behavior, altering pack structure, and potentially reducing probability of detection.  Currently, Montana and Idaho use patch occupancy models to monitor wolves at state-wide scales.  These models were originally developed prior to the initiation of wolf harvest and there is growing concern that current occupancy estimates are becoming less reliable as harvest continues.  Our objectives were to determine whether we could estimate wolf distribution for a heavily harvested wolf population and assess how harvest may be affecting that distribution.  We surveyed potential rendezvous sites and collected DNA samples from wolf scats for genetic analysis and surveyed hunters for wolf sightings in southwestern Alberta from 2012 to 2014. We used a Bayesian approach to fit dynamic occupancy models to the encounter histories while accounting for false-positive detections using JAGS and Program R.  We found both habitat and anthropogenic factors influenced wolf occupancy parameters in southwestern Alberta and detection probability varied by survey method.  Our preliminary results suggest wolf pack distribution is fairly consistent but that source-sink dynamics may be occurring in certain regions of the study area.  Despite heavy harvest pressure, southwestern Alberta appears to maintain a stable wolf population, although this is possibly due to immigration from nearby regions

Temporal Trends in Pulse Pressure and Mean Arterial Pressure During the Rise of Pediatric Obesity in US Children

Background: Somatic growth in childhood is accompanied by substantial remodeling of the aorta. Obesity is associated with increased aortic stiffness and flow and may interfere with aortic remodeling during growth. Wide pulse pressure (PP) indicates mismatch between aortic impedance and pulsatile flow and increases risk for future systolic hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that the rise of pediatric obesity would be associated with a temporal trend to higher PP. Methods and Results: We analyzed demographic, anthropometric, and blood pressure (BP) data for 8‐ to 17‐year‐old children (N=16 457) from the cross‐sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) for 1976 through 2008. Multivariable adjusted survey regression was used to examine temporal trends in PP and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and the relation to obesity. Across this period, unadjusted PP was higher (0.29 mm Hg/y, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.33 mm Hg/y; P<0.0001), while MAP was lower (−0.24 mm Hg/y, 95% CI −0.27 to −0.20 mm Hg/y; P<0.0001) across examinations. Adjusting for body mass index partially attenuated the temporal trend for PP by 32% (P<0.0001). Obesity amplified the relation between taller height and higher PP (from 0.23 [95% CI 0.19 to 0.28] to 0.27 [95% CI 0.21 to 0.34] mm Hg/cm height in boys and from 0.08 [95% CI 0.04 to 0.13] to 0.22 [95% CI 0.13 to 0.31] mm Hg/cm height in girls; P<0.01 for both). Conclusions: PP has increased during the rise of pediatric obesity. Higher PP may indicate mismatch between aortic diameter, wall stiffness, and flow in obese children during a period of rapid somatic growth when the aorta is already under considerable remodeling stress

A Late Cretaceous true polar wander oscillation

True polar wander (TPW), or planetary reorientation, is well documented for other planets and moons and for Earth at present day with satellites, but testing its prevalence in Earth’s past is complicated by simultaneous motions due to plate tectonics. Debate has surrounded the existence of Late Cretaceous TPW ca. 84 million years ago (Ma). Classic palaeomagnetic data from the Scaglia Rossa limestone of Italy are the primary argument against the existence of ca. 84 Ma TPW. Here we present a new high-resolution palaeomagnetic record from two overlapping stratigraphic sections in Italy that provides evidence for a ~12° TPW oscillation from 86 to 78 Ma. This observation represents the most recent large-scale TPW documented and challenges the notion that the spin axis has been largely stable over the past 100 million years

Emergency ambulance service involvement with residential care homes in the support of older people with dementia : an observational study

© 2014 Amador et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.BACKGROUND: Older people resident in care homes have a limited life expectancy and approximately two-thirds have limited mental capacity. Despite initiatives to reduce unplanned hospital admissions for this population, little is known about the involvement of emergency services in supporting residents in these settings.METHODS: This paper reports on a longitudinal study that tracked the involvement of emergency ambulance personnel in the support of older people with dementia, resident in care homes with no on-site nursing providing personal care only. 133 residents with dementia across 6 care homes in the East of England were tracked for a year. The paper examines the frequency and reasons for emergency ambulance call-outs, outcomes and factors associated with emergency ambulance service use. RESULTS: 56% of residents used ambulance services. Less than half (43%) of all call-outs resulted in an unscheduled admission to hospital. In addition to trauma following a following a fall in the home, results suggest that at least a reasonable proportion of ambulance contacts are for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. An emergency ambulance is not likely to be called for older rather than younger residents or for women more than men. Length of residence does not influence use of emergency ambulance services among older people with dementia. Contact with primary care services and admission route into the care home were both significantly associated with emergency ambulance service use. The odds of using emergency ambulance services for residents admitted from a relative's home were 90% lower than the odds of using emergency ambulance services for residents admitted from their own home. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency service involvement with this vulnerable population merits further examination. Future research on emergency ambulance service use by older people with dementia in care homes, should account for important contextual factors, namely, presence or absence of on-site nursing, GP involvement, and access to residents' family, alongside resident health characteristics.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Early-life adversity selectively impairs α2-GABAA receptor expression in the mouse nucleus accumbens and influences the behavioral effects of cocaine

Haplotypes of the Gabra2 gene encoding the α2 subunit of the GABAA receptor (GABAAR) are associated with drug abuse, suggesting that α2-GABAARs may play an important role in the circuitry underlying drug misuse. The genetic association of Gabra2 haplotypes with cocaine addiction appears to be evident primarily in individuals who had experienced childhood trauma. Given this association of childhood trauma, cocaine abuse and the Gabra2 haplotypes, we have explored in a mouse model of early life adversity (ELA) whether such events influence the behavioral effects of cocaine and if, as suggested by the human studies, α2-GABAARs in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) are involved in these perturbed behaviors. In adult mice prior ELA caused a selective decrease of accumbal α2-subunit mRNA, resulting in a selective decrease in the number and size of the α2-subunit (but not the α1-subunit) immunoreactive clusters in NAc core medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Functionally, in adult MSNs ELA decreased the amplitude and frequency of GABAAR-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs), a profile similar to that of α2 "knock-out" (α2-/-) mice. Behaviorally, adult male ELA and α2-/- mice exhibited an enhanced locomotor response to acute cocaine and blunted sensitization upon repeated cocaine administration, when compared to their appropriate controls. Collectively, these findings reveal a neurobiological mechanism which may relate to the clinical observation that early trauma increases the risk for substance abuse disorder (SAD) in individuals harbouring haplotypic variations in the Gabra2 gene.</p