Abiotic and spatiotemporal factors affect activity of European bat species and have implications for detectability for acoustic surveys

Bat activity surveys are essential in the contexts of scientific research, conservation, assessment of ecosystem health, monitoring progress towards sustainable development goals, and legislative compliance in development and infrastructure construction. However, environmental conditions have the potential to influence bat activity and, in turn, their detectability in acoustic surveys. Here we use 3242 hours of acoustic survey data from 323 nights of bat monitoring at 14 sites over a 4-year period to explore the influence of spatiotemporal factors, lunar phase and weather conditions on bat activity. All spatiotemporal and abiotic factors analysed (site, hour post sunset, length of night, duration of moonlight, temperature, rain, wind and cloud cover) contributed to the optimal multivariate model for at least one bat species/genus; all factors except cloud cover and temperature were significant in the optimal model for total bat activity. However, there were notable species-specific differences. Among the key findings were differences between Pipistrellus species, with periods of rainfall being negatively related to soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus registrations but not those of common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus. In addition, overcast conditions showed a strong positive relationship with the number of Myotis registrations while duration of moonlight was positively correlated with common pipistrelle. Temperature was only important for Nyctalus species. These findings demonstrate that understanding the effect multifaceted and interlinked environmental factors on the activity of different bat species is a vital step in developing maximally effective survey protocols, which, in turn, will improve the reliability of conservation and planning decisions underpinned by survey data

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Myth or Memory? Recollections of Penal Times in Irish Folklore

Stories of priests being hunted down and murdered at Mass Rocks by priest catchers and soldiers during the Penal era in Ireland persist to the present day. Using Ó Ciosáin’s (2004) tripartite taxonomy of memory this paper explores the reasons why these images continue to dominate and reflect persecuted nature of Catholicism

Comparing acoustic survey data for European bats: do walked transects or automated fixed-point surveys provide more robust data?

Context: Monitoring schemes provide vital data on the distribution and population dynamics of species. This information can be used to inform conservation management and, especially for legally-protected species, ensure legislative compliance in development contexts. For bats, acoustic activity surveys are widely used and often involve: (1) deployment of automated fixed-point detectors; or (2) using bat detectors on walked or driven transects. Transect surveys are typically performed for two hours commencing around sunset; automated fixed-point surveys record continually between sunset and sunrise, often over multiple consecutive nights. Aims: Despite both walked transects and fixed-point surveys being common methods used to survey bat activity in many parts of the world, often just one technique is used per site. We test the similarity of these two survey methods by comparing acoustic data encompassing 12 species of European bat to determine whether data from different surveys are directly comparable. Methods: In this study, we use acoustic data covering 2,349 survey hours over a three-year period to investigate the relative effectiveness of walked activity transects and automated fixed-point methods for 12 species of European bats. Key results: A greater number of bat species were recorded via the fixed-point method. Three species – greater horseshoe (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), lesser horseshoe (Rhinolophus hipposideros) and Daubenton’s (Myotis daubentonii) – were only recorded using automated detectors, possibly because the survey window encompassed the entire night rather than the period immediately after sunset. However, activity transects recorded a significantly higher mean species richness per hour compared to fixed-point surveys. When both methods were carried out at the same sites on the same nights, providing paired data for direct comparison, detection of brown long-eared (Plecotus auratus) and soprano pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus) bat activity was significantly higher for transect surveys. Conclusions and implications: This study demonstrates important differences in the data resulting from different bat survey methods and highlights the potential for combining acoustic survey types to obtain rigorous and reliable monitoring data for bat populations

Enhancement of antibody responses to influenza vaccination in the elderly following a cognitive-behavioural stress management intervention

Background: Previous research has demonstrated that the psychological morbidity experienced by informal caregivers is associated with increased vulnerability to infectious diseases, in particular influenza. A pragmatic trial was conducted to examine whether a stress management intervention (SMI) could reduce psychological morbidity and enhance the antibody response to influenza vaccination in the elderly, and whether changes in immune response of SMI participants were associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Methods: Forty-three elderly spousal carers of dementia patients and 27 non-carer controls were recruited. Sixteen carers were allocated to an 8-week SMI or a non-intervention condition (n = 27). The non-carers formed a no treatment, 'normal' comparison group. At the end of the SMI or its equivalent time period, all participants received an influenza vaccination. IgG antibody titres to the vaccine were measured 0, 2, 4 and 6 weeks post-vaccine. Results: There was evidence of elevated distress in both carer groups compared with non-carer controls throughout the SMI period, but no between-group differences in salivary cortisol. Immune responses to the vaccine revealed that 50% of SMI carers, 7% of non-intervention carers and 29% of non-carer controls produced a four-fold increase in antibody titre. Conclusions: The immune response to influenza vaccination appears amenable to improvement through stress management, although the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Evolution of nutricline dynamics in the equatorial Pacific during the late Pliocene

The tropics have played a central role in modulating Earth's climate throughout the Plio?Pleistocene, with tropical productivity fluctuations a key mechanism in the operation of the global carbon cycle and linkage of high? and low?latitude climates. Published records of tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) during the Plio?Pleistocene appear to vary primarily in tune with high?latitude climate on both orbital and secular timescales. However, contemporaneous changes in equatorial primary productivity are less well constrained, particularly at sites where climate is not dominated by upwelling or monsoon systems. Furthermore, the role of thermocline dynamics (tilt and mean depth changes) in forcing SST and productivity on orbital timescales remains uncertain. Here we report new, high?resolution calcareous nannofossil records from two Ocean Drilling Program sites in the western and eastern equatorial Pacific during marine isotope stages 95–101, about 2400–2600 kyr ago. Our records of paleoproductivity and nutricline depth reveal synchronous, large?amplitude glacial?interglacial productivity variations at both ends of the equatorial Pacific indicating (1) remote (high?latitude) forcing of primary productivity and (2) no primary role for east–west tilting of the equatorial Pacific thermocline, with important implications regarding the operation of El Niño–like dynamics in the Pliocene Pacific. Instead, the paleoproductivity variations and phase relationships that we document suggest the interaction of two mechanisms operating on obliquity timescales: a “bottom?up” forcing transmitted via the upwelling of high?latitude source waters in conjunction with the “top?down” forcing of atmospheric greenhouse gases

Empagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background The effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at risk for disease progression are not well understood. The EMPA-KIDNEY trial was designed to assess the effects of treatment with empagliflozin in a broad range of such patients. Methods We enrolled patients with chronic kidney disease who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 20 but less than 45 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) of body-surface area, or who had an eGFR of at least 45 but less than 90 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2) with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of at least 200. Patients were randomly assigned to receive empagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or matching placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of progression of kidney disease (defined as end-stage kidney disease, a sustained decrease in eGFR to < 10 ml per minute per 1.73 m(2), a sustained decrease in eGFR of & GE;40% from baseline, or death from renal causes) or death from cardiovascular causes. Results A total of 6609 patients underwent randomization. During a median of 2.0 years of follow-up, progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes occurred in 432 of 3304 patients (13.1%) in the empagliflozin group and in 558 of 3305 patients (16.9%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64 to 0.82; P < 0.001). Results were consistent among patients with or without diabetes and across subgroups defined according to eGFR ranges. The rate of hospitalization from any cause was lower in the empagliflozin group than in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78 to 0.95; P=0.003), but there were no significant between-group differences with respect to the composite outcome of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes (which occurred in 4.0% in the empagliflozin group and 4.6% in the placebo group) or death from any cause (in 4.5% and 5.1%, respectively). The rates of serious adverse events were similar in the two groups. Conclusions Among a wide range of patients with chronic kidney disease who were at risk for disease progression, empagliflozin therapy led to a lower risk of progression of kidney disease or death from cardiovascular causes than placebo