Relative Preference and Localized Food Affect Predator Space Use and Consumption of Incidental Prey

Abundant, localized foods can concentrate predators and their foraging efforts, thus altering both the spatial distribution of predation risk and predator preferences for prey that are encountered incidentally. However, few investigations have quantified the spatial scale over which localized foods affect predator foraging behavior and consumption of incidental prey. In spring 2010, we experimentally tested how point-source foods altered how generalist predators (white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus) utilized space and depredated two incidental prey items: almonds (Prunus dulcis; highly profitable) and maple seeds (Acer saccharum; less profitable). We estimated mouse population densities with trapping webs, quantified mouse consumption rates of these incidental prey items, and measured local mouse activity with track plates. We predicted that 1) mouse activity would be elevated near full feeders, but depressed at intermediate distances from the feeder, 2) consumption of both incidental prey would be high near feeders providing less-preferred food and, 3) consumption of incidental prey would be contingent on predator preference for prey relative to feeders providing more-preferred food. Mouse densities increased significantly from pre- to post-experiment. Mean mouse activity was unexpectedly greatest in control treatments, particularly \u3c15 m from the control (empty) feeder. Feeders with highly preferred food (sunflower seeds) created localized refuges for incidental prey at intermediate distances (15 to 25m) from the feeder. Feeders with less-preferred food (corn) generated localized high risk for highly preferred almonds \u3c10 m of the feeder. Our findings highlight the contingent but predictable effects of locally abundant food on risk experienced by incidental prey, which can be positive or negative depending on both spatial proximity and relative preference

Angiosarcoma of the vulva

Objective: Angiosarcoma is a rare neoplasm typically presenting in the skin and superficial soft tissues, with an equal female-to-male ratio. We present a woman with recurrent vulvar lesions and a history of melanoma found to have angiosarcoma. Case: A 67-year-old woman presented with a seven month history of recurrent vulvar lesions with symptoms of discomfort and bleeding. The histopathological diagnosis revealed high-grade angiosarcoma. Computed tomographic imaging with contrast and positron emission tomography revealed disseminated disease. She underwent chemotherapy and radiation but died within one year of diagnosis. Conclusions: The prognosis for patients with angiosarcoma is generally poor, especially with disseminated disease. Early detection remains the key element in maximizing patient outcomes

Components of the indirect effect in vaccine trials: identification of contagion and infectiousness effects

Vaccination of one person may prevent the infection of another either because (i) the vaccine prevents the first from being infected and from infecting the second or because (ii) even if the first person is infected, the vaccine may render the infection less infectious. We might refer to the first of these mechanisms as a contagion effect and the second as an infectiousness effect. In this paper, for the simple setting of a randomized vaccine trial with households of size two, we use counterfactual theory under interference to provide formal definitions of a contagion effect and an infectiousness effect. Using ideas analogous to mediation analysis, we show that the indirect effect (the effect of one individual\u27s vaccine on another\u27s outcome) can be decomposed into a contagion effect and an infectiousness effect on the risk difference, risk ratio, odds ratio and vaccine efficacy scales. We provide identification assumptions for such contagion and infectiousness effects, and describe a simple statistical techniques to estimate these effects when they are identified. We also give a sensitivity analysis techniques to assess how inferences would change under violations of the identification assumptions. The concepts and results of this paper are illustrated with sample vaccine trial data

Clinical Outcomes After Four-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Objectives: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) demonstrates reliable improvement in neurologic symptoms associated with anterior compression of the cervical spine. There is a paucity of data on outcomes following 4-level ACDFs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes for patients undergoing 4-level ACDF. Methods: All 4-level ACDFs with at least 1-year clinical follow-up were identified. Clinical outcomes, including fusion rates, neurologic outcomes, and reoperation rates were determined. Results: Retrospective review of our institutional database revealed 25 patients who underwent 4-level ACDF with at least 1-year clinical follow-up. Average age was 57.5 years (range 38.2-75.0 years); 14 (56%) were male, and average body mass index was 30.2 kg/m Conclusions: Review of our institution\u27s experience demonstrated a low rate of revision cervical surgery for any reason of 8% at mean 19 months follow-up, and neurological examinations consistently improved, despite a high rate of radiographic nonunion (31%)

Rapid submarine ice melting in the grounding zones of ice shelves in West Antarctica.

Enhanced submarine ice-shelf melting strongly controls ice loss in the Amundsen Sea embayment (ASE) of West Antarctica, but its magnitude is not well known in the critical grounding zones of the ASE's major glaciers. Here we directly quantify bottom ice losses along tens of kilometres with airborne radar sounding of the Dotson and Crosson ice shelves, which buttress the rapidly changing Smith, Pope and Kohler glaciers. Melting in the grounding zones is found to be much higher than steady-state levels, removing 300-490 m of solid ice between 2002 and 2009 beneath the retreating Smith Glacier. The vigorous, unbalanced melting supports the hypothesis that a significant increase in ocean heat influx into ASE sub-ice-shelf cavities took place in the mid-2000s. The synchronous but diverse evolutions of these glaciers illustrate how combinations of oceanography and topography modulate rapid submarine melting to hasten mass loss and glacier retreat from West Antarctica

Caffeine Alters RPE-Based Intensity Production

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(6): 412-424, 2019. This study examined effects of caffeine (CAF) on power output (PO) selection and associated physiological responses during cycling at moderate and high intensities prescribed by RPE (0-10 scale). Participants (n = 9) (VO2peak: 55.4 ± 6.32 mL · kg-1 · min-1) cycled for 20 min at RPE4 and 20 min at RPE7 separated by 10 min recovery following caffeine (CAF) (6 mg · kg-1) and placebo (PLA) ingestion. PO, HR, serum lactate [La], VO2, VE, and RER were recorded every 5 min. Session RPE (S-RPE) was recorded following 10 min recovery. Repeated-measures ANOVA’s, 2 (trial) x 4 (time pt), showed significantly greater PO during RPE4 for CAF (130 ± 23 W) vs PLA (112 ± 26 W) and during RPE7 (CAF: 165 ± 37 vs PLA: 143 ± 41 W). Overall HR, VO2, and VE were significantly greater for CAF vs PLA during RPE7. RER for RPE4 and RPE7 were not significantly different (CAF vs PLA). Overall [La] was significantly greater for CAF during RPE4 (CAF: 2.32 ± 0.94 vs PLA: 1.73 ± 1.09) and RPE7 (CAF: 3.22 ± 1.44 vs PLA: 2.22 ± 1.49). Paired T-tests for S-RPE revealed no significant difference for RPE4 (CAF: 4.0 ± 0.5 vs PLA: 3.7 ± 0.5) or RPE7 (CAF: 7.1 ± 0.3 vs PLA: 6.9 ± 0.6) despite greater PO for CAF. Although individual responses varied, the current study indicates caffeine ingestion results in elevated self-selected PO with significant systematic changes in associated physiological responses particularly at a higher intensity (RPE7)