Fishing, Water Regulation, and Competition: The Past, Present, and Future of Brook Trout in the Rapid River, Maine

The Rapid River, located in western Maine, has been renowned as a premiere native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) fishery in the eastern United States since European settlement in the late 1800s. Since this time the Rapid River fishery has declined due to numerous anthropogenic effects. Increasing concerns about management and preservation of this brook trout population prompted my research of the history of the fishery in the Rangeley Lakes region (Chapter 1), the effects that the introduction of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) may have on the Rapid River brook trout population (Chapter 2), and finally, the effects that heavy fishing pressure may have on the Rapid River brook trout fishery (Chapter 3). Currently, the greatest threat to the Rapid River brook trout population is speculated to be competition with and predation by introduced smallmouth bass. Over the last 150 years, however, brook trout populations in the Rangeley Lakes region have been exposed to numerous stressors (e.g. over harvest, heavy fishing pressure, multiple introductions of non-native fish species, and habitat degradation from logging activities) that have contributed to their decline. Additionally, the Rapid River brook trout population may also be influenced by more regional (e.g. acid rain) and global (e.g. climate change) environmental conditions, both of which are predicted to intensify in the future. Summer movement patterns and spatial overlap of native sub-adult brook trout, non-native landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and non-native smallmouth bass in the Rapid River were investigated with radio telemetry in 2005 to assess the potential of competitive interactions between these three species. Fish were captured by angling, surgically implanted with a radio transmitter, and tracked actively from June through September. Most brook trout (96%) and landlocked salmon (72%) displayed long distance movements (\u3e1 km) to open water bodies (28 June to 4 July), followed by periods of time spent in presumed thermal refugia (5 July to 16 September). Summer water temperatures rose above 25 °C, near the reported lethal limits for these cold water species. In contrast, the majority of smallmouth bass (68%), a warm water species, did not make long distance movements (\u3c 1km) from areas of initial capture, remaining in main stem sections of the river (28 June to 16 September). Spatial overlap of smallmouth bass and brook trout in the summer is unlikely because brook trout move to thermal refugia during this time. However, some level of interspecific competition between brook trout and landlocked salmon may occur since they selected similar habitats in this study. As fish populations decline across their native ranges across the United States, angling regulations such as fly-fishing-only and catch and release are being used by management agencies to conserve fish while maintaining angling opportunities. Post- release mortality, however, may significantly impact age and size structure of protected populations. A deterministic model was used to assess the possible effects of catch and release fishing on brook trout population structure. Data from several sources were applied to create a brook trout population in which 5 age classes occurred. Changes in population characteristics at varying levels of angler effort (0-240 rod hours ha-1 yr-1) and post-release mortality rates (0-14%) were examined. A trophy brook trout fishery was sustainable only at low levels of angling intensity (\u3c120 rod hours ha-1 yr-1). As angling effort increased, the proportion of older aged fish (3, 4, and 5 years old) declined significantly. At higher levels of angling effort, 4, and 5 year old fish were no longer part of the population. Increases in post-release mortality rates resulted in similar declines of older age classes. The results of this simulation indicate that heavy angling pressure and post-release mortality, as might be common in catch and release fisheries, significantly shifts the age structure of a population, reducing trophy angling potential. Knowledge of both the historical and current factors that may limit brook trout is important in informing management decisions for the restoration and recovery of this important native species

Management of advanced pleural mesothelioma-At the crossroads

The management of pleural mesothelioma has changed with the demonstration that first-line checkpoint blockade therapy improves survival. This review covers issues of relevance to the practicing medical oncologist, with an emphasis on the palliative setting and on new information. Until recently, standard systemic therapy for mesothelioma was combination chemotherapy with platinum and pemetrexed. In 2020, combination immunotherapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab was approved as first-line systemic therapy for mesothelioma following release of the results from the CheckMate 743 trial. This trial showed improved overall survival for patients receiving ipilimumab and nivolumab over those treated with platinum and pemetrexed chemotherapy. When the survival results were examined by histologic subtype, the survival benefit was most significant in those with nonepithelioid mesothelioma, a group for which combination immunotherapy is now standard of care. The most important outstanding issue from CheckMate-743 is a better understanding, through translational studies, of which patients with epithelioid mesothelioma may benefit from combination immunotherapy. The next generation of first-line clinical trials in mesothelioma will report the results of first-line combination chemoimmunotherapy. For those patients who receive first-line dual checkpoint blockade, there is no evidence as to the efficacy of subsequent chemotherapy. However, given the known first-line efficacy of cisplatin or carboplatin and pemetrexed, combination chemotherapy is an appropriate subsequent choice for those who progress on or after dual immunotherapy. For those who previously received chemotherapy without immunotherapy, single-agent nivolumab provides benefit over best supportive care. In summary, both chemotherapy and immunotherapy should be considered for all patients during their disease course. Another topical issue is the growing appreciation that some individuals have an inherited predisposition to mesothelioma; referral to a clinical geneticist should be considered under some circumstances. The role of surgery and multimodality therapy is controversial, with results awaited from the fully recruited MARS-2 clinical trial. Patient selection, staging, and multidisciplinary review are critical to identify those who might benefit from a multimodality approach. Finally, a proactive, multidisciplinary approach to symptom management and the principles of management of pleural effusions are critical to manage the symptom burden of mesothelioma and optimize patient well-being

Touching, feeling, smelling and sensing history through objects. New Opportunities from the 'material turn'

Lots has been written in recent years about how history teachers can bring academic scholarship into the classroom. Here, this interest in academic practice a step further, examining how pupils can engage directly with the kinds of sources to which historians are increasingly turning their attention is highlighted. Building on a funded research network that brought together academic history and art history departments, Michael Bird and his co-authors worked with museum curators and trainee teachers to bring artefacts from the rich (but often overlooked) collections of their local museum into schools

Screening for poverty and related social determinants to improve knowledge of and links to resources (SPARK): development and cognitive testing of a tool for primary care

Abstract Background Healthcare organizations are increasingly exploring ways to address the social determinants of health. Accurate data on social determinants is essential to identify opportunities for action to improve health outcomes, to identify patterns of inequity, and to help evaluate the impact of interventions. The objective of this study was to refine a standardized tool for the collection of social determinants data through cognitive testing. Methods An initial set of questions on social determinants for use in healthcare settings was developed by a collaboration of hospitals and a local public health organization in Toronto, Canada during 2011–2012. Subsequent research on how patients interpreted the questions, and how they performed in primary care and other settings led to revisions. We administered these questions and conducted in-depth cognitive interviews with all the participants, who were from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Cognitive interviewing was used, with participants invited to verbalize thoughts and feelings as they read the questions. Interview notes were grouped thematically, and high frequency themes were addressed. Results Three hundred and seventy-five individuals responded to the study advertisements and 195 ultimately participated in the study. Although all interviews were conducted in English, participants were diverse. For many, the value of this information being collected in typical healthcare settings was unclear, and hence, we included descriptors for each question. In general, the questions were understood, but participants highlighted a number of ways the questions could be changed to be even clearer and more inclusive. For example, more response options were added to the question of sexual orientation and the “making ends meet” question was completely reworded in light of challenges to understand the informal phrasing cited by English as a Second Language (ESL) users of the tool. Conclusion In this work we have refined an initial set of 16 sociodemographic and social needs questions into a simple yet comprehensive 18-question tool. The changes were largely related to wording, rather than content. These questions require validation against accepted, standardized tools. Further work is required to enable community data governance, and to ensure implementation of the tool as well as the use of its data is successful in a range of organizations

Assessing Fear of Negative Consequences and Anxiety in Children with ARFID Symptoms

The GAGSS is an interview designed to understand the experience of children with ARFID including their understanding of the motivations contributing to their food avoidance/restriction

Semiconductor real-time quality assurance dosimetry in brachytherapy

With the increase in complexity of brachytherapy treatments, there has been a demand for the development of sophisticated devices for delivery verification. The Centre for Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP), University of Wollongong, has demonstrated the applicability of semiconductor devices to provide cost-effective real-time quality assurance for a wide range of brachytherapy treatment modalities. Semiconductor devices have shown great promise to the future of pretreatment and in vivo quality assurance in a wide range of brachytherapy treatments, from high-dose-rate (HDR) prostate procedures to eye plaque treatments. The aim of this article is to give an insight into several semiconductor-based dosimetry instruments developed by the CMRP. Applications of these instruments are provided for breast and rectal wall in vivo dosimetry in HDR brachytherapy, urethral in vivo dosimetry in prostate low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy, quality assurance of HDR brachytherapy afterloaders, HDR pretreatment plan verification, and real-time verification of LDR and HDR source dwell positions

Additional file 1 of Screening for poverty and related social determinants to improve knowledge of and links to resources (SPARK): development and cognitive testing of a tool for primary care

Supplementary Material

Coronal Heating as Determined by the Solar Flare Frequency Distribution Obtained by Aggregating Case Studies

Flare frequency distributions represent a key approach to addressing one of the largest problems in solar and stellar physics: determining the mechanism that counter-intuitively heats coronae to temperatures that are orders of magnitude hotter than the corresponding photospheres. It is widely accepted that the magnetic field is responsible for the heating, but there are two competing mechanisms that could explain it: nanoflares or Alfv\'en waves. To date, neither can be directly observed. Nanoflares are, by definition, extremely small, but their aggregate energy release could represent a substantial heating mechanism, presuming they are sufficiently abundant. One way to test this presumption is via the flare frequency distribution, which describes how often flares of various energies occur. If the slope of the power law fitting the flare frequency distribution is above a critical threshold, $\alpha=2$ as established in prior literature, then there should be a sufficient abundance of nanoflares to explain coronal heating. We performed $>$600 case studies of solar flares, made possible by an unprecedented number of data analysts via three semesters of an undergraduate physics laboratory course. This allowed us to include two crucial, but nontrivial, analysis methods: pre-flare baseline subtraction and computation of the flare energy, which requires determining flare start and stop times. We aggregated the results of these analyses into a statistical study to determine that $\alpha = 1.63 \pm 0.03$. This is below the critical threshold, suggesting that Alfv\'en waves are an important driver of coronal heating.Comment: 1,002 authors, 14 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, published by The Astrophysical Journal on 2023-05-09, volume 948, page 7