Field Test of Two Energetic Models for Yellow Perch

Field data from a population of yellow perch Perca flavescens in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, were used to evaluate the ability of two energetic models to predict consumption by yellow perch. Field estimates of daily ration for age‐1–4 fish during May through October 1987 and 1988 were compared with independent predictions made by the Wisconsin energetic model and an energetic model developed by Karås and Thoresson. Predictions of daily ration using the Wisconsin model were lower than daily rations estimated from field data for all ages, primarily due to poor model–field agreement at temperatures above 22°C. This caused estimates of cumulative consumption from the Wisconsin model to be 25–50% lower than field estimates. Predictions of daily ration by the Karås–Thoresson model agreed with field estimates over a temperature range of 10–26°C for age‐1–3 yellow perch but not for older fish. Despite improvement, model predictions of cumulative consumption were 2–35% lower than field estimates. Although these tests of predicted and estimated rations may provide insight into which model produced more accurate results, it must be emphasized that field measures of daily ration are also estimates and may be in error, particularly at temperatures above 22°C where gastric evacuation rates were estimated. The Karås–Thoresson modification of the Wisconsin energetic model produced better fits to field ration data and is recommended for model applications.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142095/1/tafs0414.pd

Angler‐Caught Piscivore Diets Reflect Fish Community Changes in Lake Huron

Examination of angler‐caught piscivore stomachs revealed that Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush, Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, and Walleyes Sander vitreus altered their diets in response to unprecedented declines in Lake Huron’s main‐basin prey fish community. Diets varied by predator species, season, and location but were nearly always dominated numerically by some combination of Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax, Emerald Shiner Notropis atherinoides, Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus, or terrestrial insects. Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (steelhead), Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch, and Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar had varied diets that reflected higher contributions of insects. Compared with an earlier (1983–1986) examination of angler‐caught predator fishes from Lake Huron, the contemporary results showed an increase in consumption of nontraditional prey (including conspecifics), use of smaller prey, and an increase in insects in the diet, suggesting that piscivores were faced with chronic prey limitation during this study. The management of all piscivores in Lake Huron will likely require consideration of the pervasive effects of changes in food webs, especially if prey fish remain at low levels.Received December 19, 2013; accepted June 30, 2014Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141251/1/tafs1419.pd

Classification Tree Models for Predicting Distributions of Michigan Stream Fish from Landscape Variables

Traditionally, fish habitat requirements have been described from local‐scale environmental variables. However, recent studies have shown that studying landscape‐scale processes improves our understanding of what drives species assemblages and distribution patterns across the landscape. Our goal was to learn more about constraints on the distribution of Michigan stream fish by examining landscape‐scale habitat variables. We used classification trees and landscape‐scale habitat variables to create and validate presence‐absence models and relative abundance models for Michigan stream fishes. We developed 93 presence‐absence models that on average were 72% correct in making predictions for an independent data set, and we developed 46 relative abundance models that were 76% correct in making predictions for independent data. The models were used to create statewide predictive distribution and abundance maps that have the potential to be used for a variety of conservation and scientific purposes.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141481/1/tafs0976.pd

Genomic and clinical characterization of stromal infiltration markers in prostate cancer

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154519/1/cncr32688_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154519/2/cncr32688.pd

Reviews and syntheses: The promise of big diverse soil data, moving current practices towards future potential

In the age of big data, soil data are more available and richer than ever, but – outside of a few large soil survey resources – they remain largely unusable for informing soil management and understanding Earth system processes beyond the original study. Data science has promised a fully reusable research pipeline where data from past studies are used to contextualize new findings and reanalyzed for new insight. Yet synthesis projects encounter challenges at all steps of the data reuse pipeline, including unavailable data, labor-intensive transcription of datasets, incomplete metadata, and a lack of communication between collaborators. Here, using insights from a diversity of soil, data, and climate scientists, we summarize current practices in soil data synthesis across all stages of database creation: availability, input, harmonization, curation, and publication. We then suggest new soil-focused semantic tools to improve existing data pipelines, such as ontologies, vocabulary lists, and community practices. Our goal is to provide the soil data community with an overview of current practices in soil data and where we need to go to fully leverage big data to solve soil problems in the next century

Protocol of a Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial Assessing Transperineal Prostate Biopsy to Reduce Infectiouscomplications

Introduction Approximately one million prostate biopsies are performed annually in the USA, and most are performed using a transrectal approach under local anaesthesia. The risk of postbiopsy infection is increasing due to increasing antibiotic resistance of rectal flora. Single-centre studies suggest that a clean, percutaneous transperineal approach to prostate biopsy may have a lower risk of infection. To date, there is no high-level evidence comparing transperineal versus transrectal prostate biopsy. We hypothesise that transperineal versus transrectal prostate biopsy under local anaesthesia has a significantly lower risk of infection, similar pain/discomfort levels and comparable detection of non-low-grade prostate cancer. Methods and analysis We will perform a multicentre, prospective randomised clinical trial to compare transperineal versus transrectal prostate biopsy for elevated prostate-specific antigen in the first biopsy, prior negative biopsy and active surveillance biopsy setting. Prostate MRI will be performed prior to biopsy, and targeted biopsy will be conducted for suspicious MRI lesions in addition to systematic biopsy (12 cores). Approximately 1700 men will be recruited and randomised in a 1:1 ratio to transperineal versus transrectal biopsy. A streamlined design to collect data and to determine trial eligibility along with the two-stage consent process will be used to facilitate subject recruitment and retention. The primary outcome is postbiopsy infection, and secondary outcomes include other adverse events (bleeding, urinary retention), pain/ discomfort/anxiety and critically, detection of non-low-grade (grade group ≥2) prostate cancer. Ethics and dissemination The Institutional Review Board of the Biomedical Research Alliance of New York approved the research protocol (protocol number #18-02-365, approved 20 April 2020). The results of the trial will be presented at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed medical journals. Trial registration number NCT04815876

New genetic loci implicated in fasting glucose homeostasis and their impact on type 2 diabetes risk.

Levels of circulating glucose are tightly regulated. To identify new loci influencing glycemic traits, we performed meta-analyses of 21 genome-wide association studies informative for fasting glucose, fasting insulin and indices of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in up to 46,186 nondiabetic participants. Follow-up of 25 loci in up to 76,558 additional subjects identified 16 loci associated with fasting glucose and HOMA-B and two loci associated with fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. These include nine loci newly associated with fasting glucose (in or near ADCY5, MADD, ADRA2A, CRY2, FADS1, GLIS3, SLC2A2, PROX1 and C2CD4B) and one influencing fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (near IGF1). We also demonstrated association of ADCY5, PROX1, GCK, GCKR and DGKB-TMEM195 with type 2 diabetes. Within these loci, likely biological candidate genes influence signal transduction, cell proliferation, development, glucose-sensing and circadian regulation. Our results demonstrate that genetic studies of glycemic traits can identify type 2 diabetes risk loci, as well as loci containing gene variants that are associated with a modest elevation in glucose levels but are not associated with overt diabetes

Clinical Trials and Medical Care: Defining the Therapeutic Misconception

A key component of informed consent to participate in medical research includes understanding that research is not the same as treatment

M cell-depletion blocks oral prion disease pathogenesis

Many prion diseases are orally acquired. Our data show that after oral exposure, early prion replication upon follicular dendritic cells (FDC) in Peyer's patches is obligatory for the efficient spread of disease to the brain (termed neuroinvasion). For prions to replicate on FDC within Peyer's patches after ingestion of a contaminated meal, they must first cross the gut epithelium. However, the mechanism through which prions are conveyed into Peyer's patches is uncertain. Within the follicle-associated epithelium overlying Peyer's patches are microfold cells (M cells), unique epithelial cells specialized for the transcytosis of particles. We show that following M cell-depletion, early prion accumulation upon FDC in Peyer's patches is blocked. Furthermore, in the absence of M cells at the time of oral exposure, neuroinvasion and disease development are likewise blocked. These data suggest M cells are important sites of prion uptake from the gut lumen into Peyer's patches