Metapopulation Genomics of American Goshawks in the Intermountain West

Understanding a species dispersal ecology and population dynamics is essential to effectively manage and conserve a species. As advancing technology improves our knowledge of species movements, it is becoming clear that many species form metapopulations to some extent. A metapopulation is a network of interconnected subpopulations that exchange reproductive individuals with subpopulations occupying nearby patches. Metapopulations have been observed in a variety of species, ranging from plants to vertebrates, and can vary greatly in their dynamics (level of connectivity and gene flow) based on the species behavior and life history strategy. Forming a metapopulation can add much resilience to the subpopulation. A steady inflow of new individuals can protect the subpopulation from inbreeding depression and adds more standing variation for natural selection to work on. However, as the metapopulation breaks down and patches become isolated, that resilience is quickly lost. Habitat fragmentation due to anthropogenic changes poses a significant danger to metapopulations. Understanding these metapopulation dynamics is of key importance to formulating effective and efficient conservation and management plans. Information such as where, when, and how these species are dispersing can tell us how to best preserve these paths and maintain the metapopulation structure. One species that forms a highly extensive metapopulation, is the American goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus). In this study we evaluated the metapopulation genomics of American goshawks in the Intermountain West by investigating the genetic diversity and differentiation, as well as gene flow and connectivity, of four subpopulations. The goshawk metapopulation is connected mainly through the natal dispersal of juveniles. Natal dispersal has been and continues to be very hard to track due the technological limitations. Here we show that genomics can offer an alternative when species cannot be easily tracked. While specific dispersal routes cannot be elucidated, we were able to discover the level and direction of gene flow between subpopulations, giving a rough idea of where and how far individuals were dispersing. We found little to no differentiation and very high gene flow between these subpopulations despite the hundreds of kilometers between them. There was no geographic structuring shown both by an isolation by distance test and a correlation test between geographic distances and the estimated number of migrants exchanged. This information is vital to understanding the species movements and ecology in order to create an effective management plan

Investigation of lunar surface chemical contamination by LEM descent engine and associated equipment Final report

Lunar surface contamination from LEM rocket exhaust - methods of minimizing sample contaminatio

Further definition of lipid lipoprotein abnormalities in children with various degrees of chronic renal insufficiency

We characterized the lipo-protein abnormalities encountered in a series of 45 nonnephrotic uremic children with various degrees of chronic renal insufficiency. A mild hypertriglyceridemia associated with decreased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels was confirmed. The correlation between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and creatinine clearance showed a power behavior with a marked decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol below a creatinine clearance value of 40ml/min/1.73 m2. A number of uremic children accumulate an abnormal population of very low-density lipoprotein particles in their plasma. On agarose gel electrophoresis these particles migrate as a slow moving pre-\u3b2 band and are clearly distinguished from the regular fast moving pre-\u3b2 very low-density lipoprotein band. This electrophoretic phenomenon has been called double pre-\u3b2 lipoproteinoproteinemia. The prevalence of double pre-\u3b2 lipoproteinemia increased significantly with the degree of impairment of renal function, reaching highest figures in patients on hemodialysis. Accordingly, the very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/triglyceride ratio also was significantly increased. The double pre-\u3b2 lipoproteinemia phenomenon was not detected in any of the control, nonuremic subjects. The clinical importance of double pre-\u3b2 lipoproteinemia in uremic plasma is related to its possible atherogenic role

Prospective study of the burden of acute gastroenteritis and rotavirus gastroenteritis in children less than 5 years of age, in Padova, Italy

BACKGROUND: Data on the burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis in Europe are needed to help understand the potential impact of introducing new rotavirus vaccines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of prospective observational study (Rotavirus gastroenteritis Epidemiology and Viral types in Europe Accounting for Losses in Public Health and Society Study, REVEAL) conducted in 2004--2005 in seven European countries, we studied, the characteristics of acute gastroenteritis and rotavirus gastroenteritis in children less than 5 years in primary care, emergency room and hospital settings (Padova, Italy). RESULTS: A total of 757 children with acute gastroenteritis were included and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) results were available for 725 cases. The overall estimated annual incidence for rotavirus gastroenteritis was 4.7%. Overall, rotavirus gastroenteritis was estimated to account for 43.6% of acute gastroenteritis cases. Among children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) aged 6-23 months, 61.2% were rotavirus positive. Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) was responsible for 68.8% of hospitalizations, 61% of emergency consultations, and 33% of primary care consultations. The most prevalent serotype was G9 (84.4%) followed by G1 (11.8%). The relative risk for rotavirus gastroenteritis of being referred to hospital after an initial consultation in primary care was 3.37 (95% CI: 1.77-6.43) and 3.38 (95% CI: 2.28-5.01) for emergency room referral. Children with rotavirus gastroenteritis generally had more severe disease than children with rotavirus-negative gastroenteritis. CONCLUSION: Rotavirus accounts for a significant proportion of acute gastroenteritis cases in children less than 5 years in Italy, many of whom require frequent primary care consultations, or care in emergency room or hospital settings

Costs of pediatric community-acquired rotavirus gastroenteritis in Italy (Padua county). [Costi della gastroenterite da rotavirus acquisita in comunit\ue0 in et\ue0 pediatrica a Padova in Italia]

Background: Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) has a major impact in terms of morbidity in Italy. Comprehensive data on the economic impact are needed in order to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a Rotavirus (RV) vaccination program. Methods: As part of a prospective observational study (REVEAL) conducted in 2004-2005 in seven European countries, we calculated the average costs per case with confirmed RVGE in primary care (PC), emergency room (ER), and hospital (H) settings, from both the national health care service and societal perspectives. Results: A total of 336 children <5 years with RVGE were included in the cost analysis. The total societal cost per child was \u20ac 292 in PC, \u20ac 600 in ER, and \u20ac 1,901 in the H setting. Overall total cost of community-acquired RVGE in the Veneto Region was estimated to be around 7 million \u20ac. Extrapolating the observed data to the whole Italian country, the total cost was estimated between 67.1-80 million \u20ac according to the estimates used. About 61% of the total costs were direct non-medical and indirect costs, mostly related to loss of productivity due to work days lost by parents and other caregivers. Conclusions: RVGE in Italy causes considerable costs in all healthcare settings for the national health care payer and families. An effective childhood vaccination program would have considerable direct and indirect benefits for the Italian society. \ua9 2007 Adis Data Information B