Annual Variation in Habitat Use by White-footed Mice, Peromyscus leucopus: The Effects of Forest Patch Size, Edge and Surrounding Vegetation Type

White-footed Mice (Peromyscus leucopus) were trapped for two years in the exterior matrix, edge, and interior forest habitat sections of six forests patches in a fragmented agricultural landscape. We used data on the capture locations of P. leucopus individuals from the two years, which differed in rainfall (i.e., summer of 2000 with 50% more rain than summer of 1999), to assess how patch size, edge habitat, and surrounding habitat type influence habitat use and movements in populations of this forest habitat generalist. We found that the proportion of individuals subsequently captured in the forest edge from the exterior was 16 times greater in the wet year than in the dry year and approximately twice as many P. leucopus were not subsequently recaptured from the exterior matrix in the dry year compared to the wet year. For each year, captures between habitats did not differ in relation to patch size, edge forest habitat, or exterior matrix type. These results illustrate the generalist habitat preferences of P. leucopus, but emphasize annual variation in their behavior and distribution

Glacier expansion in southern Patagonia throughout the Antarctic cold reversal

Resolving debated climate changes in the southern middle latitudes and potential teleconnections between southern temperate and polar latitudes during the last glacial-interglacial transition is required to help understand the cause of the termination of ice ages. Outlet glaciers of the Patagonian Ice Fields are primarily sensitive to atmospheric temperature and also precipitation, thus former ice margins record the extent and timing of past climate changes. 38 10Be exposure ages from moraines show that outlet glaciers in Torres del Paine (51°S, south Patagonia, Chile) advanced during the time of the Antarctic cold reversal (ACR; ca. 14.6–12.8 ka), reaching a maximum extent by ∼14,200 ± 560 yr ago. The evidence here indicates that the South Patagonian Ice Field was responding to late glacial climate change distinctly earlier than the onset of the European Younger Dryas stadial (ca. 12.9 ka). Major glacier recession and deglaciation in the Torres del Paine region occurred by 12.5 ka and thus early in the Younger Dryas. We provide direct evidence for extensive ice in Patagonia at the very start of the ACR that agrees with atmospheric and marine records from the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. Atmospheric conditions responsible for the early late glacial expansion at Torres del Paine resulted from a climate reorganization that prompted a northern migration of the south westerly wind belt to the latitude of Torres del Paine at the onset of the ACR chronozone

SN 2003du: Signatures of the Circumstellar Environment in a Normal Type Ia Supernova?

We present observations of the Type Ia supernova 2003du and report the detectionof an unusual, high-velocity component in the Ca II infrared triplet, similar tofeatures previously observed in SN 2000cx and SN 2001el. This feature exhibits a large expansion velocity (~18,000 km/s) which is nearly constant between -7 and +2 days relative to maximum light, and disappears shortly thereafter. Otherthan this feature, the spectral evolution and light curve resemble those of a normal SN Ia. We find that the Ca II feature can plausibly be caused by a dense shell formed when circumstellar material of solar abundance is overrun by the rapidly expanding outermost layers of the SN ejecta. Model calculations show that the optical and infrared spectra are remarkably unaffected by the circumstellar interaction. In particular, no hydrogen lines are detectable in either absorption or emission. The only qualitatively different features are the strong, high-velocity feature in the Ca II IR-triplet, and a somewhat weaker O I feature near 7,300 AA. The morphology and time evolution of these features provide an estimate for the amount of accumulated matter and an indication of the mixing in the dense shell. We apply these diagnostic tools to SN 2003du and infer that about 2 x 10^{-2} M_sun of solar abundance material may have accumulated in a circumstellar shell prior to the observations. Furthermore, the early light curve data imply that the circumstellar material was originally very close to the progenitor system, perhaps from an accretion disk, Roche lobe or common envelope.Comment: 35 Pages, 11 Figures, to appear in ApJ. Resubmission includes expanded discussion & new figures to match with accepted journal versio

Prevalence of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA mutations related to adult mitochondrial disease.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of mitochondrial disease has proven difficult to establish, predominantly as a result of clinical and genetic heterogeneity. The phenotypic spectrum of mitochondrial disease has expanded significantly since the original reports that associated classic clinical syndromes with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) rearrangements and point mutations. The revolution in genetic technologies has allowed interrogation of the nuclear genome in a manner that has dramatically improved the diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders. We comprehensively assessed the prevalence of all forms of adult mitochondrial disease to include pathogenic mutations in both nuclear and mtDNA. METHODS: Adults with suspected mitochondrial disease in the North East of England were referred to a single neurology center from 1990 to 2014. For the midyear period of 2011, we evaluated the minimum prevalence of symptomatic nuclear DNA mutations and symptomatic and asymptomatic mtDNA mutations causing mitochondrial diseases. RESULTS: The minimum prevalence rate for mtDNA mutations was 1 in 5,000 (20 per 100,000), comparable with our previously published prevalence rates. In this population, nuclear mutations were responsible for clinically overt adult mitochondrial disease in 2.9 per 100,000 adults. INTERPRETATION: Combined, our data confirm that the total prevalence of adult mitochondrial disease, including pathogenic mutations of both the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes (≈1 in 4,300), is among the commonest adult forms of inherited neurological disorders. These figures hold important implications for the evaluation of interventions, provision of evidence-based health policies, and planning of future services

XMM-Newton Detection of the Rare FR II BAL Quasar FIRST J101614.3+520916

We have detected FIRST J101614.3+520916 with the XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory. FIRST J101614.3+520916, one of the most extreme radio-loud, broad absorption line (BAL) quasars so far discovered, is also a Fanaroff-Riley type II (FR II) radio source. We find that, compared to its estimated intrinsic X-ray flux, the observed X-rays are likely suppressed, and that the observed hardness ratio indicates significant soft X-ray photons. This is inconsistent with the simplest model, a normal quasar spectrum absorbed by a large neutral HI column density, which would primarily absorb the softer photons. More complex models, involving partial covering, an ionized absorber, ionized mirror reflection, or jet contributions need to be invoked to explain this source. The suppressed but soft X-ray emission in this radio-loud BAL quasar is consistent with the behavior displayed by other BAL quasars, both radio-loud and radio-quiet.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Accepted in AJ. (Typos corrected.

The SAMI Galaxy Survey: spatially resolving the main sequence of star formation

We present the ∼800 star formation rate maps for the Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral field spectrograph (SAMI) Galaxy Survey based on H α emission maps, corrected for dust attenuation via the Balmer decrement, that are included in the SAMI Public Data Release 1. We mask out spaxels contaminated by non-stellar emission using the [O III]/H β, [N II]/H α, [S II]/H α, and [O I]/H α line ratios. Using these maps, we examine the global and resolved star-forming main sequences of SAMI galaxies as a function of morphology, environmental density, and stellar mass. Galaxies further below the star-forming main sequence are more likely to have flatter star formation profiles. Early-type galaxies split into two populations with similar stellar masses and central stellar mass surface densities. The main-sequence population has centrally concentrated star formation similar to late-type galaxies, while galaxies >3σ below the main sequence show significantly reduced star formation most strikingly in the nuclear regions. The split populations support a two-step quenching mechanism, wherein halo mass first cuts off the gas supply and remaining gas continues to form stars until the local stellar mass surface density can stabilize the reduced remaining fuel against further star formation. Across all morphologies, galaxies in denser environments show a decreased specific star formation rate from the outside in, supporting an environmental cause for quenching, such as ram-pressure stripping or galaxy interactions.Support for A.M.M. is provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through Hubble Fellowship grant #HST-HF2-51377 awarded by the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract NAS5-26555. S.M.C. acknowledges the support of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT100100457). S.B. acknowledges funding support from the Australian Research Council through a Future Fellowship (FT140101166). B.C. is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT120100660). C.F. gratefully acknowledges funding provided by the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects (grants DP150104329 and DP170100603). M.S.O. acknowledges the funding support from the Australian Research Council through a Future Fellowship (FT140100255). R.Mc.D. is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (project number FT150100333). N.S. acknowledges support of a University of Sydney Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. J.v.d.S. is funded under Bland-Hawthorn’s Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellowship (FL140100278)

Effectiveness of a training-of-trainers model in a HIV counseling and testing program in the Caribbean Region

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>To evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of a voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) training program based on a training-of-trainers (TOT) model in the Caribbean Region, we gathered data on the percentage of participants trained as VCT providers who were providing VCT services, and those trained as VCT trainers who were conducting VCT training.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The VCT training program trained 3,489 providers in VCT clinical skills and 167 in VCT training skills within a defined timeframe. An information-monitoring system tracked HIV trainings conducted, along with information about course participants and trainers. Drawing from this database, a telephone survey followed up on program-trained VCT providers; an external evaluation analyzed data on VCT trainers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Almost 65% of trained VCT providers could be confirmed as currently providing VCT services. This percentage did not decrease significantly with time. Of the VCT trainers, 80% became certified as trainers by teaching at least one course; of these, 66% taught more than one course.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A TOT-based training program is an effective and sustainable method for rapid scale-up of VCT services and training capacity in a large-scale VCT program.</p