Early life ecology of sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, are commonly taken by the recreational and commercial fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and larvae are frequently reported in the region, indicating the Gulf's potential role as spawning and/or nursery ground of sailfish. Five ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in shelf and slope waters of the northern Gulf during the summers of 2005 (May, July, September) and 2006 (June, August). Surveys were conducted off the Texas and Louisiana coasts from 27 - 28N and 88 - 94W. During the two year study, 2,426 sailfish larvae were collected, ranging in size from 2.0 - 24.3 mm standard length (SL). Sailfish larvae were collected in 45.0% of collections with a peak density ranging of 51.5 larvae per 1000 m-2 of water sampled, and the highest larval abundances were observed within frontal features of the Loop Current. Sagittal otoliths were extracted from 1,236 larvae, and otolith microstructure analysis indicated sailfish ranged in age from 5 - 25 days post-hatch. Hatch-date distributions indicated fish were from early May to mid September spawning and/or hatching events. Instantaneous growth coefficients (g) ranged from 0.113 to 0.127 with intra- and inter-annual variations in growth observed. Growth coefficients correspond to a 10.7 - 11.9% increase in length per day. Instantaneous daily mortality rates (Z) were estimated from regressions of the decline in loge-transformed abundance on age and ranged from 20.4% to 29.2% per day suggesting large losses during the early life interval. Instantaneous weight-specific growth coefficients (G) ranged from 41.5% to 45.9% per day and were indexed to daily mortality to assess intra- and inter-annual variation in recruitment potential. Recruitment indices > 1.0 were observed during all surveys, suggesting cohort biomass was increasing and that conditions were favorable for growth, survival and recruitment. The results of this study indicate that the northern Gulf represents viable spawning and nursery habitat of sailfish and the sustainability of Atlantic sailfish populations may be linked to spawning in the Gulf

Distribution, growth, and mortality of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) larvae in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in shelf and slope waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico during the months of May–September in 2005 and 2006 to investigate the potential role of this region as spawning and nursery habitat of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus). During the two-year study, 2426 sailfish larvae were collected, ranging in size from 2.0 to 24.3 mm standard length. Mean density for all neuston net collections (n=288) combined was 1.5 sailfish per 1000 m2, and maximum density was observed within frontal features created by hydrodynamic convergence (2.3 sailfish per 1000 m2). Sagittal otoliths were extracted from 1330 larvae, and otolith microstructure analysis indicated that the sailfish ranged in age from 4 to 24 days after hatching (mean=10.5 d, standard deviation [SD]=3.2 d). Instantaneous growth coefficients (g) among survey periods (n=5) ranged from 0.113 to 0.127, and growth peaked during July 2005 collections when density within frontal features was highest. Daily instantaneous mortality rates (Z) ranged from 0.228 to 0.381, and Z was indexed to instantaneous weight-specific growth (G) to assess stage-specific production potential of larval cohorts. Ratios of G to Z were greater than 1.0 for all but one cohort examined, indicating that cohorts were gaining biomass during the majority of months investigated. Stage-specific production potential, in combination with catch rates and densities of larvae, indicates that the Gulf of Mexico likely represents important spawning and nursery habitat for sailfish

Reconstruction of ice-sheet changes in the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum

This paper compiles and reviews marine and terrestrial data constraining the dimensions and configuration of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) through deglaciation to the present day. These data are used to reconstruct grounding-line retreat in 5ka time-steps from 25kaBP to present. Glacial landforms and subglacial tills on the eastern and western Antarctic Peninsula (AP) shelf indicate that the APIS was grounded to the outer shelf/shelf edge at the LGM and contained a series of fast-flowing ice streams that drained along cross-shelf bathymetric troughs. The ice sheet was grounded at the shelf edge until ~20calkaBP. Chronological control on retreat is provided by radiocarbon dates on glacimarine sediments from the shelf troughs and on lacustrine and terrestrial organic remains, as well as cosmogenic nuclide dates on erratics and ice moulded bedrock. Retreat in the east was underway by about 18calkaBP. The earliest dates on recession in the west are from Bransfield Basin where recession was underway by 17.5calkaBP. Ice streams were active during deglaciation at least until the ice sheet had pulled back to the mid-shelf. The timing of initial retreat decreased progressively southwards along the western AP shelf; the large ice stream in Marguerite Trough may have remained grounded at the shelf edge until about 14calkaBP, although terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide ages indicate that thinning had commenced by 18kaBP. Between 15 and 10calkaBP the APIS underwent significant recession along the western AP margin, although retreat between individual troughs was asynchronous. Ice in Marguerite Trough may have still been grounded on the mid-shelf at 10calkaBP. In the Larsen-A region the transition from grounded to floating ice was established by 10.7-10.6calkaBP. The APIS had retreated towards its present configuration in the western AP by the mid-Holocene but on the eastern peninsula may have approached its present configuration several thousand years earlier, by the start of the Holocene. Mid to late-Holocene retreat was diachronous with stillstands, re-advances and changes in ice-shelf configuration being recorded in most places. Subglacial topography exerted a major control on grounding-line retreat with grounding-zone wedges, and thus by inference slow-downs or stillstands in the retreat of the grounding line, occurring in some cases on reverse bed slopes

Impact of oral cyclophosphamide on health-related quality of life in patients with active scleroderma lung disease: Results from the scleroderma lung study

Objective To assess the impact of cyclophosphamide (CYC) on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with scleroderma after 12 months of treatment. Methods One hundred fifty-eight subjects participated in the Scleroderma Lung Study, with 79 each randomized to CYC and placebo arms. The study evaluated the results of 3 measures of health status: the Short Form 36 (SF-36), the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index (DI), and Mahler's dyspnea index, and the results of 1 preference-based measure, the SF-6D. The differences in the HRQOL between the 2 groups at 12 months were calculated using a linear mixed model. Responsiveness was evaluated using the effect size. The proportion of subjects in each treatment group whose scores improved at least as much as or more than the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in HRQOL measures was assessed. Results After adjustment for baseline scores, differences in the HAQ DI, SF-36 role physical, general health, vitality, role emotional, mental health scales, and SF-36 mental component summary (MCS) score were statistically significant for CYC versus placebo ( P < 0.05). Effect sizes were negligible (<0.20) for all of the scales of the SF-36, HAQ DI, and SF-6D at 12 months. In contrast, a higher proportion of patients who received CYC achieved the MCID compared with placebo in the HAQ DI score (30.9% versus 14.8%), transitional dyspnea index score (46.4% versus 12.7%), SF-36 MCS score (33.3% versus 18.5%), and SF-6D score (21.3% versus 3.8%). Conclusion One year of treatment with CYC leads to an improvement in HRQOL in patients with scleroderma lung disease.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56039/1/22580_ftp.pd

The Neurokinin 1 Receptor Antagonist, Ezlopitant, Reduces Appetitive Responding for Sucrose and Ethanol

Abstract Background: The current obesity epidemic is thought to be partly driven by over-consumption of sugar-sweetened diets and soft drinks. Loss-of-control over eating and addiction to drugs of abuse share overlapping brain mechanisms including changes in motivational drive, such that stimuli that are often no longer ‘liked’ are still intensely ‘wanted’ [7,8]. The neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor system has been implicated in both learned appetitive behaviors and addiction to alcohol and opioids; however, its role in natural reward seeking remains unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: We sought to determine whether the NK1-receptor system plays a role in the reinforcing properties of sucrose using a novel selective and clinically safe NK1-receptor antagonist, ezlopitant (CJ-11,974), in three animal models of sucrose consumption and seeking. Furthermore, we compared the effect of ezlopitant on ethanol consumption and seeking in rodents. The NK1-receptor antagonist, ezlopitant decreased appetitive responding for sucrose more potently than for ethanol using an operant self-administration protocol without affecting general locomotor activity. To further evaluate the selectivity of the NK1-receptor antagonist in decreasing consumption of sweetened solutions, we compared the effects of ezlopitant on water, saccharin-, and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution consumption. Ezlopitant decreased intake of saccharin but had no effect on water or salty solution consumption. Conclusions/Significance: The present study indicates that the NK1-receptor may be a part of a common pathway regulating the self-administration, motivational and reinforcing aspects of sweetened solutions, regardless of caloric value, and those of substances of abuse. Additionally, these results indicate that the NK1-receptor system may serve as a therapeutic target for obesity induced by over-consumption of natural reinforcers

Identifying Determinants of Cullin Binding Specificity Among the Three Functionally Different Drosophila melanogaster Roc Proteins via Domain Swapping

BACKGROUND: Cullin-dependent E3 ubiquitin ligases (CDL) are key regulators of protein destruction that participate in a wide range of cell biological processes. The Roc subunit of CDL contains an evolutionarily conserved RING domain that binds ubiquitin charged E2 and is essential for ubiquitylation. Drosophila melanogaster contains three highly related Roc proteins: Roc1a and Roc2, which are conserved in vertebrates, and Roc1b, which is specific to Drosophila. Our previous genetic data analyzing Roc1a and Roc1b mutants suggested that Roc proteins are functionally distinct, but the molecular basis for this distinction is not known. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using co-immunoprecipitation studies we show that Drosophila Roc proteins bind specific Cullins: Roc1a binds Cul1-4, Roc1b binds Cul3, and Roc2 binds Cul5. Through domain swapping experiments, we demonstrate that Cullin binding specificity is strongly influenced by the Roc NH(2)-terminal domain, which forms an inter-molecular beta sheet with the Cullin. Substitution of the Roc1a RING domain with that of Roc1b results in a protein with similar Cullin binding properties to Roc1a that is active as an E3 ligase but cannot complement Roc1a mutant lethality, indicating that the identity of the RING domain can be an important determinant of CDL function. In contrast, the converse chimeric protein with a substitution of the Roc1b RING domain with that of Roc1a can rescue the male sterility of Roc1b mutants, but only when expressed from the endogenous Roc1b promoter. We also identified mutations of Roc2 and Cul5 and show that they cause no overt developmental phenotype, consistent with our finding that Roc2 and Cul5 proteins are exclusive binding partners, which others have observed in human cells as well. CONCLUSIONS: The Drosophila Roc proteins are highly similar, but have diverged during evolution to bind a distinct set of Cullins and to utilize RING domains that have overlapping, but not identical, function in vivo

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies five new susceptibility loci for cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Thirteen common susceptibility loci have been reproducibly associated with cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). We report the results of an international 2-stage meta-analysis of CMM genome-wide association studies (GWAS). This meta-analysis combines 11 GWAS (5 previously unpublished) and a further three stage 2 data sets, totaling 15,990 CMM cases and 26,409 controls. Five loci not previously associated with CMM risk reached genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10(-8)), as did 2 previously reported but unreplicated loci and all 13 established loci. Newly associated SNPs fall within putative melanocyte regulatory elements, and bioinformatic and expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data highlight candidate genes in the associated regions, including one involved in telomere biology.[Please see the Supplementary Note for acknowledgments.]This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from NPG via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.337

Revised Lithostratigraphy of the Sonsela Member (Chinle Formation, Upper Triassic) in the Southern Part of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

BACKGROUND: Recent revisions to the Sonsela Member of the Chinle Formation in Petrified Forest National Park have presented a three-part lithostratigraphic model based on unconventional correlations of sandstone beds. As a vertebrate faunal transition is recorded within this stratigraphic interval, these correlations, and the purported existence of a depositional hiatus (the Tr-4 unconformity) at about the same level, must be carefully re-examined. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our investigations demonstrate the neglected necessity of walking out contacts and mapping when constructing lithostratigraphic models, and providing UTM coordinates and labeled photographs for all measured sections. We correct correlation errors within the Sonsela Member, demonstrate that there are multiple Flattops One sandstones, all of which are higher than the traditional Sonsela sandstone bed, that the Sonsela sandstone bed and Rainbow Forest Bed are equivalent, that the Rainbow Forest Bed is higher than the sandstones at the base of Blue Mesa and Agate Mesa, that strata formerly assigned to the Jim Camp Wash beds occur at two stratigraphic levels, and that there are multiple persistent silcrete horizons within the Sonsela Member. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We present a revised five-part model for the Sonsela Member. The units from lowest to highest are: the Camp Butte beds, Lot's Wife beds, Jasper Forest bed (the Sonsela sandstone)/Rainbow Forest Bed, Jim Camp Wash beds, and Martha's Butte beds (including the Flattops One sandstones). Although there are numerous degradational/aggradational cycles within the Chinle Formation, a single unconformable horizon within or at the base of the Sonsela Member that can be traced across the entire western United States (the "Tr-4 unconformity") probably does not exist. The shift from relatively humid and poorly-drained to arid and well-drained climatic conditions began during deposition of the Sonsela Member (low in the Jim Camp Wash beds), well after the Carnian-Norian transition

A community-based geological reconstruction of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum

A robust understanding of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglacial history since the Last Glacial Maximum is important in order to constrain ice sheet and glacial-isostatic adjustment models, and to explore the forcing mechanisms responsible for ice sheet retreat. Such understanding can be derived from a broad range of geological and glaciological datasets and recent decades have seen an upsurge in such data gathering around the continent and Sub-Antarctic islands. Here, we report a new synthesis of those datasets, based on an accompanying series of reviews of the geological data, organised by sector. We present a series of timeslice maps for 20ka, 15ka, 10ka and 5ka, including grounding line position and ice sheet thickness changes, along with a clear assessment of levels of confidence. The reconstruction shows that the Antarctic Ice sheet did not everywhere reach the continental shelf edge at its maximum, that initial retreat was asynchronous, and that the spatial pattern of deglaciation was highly variable, particularly on the inner shelf. The deglacial reconstruction is consistent with a moderate overall excess ice volume and with a relatively small Antarctic contribution to meltwater pulse 1a. We discuss key areas of uncertainty both around the continent and by time interval, and we highlight potential priorit. © 2014 The Authors