Mountain Plover Population Trends in 3 Montana Areas

Permanent point count transects were established in 1992 in central, northeastern and southwestern Montana to monitor mountain plover population trends in these areas.   At the time, these were considered to be Montana’s 2nd, 3rd and 4th largest mountain plover populations.  During the 23 year period from 1992 to 2014, these transects were surveyed during 10 different years with the last counts for the Central and Northeastern Montana Study Areas occurring in 2014, and the last count for the Southwestern Montana Study area occurring in 2004.  The count of adult mountain plovers in the Central Study Area declined from 103 adult birds in 1992 to 13 birds in 2014.  In the Northeastern Study Area, mountain plover started at 17 in 1992, peaked at 36 in 1996, dipped to 12 in 2004, and ended with a final count of 17 in 2014.   Mountain plover numbers in the Southwestern Study Area progressively declined from a high of 33 adult birds in 1992 to no birds found in the Study Area in 2004.  Cause of mountain plover decline in the Central Study Area was attributed to conversion of native grasslands to cultivated cropland and introduced grasses, a drastic decline in domestic sheep numbers, and an overall reduction in livestock grazing.  In the Southwestern study area, the collapse of the mountain plover population was attributed to a housing development, a log home factory, prairie dog poisoning, and the lack of livestock grazing.  The Northeastern Study Area was almost entirely public lands with relatively stable habitat conditions

Nesting Ecology of the Northern Goshawk in the Black Hills of South Dakota

The nesting ecology of northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) was studied in the Black Hills of western South Dakota from 2003 to 2009. Goshawk nest territories were found by broadcasting alarm calls, intensive searches of potential nesting habitat, and visiting historic nesting territories based on information from the USDA Forest Service. During this 7- yr period, 30 active goshawk nesting territories were studied. There were 53 nesting attempts sufficiently monitored to establish that 35 nests fledged young (66% successful). Among these monitored nests, there was an average of 1.1 chicks fledged/nesting attempt and 1.6 chicks fledged/successful nest. Goshawks frequently used alternative nests from one year to the next, and we were not always successful at finding new alternative nests. Alternative nests ranged from 50 yds to 0.7 mi apart. The average number of alternative nests found per nesting territory was 2.2, and in 1 territory there were six nests. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) was the preferred nest tree with 65 goshawk nests in pine trees and one nest found in a white spruce tree (Abies glauca). The average diameter (dbh) of nest trees was 16.8 in dbh. Nest stand characteristics were measured at 21 nest tree sites. Average nest stand dbh was 10.2 in, average nest stand tree density was 266 trees/ac, and the average nest stand basal area was 128 ft2/ac

Soluble aggregates present in cerebrospinal fluid change in size and mechanism of toxicity during Alzheimer’s disease progression

Abstract: Soluble aggregates of amyloid-β (Aβ) have been associated with neuronal and synaptic loss in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, despite significant recent progress, the mechanisms by which these aggregated species contribute to disease progression are not fully determined. As the analysis of human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) provides an accessible window into the molecular changes associated with the disease progression, we characterised soluble aggregates present in CSF samples from individuals with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy controls using a range of sensitive biophysical methods. We used super-resolution imaging and atomic force microscopy to characterise the size and structure of the aggregates present in CSF and correlate this with their ability to permeabilise lipid membranes and induce an inflammatory response. We found that these aggregates are extremely heterogeneous and exist in a range of sizes, varying both structurally and in their mechanisms of toxicity during the disease progression. A higher proportion of small aggregates of Aβ that can cause membrane permeabilization are found in MCI CSF; in established AD, a higher proportion of the aggregates were larger and more prone to elicit a pro-inflammatory response in glial cells, while there was no detectable change in aggregate concentration. These results show that large aggregates, some longer than 100 nm, are present in the CSF of AD patients and suggest that different neurotoxic mechanisms are prevalent at different stages of AD

Football fans in training: the development and optimization of an intervention delivered through professional sports clubs to help men lose weight, become more active and adopt healthier eating habits

<p>Background: The prevalence of obesity in men is rising, but they are less likely than women to engage in existing weight management programmes. The potential of professional sports club settings to engage men in health promotion activities is being increasingly recognised. This paper describes the development and optimization of the Football Fans in Training (FFIT) programme, which aims to help overweight men (many of them football supporters) lose weight through becoming more active and adopting healthier eating habits.</p> <p>Methods: The MRC Framework for the design and evaluation of complex interventions was used to guide programme development in two phases. In Phase 1, a multidisciplinary working group developed the pilot programme (p-FFIT) and used a scoping review to summarize previous research and identify the target population. Phase 2 involved a process evaluation of p-FFIT in 11 Scottish Premier League (SPL) clubs. Participant and coach feedback, focus group discussions and interviews explored the utility/acceptability of programme components and suggestions for changes. Programme session observations identified examples of good practice and problems/issues with delivery. Together, these findings informed redevelopment of the optimized programme (FFIT), whose components were mapped onto specific behaviour change techniques using an evidence-based taxonomy.</p> <p>Results: p-FFIT comprised 12, weekly, gender-sensitised, group-based weight management classroom and ‘pitch-side’ physical activity sessions. These in-stadia sessions were complemented by an incremental, pedometer-based walking programme. p-FFIT was targeted at men aged 35-65 years with body mass index ≥ 27 kg/m2. Phase 2 demonstrated that participants in p-FFIT were enthusiastic about both the classroom and physical activity components, and valued the camaraderie and peer-support offered by the programme. Coaches appreciated the simplicity of the key healthy eating and physical activity messages. Suggestions for improvements that were incorporated into the optimized FFIT programme included: more varied in-stadia physical activity with football-related components; post-programme weight management support (emails and a reunion session); and additional training for coaches in SMART goal setting and the pedometer-based walking programme.</p> <p>Conclusions: The Football Fans in Training programme is highly acceptable to participants and SPL coaches, and is appropriate for evaluation in a randomised controlled trial.</p&gt

Temperate infection in a virus–host system previously known for virulent dynamics

The blooming cosmopolitan coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi and its viruses (EhVs) are a model for density-dependent virulent dynamics. EhVs commonly exhibit rapid viral reproduction and drive host death in high-density laboratory cultures and mesocosms that simulate blooms. Here we show that this system exhibits physiology-dependent temperate dynamics at environmentally relevant E. huxleyi host densities rather than virulent dynamics, with viruses switching from a long-term non-lethal temperate phase in healthy hosts to a lethal lytic stage as host cells become physiologically stressed. Using this system as a model for temperate infection dynamics, we present a template to diagnose temperate infection in other virus–host systems by integrating experimental, theoretical, and environmental approaches. Finding temperate dynamics in such an established virulent host–virus model system indicates that temperateness may be more pervasive than previously considered, and that the role of viruses in bloom formation and decline may be governed by host physiology rather than by host–virus densities

Seasonal mixed layer depth shapes phytoplankton physiology, viral production, and accumulation in the North Atlantic

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Diaz, B. P., Knowles, B., Johns, C. T., Laber, C. P., Bondoc, K. G. V., Haramaty, L., Natale, F., Harvey, E. L., Kramer, S. J., Bolaños, L. M., Lowenstein, D. P., Fredricks, H. F., Graff, J., Westberry, T. K., Mojica, K. D. A., Haëntjens, N., Baetge, N., Gaube, P., Boss, E., Carlson, C. A., Behrenfeld, M. J., Van Mooy, B. A. S., Bidle, K. D. Seasonal mixed layer depth shapes phytoplankton physiology, viral production, and accumulation in the North Atlantic. Nature Communications, 12(1), (2021): 6634, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26836-1.Seasonal shifts in phytoplankton accumulation and loss largely follow changes in mixed layer depth, but the impact of mixed layer depth on cell physiology remains unexplored. Here, we investigate the physiological state of phytoplankton populations associated with distinct bloom phases and mixing regimes in the North Atlantic. Stratification and deep mixing alter community physiology and viral production, effectively shaping accumulation rates. Communities in relatively deep, early-spring mixed layers are characterized by low levels of stress and high accumulation rates, while those in the recently shallowed mixed layers in late-spring have high levels of oxidative stress. Prolonged stratification into early autumn manifests in negative accumulation rates, along with pronounced signatures of compromised membranes, death-related protease activity, virus production, nutrient drawdown, and lipid markers indicative of nutrient stress. Positive accumulation renews during mixed layer deepening with transition into winter, concomitant with enhanced nutrient supply and lessened viral pressure.This work was made possible by NASA’s Earth Science Program in support of the North Atlantic Aerosol and Marine Ecosystem Study (15-RRNES15-0011 and 0NSSC18K1563 to K.D.B.; NNX15AF30G to M.J.B.), as well as with support from the National Science Foundation (OIA-2021032 to K.D.B., OCE-157943 to C.A.C., and OCE-1756254 to B.A.S.V.M.), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Award# 3789 to K.G.V.B.), and NASA’s Future Investigators in Space Science and Technology program (FINESST; grant #826380 to K.D.B.; graduate support to BD)

Seasonal Mixed Layer Depth Shapes Phytoplankton Physiology, Viral Production, and Accumulation In the North Atlantic

Seasonal shifts in phytoplankton accumulation and loss largely follow changes in mixed layer depth, but the impact of mixed layer depth on cell physiology remains unexplored. Here, we investigate the physiological state of phytoplankton populations associated with distinct bloom phases and mixing regimes in the North Atlantic. Stratification and deep mixing alter community physiology and viral production, effectively shaping accumulation rates. Communities in relatively deep, early-spring mixed layers are characterized by low levels of stress and high accumulation rates, while those in the recently shallowed mixed layers in late-spring have high levels of oxidative stress. Prolonged stratification into early autumn manifests in negative accumulation rates, along with pronounced signatures of compromised membranes, death-related protease activity, virus production, nutrient drawdown, and lipid markers indicative of nutrient stress. Positive accumulation renews during mixed layer deepening with transition into winter, concomitant with enhanced nutrient supply and lessened viral pressure

Urinary leukotriene E4 and prostaglandin D2 metabolites increase in adult and childhood severe asthma characterized by type 2 Inflammation : a clinical observational study

Rationale: New approaches are needed to guide personalized treatment of asthma.Objective: To test if urinary eicosanoid metabolites can direct asthma phenotyping.Methods: Urinary metabolites of prostaglandins (PG), cysteinyl-leukotrienes (LT) and isoprostanes were quantified in the Unbiased Biomarkers for the Prediction of Respiratory Diseases Outcomes (U-BIOPRED) study including 86 adults with mild-to-moderate asthma (MMA), 411 with severe asthma (SA), and 100 healthy controls (HC). Validation was performed in 302 SA subjects followed-up after 12-18 months, and externally in 95 adolescents with asthma.Measurement and Main Results: Metabolite levels in HC were unrelated to age, BMI and sex, except for the PGE2-pathway. Eicosanoid levels were generally greater in MMA relative to HC, with further elevations in SA, except for PGE2-metabolites in males, which were the same or lower in non-smoking asthmatics as in HC. Metabolite levels were unchanged in asthmatics adherent to oral corticosteroid treatment as documented by urinary prednisolone detection, whereas SA treated with omalizumab had lower levels of LTE4 and the PGD2 metabolite 2,3-dinor-11?-PGF2?. High levels of LTE4 and PGD2-metabolites were associated with lower lung-function, and increased levels of exhaled nitric oxide and eosinophil markers in blood, sputum and urine in U-BIOPRED and in adolescents with asthma. These type-2 (T2) asthma associations were reproduced in the follow-up visit of the U-BIOPRED study, and found to be as sensitive to detect T2 inflammation as the established biomarkers. Conclusions: Monitoring of urinary eicosanoids can identify T2 asthma and introduces a new non-invasive approach for molecular phenotyping of adult and adolescent asthma

Styrene maleic-acid lipid particles (SMALPs) into detergent or amphipols: An exchange protocol for membrane protein characterisation.

Membrane proteins are traditionally extracted and purified in detergent for biochemical and structural characterisation. This process is often costly and laborious, and the stripping away of potentially stabilising lipids from the membrane protein of interest can have detrimental effects on protein integrity. Recently, styrene-maleic acid (SMA) co-polymers have offered a solution to this problem by extracting membrane proteins directly from their native membrane, while retaining their naturally associated lipids in the form of stable SMA lipid particles (SMALPs). However, the inherent nature and heterogeneity of the polymer renders their use challenging for some downstream applications - particularly mass spectrometry (MS). While advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have enhanced our understanding of membrane protein:lipid interactions in both SMALPs and detergent, the resolution obtained with this technique is often insufficient to accurately identify closely associated lipids within the transmembrane annulus. Native-MS has the power to fill this knowledge gap, but the SMA polymer itself remains largely incompatible with this technique. To increase sample homogeneity and allow characterisation of membrane protein:lipid complexes by native-MS, we have developed a novel SMA-exchange method; whereby the membrane protein of interest is first solubilised and purified in SMA, then transferred into amphipols or detergents. This allows the membrane protein and endogenously associated lipids extracted by SMA co-polymer to be identified and examined by MS, thereby complementing results obtained by cryo-EM and creating a better understanding of how the lipid bilayer directly affects membrane protein structure and function

Algorithmic approach to finding people with multiple sclerosis using routine healthcare data in Wales

Background Identification of multiple sclerosis (MS) cases in routine healthcare data repositories remains challenging. MS can have a protracted diagnostic process and is rarely identified as a primary reason for admission to the hospital. Difficulties in identification are compounded in systems that do not include insurance or payer information concerning drug treatments or non-notifiable disease. Aim To develop an algorithm to reliably identify MS cases within a national health data bank. Method Retrospective analysis of the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank was used to identify MS cases using a novel algorithm. Sensitivity and specificity were tested using two existing independent MS datasets, one clinically validated and population-based and a second from a self-registered MS national registry. Results From 4 757 428 records, the algorithm identified 6194 living cases of MS within Wales on 31 December 2020 (prevalence 221.65 (95% CI 216.17 to 227.24) per 100 000). Case-finding sensitivity and specificity were 96.8% and 99.9% for the clinically validated population-based cohort and sensitivity was 96.7% for the self-declared registry population. Discussion The algorithm successfully identified MS cases within the SAIL databank with high sensitivity and specificity, verified by two independent populations and has important utility in large-scale epidemiological studies of MS