Competition between co-occurring invasive and native consumers switches between habitats

1.The introduction of a non‐native species frequently has adverse direct effects on native species. The underlying mechanisms, however, often remain unclear, in particular where native and invasive species are taxonomically similar. 2.We found evidence of direct competitive interactions between a globally distributed invasive species (the Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas) and its native counterpart (the European oyster, Ostrea edulis). We also discovered that the competitive outcome differed between different habitat types and orientation by identifying context‐dependent responses driven by environmental conditions and stress (i.e. intertidal compared to subtidal habitats; and vertical versus horizontal substratum). This is particularly important because the European oyster is threatened, or in decline, throughout most of its range and restoration efforts are underway in many regions. 3.We combined experimental manipulations and stable isotope analysis (SIA) to identify the direct effects of competition and the mechanisms by which the invasive and native species compete. We identified negative effects of the invasive species on the native oyster but these were limited to the subtidal habitat (lower stress environment) and determined by substratum orientation (habitat structure). Crucially, we found that effects of the invasive species on the native species were not always negative and under certain conditions (e.g. on vertical substrata) were positive. Shifts in isotopic niches of both species when co‐occurring, alongside mixing models, indicate that exploitative competition for food is most likely to underpin niche partitioning between both species. 4.We have identified different foraging strategies under different contexts and our findings highlight the importance of exploitative competition as a driving mechanism behind the co‐occurrence of two seemingly functionally similar consumers. The combination of experimental manipulations with SIA is a powerful tool and we illustrate how this approach should be incorporated, into multiple environmental contexts at appropriate scales, to more accurately predict impacts of the spread of invasive species on native communities

Increased Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte production in mixed infections with P. malariae.

Plasmodium falciparum and P. malariae occur endemically in many parts of Africa. Observations from malariotherapy patients suggest that co-infection with P. malariae may increase P. falciparum gametocyte production. We determined P. falciparum gametocyte prevalence and density by quantitative nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (QT-NASBA) after antimalarial treatment of Kenyan children with either P. falciparum mono-infection or P. falciparum and P. malariae mixed infection. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between mixed species infections and microscopic P. falciparum gametocyte prevalence in three datasets from previously published studies. In Kenyan children, QT-NASBA gametocyte density was increased in mixed species infections (P = 0.03). We also observed higher microscopic prevalences of P. falciparum gametocytes in mixed species infections in studies from Tanzania and Kenya (odds ratio = 2.15, 95% confidence interval = 0.99-4.65 and 2.39, 1.58-3.63) but not in a study from Nigeria. These data suggest that co-infection with P. malariae is correlated with increased P. falciparum gametocytemia

Deep-Sequencing Analysis Reveals that the miR-199a2/214 Cluster within DNM3os Represents the Vast Majority of Aberrantly Expressed MicroRNAs in Sézary Syndrome

Dermatology-oncolog

Dynamical systems approach to G2 cosmology

In this paper we present a new approach for studying the dynamics of spatially inhomogeneous cosmological models with one spatial degree of freedom. By introducing suitable scale-invariant dependent variables we write the evolution equations of the Einstein field equations as a system of autonomous partial differential equations in first-order symmetric hyperbolic format, whose explicit form depends on the choice of gauge. As a first application, we show that the asymptotic behaviour near the cosmological initial singularity can be given a simple geometrical description in terms of the local past attractor on the boundary of the scale-invariant dynamical state space. The analysis suggests the name ``asymptotic silence'' to describe the evolution of the gravitational field near the cosmological initial singularity.Comment: 28 pages, 3 tables, 1 *.eps figure, LaTeX2e (10pt), matches version accepted for publication by Classical and Quantum Gravit

Validity of the Patient Experiences and Satisfaction with Medications (PESaM) Questionnaire

Background: This study assessed the validity and reliability of the generic module of the recently developed Patient Experiences and Satisfaction with Medications (PESaM) questionnaire in a sample of patients in the Netherlands. Methods: The generic module of the PESaM questionnaire consists of 18 items related to the domains effectiveness, side effects and ease of use of medications. It assesses patients’ experiences regarding the impact of the medication on daily life, health and satisfaction. In 2017, the PESaM questionnaire was sent out to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients using pirfenidone or nintedanib, atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome patients receiving eculizumab and patients using tacrolimus after kidney transplantation. Mean scores for each domain were calculated applying a scoring algorithm. Construct validity and reliability were assessed using recommended methods. Results: 188 participants completed the generic module, of whom 48% used pirfenidone, 36% nintedanib, 11% tacrolimus and 5% eculizumab. The generic module has good structural properties. Internal consistency values of the domains were satisfactory (i.e. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha above 0.7). Confirmatory factor analysis provided further evidence for construct validity, with good convergent and discriminant validity. The PESaM questionnaire also showed different scores for patients using different medications, in line with expectations, and was therefore able to differentiate between patient groups. Test–retest reliability of the items and domains were rated as moderate to fair (i.e. intraclass coefficients ranged between 0.18 and 0.76). Conclusions: The PESaM questionnaire is a unique patient-reported outcome measure evaluating patient experiences and satisfaction with medications. It has been developed in conjunction with patients, ensuring coverage of domains and issues relevant from the patient’s perspective. This study has shown promising validity of the generic module of the PESaM questionnaire. Further research is recommended to assess reliability in greater detail as well as the responsiveness of the measure. Trial registration: The study

Monitoring methods for assessing change in seabed habitats

This research demonstrates the utility of repeat acoustic and photographic surveys for monitoring biotopes and hard-substratum communities in temperate waters. Kappa analysis of results derived from time-lapse backscatter surveys conducted at Church Bay, Rathlin Island (1999,2008 and 2009) indicate that the spatial distribution of biotopes is highly similar between each biotope map, possibly due to the stability of bedforms shaped by the local tidal regime. Maximum change is represented by seasonal and annual changes in the growth of Zostera marina. Changes induced by kelp harvesting are not detected in backscatter data. Low-cost photo-mosaics derived from stills and video imagery of fixed quadrats (1 OO-x-l 00 cm) are compared. Although video-collection is quicker, more species and less-conspicuous taxa are identified from stills imagery. Data extraction using point-intercepts proves efficient and generates data sensitive to 10% community change (N=16), but detects fewer species than the visual estimation measure. Frequency-of-occurrence extraction measures significantly over-estimate benthic cover. Seasonal growth, recruitment and mortality of Caryophyllia smithii, Hymeniacidon perleve and Plocamium cartilagineum are estimated to nearest 0.04 ern? month-l using digitisation. The presence of algal canopies reduce the accuracy of sessile-invertebrate cover estimates in spring and summer. Exploratory analysis of results from photoquadrat surveys conducted at Damicornis Bay, Rathlin Island (2009 and 2010), identifies six distinct sub-communities on a boulder slope. Community variability obscures detection of change. However, analysis of the most dominant sub-community indicates that boulder-slope community shifted, possibly due to local erosion of sediment. Optimal balance between precision, efficiency and species-detection ability for photoquadrats (25-x-25 cm) is 50 points-per-image. Functional groups retain structural relevance of communities, while improving precision, sensitivity and efficiency of data extraction and community-representation measures relative to full-species compositions. Continued monitoring of hard-substratum communities using high-resolution photoquadrats and fixed-photomosaics is recommended.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Algebraic Framework for Linear and Morphological Scale-Space

This paper proposes a general algebraic construction technique for image scale-spaces. The basic idea is to first downscale the image by some factor using an invertible scaling, then apply an image operator (linear or morphological) at a unit scale, and finally resize the image to its original scale. It is then required that the resulting one-parameter family of image operators satisfies the semigroup property. Such an approach encompasses linear as well as nonlinear (morphological) operators. Furthermore, there exists some freedom as to which semigroup operation on the scale- (or time-) axis is being chosen. Particular attention is given to additive and supremal semigroups. A large part of the paper is devoted to morphological scale-spaces, in particular to scale-spaces associated with an erosion or an opening. In these cases, classical tools from convex analysis, such as the (Young-Fenchel) conjugate, play an important role