Holiday Lights Create Light Pollution and Become Ecological Trap for Eastern Fox Squirrels: Case Study on a University Campus

Ecological light pollution is now recognized as a significant source of ecosystem alteration. We documented that holiday lights are a seasonal source of light pollution that constitute an ecological trap for eastern fox squirrels (Sciurus niger). Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) wildlife students surveyed a 2-km walking transect 5 times per month each month for the relative abundance and diel behavior of eastern fox squirrels and feral cats (Felis catus) on the TAMUK campus during 2018–2019. Eastern fox squirrels exhibited diurnal behaviors throughout the year but extended their foraging behavior nearly 4 hours after sunset with the addition of holiday lights. Feral cats and owls (Strigiformes) exhibited diurnal and nocturnal behaviors but conducted the majority of their hunting during crepuscular hours. We documented that monthly squirrel mortality increased 7-fold with the addition of holiday lights, possibly due to the extension of foraging time by squirrels. Although seasonal lighting is intended to be festive for humans, it can have negative consequences for eastern fox squirrels. Educating the public concerning the issue of light pollution on wildlife species is needed because the majority of the public appears unaware that bright lights can negatively alter wildlife behaviors. Reducing light intensity by either using less outdoor lights or perhaps using colored lights rather than clear white bulbs may lessen the negative effect on foraging behavior of squirrels

Speech Communication

Contains reports on three research projects.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS04332-13)National Institutes of Health (Grant 1 T32 NS07040-01)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-75-C-1346

Corporal diagnostic work and diagnostic spaces: Clinicians' use of space and bodies during diagnosis

© 2015 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.An emerging body of literature in sociology has demonstrated that diagnosis is a useful focal point for understanding the social dimensions of health and illness. This article contributes to this work by drawing attention to the relationship between diagnostic spaces and the way in which clinicians use their own bodies during the diagnostic process. As a case study, we draw upon fieldwork conducted with a multidisciplinary clinical team providing deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat children with a movement disorder called dystonia. Interviews were conducted with team members and diagnostic examinations were observed. We illustrate that clinicians use communicative body work and verbal communication to transform a material terrain into diagnostic space, and we illustrate how this diagnostic space configures forms of embodied 'sensing-and-acting' within. We argue that a 'diagnosis' can be conceptualised as emerging from an interaction in which space, the clinician-body, and the patient-body (or body-part) mutually configure one another. By conceptualising diagnosis in this way, this article draws attention to the corporal bases of diagnostic power and counters Cartesian-like accounts of clinical work in which the patient-body is objectified by a disembodied medical discourse.The Wellcome Trust (Wellcome Trust Biomedical Strategic Award 086034

Vasopressinergic modulation of stress responses in the central amygdala of the Roman high-avoidance and low-avoidance rat

The central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) is selectively involved in the passive component of the behavioral (immobility) and the accompanying parasympathetic response during conditioned, stressful environmental challenges. Vasopressinergic mechanisms in the brain seem to play a role in these stress responses. The effects of the neuropeptides arginine-8-vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) on modulating CEA activity during conditioned stress of inescapable footshock were studied in male Roman high-avoidance (RHA/Verh) and low-avoidance (RLA/Verh) rats, psychogenetically selected on the basis of shuttle-box acquisition behavior. In RLA/Verh rats, the cardiac and behavioral responses to the conditioned emotional stressor were bradycardia and immobility, suggesting an important role for the CEA in these rats. The RHA/Verh rats, however, failed to show any change in heart rate or immobility in response to a conditioned stress situation. The low dose of AVP (20 pg) in the CEA of conscious RLA/Verh rats caused an enhancement of the stress-induced bradycardiac and immobility response. However, the high dose of AVP (2 ng) and OXT (200 pg) attenuated the bradycardiac and immobility responses in the RLA/Verh rats. Infusion of AVP and OXT in the RHA/Verh rats failed to induce any change in heart rate nr immobility. Binding studies revealed that the AVP receptor selectively binds AVP with high affinity. In contrast, the OXT receptor recognizes both AVP and OXT with a similar (but lower) affinity. This suggests that the behavioral and autonomic responses of the high dose of AVP may be caused by OXT receptor stimulation. In conclusion, on the basis of the present results one may hypothesize that CEA differences in AVP and OXT innervation and/or receptor densities may contribute to the differences in coping strategy found in these animals.

Efficacy of an Online Native Snake Identification Search Engine for Public Use

Visual methods of species identification are used both in research and recreational contexts because they are inexpensive, non-invasive, and believed to be effective among uniquely identifiable individuals. We examined the ability of the general public to identify live snakes (Serpentes) that are native to the United States using an online snake identification search engine (SISE) produced by the North America Brown Tree Snake Control Team (NABTSCT) website, http://www.nabtsct.net. The SISE consisted of participants answering 7 descriptive questions concerning a snake and then reviewing photographs of snakes that matched that description. Using 3 species of snakes native to Texas, USA, 21% of 395 participants were able to correctly identify all of the snakes using the online SISE, 54% correctly identified 2 snakes, 18% correctly identified 1 snake, and only 7% could not identify any snakes. Participants identified the distinctly marked checkered garter snake (Thamnophis marcianus) more readily (87% of participants) than the gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) and Trans-Pecos rat snake (Bogertophis subocularis; 55% and 46% of participants, respectively). The probability of participants correctly identifying a snake using the online SISE increased substantially if ≥4 of the 7 descriptive questions were answered correctly. The age of participants and affinity toward snakes affected participant ability to correctly answer questions about snake morphology and identify snakes. In general, participants who displayed fear of snakes were less likely to correctly identify snake species than those who expressed a snake-neutral or enthusiast attitude. Additionally, younger participants performed better, on average, than older participants. Most participants (97%) claimed they would be able to use the online SISE to correctly identify other snakes in the future. We believe the public can use the online SISE to identify snakes, and hence, it can be an educational tool for the public to learn about an often neglected wildlife suborder

Vanishing Fe 3d orbital moments in single-crystalline magnetite

We show detailed magnetic absorption spectroscopy results of an in situ cleaved high quality single crystal of magnetite. In addition the experimental setup was carefully optimized to reduce drift, self absorption, and offset phenomena as far as possible. In strong contradiction to recently published data, our observed orbital moments are nearly vanishing and the spin moments are quite close to the integer values proposed by theory. This very important issue supports the half metallic full spin polarized picture of magnetite.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

The interstellar oxygen-K absorption edge as observed by XMM-Newton

High resolution X-ray spectra of the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on board the XMM satellite are used to resolve the oxygen K absorption edge. By combining spectra of low and high extinction sources, the observed absorption edge can be split in the true interstellar (ISM) extinction and the instrumental absorption. The detailed ISM edge structure closely follows the edge structure of neutral oxygen as derived by theoretical R-matrix calculations. However, the position of the theoretical edge requires a wavelength shift. In addition the detailed instrumental RGS absorption edge structure is presented. All results are verified by comparing to a subset of Chandra LETG-HRC observations.Comment: LaTeX2e A&A style, 10 pages, 12 postscript figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic