The amphibians and reptiles of the Altamaha River, Georgia

Field surveys of 59 sites conducted in 1999–2012 and a review of existing museum specimens documented 29 species of amphibians (13 salamanders, 16 anurans) and 36 species of reptiles (1 crocodilian, 5 lizards, 19 snakes, 11 turtles) from the Altamaha River, Georgia and lowland habitats within its associated floodplain. Field sampling methods including visual encounter surveys, dipnetting, frog call surveys, and binocular/canoe/swim surveys for turtles. All were conducted in several distinct habitat types: The river mainstem, the river floodplain (which includes bottom-land hardwood forest, alluvial swamps, and oxbow lakes), and perennial seepages associated with north-facing bluffs. Biogeographically, the Altamaha River is a notable influence on the distributions of many amphibians and reptiles. Pitvipers are mostly absent in floodplain habitats along the river; the absence of what is generally perceived as a common semi-aquatic viper (Cotttonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus) from floodplain wetlands along much of the Altamaha River is intriguing and merits further study. Continued investigations and regular monitoring of reptilian and amphibian populations along the Altamaha River, a remarkable Coastal Plain stream and a wilderness waterway par excellence, are warranted

Prey Records for the Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi)

Prey items for the federally protected Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) were compiled from published and gray literature, field observations, necropsies, dissection of museum specimens, and personal communications from reliable sources. One hundred and eighty-six records were obtained for 48 different prey species. Anurans, Gopher Tortoises, snakes, and rodents comprised ca. 85% of the prey items. Most records (n = 143) that mentioned size were from adult indigos; 17 were from juveniles. Prey records were collected from 1940-2008 and were available for all months of the year. These data confirm that Eastern Indigo Snakes eat a wide assortment of prey of varying sizes. This strategy allows D. couperi to potentially forage successfully in many different types of habitats and under fluctuating environmental conditions, a valuable trait for a top-level predator that requires a large home range

Decomposition and nutrient release of leguminous plants in coffee agroforestry systems.

Leguminous plants used as green manure are an important nutrient source for coffee plantations, especially for soils with low nutrient levels. Field experiments were conducted in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais State, Brazil to evaluate the decomposition and nutrient release rates of four leguminous species used as green manures (Arachis pintoi, Calopogonium mucunoides, Stizolobium aterrimum and Stylosanthes guianensis) in a coffee agroforestry system under two different climate conditions. The initial N contents in plant residues varied from 25.7 to 37.0 g kg-1 and P from 2.4 to 3.0 g kg-1. The lignin/N, lignin/polyphenol and(lignin+polyphenol)/N ratios were low in all residues studied. Mass loss rates were highest in the first 15 days, when 25 % of the residues were decomposed. From 15 to 30 days, the decomposition rate decreased on both farms. On the farm in Pedra Dourada (PD), the decomposition constant k increased in the order C. mucunoides < S. aterrimum < S. guianensis < A. pintoi. On the farm in Araponga (ARA), there was no difference in the decomposition rate among leguminous plants. The N release rates varied from 0.0036 to 0.0096 d-1. Around 32 % of the total N content in the plant material was released in the first 15 days. In ARA, the N concentration in the S. aterrimum residues was always significantly higher than in the other residues. At the end of 360 days, the N released was 78 % in ARA and 89 % in PD of the initial content. Phosphorus was the most rapidly released nutrient (k values from 0.0165 to 0.0394 d-1). Residue decomposition and nutrient release did not correlate with initial residue chemistry and biochemistry, but differences in climatic conditions between the two study sites modified the decomposition rate constants

Epidemiology of heart failure in a community-based study of subjects aged &gt;= 57 years:Incidence and long-term survival

Background: Survival data from hospital-based or clinical trial studies of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) do not represent survival in community-based settings. Aims: To determine the incidence of CHF and the associated long-term Survival in a community-based sample aged >= 57 years and to assess the mortality risk associated with sex and age. Methods: This study was part of the Groningen Longitudinal Aging Study. Results: Annual incidence of CHF per 1000 ranged from 2.5 in middle aged adults (57-60 years) up to 22.4 in older females (>= 80 years) and 28.2 in older males (>= 80 years). The 1, 2, 5 and 7-year survival rates were 74%, 65%, 45%, 32% for patients with CHF, compared to 97%, 94%, 80% and 70% in a matched reference group without CHF. Higher age (>= 76 years) was a risk factor for mortality (OR=2.1) and male sex was a risk Factor in those aged Conclusion: Long-term survival rates for patients with CHF in the community were worse than the known survival rates front clinical trials. There is a need for Studies describing the care of patients with CHF in the community, including the type of care, the provider, the quality of care and the outcome. (c) 2005 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements