Distribution and Community Characteristics of Staging Shorebirds on the Northern Coast of Alaska

Avian studies conducted in the 1970s on Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) indicated that coastal littoral habitats are important to Arctic-breeding shorebirds for staging prior to fall migration. However, relatively little recent, broad-scale, or quantitative information exists on shorebird use of staging areas in this region. To locate possible shorebird concentration areas in the littoral zone of the ACP, we conducted aerial surveys from the southwest end of Kasegaluk Lagoon on the Chukchi Sea to Demarcation Point on the Beaufort Sea during the summers of 2005–07. These surveys identified persistent within- and between-year concentrations of staging shorebirds at Peard Bay, Point Barrow/Elson Lagoon, Cape Simpson, and Smith Bay to Cape Halkett. Among river deltas in the Beaufort Sea, the Sagavanirktok and Kongakut deltas had large concentrations of staging shorebirds. We also collected data on shorebird community characteristics, staging phenology, and habitat use in 2005 and 2006 by conducting land-based surveys at six camps: Kasegaluk Lagoon, Peard Bay, Point Barrow/Elson Lagoon, Colville Delta, Sagavanirktok Delta, and Okpilak Delta. The shorebird community was more even and diverse (evenness E and Shannon Weiner H’) along the Beaufort Sea compared to the Chukchi Sea and in 2005 versus 2006. Staging phenology varied by species and location and differed for several species from that reported in previous studies. Our results suggest the existence of three foraging habitat guilds among the shorebird species observed in this study: gravel beach, mudflat, and salt marsh/pond edge. A comparison to data collected in the mid-1970s suggests that these foraging associations are conserved through time. Results from this research will be useful to land managers for monitoring the effects of changing environmental conditions and human activity on shorebirds and their habitats in Arctic Alaska.Des études aviaires réalisées dans les années 1970 sur la plaine côtière de l’Arctique en Alaska ont permis de constater que les habitats du littoral côtier revêtent de l’importance pour les oiseaux de rivage nicheurs de l’Arctique en halte migratoire avant la migration d’automne. Cependant, relativement peu d’information récente, à grande échelle ou quantitative existe à propos de l’utilisation que font les oiseaux de rivage des haltes migratoires de cette région. Afin de localiser des zones de concentration possibles d’oiseaux de rivage dans la région littorale de la plaine côtière de l’Arctique, nous avons effectué des levés aériens du sud-ouest de la lagune Kasegaluk dans la mer des Tchouktches jusqu’à Demarcation Point dans la mer de Beaufort au cours des étés allant de 2005 à 2007. Ces levés ont permis de repérer des concentrations durables d’oiseaux de rivage en halte migratoire au cours d’une même année ainsi que d’une année à l’autre à la baie Peard, à pointe Barrow et à la lagune Elson, au cap Simpson de même que de la baie Smith jusqu’au cap Halkett. Parmi les deltas de rivières de la mer de Beaufort, les deltas Sagavanirktok et Kongakut comptaient de fortes concentrations d’oiseaux de rivage en halte migratoire. Nous avons également recueilli des données sur les caractéristiques des populations d’oiseaux de rivage, sur la phénologie des haltes migratoires de même que sur l’utilisation des habitats en 2005 et en 2006 au moyen de levés terrestres effectués à six camps, soit celui de la lagune Kasegaluk, de la baie Peard, de la pointe Barrow et de la lagune Elson, du delta Colville, du delta Sagavanirktok et du delta Okpilak. La population d’oiseaux de rivage était plus homogène et diverse (homogénéité E et Shannon Weiner H’) le long de la mer de Beaufort comparativement à la mer des Tchouktches, ainsi qu’en 2005 par rapport à 2006. La phénologie en halte migratoire variait selon les espèces et les emplacements, et différait pour plusieurs espèces de celles signalées dans le cadre d’études ultérieures. Nos résultats laissent croire à l’existence de trois guildes d’habitats de fourrage chez les espèces d’oiseaux de rivage observées dans cette étude : plage de gravier, vasière et marais salant ou bordure d’étang. La comparaison des données recueillies au milieu des années 1970 laisse entendre que ces associations de fourrage se sont conservées au fil du temps. Les résultats découlant de cette recherche seront utiles aux gestionnaires de terres dans le cadre de la surveillance des effets des conditions environnementales changeantes et de l’activité humaine sur les oiseaux de rivage et leurs habitats de l’Arctique alaskien

FcγRIII and FcγRIV are indispensable for acute glomerular inflammation induced by switch variant monoclonal antibodies

The relative ability of IgG subclasses to cause acute inflammation, and the roles of specific effector mechanisms in this process is not clear. We explored this in an in vivo model of glomerular inflammation in the mouse. TNP was planted on the glomerular basement membrane after conjugation to nephrotoxic antibody. The relative nephritogenicity of anti-TNP switch-variant monoclonal antibodies was then explored and shown to be IgG2a>IgG2b, with no disease caused by IgG1. Using knockout mice, we showed that FcγRIII was necessary for both neutrophil influx and glomerular damage induced by IgG2a and IgG2b. Surprisingly IgG1 did not cause disease although it binds to FcγRIII. Using blocking antibodies, we showed that this was explained by an additional requirement for FcγRIV which does not bind to IgG1. IgG2a or IgG2b induced neutrophil influx was not affected by deficiency of either FcγRI or C3. Bone marrow chimeras were constructed to test the effect of combined deficiency of FcγRI and C3, and there was no effect on IgG2a or IgG2b mediated neutrophil influx. However, IgG2b-induced albuminuria and thrombosis was reduced in C3 deficient mice, showing an additional role for complement in IgG2b-mediated glomerular damage. The results show that IgG2a and IgG2b are the pathogenic subclasses in acute neutrophil-mediated glomerular inflammation, with an indispensible role for both FcγRIII and FcγRIV. In addition complement contributes to IgG2b induced glomerular injury

Functional Brain Imaging Predicts Public Health Campaign Success

Mass media can powerfully affect health decision-making. Pre-testing through focus groups or surveys is a standard, though inconsistent, predictor of effectiveness. Converging evidence demonstrates that activity within brain systems associated with self-related processing can predict individual behavior in response to health messages. Preliminary evidence also suggests that neural activity in small groups can forecast population-level campaign outcomes. Less is known about the psychological processes that link neural activity and population-level outcomes, or how these predictions are affected by message content. We exposed 50 smokers to antismoking messages and used their aggregated neural activity within a ‘self-localizer’ defined region of medial prefrontal cortex to predict the success of the same campaign messages at the population level (n = 400 000 emails). Results demonstrate that: (i) independently localized neural activity during health message exposure complements existing self-report data in predicting population-level campaign responses (model combined R2 up to 0.65) and (ii) this relationship depends on message content—self-related neural processing predicts outcomes in response to strong negative arguments against smoking and not in response to compositionally similar neutral images. These data advance understanding of the psychological link between brain and large-scale behavior and may aid the construction of more effective media health campaigns

Intensity modulated proton arc therapy via geometry-based energy selection for ependymoma

We developed a novel method of creating intensity modulated proton arc therapy (IMPAT) plans that uses computing resources efficiently and may offer a dosimetric benefit for patients with ependymoma or similar tumor geometries. Our IMPAT planning method consists of a geometry-based energy selection step with major scanning spot contributions as inputs computed using ray-tracing and single-Gaussian approximation of lateral spot profiles. Based on the geometric relation of scanning spots and dose voxels, our energy selection module selects a minimum set of energy layers at each gantry angle such that each target voxel is covered by sufficient scanning spots as specified by the planner, with dose contributions above the specified threshold. Finally, IMPAT plans are generated by robustly optimizing scanning spots of the selected energy layers using a commercial proton treatment planning system. The IMPAT plan quality was assessed for four ependymoma patients. Reference three-field IMPT plans were created with similar planning objective functions and compared with the IMPAT plans. In all plans, the prescribed dose covered 95% of the clinical target volume (CTV) while maintaining similar maximum doses for the brainstem. While IMPAT and IMPT achieved comparable plan robustness, the IMPAT plans achieved better homogeneity and conformity than the IMPT plans. The IMPAT plans also exhibited higher relative biological effectiveness (RBE) enhancement than did the corresponding reference IMPT plans for the CTV in all four patients and brainstem in three of them. The proposed method demonstrated potential as an efficient technique for IMPAT planning and may offer a dosimetric benefit for patients with ependymoma or tumors in close proximity to critical organs. IMPAT plans created using this method had elevated RBE enhancement associated with increased linear energy transfer.Comment: 24 pages with 8 figures and 2 table

Seasonal carbohydrate dynamics and growth in Douglas-fir trees experiencing chronic, fungal-mediated reduction in functional leaf area

Stored non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) could play an important role in tree survival in the face of a changing climate and associated stress-related mortality. We explored the effects of the stomata-blocking and defoliating fungal disease called Swiss needle cast on Douglas-fir carbohydrate reserves and growth to evaluate the extent to which NSCs can be mobilized under natural conditions of low water stress and restricted carbon supply in relation to potential demands for growth. We analyzed the concentrations of starch, sucrose, glucose and fructose in foliage, twig wood and trunk sapwood of 15 co-occurring Douglas-fir trees expressing a gradient of Swiss needle cast symptom severity quantified as previous-year functional foliage mass. Growth (mean basal area increment, BAI) decreased by ~80% and trunk NSC concentration decreased by 60% with decreasing functional foliage mass. The ratio of relative changes in NSC concentration and BAI, an index of the relative priority of storage versus growth, more than doubled with increasing disease severity. In contrast, twig and foliage NSC concentrations remained nearly constant with decreasing functional foliage mass. These results suggest that under disease-induced reductions in carbon supply, Douglas-fir trees retain NSCs (either actively or due to sequestration) at the expense of trunk radial growth. The crown retains the highest concentrations of NSC, presumably to maintain foliage growth and shoot extension in the spring, partially compensating for rapid foliage loss in the summer and fall.Keywords: Non-structural carbohydrates, Swiss needle cast, Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii, Growth limitation, Pseudotsuga menziesiiKeywords: Non-structural carbohydrates, Swiss needle cast, Phaeocryptopus gaeumannii, Growth limitation, Pseudotsuga menziesi

Longitudinal strain is an independent predictor of survival and response to therapy in patients with systemic AL amyloidosis

AIMS: Cardiac involvement, a major determinant of prognosis in AL (light-chain immunoglobulin) amyloidosis, is characterized by an impairment of longitudinal strain (LS%). We sought to evaluate the utility of LS% in a prospectively observed series of patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 915 serial newly diagnosed AL patients with comprehensive baseline assessments, inclusive of echocardiography, were included. A total of 628/915 (68.6%) patients had cardiac involvement. The LS% worsened with advancing cardiac stage with mean −21.1%, −17.1%, −12.9%, and −12.1% for stages I, II, IIIa, and IIIb, respectively (P < 0.0001). There was a highly significant worsening of overall survival (OS) with worsening LS% quartile: LS% ≤−16.2%: 80 months, −16.1% to −12.2%: 36 [95% confidence interval (CI) 20.9–51.1] months, −12.1% to −9.1%: 22 (95% CI 9.1–34.9) months, and ≥−9.0%: 5 (95% CI 3.2–6.8) months (P < 0.0001). Improvement in LS% was seen at 12 months in patients achieving a haematological complete response (CR) (median improvement from −13.8% to −14.9% in those with CR and difference between involved and uninvolved light chain <10 mg/L). Strain improvement was associated with improved OS (median not reached at 53 months vs. 72 months in patients without strain improvement, P = 0.007). Patients achieving an LS% improvement and a standard N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide-based cardiac response survived longer than those achieving a biomarker-based cardiac response alone (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Baseline LS% is a functional marker that correlates with worsening cardiac involvement and is predictive of survival. Baseline LS% and an absolute improvement in LS% are useful additional measures of prognosis and response to therapy in cardiac AL amyloidosis, respectively

Interactivity and Reward-Related Neural Activation during a Serious Videogame

This study sought to determine whether playing a “serious” interactive digital game (IDG) – the Re-Mission videogame for cancer patients – activates mesolimbic neural circuits associated with incentive motivation, and if so, whether such effects stem from the participatory aspects of interactive gameplay, or from the complex sensory/perceptual engagement generated by its dynamic event-stream. Healthy undergraduates were randomized to groups in which they were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) as they either actively played Re-Mission or as they passively observed a gameplay audio-visual stream generated by a yoked active group subject. Onset of interactive game play robustly activated mesolimbic projection regions including the caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens, as well as a subregion of the parahippocampal gyrus. During interactive gameplay, subjects showed extended activation of the thalamus, anterior insula, putamen, and motor-related regions, accompanied by decreased activation in parietal and medial prefrontal cortex. Offset of interactive gameplay activated the anterior insula and anterior cingulate. Between-group comparisons of within-subject contrasts confirmed that mesolimbic activation was significantly more pronounced in the active playgroup than in the passive exposure control group. Individual difference analyses also found the magnitude of parahippocampal activation following gameplay onset to correlate with positive attitudes toward chemotherapy assessed both at the end of the scanning session and at an unannounced one-month follow-up. These findings suggest that IDG-induced activation of reward-related mesolimbic neural circuits stems primarily from participatory engagement in gameplay (interactivity), rather than from the effects of vivid and dynamic sensory stimulation

BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the Anthropocene.

MotivationThe BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community-led open-source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene.Main types of variables includedThe database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record.Spatial location and grainBioTIME is a global database of 547,161 unique sampling locations spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. Grain size varies across datasets from 0.0000000158 km2 (158 cm2) to 100 km2 (1,000,000,000,000 cm2).Time period and grainBioTIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimal temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is a year.Major taxa and level of measurementBioTIME includes data from 44,440 species across the plant and animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates.Software format.csv and .SQL

Impacts of dwarf mistletoe on the physiology of host Tsuga heterophylla trees as recorded in tree-ring C and O stable isotopes

See article for Abstract. Keywords: mesophyll conductance, effective path lengt

Small-Bodied Humans from Palau, Micronesia

UNLABELLED: Newly discovered fossil assemblages of small bodied Homo sapiens from Palau, Micronesia possess characters thought to be taxonomically primitive for the genus Homo. BACKGROUND: Recent surface collection and test excavation in limestone caves in the rock islands of Palau, Micronesia, has produced a sizeable sample of human skeletal remains dating roughly between 940-2890 cal ybp. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: Preliminary analysis indicates that this material is important for two reasons. First, individuals from the older time horizons are small in body size even relative to "pygmoid" populations from Southeast Asia and Indonesia, and thus may represent a marked case of human insular dwarfism. Second, while possessing a number of derived features that align them with Homo sapiens, the human remains from Palau also exhibit several skeletal traits that are considered to be primitive for the genus Homo. SIGNIFICANCE: These features may be previously unrecognized developmental correlates of small body size and, if so, they may have important implications for interpreting the taxonomic affinities of fossil specimens of Homo