Energy measurement of prompt fission neutrons in 239Pu(n,f) for incident neutron energies from 1 to 200 MeV

Prompt fission neutron spectra in the neutron-induced fission of 239Pu have been measured for incident neutron energies from 1 to 200 MeV at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. Preliminary results are discussed and compared to theoretical model calculation

Optimal Conservation of Migratory Species

Background. Migratory animals comprise a significant portion of biodiversity worldwide with annual investment for their conservation exceeding several billion dollars. Designing effective conservation plans presents enormous challenges. Migratory species are influenced by multiple events across land and sea-regions that are often separated by thousands of kilometres and span international borders. To date, conservation strategies for migratory species fail to take into account how migratory animals are spatially connected between different periods of the annual cycle (i.e. migratory connectivity) bringing into question the utility and efficiency of current conservation efforts. Methodology/Principal Findings. Here, we report the first framework for determining an optimal conservation strategy for a migratory species. Employing a decision theoretic approach using dynamic optimization, we address the problem of how to allocate resources for habitat conservation for a Neotropical-Nearctic migratory bird, the American redstart Setophaga ruticilla, whose winter habitat is under threat. Our first conservation strategy used the acquisition of winter habitat based on land cost, relative bird density, and the rate of habitat loss to maximize the abundance of birds on the wintering grounds. Our second strategy maximized bird abundance across the entire range of the species by adding the constraint of maintaining a minimum percentage of birds within each breeding region in North America using information on migratory connectivity as estimated from stable-hydrogen isotopes in feathers. We show that failure to take into account migratory connectivity may doom some regional populations to extinction, whereas including information on migratory connectivity results in the protection of the species across its entire range. Conclusions/Significance. We demonstrate that conservation strategies for migratory animals depend critically upon two factors: knowledge of migratory connectivity and the correct statement of the conservation problem. Our framework can be used to identify efficient conservation strategies for migratory taxa worldwide, including insects, birds, mammals, and marine organisms

Reduced Exercise Tolerance and Pulmonary Capillary Recruitment with Remote Secondhand Smoke Exposure

RATIONALE: Flight attendants who worked on commercial aircraft before the smoking ban in flights (pre-ban FAs) were exposed to high levels of secondhand smoke (SHS). We previously showed never-smoking pre-ban FAs to have reduced diffusing capacity (Dco) at rest. METHODS: To determine whether pre-ban FAs increase their Dco and pulmonary blood flow (Qc) during exercise, we administered a symptom-limited supine-posture progressively increasing cycle exercise test to determine the maximum work (watts) and oxygen uptake (VO2) achieved by FAs. After 30 min rest, we then measured Dco and Qc at 20, 40, 60, and 80 percent of maximum observed work. RESULTS: The FAs with abnormal resting Dco achieved a lower level of maximum predicted work and VO2 compared to those with normal resting Dco (mean±SEM; 88.7±2.9 vs. 102.5±3.1%predicted VO2; p = 0.001). Exercise limitation was associated with the FAs' FEV(1) (r = 0.33; p = 0.003). The Dco increased less with exercise in those with abnormal resting Dco (mean±SEM: 1.36±0.16 vs. 1.90±0.16 ml/min/mmHg per 20% increase in predicted watts; p = 0.020), and amongst all FAs, the increase with exercise seemed to be incrementally lower in those with lower resting Dco. Exercise-induced increase in Qc was not different in the two groups. However, the FAs with abnormal resting Dco had less augmentation of their Dco with increase in Qc during exercise (mean±SEM: 0.93±0.06 vs. 1.47±0.09 ml/min/mmHg per L/min; p<0.0001). The Dco during exercise was inversely associated with years of exposure to SHS in those FAs with ≥10 years of pre-ban experience (r = -0.32; p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: This cohort of never-smoking FAs with SHS exposure showed exercise limitation based on their resting Dco. Those with lower resting Dco had reduced pulmonary capillary recruitment. Exposure to SHS in the aircraft cabin seemed to be a predictor for lower Dco during exercise

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brains of Three Peramelemorphian Marsupials

Peramelemorphians (bandicoots and bilbies) are a unique and diverse group of digging Australasian marsupials, but their behavioral neurology and neuroanatomy is poorly known. Here, we have used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to study the brains of three peramelemorphians: two bandicoots (Perameles nasuta and Isoodon obesulus) and the bilby (Macrotis lagotis), which is endangered. These brains had been stored in formaldehyde solution for more than 80 years and one of our goals was to demonstrate the feasibilty of extracting detailed comparative neuroanatomical information from the long-term preserved brains of rare, endangered, and extinct animals. High resolution anatomical and Diffusion Tensor Imaging was performed using a 9.4-T Bruker BioSpec 94/20 Avance III MRI system (Bruker, Ettlingen, Germany) located at the UNSW in Sydney. We were able to differentiate areal and laminar topography within isocortical areas (primary somatosensory – S1; and visual - V1, V2), as well as subdivisions within olfactory and limbic allocortical regions (cingulate, hippocampal). Resolution of subcortical structures was sufficient to differentiate α and β segments within the visual nucleus of the thalamus. We identified several previously unrecognized longitudinal association fiber systems as well as a rich array of sensory thalamocortical connections. Dense fiber pathways were observed to S1 and in the midbrain auditory pathways (mainly the lateral lemniscus, but also the brachium of the inferior colliculus). Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of using this sort of imaging of archived brains to analyze the neuroanatomy of rare and evolutionarily significant species and to relate these findings to the behavioral neurology of those species.Fil: Gurovich, Yamila. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagóica. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco". Facultad de Ciencias Naturales - Sede Esquel. Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica; Argentina. University of New South Wales; AustraliaFil: Bongers, Andre. University of New South Wales; AustraliaFil: Ashwell, Ken W. S.. University of New South Wales; Australi