Age, Sex, and Nest Success of Translocated Mountain Quail in Oregon, 2001–2010

We trapped mountain quail (Oreortyx pictus) from relatively abundant populations in southwestern Oregon for re-introduction or augmentation in areas of central and eastern Oregon where they were rare or extirpated. We captured 2,596 mountain quail during 2001–2010 using treadle-style traps, of which 1,430 were released in Oregon; the remaining birds were transferred to Idaho, Nevada, and Washington. Yearlings (hatch-year) comprised 69.6% of the total (n 1⁄4 2,596). Analysis of nuclear DNA from 850 captured quail revealed 50.5% were male. We radiomarked 800 (55.9%) of the quail released in Oregon and monitored them to estimate reproductive success. We located 150 nests in Oregon; at least 1 egg hatched in 110 (73.3%) nests. Average (6 SE) clutch size was 10.2 6 0.2 eggs and average number of chicks hatched from successful nests was 8.3 6 0.3. Sixty-eight nests (45.3%) were incubated exclusively by males, 78 (52.0%) exclusively by females, and 4 (2.7%) by birds of unknown gender. Males incubated slightly larger clutches (11.0 6 0.3) and hatched more eggs than females (5.5 6 0.5). Males also regularly contributed to brood-rearing. The reproductive effort and nest success of translocated mountain quail was comparable to native populations in Oregon. Translocations may be an effective means of restoring mountain quail populations that have been extirpated or augmenting populations that have substantially declined

Multi-scale Cover Selection by White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, in an Agro-forested Landscape

Resource selection studies are commonly conducted at a single spatial scale, but this likely does not fully or accurately assess the hierarchical selection process used by animals. We used a multi-spatial scale approach to quantify White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) cover selection in south-central Michigan during 2004–2006 by varying definitions of use and availability and ranking the relative importance of cover types under each study design. The number of cover types assigned as selected (proportional use > proportional availability) decreased from coarse (landscape level) to fine (within home range) scales, although at finer scales, selection seemed to be more consistent. Although the relative importance changed substantially across spatial scales, two cover types (conifers, upland deciduous forests) were consistently ranked as the two most important, providing strong evidence of their value to deer in the study area. Testing for resource selection patterns using a multi-spatial scale approach would provide additional insight into the ecology and behavior of a particular species

Efficacy of Two Raccoon Eviction Fluids

According to surveys of wildlife control operators (WCO), problems with raccoons (Procyon lotor) consistently rank among the top complaints for property owners. Among the more serious behaviors of female raccoons is their propensity to invade human-occupied structures to raise young. Distressed property owners frequently respond using lethal means, either on their own or through hiring WCOs. Even if live-captured and legally released, the handling of raccoons may result in injuries and potentially cause females to abandon young. Eviction fluids, developed in the early 1990s, are designed to smell like a male raccoon and therefore cause a nursing raccoon to leave the den with her young. Wildlife control operators use eviction fluid primarily to evict a female and her young from an inaccessible location. Though the precise formulas are not disclosed by manufacturers, the fluids consist of the glands and urine of male raccoons coupled with a preservative. We evaluated the efficacy of 2 raccoon eviction fluids to evict female raccoons with young from chimneys. Though our sample size was small (n =15), we found that eviction fluids merit further investigation as a viable non-lethal repellent for raccoons in human-occupied structures

Antibacterial efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma against Enterococcus faecalis planktonic cultures and biofilms in vitro

Nosocomial infections have become a serious threat in our times and are getting more difficult to handle due to increasing development of resistances in bacteria. In this light, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), which is known to effectively inactivate microorganisms, may be a promising alternative for application in the fields of dentistry and dermatology. CAPs are partly ionised gases, which operate at low temperature and are composed of electrons, ions, excited atoms and molecules, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. In this study, the effect of CAP generated from ambient air was investigated against Enterococcus faecalis, grown on agar plates or as biofilms cultured for up to 72 h. CAP reduced the colony forming units (CFU) on agar plates by > 7 log10 steps. Treatment of 24 h old biofilms of E. faecalis resulted in CFU-reductions by ≥ 3 log10 steps after CAP treatment for 5 min and by ≥ 5 log10 steps after CAP treatment for 10 min. In biofilm experiments, chlorhexidine (CHX) and UVC radiation served as positive controls and were only slightly more effective than CAP. There was no damage of cytoplasmic membranes upon CAP treatment as shown by spectrometric measurements for release of nucleic acids. Thus, membrane damage seems not to be the primary mechanism of action for CAP towards E. faecalis. Overall, CAP showed pronounced antimicrobial efficacy against E. faecalis on agar plates as well as in biofilms similar to positive controls CHX or UVC

Predictors of posttraumatic stress symptom trajectories in parents of children exposed to motor vehicle collisions

Following child trauma, parents are at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), either owing to their direct involvement or from hearing of their child's involvement. Despite the potential impact of a parent's development of PTSD on both the parent and child, little is known about what may place a parent at increased risk.   METHOD: PTSD symptoms were assessed ≤4 weeks, 6 months, and 3 years post-trauma, along with a range of potential risk factors, in a sample of parents of 2-10-year-old children who were involved in a motor vehicle collision.   RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Two symptom trajectories were identified: Those parents whose symptoms remained low across all time points and those whose symptoms remained elevated at 6 months post-trauma and declined by 3 years. Subjective threat, thought suppression, and maladaptive cognitions about damage to the child were identified as key predictors of poorer outcomes

The Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire (PTRQ): development and preliminary validation.

Background: Following a child's experience of trauma, parental response is thought to play an important role in either facilitating or hindering their psychological adjustment. However, the ability to investigate the role of parenting responses in the post-trauma period has been hampered by a lack of valid and reliable measures. Objectives: The aim of this study was to design, and provide a preliminary validation of, the Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire (PTRQ), a self-report measure of parental appraisals and support for children's coping, in the aftermath of child trauma. Methods: We administered an initial set of 78 items to 365 parents whose children, aged 2-19 years, had experienced a traumatic event. We conducted principal axis factoring and then assessed the validity of the reduced measure against a standardized general measure of parental overprotection and via the measure's association with child post-trauma mental health. Results: Factor analysis generated three factors assessing parental maladaptive appraisals: (i) permanent change/damage, (ii) preoccupation with child's vulnerability, and (iii) self-blame. In addition, five factors were identified that assess parental support for child coping: (i) behavioural avoidance, (ii) cognitive avoidance, (iii) overprotection, (iv) maintaining pre-trauma routines, and (v) approach coping. Good validity was evidenced against the measure of parental overprotection and child post-traumatic stress symptoms. Good test-retest reliability of the measure was also demonstrated. Conclusions: The PTRQ is a valid and reliable self-report assessment of parenting cognitions and coping in the aftermath of child trauma

Ecological Effects of Daily Antiseptic Treatment on Microbial Composition of Saliva-Grown Microcosm Biofilms and Selection of Resistant Phenotypes

Antiseptics are widely used in dental practice and included in numerous over-the-counter oral care products. However, the effects of routine antiseptic use on microbial composition of oral biofilms and on the emergence of resistant phenotypes remain unclear. Microcosm biofilms were inoculated from saliva samples of four donors and cultured in the Amsterdam Active Attachment biofilm model for 3 days. Then, they were treated two times daily with chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) or cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) for a period of 7 days. Ecological changes upon these multiple antiseptic treatments were evaluated by semiconductor-based sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and identification of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). Furthermore, culture-based approaches were used for colony-forming units (CFU) assay, identification of antiseptic-resistant phenotypes using an agar dilution method, and evaluation of their antibiotic susceptibilities. Both CHX and CPC showed only slight effects on CFU and could not inhibit biofilm growth despite the two times daily treatment for 7 days. Both antiseptics showed significant ecological effects on the microbial compositions of the surviving microbiota, whereby CHX led to enrichment of rather caries-associated saccharolytic taxa and CPC led to enrichment of rather gingivitis-associated proteolytic taxa. Antiseptic-resistant phenotypes were isolated on antiseptic-containing agar plates, which also exhibited phenotypic resistance to various antibiotics. Our results highlight the need for further research into potential detrimental effects of antiseptics on the microbial composition of oral biofilms and on the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the context of their frequent use in oral healthcare

Phenotypic Adaptation to Antiseptics and Effects on Biofilm Formation Capacity and Antibiotic Resistance in Clinical Isolates of Early Colonizers in Dental Plaque

Despite the wide-spread use of antiseptics in dental practice and oral care products, there is little public awareness of potential risks associated with antiseptic resistance and potentially concomitant cross-resistance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate potential phenotypic adaptation in 177 clinical isolates of early colonizers of dental plaque (Streptococcus, Actinomyces, Rothia and Veillonella spp.) upon repeated exposure to subinhibitory concentrations of chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) or cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) over 10 passages using a modified microdilution method. Stability of phenotypic adaptation was re-evaluated after culture in antiseptic-free nutrient broth for 24 or 72 h. Strains showing 8-fold minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)-increase were further examined regarding their biofilm formation capacity, phenotypic antibiotic resistance and presence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Eight-fold MIC-increases to CHX were detected in four Streptococcus isolates. These strains mostly exhibited significantly increased biofilm formation capacity compared to their respective wild-type strains. Phenotypic antibiotic resistance was detected to tetracycline and erythromycin, consistent with the detected ARGs. In conclusion, this study shows that clinical isolates of early colonizers of dental plaque can phenotypically adapt toward antiseptics such as CHX upon repeated exposure. The underlying mechanisms at genomic and transcriptomic levels need to be investigated in future studie