Catching crabs: a case study in local-scale English conservation

Wells-next-the-Sea and Cromer in Norfolk (England) both rely upon their local crab populations, since crabbing (gillying) is a major part of their tourist industry. Compared to a control site with no crabbing, crabs from Wells harbour and Cromer pier were found to have nearly six times the amount of limb damage. Crabs caught by the general public had more injuries than crabs caught in controlled conditions, suggesting the buckets in which the crabs were kept were to blame. Since there is much evidence that such injuries have negative impacts on the survival and reproductive success of the shore crab, this is taken as evidence of non-lethal injury from humans having a population-level effect on these animals. Questionnaire data demonstrated a public lack of awareness and want for information, which was then used to obtain funding to produce a leaflet campaign informing the public of how to crab responsibly. All data collected is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.979288

Animating and exploring phylogenies with fibre plots

Despite the progress that has been made in many other aspects of data visualisation, phylogenies are still represented in much the same way as they first were by Darwin. In this brief essay, I give a short review of what I consider to be some recent major advances, and outline a new kind of phylogenetic visualisation. This new graphic, the fibre plot, uses the metaphor of sections through a tree to describe change in a phylogeny. I suggest it is a useful tool in gaining an rapid overview of the timing and scale of diversification in large phylogenies

Global Analysis of Population Growth and Decline

Species of plants and animals have populations that are declining at a rapid rate and possibly face extinction. To combat this decline, we must first understand where and why species are declining. We compared known species population growth rates in the COMPADRE (7024 different plant populations) and COMADRE (1927 different animal populations) databases to a variety of possible factors and other databases

Multiple Sequence Alignment While Assessing Saturation Across Sequence Data

Constructing and analyzing phylogenetic trees is central to biological disciplines such as evolutionary and systematic biology. Accurate phylogenetic inference improves the estimation of evolutionary relationships, rates of molecular evolution, and Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Careful alignment of sequence data is critical prior to any phylogenetic reconstruction, and there are many different multiple sequence alignment programs that are currently used (reviewed in Edgar & Batzoglou 2006). However, difficulty persists when using alignments to accurately determine actual genetic divergences. A major, yet under-explored, problem is saturation: the repetition of base substitutions at a single site within a sequence. Saturation causes issues because numerous substitutions in sequences within an alignment can erroneously underestimate divergence. Here, we present an algorithm, Splinter, that identifies and accounts for saturation during DNA sequence alignment

Cyclic AMP Signaling: A Molecular Determinant of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

Disruption of axonal integrity during injury to the peripheral nerve system (PNS) sets into motion a cascade of responses that includes inflammation, Schwann cell mobilization, and the degeneration of the nerve fibers distal to the injury site. Yet, the injured PNS differentiates itself from the injured central nervous system (CNS) in its remarkable capacity for self-recovery, which, depending upon the length and type of nerve injury, involves a series of molecular events in both the injured neuron and associated Schwann cells that leads to axon regeneration, remyelination repair, and functional restitution. Herein we discuss the essential function of the second messenger, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP), in the PNS repair process, highlighting the important role the conditioning lesion paradigm has played in understanding the mechanism(s) by which cyclic AMP exerts its proregenerative action. Furthermore, we review the studies that have therapeutically targeted cyclic AMP to enhance endogenous nerve repair

The average specific forced radiation wave impedance of a finite rectangular panel

The average specific forced radiation wave impedance of a finite rectangular panel is of importance for the prediction of both sound insulation and sound absorption. In 1982, Thomasson published numerical calculations of the average specific forced radiation wave impedance of a square of side length 2e for wave number k in half octave steps of ke from 0.25 to 64. Thomasson's calculations were for the case when the forced bending wave number kb was less than or equal to k. Thomasson also published approximate formulas for values of ke above and below the published results. This paper combines Thomasson's high and low frequency formulas and compares this combined formula with Thomasson's numerical calculations. The real part of the approximate formula is between 0.7 dB higher and -1 dB lower than the numerical calculations. The imaginary part of the approximate formula is between 2.3 dB higher and -2.6 dB lower than the numerical calculations. This paper also gives approximate formulas for the case when kb is greater than or equal to k. The differences are between 0.8 and -1.2 dB for the imaginary part and between 6.2 and -2.4 dB for the real part

The acoustic radiation impedance of a rectangular panel

This paper extends the definition of the one sided radiation impedance of a panel mounted in an infinite rigid baffle which was previously used by the authors so that it can be applied to all transverse velocity wave types on the panel rather than just to the possibly forced travelling plane transverse velocity waves considered previously by the authors. For the case of travelling plane waves on a rectangular panel with anechoic edge conditions, and for the case of standing waves on a rectangular panel with simply supported edge conditions, the equations resulting from one of the standard reductions from quadruple to double integrals are given. These double integral equations can be reduced to single integral equations, but the versions of these equations given in the literature did not always converge when used with adaptive integral routines and were sometimes slower than the double integral versions. This is because the terms in the integrands in the existing equations have singularities. Although these singularities cancel, they caused problems for the adaptive integral routines. This paper rewrites these equations in a form which removes the singularities and enables the integrals in these equations to be evaluated with adaptive integral routines. Approximate equations for the azimuthally averaged one sided radiation impedance of a rectangular panel mounted in an infinite baffle are given for all the cases considered in this paper and the values produced by these equations are compared with numerical calculations

Superior Capsule Reconstruction Is a Viable Option for Patients with Symptomatic, Isolated, and Irreparable Supraspinatus Tears.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome of superior capsular reconstruction for isolated subscapularis tears using a decellularized porcine allograft as a superior capsular reconstruction. METHODS: Patients who had symptomatic tears of supraspinatus who had failed to improve a conservative rehabilitation program were included. Previous surgery to the shoulder was not a bar to inclusion. Patients were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively with the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), the single assessment numeric evaluation (SANE) score, as well as clinically assessed for their shoulder range of motion (ROM). Patients were followed up with in-person clinic appointments for the first year, followed by a postal questionnaire and telephone consultation at a minimum of 2 years following surgery. RESULTS: Twenty patients (11 males and 9 females) with a mean age of 67.5 years were included (range: 54-72 years). The average follow-up period was 31 months (24-50). The mean improvement in OSS was 14 points (P < .001), SANE score was 27 points (P < .01). Significant improvements in mean ROM were recorded (flexion 80.7°; P < .001; abduction: 81°; P < .001; external rotation: 31°; P < .001). Six patients suffered SCR failures diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging, despite this they still recorded improvements in recorded OSS, SANE and ROM (excluding external rotation). Patient demographics for failed superior capsule reconstruction (SCR) highlighted smoking and revision surgery as risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: SCR appears to be a viable option for patients with symptomatic, isolated, and irreparable tears of the supraspinatus. Our results demonstrate that there are significant improvements in outcome scores and active range of motion, even in the subgroup in whom postoperative structural failure of the SCR was identified. We recommend caution in patients who have previously failed rotator cuff repair and in heavy smokers. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic case series