Behavioural responses of non-breeding waterbirds to marine traffic in the near-shore environment

Capsule: Recording of behavioural responses to ferry traffic for 11 target species showed that Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata, Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auratus, and Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica were most likely to react to passing vessels. Aim: To provide information on how responses to marine traffic vary between waterbird species to inform marine spatial planning and environmental impact assessments in the near-shore environment. Methods: We recorded behavioural responses to ferry traffic for 11 target species in near-shore waters: Common Eider Somateria mollissima, Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis, Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca, Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator, Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver Gavia immer, Red-throated Diver, European Shag Gulosus aristotelis, Slavonian Grebe and Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle. Responses were analysed using generalized linear models and mixed models. Results: Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver and Slavonian Grebe were the most likely species to exhibit a response to passing vessels. While Red-throated Divers and Slavonian Grebes were highly likely to flush, Black-throated Divers and Great Northern Divers rarely took flight, instead favouring swim or dive responses. In rougher sea conditions birds were more likely to take flight, and the propensity to respond declined across the wintering period. Conclusions: This research provides comparative evidence on the behavioural responses of waterbirds to marine traffic. The results support previous studies which highlighted the high sensitivity of diver species to disturbance and provide new evidence that Slavonian Grebe may also be a high sensitivity species

Comparison of constant load exercise intensity for verification of maximal oxygen uptake following a graded exercise test in older adults

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) declines with advancing age and is a predictor of morbidity and mortality risk. The purpose here was to assess the utility of constant load tests performed either above or below peak work rate obtained from a graded exercise test for verification of VO2max in older adults. Twenty-two healthy older adults (9M, 13F, 67 ± 6 years, BMI: 26.3 ± 5.1 kg·m−2) participated in the study. Participants were asked to complete two experimental trials in a randomized, counterbalanced cross-over design. Both trials (cycle ergometer) consisted of (1) an identical graded exercise test (ramp) and (2) a constant load test at either 85% (CL85; n = 22) or 110% (CL110; n = 20) of the peak work rate achieved during the associated ramp (performed 10-min post ramp). No significant differences were observed for peak VO2 (L·min−1) between CL85 (1.86 ± 0.72; p = 0.679) or CL110 (1.79 ± 0.73; p = 0.200) and the associated ramp (Ramp85, 1.85 ± 0.73; Ramp110, 1.85 ± 0.57). Using the study participant\u27s mean coefficient of variation in peak VO2 between the two identical ramp tests (2.9%) to compare individual differences between constant load tests and the associated ramp revealed 19/22 (86%) of participants achieved a peak VO2 during CL85 that was similar or higher versus the ramp, while only 13/20 (65%) of participants achieved a peak VO2 during CL110 that was similar or higher versus the ramp. These data indicate that if a verification of VO2max is warranted when testing older adults, a constant load effort at 85% of ramp peak power may be more likely to verify VO2max as compared to an effort at 110% of ramp peak power

A novel fluorescence-based assay for the rapid detection and quantification of cellular deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates

Current methods for measuring deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) employ reagent and labor-intensive assays utilizing radioisotopes in DNA polymerase-based assays and/or chromatography-based approaches. We have developed a rapid and sensitive 96-well fluorescence-based assay to quantify cellular dNTPs utilizing a standard real-time PCR thermocycler. This assay relies on the principle that incorporation of a limiting dNTP is required for primer-extension and Taq polymerase-mediated 5–3′ exonuclease hydrolysis of a dual-quenched fluorophore-labeled probe resulting in fluorescence. The concentration of limiting dNTP is directly proportional to the fluorescence generated. The assay demonstrated excellent linearity (R2 > 0.99) and can be modified to detect between ∼0.5 and 100 pmol of dNTP. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for all dNTPs were defined as <0.77 and <1.3 pmol, respectively. The intra-assay and inter-assay variation coefficients were determined to be <4.6% and <10%, respectively with an accuracy of 100 ± 15% for all dNTPs. The assay quantified intracellular dNTPs with similar results obtained from a validated LC–MS/MS approach and successfully measured quantitative differences in dNTP pools in human cancer cells treated with inhibitors of thymidylate metabolism. This assay has important application in research that investigates the influence of pathological conditions or pharmacological agents on dNTP biosynthesis and regulation

Reduced breeding success in great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus) due to harness-mounted GPS device

Animal-borne bio-logging devices are routinely fitted to seabirds to learn about their behaviour and physiology, as well as their interactions with the marine environment. The assessment and reporting of deleterious impacts from such devices on the individuals carrying them is critical to inform future work and improve data quality and animal welfare. We assessed the impacts of thoracic-harness attachments on the breeding performance and inter-annual return rates of Great Black-backed Gulls. We found that tagged individuals hatched fewer eggs per nest (0.67) than two different control groups (handled but not tagged – 2.0, and not handled – 1.9) and had lower hatching success rates per nest (27% compared with 81% and 82% in control groups). Inter-annual return rates were similar between tagged and control groups, but the harness attachment potentially caused the death of an individual 5 days after deployment. Overall, the harness attachment was a lead driver of nest failure. We urge extreme caution for those wanting to use harness-mounted devices on Great Black-backed Gulls

Global population and conservation status of the Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus

The Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus is a generalist species that inhabits temperate and arctic coasts of the north Atlantic Ocean. In recent years, there has been growing concern about population declines at local and regional scales; however, there has been no attempt to robustly assess Great Black-backed Gull population trends across its global range. We obtained the most recent population counts across the species’ range and analysed population trends at a global, continental, and national scale over the most recent three-generation period (1985–2021) following IUCN Red List criteria. We found that, globally, the species has declined by 43%–48% over this period (1.2–1.3% per annum, respectively), from an estimated 291,000 breeding pairs to 152,000–165,000 breeding pairs under two different scenarios. North American populations declined more steeply than European ones (68% and 28%, respectively). We recommend that Great Black-backed Gull should be uplisted from ‘Least Concern’ to ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species under criterion A2 (an estimated reduction in population size >30% over three generations). Larus gulls; gull populations; population assessment; population ecology; bird conservationpublishedVersio

Correlation of the Solubilizing Abilities of 1-Butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium Tris(pentafluoroethyl)-trifluorophosphate, 1-Butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium Triflate and 1-Methoxyethyl-1-methylmorpholinium Tris(pentafluoroethyl) trifluorophosphate

This article discusses the correlation of the solubilizing abilities

Vertical dust mixing and the interannual variations in the Mars thermosphere

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94815/1/jgre2303.pd

The Gray Needle: Large Grains in the HD 15115 Debris Disk from LBT/PISCES/Ks and LBTI/LMIRcam/L' Adaptive Optics Imaging

We present diffraction-limited \ks band and \lprime adaptive optics images of the edge-on debris disk around the nearby F2 star HD 15115, obtained with a single 8.4 m primary mirror at the Large Binocular Telescope. At \ks band the disk is detected at signal-to-noise per resolution element (SNRE) \about 3-8 from \about 1-2\fasec 5 (45-113 AU) on the western side, and from \about 1.2-2\fasec 1 (63-90 AU) on the east. At \lprime the disk is detected at SNRE \about 2.5 from \about 1-1\fasec 45 (45-90 AU) on both sides, implying more symmetric disk structure at 3.8 \microns . At both wavelengths the disk has a bow-like shape and is offset from the star to the north by a few AU. A surface brightness asymmetry exists between the two sides of the disk at \ks band, but not at \lprime . The surface brightness at \ks band declines inside 1\asec (\about 45 AU), which may be indicative of a gap in the disk near 1\asec. The \ks - \lprime disk color, after removal of the stellar color, is mostly grey for both sides of the disk. This suggests that scattered light is coming from large dust grains, with 3-10 \microns -sized grains on the east side and 1-10 \microns dust grains on the west. This may suggest that the west side is composed of smaller dust grains than the east side, which would support the interpretation that the disk is being dynamically affected by interactions with the local interstellar medium.Comment: Apj-accepted March 27 2012; minor correction

Demonstration of an ultracold micro-optomechanical oscillator in a cryogenic cavity

Preparing and manipulating quantum states of mechanical resonators is a highly interdisciplinary undertaking that now receives enormous interest for its far-reaching potential in fundamental and applied science. Up to now, only nanoscale mechanical devices achieved operation close to the quantum regime. We report a new micro-optomechanical resonator that is laser cooled to a level of 30 thermal quanta. This is equivalent to the best nanomechanical devices, however, with a mass more than four orders of magnitude larger (43 ng versus 1 pg) and at more than two orders of magnitude higher environment temperature (5 K versus 30 mK). Despite the large laser-added cooling factor of 4,000 and the cryogenic environment, our cooling performance is not limited by residual absorption effects. These results pave the way for the preparation of 100-um scale objects in the quantum regime. Possible applications range from quantum-limited optomechanical sensing devices to macroscopic tests of quantum physics.Comment: Published versio