Who’s in Charge? The Role of Power in Collaborative Governance and Forest Management.

Collaborative processes for working toward common management goals between individuals and organizations, despite their differences, emerged as one enduring legacy resulting from the Timber Wars in the American West during the late-1980s and the early 1990s. Power imbalances are often cited as a common problem in collaborative processes and can have a lasting, deleterious impact on the collaborative process and its outcomes. For all its importance, however, there is a yet unfulfilled need to understand the extent to which power and power imbalances affect collaborative relationships. Our research uses a case study approach to qualitatively analyze power dynamics within three collaborative efforts comprised of the United States Forest Service and community stakeholders. We identified four sources of power in play within the three case studies examined to include authority, resources, discursive legitimacy, and trust. We also discuss the application of these power sources and the ensuing outcomes. These powers, and the imbalance that sometimes result from their application, are representative of some of the underlying tensions that can be present in collaborative processes

Kv7 Channels Can Function without Constitutive Calmodulin Tethering

M-channels are voltage-gated potassium channels composed of Kv7.2-7.5 subunits that serve as important regulators of neuronal excitability. Calmodulin binding is required for Kv7 channel function and mutations in Kv7.2 that disrupt calmodulin binding cause Benign Familial Neonatal Convulsions (BFNC), a dominantly inherited human epilepsy. On the basis that Kv7.2 mutants deficient in calmodulin binding are not functional, calmodulin has been defined as an auxiliary subunit of Kv7 channels. However, we have identified a presumably phosphomimetic mutation S511D that permits calmodulin-independent function. Thus, our data reveal that constitutive tethering of calmodulin is not required for Kv7 channel function

Satellite and in situ observations for advancing global Earth surface modelling: a review

In this paper, we review the use of satellite-based remote sensing in combination with in situ data to inform Earth surface modelling. This involves verification and optimization methods that can handle both random and systematic errors and result in effective model improvement for both surface monitoring and prediction applications. The reasons for diverse remote sensing data and products include (i) their complementary areal and temporal coverage, (ii) their diverse and covariant information content, and (iii) their ability to complement in situ observations, which are often sparse and only locally representative. To improve our understanding of the complex behavior of the Earth system at the surface and sub-surface, we need large volumes of data from high-resolution modelling and remote sensing, since the Earth surface exhibits a high degree of heterogeneity and discontinuities in space and time. The spatial and temporal variability of the biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and anthroposphere calls for an increased use of Earth observation (EO) data attaining volumes previously considered prohibitive. We review data availability and discuss recent examples where satellite remote sensing is used to infer observable surface quantities directly or indirectly, with particular emphasis on key parameters necessary for weather and climate prediction. Coordinated high-resolution remote-sensing and modelling/assimilation capabilities for the Earth surface are required to support an international application-focused effort

Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study

Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation

Do land-use patterns influence nest-site selection by burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) in northeastern Colorado?: Canadian

Abstract: Populations of western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) are declining. In the Great Plains this decline maybe related to a decline in black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) towns that the owls use for nest sites. One potential cause of prairie dog decline is conversion of native prairie to agriculture. We predicted that owloccupied prairie dog towns would be in less fragmented landscapes that contain more prairie then owl-unoccupied prairie dog towns. To test this prediction, we used a geographic information system and spatial analysis metrics to examine the landscape within 1000 and 2500 m radius circles surrounding prairie dog towns in the shortgrass prairie in northeastern Colorado. We compared landscape features of irrigated cropland, non-irrigated cropland, and shortgrass patches around owl-unoccupied (N = 7) and owl-occupied (N = 15) prairie dog towns at these two spatial scales. Contrary to our predictions, at the 2500-m scale burrowing owls prefer to nest in towns surrounded by a landscape in which shortgrass patches were a smaller percentage of the total landscape, relatively far apart from other shortgrass patches, and more numerous then crop patches. At the 1000-m scale owls nested in towns in which shortgrass patches were a smaller percentage of the total surrounding landscape. In Logan County owls may select nest sites in prairie dog towns in more fragmented landscapes because prey availability maybe higher than in less fragmented landscapes and (or) prairie dog control programs may be more active on shortgrass rangelands than in croplands. In addition, the level of fragmentation in our study area (62% of the study area is occupied by native grassland) may not be high enough to have negative consequences on nest occupancy of burrowing owls. However, it is difficult to generalize about the effects of landscape fragmentation on burrowing owls because any effects are probably a complex function of local habitat structure, landscape structure, and local prey and predator availability. 1045 Résumé : Les populations de la Chevêche des terriers de l'ouest (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) sont en déclin. Dans les Grandes Plaines, il se pourrait que ce déclin soit relié à la diminution du nombre de villages de Chiens-de-prairie à queue noire (Cynomys ludovicianus) qui servent de sites de nidification aux chevêches. L'une des causes probables du déclin des chiens-de-prairie est la conversion de la prairie originale en terres agricoles. Nous avons prédit que les villages de chiens-de-prairie utilisés par les chevêches étaient plus susceptibles de se trouver dans des paysages moins fragmentés contenant plus de prairie que de villages inoccupés de chiens-de-prairie. Pour vérifier cette prédiction, nous avons utilisé un système d'information géographique et des mesures d'analyse spatiale pour faire l'examen du paysage dans un rayon de 1000 à 2500 m de villages de chiens-de-prairie dans la prairie d'herbe courte du nord-est du Colorado. Nous avons comparé les caractéristiques du paysage dans des terres cultivées irriguées, des terres de culture non irriguées et des zones d'herbes courtes autour de villages de chiens-de-prairie non occupés par des chevêches (N = 7) et des villages occupés (N = 15) à ces deux échelles spatiales. Contrairement à nos prédictions, à l'échelle de 2500 m, les chevêches préfèrent nicher dans des villages entourés de paysages dans lesquels les zones d'herbes courtes repré-sentent un pourcentage moins élevé du paysage entier, relativement éloignées des autres zones d'herbes courtes et sont plus nombreuses que les zones cultivées. À l'échelle de 1000 m, les chevêches nichent dans des villages dans lesquels les zones d'herbes courtes occupent un pourcentage moins élevé du paysage environnant global. Dans le comté de Logan, les chevêches choisissent des sites de nidification dans des villages de chiens-de-prairie situés dans des paysages plus fragmentés parce que la disponibilité des proies y est probablement supérieure à celle des paysages moins fragmentés et (ou) parce que les programmes de lutte aux chiens-de-prairie sont plus dynamiques dans les zones d'herbes courtes que dans les zones cultivées. De plus, la fragmentation au site étudié (62 % de ce site est couvert de prairie indigène) n'est peut-être pas suffisamment importante pour avoir des effets négatifs sur l'occupation du site par les chevêches. Cependant, il est difficile de tirer des conclusions au sujet des effets de la fragmentation du paysage sur les Can

Correction: Balsamo, G., et al. Satellite and In Situ Observations for Advancing Global Earth Surface Modelling: A Review. Remote Sensing 2018, 10(12), 2038; doi:10.3390/rs10122038

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