Mercury and other element exposure in tree swallows nesting at low pH and neutral pH lakes in northern Wisconsin USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Custer, T.W.; Custer, Christine M.; Thogmartin, W.E.; Dummer, P.M.; Rossmann, R.; Kenow, K.P.; Meyer, M.W.

2012-01-01

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) demonstrate similar responses to lake pH and mercury (Hg) contamination in northern Wisconsin as do common loons (Gavia immer). Similar to common loons, Hg concentrations in the blood of tree swallow nestlings were higher, Hg concentrations in eggs tended to be higher, and egg size tended to be smaller at low (<6.2) pH lakes. In contrast to common loons, tree swallow nestling production was not lower at low pH lakes. Based on modeling associations, Hg concentrations in tree swallow eggs and nestling blood can be used to predict Hg concentrations in common loons without the invasive or destructive sampling of loons. Mean concentrations of cadmium, manganese, and mercury in nestling livers were higher at low pH lakes than neutral pH lakes. Concentrations of cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium, and zinc were not at toxic levels. ?? 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NORTHEAST LOON STUDY WORKING GROUP PARTNERSHIP TO ASSESS ENVIRONMENTAL RISK

EPA Science Inventory

The Northeast Loon Study Working Group (NELSWG) was formed in 1994 to proactively identify threats to one of the Northeast's most popular waterbirds, the common loon, Gavia immer. Seventeen institutions have come together to identify strategy, coordinate the work load, and share ...

Survival of adult Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) may be linked to marine conditions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmutz, Joel A.

2014-01-01

Large variations in the summering population size of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) have occurred in recent decades in Alaska. Little information exists about annual or seasonal survival rates of adult Red-throated Loons. This study used tracking data from satellite transmitters implanted into 33 Red-throated Loons captured on breeding areas in Alaska to estimate annual survival with the sampling effort split between two study periods: 2000–2002 and 2008–2010. Mortality was inferred from transmitted sensor data that indicated body temperature of the Red-throated Loon and voltage of the transmitter's battery. Two definitive mortalities occurred, resulting in an annual survival estimate of 0.920 (SE = 0.054). The fates of two additional Red-throated Loons were ambiguous and, when treated as mortalities, the annual survival estimate was 0.838 (SE = 0.074). All four putative mortalities occurred during the non-breeding season in the early study period. Oceanic conditions, indexed by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, appeared to differ between the study periods with higher Pacific Decadal Oscillation values associated with the early study period. Given that high values for Pacific Decadal Oscillation were also associated with the large decline of Red-throated Loons observed in Alaska during 1977–1993, this study suggests that survival of adult Red-throated Loons may vary in relation to the state of the marine ecosystem and thus contribute to long-term variation in population trends.

Cues used by the black fly, Simulium annulus, for attraction to the common loon (Gavia immer).

PubMed

Weinandt, Meggin L; Meyer, Michael; Strand, Mac; Lindsay, Alec R

2012-12-01

The parasitic relationship between a black fly, Simulium annulus, and the common loon (Gavia immer) has been considered one of the most exclusive relationships between any host species and a black fly species. To test the host specificity of this blood-feeding insect, we made a series of bird decoy presentations to black flies on loon-inhabited lakes in northern Wisconsin, U.S.A. To examine the importance of chemical and visual cues for black fly detection of and attraction to hosts, we made decoy presentations with and without chemical cues. Flies attracted to the decoys were collected, identified to species, and quantified. Results showed that S. annulus had a strong preference for common loon visual and chemical cues, although visual cues from Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and mallards (Anas platyrynchos) did attract some flies in significantly smaller numbers. © 2012 The Society for Vector Ecology.

CHARACTERIZATION OF SEVEN POLYMORPHIC MICROSATELLITE LOCI IN THE COMMON LOON (GAVIA IMMER)

EPA Science Inventory

We describe polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers and conditions to amplify seven microsatellite DNA loci isolated from the Common Loon (Gavia immer). The PCR primers were tested on 83 individuals from ten locations in North America, including breeding, migration stopover, and...

Influence of in ovo mercury exposure, lake acidity, and other factors on common loon egg and chick quality in Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, Kevin P.; Meyer, Michael W.; Rossmann, Ronald; Gray, Brian R.; Arts, Michael T.

2015-01-01

A field study was conducted in Wisconsin (USA) to characterize in ovo mercury (Hg) exposure in common loons (Gavia immer). Total Hg mass fractions ranged from 0.17 mg/g to 1.23mg/g wet weight in eggs collected from nests on lakes representing a wide range of pH (5.0–8.1) and were modeled as a function of maternal loon Hg exposure and egg laying order. Blood total Hg mass fractions in a sample of loon chicks ranged from 0.84ug/g to 3.86 ug/g wet weight at hatch. Factors other than mercury exposure that may have persistent consequences on development of chicks from eggs collected on low-pH lakes (i.e., egg selenium, calcium, and fatty acid mass fractions) do not seem to be contributing to reported differences in loon chick quality as a function of lake pH. However, it was observed that adult male loons holding territories on neutral-pH lakes were larger on average than those occupying territories on low-pH lakes. Differences in adult body size of common loons holding territories on neutral-versus low-pH lakes may have genetic implications for differences in lake-source-related quality (i.e., size) in chicks. The tendency for high in ovo Hg exposure and smaller adult male size to co-occur in low-pH lakes complicates the interpretation of the relative contributions of each to resulting chick quality.

Effects of spatial disturbance on common loon nest site selection and territory success

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCarthy, K.P.; DeStefano, S.

2011-01-01

The common loon (Gavia immer) breeds during the summer on northern lakes and water bodies that are also often desirable areas for aquatic recreation and human habitation. In northern New England, we assessed how the spatial nature of disturbance affects common loon nest site selection and territory success. We found through classification and regression analysis that distance to and density of disturbance factors can be used to classify observed nest site locations versus random points, suggesting that these factors affect loon nest site selection (model 1: Correct classification = 75%, null = 50%, K = 0.507, P < 0.001; model 2: Correct classification = 78%, null = 50%, K = 0.551, P < 0.001). However, in an exploratory analysis, we were unable to show a relation between spatial disturbance variables and breeding success (P = 0.595, R 2 = 0.436), possibly because breeding success was so low during the breeding seasons of 2007-2008. We suggest that by selecting nest site locations that avoid disturbance factors, loons thereby limit the effect that disturbance will have on their breeding success. Still, disturbance may force loons to use sub-optimal nesting habitat, limiting the available number of territories, and overall productivity. We advise that management efforts focus on limiting disturbance factors to allow breeding pairs access to the best nesting territories, relieving disturbance pressures that may force sub-optimal nest placement. ?? 2011 The Wildlife Society.

Density of loons in central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanctot, Richard B.; Quang, Pham Xuan

1992-01-01

Loons breed across North America from the high arctic south to about 43 north latitude. (AOU 1983). Populations, particularly of Common Loons (Gavia immer) have recently declined in the continental U.S. and southern Canada (Sutcliff 1979, Titus and VanDruff 1981, McIntyre 1988). As a result, state and private natural resource organizations began more intensive monitoring of loon populations (in McIntyre 1986, Strong 1988). These surveys, however, are restricted to areas accessible by road, although recently aircraft were used for more remote areas (Lee and Arbuckle 1988, Strong 1990).

MERGANSER - A Predictive Model of Mercury in Fish and Loons in New England Lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, R. B.; Shanley, J. B.; Smith, R. A.; Miller, E. K.; Simcox, A.; Kamman, N. C.; Nacci, D. E.; Robinson, K. W.; Johnston, J. M.; Hughes, M.; Johnston, C. M.; Williams, K.; Graham, J.; King, S.

2010-12-01

MERGANSER (MERcury Geo-spatial AssessmeNtS for the New England Region) is an empirical least squares multiple regression model using atmospheric deposition of mercury (Hg) and readily obtainable lake and watershed features to predict fish and common loon Hg in New England lakes. We modeled lakes larger than 8 ha and with drainage area completely within the USA (4404 lakes), using 3827 fish (12 species) and loon Hg values from 420 lakes. MERGANSER predictor variables included Hg deposition, watershed alkalinity, percent wetlands, percent forest canopy, percent agriculture, drainage area, population, mean annual temperature and watershed slope. The model returns fish tissue or loon blood Hg for user-entered species and length. MERGANSER explained 63% of the variance in fish fillet and loon Hg concentrations. MERGANSER predicted that 32-cm small mouth bass had a median Hg concentration of 0.53 µg g-1 and exceeded EPA’s maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 0.3 µg/g Hg in 90% of New England lakes. Common loon had a median Hg concentration of 1.07 µg g-1 and was in the moderate or higher risk category of >1 µg/g Hg in 58% of New England lakes.

Recent Dynamics of Common Loon Populations and their Implications for the Measurement of Ongoing Change

EPA Science Inventory

Common loons (Gavia immer) have been studied by evolutionary ecologists and conservation organizations for several decades, leading to a rich supply of observational data on breeding biology, behavior and abundance. Analysis of such data can provide insight into population demogr...

TISSUE MERCURY CONCENTRATIONS AND POTENTIAL NEUROGPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN COMMON LOONS (GAVIA IMMER)

EPA Science Inventory

Common loons (Gavia immer) in New England are exposed to high levels of mercury through their diet. Mercury bioaccumulates through the food chain as methylmercury, a neurotoxin which has been shown in controlled feeding studies to have detrimental effects on the health and behavi...

Effects of spatial disturbance on common loon nest site selection and territory success

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCarthy, Kyle P.; DeStefano, Stephen

2011-01-01

The common loon (Gavia immer) breeds during the summer on northern lakes and water bodies that are also often desirable areas for aquatic recreation and human habitation. In northern New England, we assessed how the spatial nature of disturbance affects common loon nest site selection and territory success. We found through classification and regression analysis that distance to and density of disturbance factors can be used to classify observed nest site locations versus random points, suggesting that these factors affect loon nest site selection (model 1: Correct classification = 75%, null = 50%, K = 0.507, P < 0.001; model 2: Correct classification = 78%, null = 50%, K = 0.551, P < 0.001). However, in an exploratory analysis, we were unable to show a relation between spatial disturbance variables and breeding success (P = 0.595, R2 = 0.436), possibly because breeding success was so low during the breeding seasons of 2007–2008. We suggest that by selecting nest site locations that avoid disturbance factors, loons thereby limit the effect that disturbance will have on their breeding success. Still, disturbance may force loons to use sub-optimal nesting habitat, limiting the available number of territories, and overall productivity. We advise that management efforts focus on limiting disturbance factors to allow breeding pairs access to the best nesting territories, relieving disturbance pressures that may force sub-optimal nest placement.

Predicting Risks to Wildlife Populations from Multriple Stressors: Mercury, Habitat Alteration and Common Loon Breeding in New Hampshire, USA

EPA Science Inventory

We applied a generic approach to estimate and test predictions of population risks of mercury (Hg) exposure and habitat alteration on common loons (Gavia immer) breeding in New Hampshire (NH), USA. We developed a publically-accessible data system, integrating environmental data ...

Patterns and Consequences of in ovo Exposure to Methylmercury in Common Loons, poster presentation

EPA Science Inventory

A critical component of a common loon/mercury (Hg) risk assessment model under development is the determination of the concentration of Hg in eggs that poses a population level risk. We conducted a field study to (1) characterize in ovo methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in Wisconsin...

MERGANSER: an empirical model to predict fish and loon mercury in New England lakes.

PubMed

Shanley, James B; Moore, Richard; Smith, Richard A; Miller, Eric K; Simcox, Alison; Kamman, Neil; Nacci, Diane; Robinson, Keith; Johnston, John M; Hughes, Melissa M; Johnston, Craig; Evers, David; Williams, Kate; Graham, John; King, Susannah

2012-04-17

MERGANSER (MERcury Geo-spatial AssessmeNtS for the New England Region) is an empirical least-squares multiple regression model using mercury (Hg) deposition and readily obtainable lake and watershed features to predict fish (fillet) and common loon (blood) Hg in New England lakes. We modeled lakes larger than 8 ha (4404 lakes), using 3470 fish (12 species) and 253 loon Hg concentrations from 420 lakes. MERGANSER predictor variables included Hg deposition, watershed alkalinity, percent wetlands, percent forest canopy, percent agriculture, drainage area, population density, mean annual air temperature, and watershed slope. The model returns fish or loon Hg for user-entered species and fish length. MERGANSER explained 63% of the variance in fish and loon Hg concentrations. MERGANSER predicted that 32-cm smallmouth bass had a median Hg concentration of 0.53 μg g(-1) (root-mean-square error 0.27 μg g(-1)) and exceeded EPA's recommended fish Hg criterion of 0.3 μg g(-1) in 90% of New England lakes. Common loon had a median Hg concentration of 1.07 μg g(-1) and was in the moderate or higher risk category of >1 μg g(-1) Hg in 58% of New England lakes. MERGANSER can be applied to target fish advisories to specific unmonitored lakes, and for scenario evaluation, such as the effect of changes in Hg deposition, land use, or warmer climate on fish and loon mercury.

MERGANSER: an empirical model to predict fish and loon mercury in New England lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shanley, James B.; Moore, Richard; Smith, Richard A.; Miller, Eric K.; Simcox, Alison; Kamman, Neil; Nacci, Diane; Robinson, Keith; Johnston, John M.; Hughes, Melissa M.; Johnston, Craig; Evers, David; Williams, Kate; Graham, John; King, Susannah

2012-01-01

MERGANSER (MERcury Geo-spatial AssessmeNtS for the New England Region) is an empirical least-squares multiple regression model using mercury (Hg) deposition and readily obtainable lake and watershed features to predict fish (fillet) and common loon (blood) Hg in New England lakes. We modeled lakes larger than 8 ha (4404 lakes), using 3470 fish (12 species) and 253 loon Hg concentrations from 420 lakes. MERGANSER predictor variables included Hg deposition, watershed alkalinity, percent wetlands, percent forest canopy, percent agriculture, drainage area, population density, mean annual air temperature, and watershed slope. The model returns fish or loon Hg for user-entered species and fish length. MERGANSER explained 63% of the variance in fish and loon Hg concentrations. MERGANSER predicted that 32-cm smallmouth bass had a median Hg concentration of 0.53 μg g-1 (root-mean-square error 0.27 μg g-1) and exceeded EPA's recommended fish Hg criterion of 0.3 μg g-1 in 90% of New England lakes. Common loon had a median Hg concentration of 1.07 μg g-1 and was in the moderate or higher risk category of >1 μg g-1 Hg in 58% of New England lakes. MERGANSER can be applied to target fish advisories to specific unmonitored lakes, and for scenario evaluation, such as the effect of changes in Hg deposition, land use, or warmer climate on fish and loon mercury.

Major correlates of mercury in small fish and common loons (Gavia immer) across four large study areas in Canada.

PubMed

Scheuhammer, A M; Lord, S I; Wayland, M; Burgess, N M; Champoux, L; Elliott, J E

2016-03-01

We investigated mercury (Hg) concentrations in small fish (mainly yellow perch, Perca flavescens; ∼60% of fish collected) and in blood of common loons (Gavia immer) that prey upon them during the breeding season on lakes in 4 large, widely separated study areas in Canada (>13 lakes per study area; total number of lakes = 93). Although surface sediments from lakes near a base metal smelter in Flin Flon, Manitoba had the highest Hg concentrations, perch and other small fish and blood of common loon chicks sampled from these same lakes had low Hg concentrations similar to those from uncontaminated reference lakes. Multiple regression modeling with AIC analysis indicated that lake pH was by far the most important single factor influencing perch Hg concentrations in lakes across the four study areas (R(2) = 0.29). The best model was a three-variable model (pH + alkalinity + sediment Se; Wi = 0.61, R(2) = 0.85). A single-variable model (fish Hg) best explained among-lake variability in loon chick blood Hg (Wi = 0.17; R(2) = 0.53). From a toxicological risk perspective, all lakes posing a potential Hg health risk for perch and possibly other small pelagic fish species (where mean fish muscle Hg concentrations exceeded 2.4 μg/g dry wt.), and for breeding common loons (where mean fish muscle Hg concentrations exceeded 0.8 μg/g dry wt., and loon chick blood Hg exceeded 1.4 μg/g dry wt.) had pH < 6.7 and were located in eastern Canada. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mercury and other element exposure in tree swallows nesting at low pH and neutral pH lakes in northern Wisconsin USA

EPA Science Inventory

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) demonstrate similar responses to lake pH and mercury (Hg) contamination in northern Wisconsin as do common loons (Gavia immer). Similar to common loons, Hg concentrations in the blood...

Projecting the Population-level Effects of Mercury on the Common Loon in the Northeast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evers, D. C.; Mitro, M. G.; Gleason, T. R.

2001-05-01

The Common Loon (Gavia immer) is a top-level predator in aquatic systems and is at risk to mercury contamination. This risk is of particular concern in the Northeast, the region of North America in which loons have the highest mean body concentration of methylmercury (MeHg). We used matrix population models to project the population-level effects of mercury on loons in four states in the Northeast (New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) exhibiting different levels of risk to MeHg. Four categories of risk to MeHg (low, moderate, high, and extra high) were established based on MeHg levels observed in loons and associated effects observed at the individual and population levels in the field (e.g., behavior and reproductive success). We parameterized deterministic matrix population models using survival estimates from a 12-year band-resight data set and productivity estimates from a 25-year data set of nesting loon observations in NH. The juvenile loon survival rate was 0.55 (minimum) and 0.63 (maximum) (ages 1-3), and the adult loon survival rate was 0.95 (ages 4-30). The mean age at first reproduction was 7. The mean fertility was 0.26 fledgelings per individual at low to moderate risk; there were 53% fewer fledged young per individual at high to extra high risk. Productivity was weighted by risk for each state. The portion of the breeding population at high to extra high risk was 10% in NY, 15% in VT, 17% in NH, and 28% in ME. We also constructed a stochastic model in which productivity was randomly selected in each time step from the 25 estimates in the NH data set. Model results indicated a negative population growth rate for some states. There was a decreasing trend in population growth rate as the percentage of the loon population at high to extra high risk increased. The stochastic model showed that the population growth rate varied over a range of about 0.05 from year to year, and this range decreased as the percentage of the loon population at high to extra high risk increased. These results suggest that an increase in risk to mercury that effects a change in reproductive success may have a negative population-level effect on loons.

An epizootic of common loons in coastal waters of North Carolina: Concentrations of elemental contaminants and results of necropsies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Augspurger, T.; Franson, J.C.; Converse, K.A.

1998-02-01

A 1993 die-off of common loons (Gavia immer) in the coastal waters of North Carolina was investigated with emphasis on comparing mercury, selenium, arsenic, and lead between birds from the epizootic and reference specimens. Die-off specimens were emaciated but contained no ingested foreign bodies and no lesions suggestive of infectious disease. Results of bacteriology, virology, parasitology, and botulism testing were unremarkable. The geometric mean concentrations (wet weight) of liver mercury and arsenic did not differ between specimens from the die-off and reference loons from the same area that died of other causes. The geometric mean liver selenium concentration of die-offmore » specimens was significantly higher than that of reference loons. Liver lead concentrations were < 0.20 ppm in all but one sample (5.83 ppm). The geometric mean mercury concentration in the primary remiges of die-off specimens was significantly lower than in reference birds. Liver mercury significantly correlated with liver selenium on a molar concentration basis. The authors interpret the range of liver mercury concentrations in birds from the epizootic, similar liver mercury concentrations in reference loons, and higher mercury concentrations in reference loon feathers as evidence that factors other than mercury were primarily responsible for the emaciation diagnosed as the cause of mortality.« less

An epizootic of common loons in coastal waters of North Carolina: Concentrations of elemental contaminants and results of necropsies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Augspurger, Tom; Franson, J. Christian; Converse, Kathryn A.; Spitzer, P.; Miller, E.A.

1998-01-01

A 1993 die-off of common loons (Gavia immer) in the coastal waters of North Carolina was investigated with emphasis on comparing mercury, selenium, arsenic, and lead between birds from the epizootic and reference specimens. Die-off specimens were emaciated but contained no ingested foreign bodies and no lesions suggestive of infectious disease. Results of bacteriology, virology, parasitology, and botulism testing were unremarkable. The geometric mean concentrations (wet weight) of liver mercury (10.9 ppm), and arsenic (0.96 ppm) did not differ between specimens from the die-off and reference loons from the same area that died of other causes. The geometric mean liver selenium concentration of die-off specimens (10.4 ppm) was significantly higher than that of reference loons. Liver lead concentrations were < 0.20 ppm in all but one sample (5.83 ppm). The geometric mean mercury concentration in the primary remiges of die-off specimens (5.44 ppm dry weight) was significantly lower than in reference birds. Liver mercury significantly correlated with liver selenium on a molar concentration basis. We interpret the range of liver mercury concentrations in birds from the epizootic, similar liver mercury concentrations in reference loons, and higher mercury concentrations in reference loon feathers as evidence that factors other than mercury were primarily responsible for the emaciation diagnosed as the cause of mortality.

Mercury exposure in breeding common loons (Gavia immer) in central Ontario, Canada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scheuhammer, A.M.; Evers, D.C.; Atchison, C.M.

1998-02-01

Total Hg concentrations were determined in blood and feather samples of breeding common loons (Gavia immer) and their chicks from 24 lakes in Ontario with a range of water chemistry and fish Hg concentrations. In paired comparisons, males had significantly higher blood and feather concentrations than their female mates. Sex differences in Hg concentrations were attributable to size differences between the two sexes and to the possible transfer of Hg to eggs by females during egg-laying. Significantly higher blood and feather Hg concentrations were found in adult loons compared to their chicks. Adult blood Hg concentrations were significantly correlated withmore » those of their chicks. Adult blood concentrations averaged about 13 times those of corresponding chicks. Both adult and chick blood Hg concentrations were positively correlated with fish Hg concentrations, indicating that adult loons in central Ontario, like their chicks, probably feed mainly on their breeding lakes and reflect the fish Hg concentrations of those lakes. Three of 24 lakes had 20- to 50-g fish with Hg concentrations at or exceeding the critical concentration reported to cause reproductive impairment in loons. Monitoring Hg in blood (adult and chick) and feathers (chicks only) is useful for assessing the local bioavailability of methylmercury and the degree of current dietary Hg exposure in loons and other piscivorous birds.« less

USE OF THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM TO INVESTIGATE MERCURY LEVELS IN CORRELATION WITH POSTMORTEM FINDINGS OF ASPERGILLUS INDUCED LESIONS IN THE COMMON LOON (GAVIA IMMER) IN THE NORTHEASTERN USA

EPA Science Inventory

This study employed the Geographic Information System (GIS) to correlate total mercury levels in liver tissue with post-mortem findings of aspergillosis in common loons (Gavia immer) in the northeast United States of America (USA). Aspergillosis is an opportunistic fungal infecti...

Effects of methylmercury exposure on glutathione metabolism, oxidative stress, and chromosomal damage in captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, K.P.; Hoffman, D.J.; Hines, R.K.; Meyer, M.W.; Bickham, J.W.; Matson, C.W.; Stebbins, K.R.; Montagna, P.; Elfessi, A.

2008-01-01

We quantified the level of dietary mercury (Hg), delivered as methylmercury chloride (CH3HgCl), associated with negative effects on organ and plasma biochemistries related to glutathione (GSH) metabolism and oxidative stress, and chromosomal damage in captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks reared from hatch to 105 days. Mercury-associated effects related to oxidative stress and altered glutathione metabolism occurred at 1.2 :g Hg/g and 0.4 :g Hg/g, an ecologically relevant dietary mercury level, but not at 0.08 :g Hg/g. Among the variables that contributed most to dissimilarities in tissue chemistries between control and treatment groups were increased levels of oxidized glutathione (GSSG), GSH peroxidase, and the ratio of GSSG to GSH in brain tissue; increased levels of hepatic GSH; and decreased levels of hepatic glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH). Our results also suggest that chronic exposure to environmentally relevant dietary Hg levels did not result in statistically significant somatic chromosomal damage in common loon chicks. Oxidative stress and altered glutathione metabolism were evident in common loon chicks exposed to >0.4 :g Hg as CH3HgCl per gram wet food intake.

Influence of in ovo mercury exposure, lake acidity, and other factors on common loon egg and chick quality in Wisconsin

EPA Science Inventory

We conducted a field study in Wisconsin to characterize in ovo mercury (Hg) exposure in common loons (Gavia immer). Total Hg mass fractions ranged from 0.17 to 1.23 ìg/g wet weight (ww) in eggs collected from nests on lakes representing a wide range of pH (5.0 - 8.1) and ...

Effects of methyl mercury exposure on the growth of juvenile common loons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, K.P.; Gutreuter, S.; Hines, R.K.; Meyer, M.W.; Fournier, F.; Karasov, W.H.

2003-01-01

We conducted a dose-response laboratory study to quantify the level of mercury exposure associated with negative effects on the development of common loon chicks reared in captivity from hatch to 105 days. A dose regimen was implemented that provided exposure levels that bracketed relevant exposure levels of methyl mercury found in loon chicks across North America. We observed no overt signs of mercury toxicosis and detected no significant effect of dietary mercury exposure on growth or food consumption. However, asymptotic mass was lower in chicks that hatched from eggs collected from nests on low pH lakes relative to eggs from neutral pH lakes. Rapid excretion of methyl mercury during feather growth likely provides loon chicks protection from methyl mercury toxicity and may explain the lack of convincing toxicological findings in this study. Lake-source effects suggest that in ovo exposure to methyl mercury or other factors related to lake pH have consequences on chick development.

MERGANSER- Predicting Mercury Levels in Fish and Loons in New England Lakes

EPA Science Inventory

MERGANSER (MERcury Geo-spatial AssesmentS for the New England Region) is an empirical least squares multiple regression model using atmospheric deposition of mercury (Hg) and readily obtainable lake and watershed features to predict fish and common loon Hg (as methyl mercury) in ...

Common Loon (Gavia immer) eggshell thickness and egg volume vary with acidity of nest lake in northern Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pollentier, C.D.; Kenow, K.P.; Meyer, M.W.

2007-01-01

Environmental acidification has been associated with factors that may negatively affect reproduction in many waterbirds. Declines in lake pH can lead to reductions in food availability and quality, or result in the altered availability of toxic metals, such as mercury. A recent laboratory study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources indicated that Common Loon (Gavia immer) chicks hatched from eggs collected on acidic lakes in northern Wisconsin may be less responsive to stimuli and exhibit reduced growth compared to chicks from neutral-pH lakes. Here we report on the relation between Common Loon egg characteristics (eggshell thickness and egg volume) and lake pH, as well as eggshell methylmercury content. Eggs (N = 84) and lake pH measurements were obtained from a four county region of northern Wisconsin. Egg-shells were 3-4% thinner on lakes with pH ??? 6.3 than on neutral-pH lakes and this relation was linear across the pH range investigated (P 0.05, n.s.) or lake pH. Results suggest that low lake pH may be associated with thinner eggshells and reduced egg volume in Common Loons. We speculate on the mechanisms that may lead to this phenomeno.

USE OF WILDLIFE MORTALITY DATA TO QUALIFY RISKS TO POPULATIONS ACROSS SPACE AND TIME

EPA Science Inventory

Common loon (Gavia immer) populations have declined from historic levels in New England and despite recent range-wide increases; mortality has increased in some areas. To identify and quantify the causes of disease and death in New England loons, the Wildlife Clinic at Tufts Uni...

MERGANSER - An Empirical Model to Predict Fish and Loon Mercury in New England Lakes

EPA Science Inventory

MERGANSER (MERcury Geo-spatial AssessmeNtS for the New England Region) is an empirical least-squares multiple regression model using mercury (Hg) deposition and readily obtainable lake and watershed features to predict fish (fillet) and common loon (blood) Hg in New England lakes...

Winter mortality of common loons in Florida coastal waters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Forrester, Donald J.; Davidson, W.R.; Lange, R.E.; Stroud, R.K.; Alexander, L.L.; Franson, J.C.; Haseltine, S.D.; Littell, R.C.; Nesbitt, S.A.

1997-01-01

Diagnostic findings are presented for 434 common loons (Gavia imrner) found sick or dead on Florida beaches from 1970 through 1994, primarily during the months of December to April. The most commonly recognized problem was an emaciation syndrome (66%), followed by oiling (18%), aspergillosis (7%), trauma (5%) and miscellaneous disease entities (1%). The cause-of-death for 3% of the birds was not determined. Many of the carcasses examined (n = 173) were obtained during an epizootic which occurred from January to March of 1983 in which more than 13,000 loons were estimated to have died. An emaciation syndrome, characterized by severe atrophy of pectoral muscles, loss of body fat and hemorrhagic enteritis, was the primary finding in this epizootic. It was postulated to have a complex etiologic basis involving synergistic effects and energy costs of migration, molting and replacement of flight feathers, food resource changes, salt-loading, intestinal parasitism, environmental contaminants, and inclement weather.

Observations on PCBs and mercury in common loons (Gavia immer) collected from southwestern Lake Michigan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coppock, R.W.; Ross, S.; Reynolds, J.D.

1990-06-01

The death of common loons (Gavia immer) was associated with a small spill of bunker-C oil off the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. Petroleum oil was not found on the feathers or in the lungs of the birds. Botulinus toxins C and E were found in heart blood. Because the carcasses were autolysed, botulism toxins could have been produced postmortem. An average of 97 micrograms PCBs (Aroclor 1254 standard) and 2.2 micrograms dieldrin/g of body fat also were found. Concentrations of heavy metals in one bird were 0.25 microgram of total mercury and 0.5 microgram of lead/g of liver, respectively.more » The loons had abundant body fat suggesting they were not debilitated at the time of death.« less

Effects of Injected Methylmercury on the Hatching of Common Loon (Gavia immer) Eggs

EPA Science Inventory

To determine the level of in ovo methylmercury (MeHg) exposure that results in detrimental effects on fitness and survival of loon embryos and hatched chicks, we conducted a field study in which we injected eggs with various doses of MeHg on day 4 of incubation. Eggs were collect...

DEMONSTRATION OF ASPERGILLUS SP. IN TISSUES OF THE COMMON LOON, GAVIA IMMER: INCIDENCE, PROGRESSION AND SEVERITY

EPA Science Inventory

By studying a large group of loons affected by an oil spill, much can be learned about the toxic effects of petroleum hydrocarbons in exposed birds, their ability to handle these environmental stressors, and their ability to combat natural pathogens. On January 19, 1996 the North...

Spatial patterns of methylmercury risks to common loons and piscivorous fish in Canada.

PubMed

Depew, David C; Burgess, Neil M; Campbell, Linda M

2013-11-19

Deposition of inorganic mercury (Hg) from the atmosphere remains the principle source of Hg contamination for most aquatic ecosystems. Inorganic Hg is readily converted to toxic methylmercury (MeHg) that bioaccumulates in aquatic food webs and may pose a risk to piscivorous fish and wildlife. We conducted a screening-level risk assessment to evaluate the extent of risk to top aquatic piscivores: the common loon (Gavia immer), walleye (Sander vitreus), and northern pike (Esox lucius). Risk quotients (RQs) were calculated on the basis of a dietary Hg exposure indicator (HgPREY) modeled from over 230,000 observations of fish Hg concentrations at over 1900 locations across Canada and dietary Hg exposure screening benchmarks derived specifically for this assessment. HgPREY exceeded benchmark thresholds related to impaired productivity and behavior in adult loons at 10% and 36% of sites, respectively, and exceeded benchmark thresholds for impaired reproduction and health in fishes at 82% and 73% of sites, respectively. The ecozones of southeastern Canada characterized by extensive forest cover, elevated Hg deposition, and poorly buffered soils had the greatest proportion of RQs > 1.0. Results of this assessment suggest that common loons and piscivorous fishes would likely benefit from reductions in Hg deposition, especially in southeastern Canada.

Lead Poisoning in Wild Birds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lahner, Lesanna L.; Franson, J. Christian

2009-01-01

Lead in its various forms has been used for thousands of years, originally in cooking utensils and glazes and more recently in many industrial and commercial applications. However, lead is a potent, potentially deadly toxin that damages many organs in the body and can affect all animals, including humans. By the mid 1990s, lead had been removed from many products in the United States, such as paint and fuel, but it is still commonly used in ammunition for hunting upland game birds, small mammals, and large game animals, as well as in fishing tackle. Wild birds, such as mourning doves, bald eagles, California condors, and loons, can die from the ingestion of one lead shot, bullet fragment, or sinker. According to a recent study on loon mortality, nearly half of adult loons found sick or dead during the breeding season in New England were diagnosed with confirmed or suspected lead poisoning from ingestion of lead fishing weights. Recent regulations in some states have restricted the use of lead ammunition on certain upland game hunting areas, as well as lead fishing tackle in areas frequented by common loons and trumpeter swans. A variety of alternatives to lead are available for use in hunting, shooting sports, and fishing activities.

Daily energy expenditures of free-ranging Common Loon (Gavia immer) chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fournier, F.; Karasov, W.H.; Meyer, M.W.; Kenow, K.P.

2002-01-01

We measured the daily energy expenditure of free-living Common Loon (Gavia immer) chicks using doubly labeled water (DLW). Average body mass of chicks during the DLW measures were 425, 1,052, and 1,963 g for 10 day-old (n = 5), 21 day-old (n = 6), and 35 day-old (n = 6) chicks, respectively, and their mean daily energy expenditures (DEE) were 686 kJ day−1, 768 kJ day−1, and 1,935 kJ day−1, respectively. Variation in DEE was not due solely to variation in body mass, but age was also a significant factor independent of body mass. Energy deposited in new tissue was calculated from age-dependent tissue energy contents and measured gains in body mass, which were 51, 54, and 33 g day−1 from the youngest to oldest chicks. Metabolizable energy (the sum of DEE and tissue energy) was used to estimate feeding rates of loon chicks and their exposure to mercury in the fish they consume. We calculated that loon chicks in Wisconsin consumed between 162 and 383 g wet mass of fish per day (depending on age), corresponding to intakes of mercury of 16–192 μg day−1.

Bi-phasic trends in mercury concentrations in blood of Wisconsin common loons during 1992–2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meyer, Michael W.; Rasmussen, Paul W.; Watras, Carl J.; Fevold, Brick M.; Kenow, Kevin P.

2011-01-01

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) assessed the ecological risk of mercury (Hg) in aquatic systems by monitoring common loon (Gavia immer) population dynamics and blood Hg concentrations. We report temporal trends in blood Hg concentrations based on 334 samples collected from adults recaptured in subsequent years (resampled 2-9 times) and from 421 blood samples of chicks collected at lakes resampled 2-8 times 1992-2010.. Temporal trends were identified with generalized additive mixed effects models (GAMMs) and mixed effects models to account for the potential lack of independence among observations from the same loon or same lake. Trend analyses indicated that Hg concentrations in the blood of Wisconsin loons declined over the period 1992-2000, and increased during 2002-2010, but not to the level observed in the early 1990s. The best fitting linear mixed effects model included separate trends for the two time periods. The estimated trend in Hg concentration among the adult loon population during 1992-2000 was -2.6% per year and the estimated trend during 2002-2010 was +1.8% per year; chick blood Hg concentrations decreased by -6.5% per year during 1992-2000, but increased 1.8% per year during 2002-2010. This bi-phasic pattern is similar to trends observed for concentrations of methylmercury (meHg) and SO4 in lake water of a well studied seepage lake (Little Rock Lake, Vilas County) within our study area. A cause-effect relationship between these independent trends is hypothesized.

Mercury in the Walker River Basin, Nevada and California--sources, distribution, and potential effects on the ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seiler, Ralph L.; Lico, Michael S.; Wiemeyer Evers, David C.

2004-01-01

Mercury is one of the most serious contaminants of water, sediment, and biota in Nevada because of its use during 19th century mining activities to recover gold and silver from ores. In 1998, mercury problems were discovered in the Walker River Basin of California and Nevada when blood drawn from three common loons from Walker Lake was analyzed and found to have severely elevated mercury levels. From 1999 to 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collected water, sediment, and biological samples to determine mercury sources, distribution, and potential effects on the Walker River Basin ecosystem. Total-mercury concentrations ranged from 0.62 to 57.11 ng/L in streams from the Walker River system and ranged from 1.02 to 26.8 ng/L in lakes and reservoirs. Total-mercury concentrations in streambed sediment ranged from 1 to 13,600 ng/g, and methylmercury concentrations ranged from 0.07 to 32.1 ng/g. The sediment-effects threshold for mercury for fresh-water invertebrates is 200 ng/g, which was exceeded at nine stream sites in the Walker River Basin. The highest mercury concentrations were in streams with historic mines and milling operations in the watershed. The highest mercury concentration in sediment, 13,600 ng/g, was found in Bodie Creek near Bodie, Calif., a site of extensive gold mining and milling activities during the 19th century. Sediment cores taken from Walker Lake show total-mercury concentrations exceeding 1,000 ng/g at depths greater than 15 cm below lake bottom. The presence of 137Cs above 8 cm in one core indicates that the upper 8 cm was deposited sometime after 1963. The mercury peak at 46 cm in that core, 2,660 ng/g, likely represents the peak of mining and gold extraction in the Bodie and Aurora mining districts between 1870 and 1880. Mercury concentrations in aquatic invertebrates at all sites downstream from mining activities in the Rough Creek watershed, which drains the Bodie and Aurora mining districts, were elevated (range 0.263 to 0.863 ?g/g, dry weight). Mercury concentrations in the Walker Lake tui chub, the most abundant and likely prey for common loons, ranged from approximately 0.09 ?g/g to approximately 0.9 ?g/g (wet weight). Larger tui chub in the lake, which are most likely older, had the highest mercury concentrations. Blood samples from 94 common loons collected at Walker Lake between 1998 and 2001 contained a mean mercury concentration of 2.96 ?g/g (standard deviation 1.72 ?g/g). These levels were substantially higher than those found in more than 1,600 common loons tested across North America. Among the 1,600 common loons, the greatest blood mercury concentration, 9.46 ?g/g, was from a loon at Walker Lake. According to risk assessments for northeastern North America, blood mercury concentrations exceeding 3.0 ?g/g cause behavioral, reproductive, and physiological effects. At least 52 percent of the loons at Walker Lake are at risk for adverse effects from mercury on the basis of their blood-mercury concentrations. The larger loons staging in the spring are the most at risk group. The elevated mercury levels found in tui chub and common loons indicate that there is a potential threat to the well being and reproduction of fish and wildlife that use Walker Lake. Wildlife that use Weber Reservoir may also be at risk because it is the first reservoir downstream from mining activities in the Bodie and Aurora areas and mercury concentrations in sediment were elevated. Additional data on mercury concentrations in top level predators, such as piscivorous fish and birds, are needed to assess public health and other environmental risks.

Causes of mortality in common loons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Cliplef, David J.

1992-01-01

Summarized are necropsy results from 222 carcasses of Common Loons (Gavia immer) submitted to the National Wildlife Health Research Center from 1976 through 1991.  The carcasses were from 18 states, and 10 or more birds each were from Minnesota, Florida, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, and North Carolina.  Seventy-three (33%) carcasses were emaciated, and in some of these birds emaciation was thought to be related to exposure to mercury.  OVer 40% of these emaciated birds were from Florida.  Trauma, including blunt trauma of unknown origin, outboard motor propeller wounds, and shooting caused the deaths of 49 (22%) loons, 30 of which were from Minnesota.  Diseases, primarily avian botulism type E and aspergillosis, account for 39 (18%) moralities and lead poisoning for 14 (6%), 11 of which had fishing sinkers in their stomachs.  Most of the avian botulism type E cases occurred during two outbreaks on Lake Michigan.  Seven of the 14 lead-poisoned birds were from Minnesota.  Nine (4%) birds died of miscellaneous causes and 9 (4%) of drowning, primarily from entanglement in nets.  No diagnosis could be reached for 29 (13%) carcasses.  Sample bias precludes interpretation of these data to represent actual proportional causes of mortality in the loon population.  However, the sample size is sufficient to clearly identify major causes of mortality.

Mercury correlates with altered corticosterone but not testosterone or estradiol concentrations in common loons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franceshini, Melinda D.; Evers, David C.; Kenow, Kevin P.; Meyer, Michael W.; Pokras, Mark; Romero, L. Michael

2017-01-01

We investigated the relation between environmental mercury exposure and corticosterone concentrations in free-living adult common loons (Gavia immer). We determined blood and feather mercury concentrations and compared them to testosterone, estradiol, and stress-induced plasma corticosterone concentrations. Although neither testosterone nor estradiol correlated with Hg levels, there was a robust positive relation between blood Hg and stress-induced corticosterone concentrations in males, but not in females. The lack of an effect in females may have been due to overall less contamination in females. There were no significant correlations between feather Hg and stress-induced corticosterone in either sex. To help determine whether Hg had a causal effect on corticosterone, we investigated the impact of experimental Hg intake on the corticosterone stress response in captive juvenile loons. Juveniles were subjected to three different feeding regimes: 0, 0.4 and 1.2 μg Hg (as MeHgCL)/g wet weight (ww) fish. We then measured baseline and 30 min post-solitary confinement stressor corticosterone concentrations. The Hg fed chicks exhibited a decreased ability to mount a stress response. From these data, we conclude that Hg contamination does appear to alter the corticosterone response to stress, but not in a consistent predictable pattern. Regardless of the direction of change, however, exposure to mercury contamination and the resulting impact on the corticosterone stress response in common loons may substantially impact health, fitness and survival.

Global assimilation of X Project Loon stratospheric balloon observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coy, L.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Pawson, S.; Candido, S.; Carver, R. W.

2017-12-01

Project Loon has an overall goal of providing worldwide internet coverage using a network of long-duration super-pressure balloons. Beginning in 2013, Loon has launched over 1600 balloons from multiple tropical and middle latitude locations. These GPS tracked balloon trajectories provide lower stratospheric wind information over the oceans and remote land areas where traditional radiosonde soundings are sparse, thus providing unique coverage of lower stratospheric winds. To fully investigate these Loon winds we: 1) compare the Loon winds to winds produced by a global data assimilation system (DAS: NASA GEOS) and 2) assimilate the Loon winds into the same comprehensive DAS. Results show that in middle latitudes the Loon winds and DAS winds agree well and assimilating the Loon winds have only a small impact on short-term forecasting of the Loon winds, however, in the tropics the loon winds and DAS winds often disagree substantially (8 m/s or more in magnitude) and in these cases assimilating the loon winds significantly improves the forecast of the loon winds. By highlighting cases where the Loon and DAS winds differ, these results can lead to improved understanding of stratospheric winds, especially in the tropics.

Global Assimilation of X Project Loon Stratospheric Balloon Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coy, Lawrence; Schoeberl, Mark R.; Pawson, Steven; Candido, Salvatore; Carver, Robert W.

2017-01-01

Project Loon has an overall goal of providing worldwide internet coverage using a network of long-duration super-pressure balloons. Beginning in 2013, Loon has launched over 1600 balloons from multiple tropical and middle latitude locations. These GPS tracked balloon trajectories provide lower stratospheric wind information over the oceans and remote land areas where traditional radiosonde soundings are sparse, thus providing unique coverage of lower stratospheric winds. To fully investigate these Loon winds we: 1) compare the Loon winds to winds produced by a global data assimilation system (DAS: NASA GEOS) and 2) assimilate the Loon winds into the same comprehensive DAS. Results show that in middle latitudes the Loon winds and DAS winds agree well and assimilating the Loon winds have only a small impact on short-term forecasting of the Loon winds, however, in the tropics the loon winds and DAS winds often disagree substantially (8 m/s or more in magnitude) and in these cases assimilating the loon winds significantly improves the forecast of the loon winds. By highlighting cases where the Loon and DAS winds differ, these results can lead to improved understanding of stratospheric winds, especially in the tropics.

Nestsite selection by male loons leads to sex-biased site familiarity.

PubMed

Piper, Walter H; Walcott, Charles; Mager, John N; Spilker, Frank J

2008-03-01

1. The concept that animals benefit from gaining familiarity with physical spaces is widespread among ecologists and constitutes a theoretical pillar in studies of territory defence, philopatry and habitat selection. Yet proximate causes and fitness benefits of site familiarity are poorly known. 2. We used data from marked common loons Gavia immer breeding on 98 territories over 14 years to investigate the 'win-stay, lose-switch rule' for nestsite placement (if eggs hatch, reuse nestsite; if predator takes eggs, move nestsite). Males controlled nest placement in this species: pairs used the rule if both members remained the same from the previous nesting attempt or if only the male remained the same but not if only the female remained the same. 3. By means of the nesting rule, male common loons benefited from site familiarity, increasing nesting success by 41% between their first and third years on a territory. In contrast, females exhibited no increase in nesting success with increased territorial tenure. 4. Owing to site familiarity, a male loon competing for a breeding territory faces a considerable 'familiarity deficit' compared with the male breeder already established there. The familiarity deficit probably explains why resident animals often fight hard to retain familiar territories, when challenged, and why animals of many species tend to remain on familiar territories rather than moving when territories of higher intrinsic quality become available nearby.

Occupancy of yellow-billed and Pacific loons: evidence for interspecific competition and habitat mediated co-occurrence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haynes, Trevor B.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Lindberg, Mark S.; Wright, Kenneth G.; Uher-Koch, Brian D.; Rosenberger, Amanda E.

2014-01-01

Interspecific competition is an important process structuring ecological communities, however, it is difficult to observe in nature. We used an occupancy modelling approach to evaluate evidence of competition between yellow-billed (Gavia adamsii) and Pacific (G. pacifica) loons for nesting lakes on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska. With multiple years of data and survey platforms, we estimated dynamic occupancy states (e.g. rates of colonization or extinction from individual lakes) and controlled for detection differences among aircraft platforms and ground survey crews. Results indicated that yellow-billed loons were strong competitors and negatively influenced the occupancy of Pacific loons by excluding them from potential breeding lakes. Pacific loon occupancy was conditional on the presence of yellow-billed loons, with Pacific loons having almost a tenfold decrease in occupancy probability when yellow-billed loons were present and a threefold decrease in colonization probability when yellow-billed loons were present in the current or previous year. Yellow-billed and Pacific loons co-occurred less than expected by chance except on very large lakes or lakes with convoluted shorelines; variables which may decrease the cost of maintaining a territory in the presence of the other species. These results imply the existence of interspecific competition between yellow-billed and Pacific loons for nesting lakes; however, habitat characteristics which facilitate visual and spatial separation of territories can reduce competitive interactions and promote species co-occurrence.

A landscape-scale model of yellow-billed loon (Gavia adamsii) habitat preferences in northern alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Earnst, Susan L.; Platte, Robert; Bond, Laura

2006-01-01

We modeled yellow-billed loon (Gavia adamsii) habitat preferences in a 23,500 km2 area of northern Alaska using intensive aerial surveys and landscape-scale habitat descriptors. Of the 757 lakes censused, yellow-billed loons occupied 15% and Pacific loons (G. pacifica) 42%. Lake area, depth, proportion of shoreline in aquatic vegetation, shoreline complexity, hydrological connectivity (stream present within 100 m or absent), and an area–connectivity interaction were positive, significant predictors of yellow-billed loon presence in a multivariate logistic regression model, but distance to nearest river or Beaufort Sea coast were not. Predicted yellow-billed loon presence was 13 and 4.7 times more likely on deep and medium lakes, respectively, than on shallow lakes that freeze to the bottom. On small lakes (<60 ha), predicted yellow-billed loon presence was 4.8–1.7 times more likely on lakes with hydrological connectivity than without, but connectivity was not important at most lake sizes (65–750 ha). Yellow-billed loon broods depend on fish available in the brood-rearing lake, and we suggest that a dependable supply of fish is more likely in larger lakes, those deep enough to have open water under winter ice, and those near streams. Highly convoluted shorelines and those with aquatic vegetation provide loon nesting and brood-rearing sites, as well as fish habitat. Pacific loon absence was a significant, positive predictor when added to the habitat model, indicating that yellow-billed loons were four times more likely on lakes without Pacific loons.

Diet of yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) in Arctic lakes during the nesting season inferred from fatty acid analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haynes, T B; Schmutz, Joel A.; Bromaghin, Jeffrey F.; Iverson, S J; Padula, V. M.; Rosenberger, A E

2015-01-01

Understanding the dietary habits of yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) can give important insights into their ecology, however, studying the diet of loons is difficult when direct observation or specimen collection is impractical. We investigate the diet of yellow-billed loons nesting on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska using quantitative fatty acid signature analysis. Tissue analysis from 26 yellow-billed loons and eleven prey groups (nine fish species and two invertebrate groups) from Arctic lakes suggests that yellow-billed loons are eating high proportions of Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis), broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) during late spring and early summer. The prominence of blackfish in diets highlights the widespread availability of blackfish during the early stages of loon nesting, soon after spring thaw. The high proportions of broad whitefish and three-spined stickleback may reflect a residual signal from the coastal staging period prior to establishing nesting territories on lakes, when loons are more likely to encounter these species. Our analyses were sensitive to the choice of calibration coefficient based on data from three different species, indicating the need for development of loon-specific coefficients for future study and confirmation of our results. Regardless, fish that are coastally distributed and that successfully overwinter in lakes are likely key food items for yellow-billed loons early in the nesting season.

Identifying the origin of waterbird carcasses in Lake Michigan using a neural network source tracking model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, Kevin P.; Ge, Zhongfu; Fara, Luke J.; Houdek, Steven C.; Lubinski, Brian R.

2016-01-01

Avian botulism type E is responsible for extensive waterbird mortality on the Great Lakes, yet the actual site of toxin exposure remains unclear. Beached carcasses are often used to describe the spatial aspects of botulism mortality outbreaks, but lack specificity of offshore toxin source locations. We detail methodology for developing a neural network model used for predicting waterbird carcass motions in response to wind, wave, and current forcing, in lieu of a complex analytical relationship. This empirically trained model uses current velocity, wind velocity, significant wave height, and wave peak period in Lake Michigan simulated by the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System. A detailed procedure is further developed to use the model for back-tracing waterbird carcasses found on beaches in various parts of Lake Michigan, which was validated using drift data for radiomarked common loon (Gavia immer) carcasses deployed at a variety of locations in northern Lake Michigan during September and October of 2013. The back-tracing model was further used on 22 non-radiomarked common loon carcasses found along the shoreline of northern Lake Michigan in October and November of 2012. The model-estimated origins of those cases pointed to some common source locations offshore that coincide with concentrations of common loons observed during aerial surveys. The neural network source tracking model provides a promising approach for identifying locations of botulinum neurotoxin type E intoxication and, in turn, contributes to developing an understanding of the dynamics of toxin production and possible trophic transfer pathways.

Increasing Mercury in Yellow Perch at a Hotspot in Atlantic Canada, Kejimkujik National Park

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

In the mid-1990s, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and common loons (Gavia immer) from Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site (KNPNHS), Nova Scotia, Canada, had among the highest mercury (Hg) concentrations across North America. In 2006 and 2007, we re-examined 16 lakes to determine whether there have been changes in Hg in the loon’s preferred prey, yellow perch. Total Hg concentrations were measured in up to nine perch in each of three size classes (5−10 cm, 10−15 cm, and 15−20 cm) consumed by loons. Between 1996/97 and 2006/07, polynomial regressions indicated that Hg in yellow perch increased an average of 29% in ten lakes, decreased an average of 21% in three, and were unchanged in the remaining three lakes. In 2006/07, perch in 75% of the study lakes had Hg concentrations (standardized to 12-cm fish length) equal to or above the concentration (0.21 μg·g−1 ww) associated with a 50% reduction in maximum productivity of loons, compared with only 56% of these lakes in 1996/97. Mercury contamination currently poses a greater threat to loon health than a decade ago, and further reductions in anthropogenic emissions should be considered to reduce its impacts on ecosystem health. PMID:21062071

Mercury, selenium and neurochemical biomarkers in different brain regions of migrating common loons from Lake Erie, Canada.

PubMed

Hamilton, Melanie; Scheuhammer, Anton; Basu, Niladri

2011-10-01

Common loons (Gavia immer) can be exposed to relatively high levels of dietary methylmercury (MeHg) through fish consumption, and several studies have documented MeHg-associated health effects in this species. To further study the neurological risks of MeHg accumulation, migrating loons dying of Type E botulism were collected opportunistically from the Lake Erie shore at Long Point (Ontario, Canada) and relationships between total mercury (THg), selenium (Se), and selected neurochemical receptors and brain enzymes were investigated. THg concentrations were 1-78 μg/g in liver; and 0.3-4 μg/g in the brain (all concentrations reported on a dry weight basis). A significant (p < 0.05) positive correlation was found between THg in liver and THg in 3 subregions of the brain (cerebral cortex: r = 0.433; cerebellum: r = 0.293; brain stem: r = 0.405). THg varied significantly among different brain regions, with the cortex having the highest concentrations. Se levels in the cortex and cerebellum were 1-29 and 1-10 μg/g, respectively, with no significant differences between regions. Se was not measured in brain stem due to insufficient tissue mass. There were molar excesses of Se over mercury (Hg) in both cortex and cerebellum at all Hg concentrations, and a significant positive relationship between THg and the Hg:Se molar ratio (cortex: r = 0.63; cerebellum: r = 0.47). No significant associations were observed between brain THg and the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor concentration, nor between THg and muscarinic cholinergic (mACh) receptor concentration; however, brain THg levels were lower than in previous studies that reported significant Hg-associated changes in neuroreceptor densities. Together with previous studies, the current findings add to our understanding of Hg distribution in the brain of common loons, and the associations between Hg and sub-lethal neurochemical changes in fish-eating wildlife.

Risk of predation and weather events affect nest site selection by sympatric Pacific (Gavia pacifica) and Yellow-billed (Gavia adamsii) loons in Arctic habitats

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haynes, Trevor B.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Lindberg, Mark S.; Rosenberger, Amanda E.

2014-01-01

Pacific (Gavia pacifica) and Yellow-billed (G. adamsii) loons nest sympatrically in Arctic regions. These related species likely face similar constraints and requirements for nesting success; therefore, use of similar habitats and direct competition for nesting habitat is likely. Both of these loon species must select a breeding lake that provides suitable habitat for nesting and raising chicks; however, characteristics of nest site selection by either species on interior Arctic lakes remains poorly understood. Here, logistic regression was used to compare structural and habitat characteristics of all loon nest locations with random points from lakes on the interior Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska. Results suggest that both loon species select nest sites to avoid predation and exposure to waves and shifting ice. Loon nest sites were more likely to be on islands and peninsulas (odds ratio = 16.13, 95% CI = 4.64–56.16) than mainland shoreline, which may help loons avoid terrestrial predators. Further, nest sites had a higher degree of visibility (mean degrees of visibility to 100 and 200 m) of approaching predators than random points (odds ratio = 2.57, 95% CI = 1.22–5.39). Nests were sheltered from exposure, having lower odds of being exposed to prevailing winds (odds ratio = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.13–0.92) and lower odds of having high fetch values (odds ratio = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.22–0.96). Differences between Pacific and Yellow-billed loon nesting sites were subtle, suggesting that both species have similar general nest site requirements. However, Yellow-billed Loons nested at slightly higher elevations and were more likely to nest on peninsulas than Pacific Loons. Pacific Loons constructed built up nests from mud and vegetation, potentially in response to limited access to suitable shoreline due to other territorial loons. Results suggest that land managers wishing to protect habitats for these species should focus on lakes with islands as well as shorelines sheltered from exposure to prevailing wind and ice patterns.

Changing Arctic ecosystems: ecology of loons in a changing Arctic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Uher-Koch, Brian; Schmutz, Joel; Whalen, Mary; Pearce, John M.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative informs key resource management decisions for Arctic Alaska by providing scientific information on current and future ecosystem response to a changing climate. From 2010 to 2014, a key study area for the USGS CAE initiative has been the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska. This region has experienced rapid warming during the past 30 years, leading to the thawing of permafrost and changes to lake and river systems. These changes, and projections of continued change, have raised questions about effects on wildlife populations that rely on northern lake ecosystems, such as loons. Loons rely on freshwater lakes for nesting habitat and the fish and invertebrates inhabiting the lakes for food. Loons live within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) on Alaska’s northern coast, where oil and gas development is expected to increase. Research by the USGS examines how breeding loons use the Arctic lake ecosystem and the capacity of loons to adapt to future landscape change.

Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) breeding in Alaska, USA, are exposed to PCBs while on their Asian wintering grounds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmutz, J.A.; Trust, K.A.; Matz, A.C.

2009-01-01

Red-throated loons (Gavia stellata) breeding in Alaska declined 53% during 1977-1993. We compare concentrations of environmental contaminants in red-throated loons among four nesting areas in Alaska and discuss potential ramifications of exposure on reproductive success and population trends. Eggs from the four areas had similar total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations, but eggs from the Arctic coastal plain had different congener profiles and greater toxic equivalents (TEQs) than eggs from elsewhere. Satellite telemetry data indicate that red-throated loons from the Arctic coastal plain in northern Alaska winter in southeast Asia, while those breeding elsewhere in Alaska winter in North America. Different wintering areas may lead to differential PCB accumulation among red-throated loon populations. For eggs from the Arctic coastal plain, TEQs were great enough to postulate PCB-associated reproductive effects in piscivores. The correlation between migration patterns and PCB profiles suggests that red-throated loons breeding in northern Alaska are exposed to PCBs while on their Asian wintering grounds.

Growth and energy requirements of captive-reared Common Loon (Gavia immer) chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fournier, F.; Karasov, W.H.; Kenow, K.P.; Meyer, M.W.

2007-01-01

We measured the energy requirements during postnatal development of six hand-reared Common Loon (Gavia immer) chicks using continuous feeding trials and doubly labeled water. At fledging, the mean (± SE) body mass of chicks was 3,246 ± 51 g. They reached asymptotic body mass in ≈66 days and had a mean growth rate constant of 0.089 ± 0.002 day−1, which was greater than growth rate constants of other, similar-sized precocial birds. Between hatch and day 66, chicks allocated 16.5% of their metabolizable energy to new tissue, lower than the average for other bird species (20%), which might be expected considering their precocial mode of development. There was a developmental change in the assimilation efficiency of food (metabolizable energy coefficient), with a mean of 0.64 ± 0.03 in chicks aged 21 days, rising to 0.83 ± 0.07 in chicks aged 35 days.

Egg flotation estimates nest age for Pacific and Red-throated Loons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rizzolo, Daniel; Schmutz, Joel A.

2007-01-01

We used Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica) and Red-throated Loon (G. stellata) nests with known ages to gauge the efficacy of egg flotation for determining nest age in coastal Alaska. Egg flotation accurately estimated nest age for both species; the mean ± 1SD difference between known age and age determined with egg flotation was - 0.05 ± 2.00 d and -0.02 ± 1.63 d for Pacific and Red-throated Loons, respectively. Day of nest initiation did not influence the relationship between known nest age and nest age estimated with egg flotation, indicating incubation period was not shortened in nests initiated later in the season. Additionally, we found no difference in the ability of egg flotation to estimate nest age between two widely dispersed study sites for Pacific Loons, and only a small difference between two of three widely dispersed study sites for Red-throated Loons. Thus, our described relationships between egg flotation categories and nest age should be broadly applicable for these holarctic species. We conclude that for Pacific and Red-throated Loons, egg flotation is a useful technique for determining nest age in the field to better monitor nest fate, and to quantify nest age effects on nest daily survival rate.

Status assessment and conservation plan for the yellow-billed loon (Gavia adamsii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Earnst, Susan L.

2004-01-01

Because of its restricted range, small population size, specific habitat requirements, and perceived threats to its breeding habitat, the Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) is a species of conservation concern to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the subject of a petition for listing under the Endangered Species Act. This Status Assessment synthesizes current information on population size, trends, and potential threats to Yellow-billed Loons, and the Conservation Plan identifies research and monitoring activities that would contribute to the conservation of this species. The preparation of this report was requested and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nongame Bird Office, Region 7.The Status Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Yellow-billed Loon can be summarized as follows:? Northern Alaska breeding grounds support an average of 3,369 individuals, including <1,000 nesting pairs in most years. The Yellow-billed Loon ranks as one of the 10 rarest birds that breeds regularly within the main land U.S. and one of only 20 with a North American population <16,000 individuals (Section 6-E).? There is no evidence of a long-term trend in the Yellow-billed Loon population index since 1986 (-0.9% annual change), but interpretation of surveys is complicated by changes in observers and high annual variation, and the 95% confidence interval is large (-3.6% to +1.8% annual change). The low reproductive potential of Yellow-billed Loons suggests that recovery from a substantial decline would not occur rapidly. There are no systematic surveys of Canadian and Russian breeding populations (Section 6-F).? The expansion of the oil industry into prime Yellow-billed Loon breeding habitat is a recent occurrence and we lack the necessary information to accurately predict its effect on the population. Most of northern Alaska?s Yellow-billed Loons (91%) occur on the National Petroleum Reserve?Alaska, virtually all of which is open or proposed to be opened to development and where there is no permanent or legal protection of Yellow-billed Loon habitat (Section 7-A).? Other potential factors affecting the population are also addressed, such as contaminants, subsistence hunting, by catch in subsistence and commercial fisheries on the breeding and wintering grounds, and health of the marine ecosystem off the coast of East Asia where Alaska?s Yellow-billed Loons winter, but data are lacking to reach strong conclusions on most issues.? The conservation goal adopted by the Alaska Loon and Grebe Working Group for the Yellow-billed Loon is to maintain a stable breeding population, of current size and distribution, across the extent of the loon?s breeding range in Alaska. The Conservation Plan, designed to provide information necessary to meet this goal, puts forth seven objectives: 1) Conduct annual population surveys having negligible bias and 80% statistical power to detect a 3.4% annual decline, a decline that would result in a 50% loss of the population within 20 years; 2) Obtain an unbiased and reliable estimate of the size of Alaska?s breeding population; 3) Identify geographic regions and habitats of importance during breeding, staging, and wintering periods; 4) Use demographic models to evaluate risks to the population; 5) Identify potential effects of oil development on the breeding grounds and measures necessary to minimize the effects; 6) Evaluate the magnitude of subsistence harvest and by catch and their potential effects on the population; 7) Develop a continent-wide and range-wide context for Alaska?s population and habitat objectives.

Geographic trend in mercury measured in common loon feathers and blood

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Evers, D.C.; Kaplan, J.D.; Reaman, P.S.

1998-02-01

The common loon (Gavia immer) is a high-trophic-level, long-lived, obligate piscivore at risk from elevated levels of Hg through biomagnification and bioaccumulation. From 1991 to 1996 feather and blood samples from adult loons were collected between June and September in five regions of North America: Alaska, northwestern US, Upper Great Lakes, New England, and the Canadian Maritimes. Concentrations of Hg in adults ranged from 2.8 to 36.7 {micro}g/g in feathers and from 0.12 to 7.80 {micro}g/g in whole blood. Blood Hg concentrations in 3 to 6-week-old juveniles ranged from 0.03 to 0.78 {micro}g/g. To better interpret exposure data, relationships betweenmore » blood and feather Hg concentrations were examined among age and sex classes. Blood and feather Hg correlated strongest in areas with the highest blood Hg levels, indicating a possible carryover of breeding season Hg that is depurated during winter remigial molt. Mean blood and feather Hg concentrations in males were significantly higher than concentrations in females for each region. The mean blood Hg concentration in adults was 10 times higher than that in juveniles, and feather Hg concentrations significantly increased over 1 to 4-year periods in recaptured individuals. Geographic stratification indicates a significant increasing regional trend in adult and juvenile blood Hg concentrations from west to east. This gradient resembles US Environmental Protection Agency-modeled predictions of total anthropogenic Hg deposition across the US. This gradient is clearest across regions. Within-region blood Hg concentrations in adults and juveniles across nine sites of one region, the Upper Great Lakes, were less influenced by variations in geographic Hg deposition than by hydrology and lake chemistry. Loons breeding on low-pH lakes in the Upper Great Lakes and in all lake types of northeastern North America are most at risk from Hg.« less

MULTIPLE STRESSOR RISKS TO COMMON LOON AND OTHER PISCIVOROUS BIRD POPULATIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Mercury contamination remains a high priority issue for several EPA Program Offices andRegions because of widespread atmospheric deposition and concerns of accumulation through aquatic food webs. Although there is evidence of reduced productivity in some piscivorous birds and wid...

SPATIAL EXPLICIT POPULATION MODELS FOR RISK ASSESSMENT: COMMON LOONS AND MERCURY AS A CASE STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Factors that significantly impact population dynamics, such as resource availability and exposure to stressors, frequently vary over space and thereby determine the heterogeneous spatial distributions of organisms. Considering this fact, the US Environmental Protection Agency's ...

Lead shot poisoning of a Pacific loon in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, H.M.; Oyen, J.L.; Sileo, L.

2004-01-01

Lead poisoning, associated with ingestion of spent lead shot, was diagnosed in an adult female Pacific loon (Gavia pacifica) observed with partial paralysis on 13 June 2002 and found dead on 16 June 2002 on Kigigak Island, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, western Alaska, USA. A necropsy revealed three pellets of ingested lead shot in the loona??s gizzard and a lead liver concentration of 31 ppm wet weight, which was consistent with metallic lead poisoning. This is the first report of lead poisoning in a Pacific loon and is the only account of lead toxicosis associated with ingestion of lead shot in any loon species breeding in Alaska.

Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling over Southern Hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Cheng; Shi, Chuang; Zhang, Hongping

2017-04-01

Global ionospheric products of vertical total electron content (VTEC) derived from GNSS measurements may have low accuracy over oceans and southern latitudes where there are not rich observations. Project Loon provides a great opportunity to enhance the measurements over those areas. In this contribution, a simulation of Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling is performed by using the international reference ionosphere (IRI) which could simulate VTEC measurements for the balloons. The performance of the enhanced method based on simulation of Project Loon is investigated by comparing with VTEC maps from Ionosphere Associate Analysis Centers (IAACs) as well as IGS final GIMs. The comparison indicates that there is a better consistency between the VTEC maps by the enhanced method and IGS final GIMs. Also, obvious improvements of RMS maps in GIMs for the middle latitudes and southern latitudes are enabled by the augmentation of Project Loon. Additionally, JASON data are used to validate the specific improvement of the VTEC maps. The results show that the performance of VTEC maps is improved slightly, especially in southern latitudes. It is possible that the VTEC maps could be improved significantly by using real GPS measurements from balloons of Project Loon in the near future.

Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling over Southern Hemisphere.

PubMed

Wang, Cheng; Shi, Chuang; Zhang, Hongping

2017-04-06

Global ionospheric products of vertical total electron content (VTEC) derived from GNSS measurements may have low accuracy over oceans and southern latitudes where there are not rich observations. Project Loon provides a great opportunity to enhance the measurements over those areas. In this contribution, a simulation of Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling is performed by using the international reference ionosphere (IRI) which could simulate VTEC measurements for the balloons. The performance of the enhanced method based on simulation of Project Loon is investigated by comparing with VTEC maps from Ionosphere Associate Analysis Centers (IAACs) as well as IGS final GIMs. The comparison indicates that there is a better consistency between the VTEC maps by the enhanced method and IGS final GIMs. Also, obvious improvements of RMS maps in GIMs for the middle latitudes and southern latitudes are enabled by the augmentation of Project Loon. Additionally, JASON data are used to validate the specific improvement of the VTEC maps. The results show that the performance of VTEC maps is improved slightly, especially in southern latitudes. It is possible that the VTEC maps could be improved significantly by using real GPS measurements from balloons of Project Loon in the near future.

Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling over Southern Hemisphere

PubMed Central

Wang, Cheng; Shi, Chuang; Zhang, Hongping

2017-01-01

Global ionospheric products of vertical total electron content (VTEC) derived from GNSS measurements may have low accuracy over oceans and southern latitudes where there are not rich observations. Project Loon provides a great opportunity to enhance the measurements over those areas. In this contribution, a simulation of Project Loon based augmentation for global ionospheric modeling is performed by using the international reference ionosphere (IRI) which could simulate VTEC measurements for the balloons. The performance of the enhanced method based on simulation of Project Loon is investigated by comparing with VTEC maps from Ionosphere Associate Analysis Centers (IAACs) as well as IGS final GIMs. The comparison indicates that there is a better consistency between the VTEC maps by the enhanced method and IGS final GIMs. Also, obvious improvements of RMS maps in GIMs for the middle latitudes and southern latitudes are enabled by the augmentation of Project Loon. Additionally, JASON data are used to validate the specific improvement of the VTEC maps. The results show that the performance of VTEC maps is improved slightly, especially in southern latitudes. It is possible that the VTEC maps could be improved significantly by using real GPS measurements from balloons of Project Loon in the near future. PMID:28383058

Effects of methylmercury exposure on the immune function of juvenile common loons (Gavia immer)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, K.P.; Grasman, K.A.; Hines, R.K.; Meyer, M.W.; Gendron-Fitzpatrick, A.; Spalding, M.G.; Gray, B.R.

2007-01-01

We conducted a dose-response laboratory study to quantify the level of exposure to dietary Hg, delivered as methylmercury chloride (CH3HgCl), that is associated with suppressed immune function in captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks. We used the phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin test to assess T-lymphocyte function and the sheep red blood cell (SRBC) hemagglutination test to measure antibody-mediated immunity. The PHA stimulation index among chicks receiving dietary Hg treatment did not differ significantly from those of chicks on the control diet (p = 0.15). Total antibody (immunoglobulin [Ig] M [primary antibody] + IgG [secondary response]) production to the SRBC antigen in chicks treated with dietary methylmercury (MeHg), however, was suppressed (p = 0.04) relative to chicks on control diets. Analysis indicated suppression of total Ig production (p = 0.025 with comparisonwise ?? level = 0.017) between control and 0.4 ??g Hg/g wet food intake treatment groups. Furthermore, the control group exhibited a higher degree of variability in antibody response compared to the Hg groups, suggesting that in addition to reducing the mean response, Hg treatment reduced the normal variation attributable to other biological factors. We observed bursal lymphoid depletion in chicks receiving the 1.2 ??g Hg/g treatment (p = 0.017) and a marginally significant effect (p = 0.025) in chicks receiving the 0.4 ??g Hg/g diet. These findings suggest that common loon chick immune systems may be compromised at an ecologically relevant dietary exposure concentration (0.4 ??g Hg/g wet wt food intake). We also found that chicks hatched from eggs collected from low-pH lakes exhibited higher levels of lymphoid depletion in bursa tissue relative to chicks hatched from eggs collected from neutral-pH lakes. ?? 2007 SETAC.

"Nehiyawewin Askihk": Cree Language on the Land--Language Planning through Consultation in the Loon River Cree First Nation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schreyer, Christine

2008-01-01

This article examines the parallel development of language planning and land planning within the Loon River Cree First Nation. Loon River Cree territory, located in north-central Alberta, Canada, is an area where major oil and gas industry, as well as logging and mining are constantly encroaching. The community, who still use Cree in their daily…

TAKING SCIENTIFIC ADVANTAGE OF A DISASTROUS OIL SPILL

EPA Science Inventory

On 19 January 1996, the North Cape barge ran aground on Moonstone Beach in southern Rhode Island, releasing 828,000 gallons of refined oil. This opportunistic study was designed to take scientific advantage of the most severely affected seabird, the common loon (Gavia immer) . As...

BIOACCUMULATION PATTERNS AND TEMPORAL TRENDS OF MERCURY EXPOSURE IN WISCONSIN COMMON LOONS. (R829085)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EFFECTS OF METHYL MERCURY EXPOSURE ON THE GROWTH OF JUVENILE COMMON LOONS. (R829085)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

IMPACTS OF MULTIPLE STRSSORS ON COMMON LOONS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA: A DEMONSTRATION STUDY FOR STRESSOR EFFECTS ACROSS SPACE

EPA Science Inventory

Factors that significantly impact wildlife population dynamics, such as resource availability and exposure to stressors, frequently vary over space and thereby contribute to the heterogeneous spatial distributions of organisms. The spatial co-occurrence of organisms, environmenta...

FIELD METABOLIC RATE AND THE ENERGETICS OF GROWTH OF FREE-RANGING COMMON LOON CHICKS. (R829085)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

A GIS-BASED MULTI-SCALE APPROACH TO HABITAT MODEL FOR THE COMMON LOON, GAVIA IMMER, IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA.

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory's (NHEERL) Wildlife Research Strategy was developed to provide methods, models and data to address concerns related to toxic chemicals and habitat alteration in the context of wildlife risk assessment and ...

Juvenile Survival in Common Loons Gavia Immer: Effects of Natal Lake Size and pH

EPA Science Inventory

Survival is a vexing parameter to measure in many young birds because of dispersal and delayed impacts of natal rearing conditions on fitness. Drawing upon marking and resighting records from an 18-year study of territorial behavior, we used Cormack-Jolly-Seber analysis with Prog...

Potential effects of climate change on inland glacial lakes and implications for lake-dependent biota in Wisconsin: final report April 2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meyer, Michael W.; Walker, John F.; Kenow, Kevin P.; Rasmussen, Paul W.; Garrison, Paul J.; Hanson, Paul C.; Hunt, Randall J.

2013-01-01

F statewide, and an increase in precipitation of 1”–2”. However, summer precipitation in the northern part of the state is expected to be less and winter precipitation will be greater. By the end of the 21st century, the magnitude of changes in temperature and precipitation are expected to intensify. Such climatic changes have altered, and would further alter hydrological, chemical, and physical properties of inland lakes. Lake-dependent wildlife sensitive to changes in water quality, are particularly susceptible to lake quality-associated habitat changes and are likely to suffer restrictions to current breeding distributions under some climate change scenarios. We have selected the common loon (Gavia immer) to serve as a sentinel lake-dependent piscivorous species to be used in the development of a template for linking primary lake-dependent biota endpoints (e.g., decline in productivity and/or breeding range contraction) to important lake quality indicators. In the current project, we evaluate how changes in freshwater habitat quality (specifically lake clarity) may impact common loon lake occupancy in Wisconsin under detailed climate-change scenarios. In addition, we employ simple land-use/land cover and habitat scenarios to illustrate the potential interaction of climate and land-use/land cover effects. The methods employed here provide a template for studies where integration of physical and biotic models is used to project future conditions under various climate and land use change scenarios. Findings presented here project the future conditions of lakes and loons within an important watershed in northern Wisconsin – of importance to water resource managers and state citizens alike.

International migration patterns of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) from four breeding populations in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCloskey, Sarah E.; Uher-Koch, Brian D.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Fondell, Thomas F.

2018-01-01

Identifying post-breeding migration and wintering distributions of migratory birds is important for understanding factors that may drive population dynamics. Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) are widely distributed across Alaska and currently have varying population trends, including some populations with recent periods of decline. To investigate population differentiation and the location of migration pathways and wintering areas, which may inform population trend patterns, we used satellite transmitters (n = 32) to describe migration patterns of four geographically separate breeding populations of Red-throated Loons in Alaska. On average (± SD) Red-throated Loons underwent long (6,288 ± 1,825 km) fall and spring migrations predominantly along coastlines. The most northern population (Arctic Coastal Plain) migrated westward to East Asia and traveled approximately 2,000 km farther to wintering sites than the three more southerly populations (Seward Peninsula, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and Copper River Delta) which migrated south along the Pacific coast of North America. These migration paths are consistent with the hypothesis that Red-throated Loons from the Arctic Coastal Plain are exposed to contaminants in East Asia. The three more southerly breeding populations demonstrated a chain migration pattern in which the more northerly breeding populations generally wintered in more northerly latitudes. Collectively, the migration paths observed in this study demonstrate that some geographically distinct breeding populations overlap in wintering distribution while others use highly different wintering areas. Red-throated Loon population trends in Alaska may therefore be driven by a wide range of effects throughout the annual cycle.

Avian botulism: geographic expansion of a historic disease

USGS Publications Warehouse

Locke, Louis N.; Friend, Milton

1989-01-01

Avian botulism is a paralytic, often fatal disease of birds resulting from ingestion of toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Waterfowl die-offs from the botulism are usually caused by type C toxin; sporadic die-offs among fish-eating birds, such as common loons (Gavia immer) and gulls, have been caused by type E toxin.

75 FR 18764 - Migratory Bird Subsistence Harvest in Alaska; Harvest Regulations for Migratory Birds in Alaska...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-13

... Steller's eider harvest was reported, and no Steller's eiders were found shot during in-season... that one yellow-billed loon was found dead in a fishing net; one severely injured yellow-billed loon... allowing such hunting. See Statutory Authority section for more details. One of the goals of the Protocol...

Last Call at Loon Lake: Counter-Narratives in Human Ecology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaylie, Veronica

2014-01-01

In cultures of excess, the challenge is to see. In a time of climate change, how will humans find the questions, the reflections, the poems, or the prayers that will bring ecological justice and peace? This writing begins a response to the call made on the last day of our gathering at Loon Lake for a "commonist manifesto" around…

Population size and trend of Yellow-billed Loons in northern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Earnst, Susan L.; Stehn, R.A.; Platte, Robert; Larned, W.W.; Mallek, E.J.

2005-01-01

The Yellow-billed Loon (Gavia adamsii) is of conservation concern due to its restricted range, small population size, specific habitat requirements, and perceived threats to its breeding and wintering habitat. Within the U.S., this species breeds almost entirely within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, nearly all of which is open, or proposed to be opened, for oil development. Rigorous estimates of Yellow-billed Loon population size and trend are lacking but essential for informed conservation. We used two annual aerial waterfowl surveys, conducted 1986a??2003 and 1992a??2003, to estimate population size and trend on northern Alaskan breeding grounds. In estimating population trend, we used mixed-effects regression models to reduce bias and sampling error associated with improvement in observer skill and annual effects of spring phenology. The estimated population trend on Alaskan breeding grounds since 1986 was near 0 with an estimated annual change of a??0.9% (95% CI of a??3.6% to +1.8%). The estimated population size, averaged over the past 12 years and adjusted by a correction factor based on an intensive, lake-circling, aerial survey method, was 2221 individuals (95% CI of 1206a??3235) in early June and 3369 individuals (95% CI of 1910a??4828) in late June. Based on estimates from other studies of the proportion of loons nesting in a given year, it is likely that <1000 nesting pairs inhabit northern Alaska in most years. The highest concentration of Yellow-billed Loons occurred between the Meade and Ikpikpuk Rivers; and across all of northern Alaska, 53% of recorded sightings occurred within 12% of the area.

Bioenergetic and pharmacokinetic model for exposure of common loon (Gavia immer) chicks to methylmercury

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karasov, W.H.; Kenow, K.P.; Meyer, M.W.; Fournier, F.

2007-01-01

A bioenergetics model was used to predict food intake of common loon (Gavia immer) chicks as a function of body mass during development, and a pharmacokinetics model, based on first-order kinetics in a single compartment, was used to predict blood Hg level as a function of food intake rate, food Hg content, body mass, and Hg absorption and elimination. Predictions were tested in captive growing chicks fed trout (Salmo gairdneri) with average MeHg concentrations of 0.02 (control), 0.4, and 1.2 ??g/g wet mass (delivered as CH3HgCl). Predicted food intake matched observed intake through 50 d of age but then exceeded observed intake by an amount that grew progressively larger with age, reaching a significant overestimate of 28% by the end of the trial. Respiration in older, nongrowing birds probably was overestimated by using rates measured in younger, growing birds. Close agreement was found between simulations and measured blood Hg, which varied significantly with dietary Hg and age. Although chicks may hatch with different blood Hg levels, their blood level is determined mainly by dietary Hg level beyond approximately two weeks of age. The model also may be useful for predicting Hg levels in adults and in the eggs that they lay, but its accuracy in both chicks and adults needs to be tested in free-living birds. ?? 2007 SETAC.

Model-Based Predictions of the Effects of Harvest Mortality on Population Size and Trend of Yellow-Billed Loons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmutz, Joel A.

2009-01-01

Yellow-billed loons (Gavia adamsii) breed in low densities in northern tundra habitats in Alaska, Canada, and Russia. They migrate to coastal marine habitats at mid to high latitudes where they spend their winters. Harvest may occur throughout the annual cycle, but of particular concern are recent reports of harvest from the Bering Strait region, which lies between Alaska and Russia and is an area used by yellow-billed loons during migration. Annual harvest for this region was reported to be 317, 45, and 1,077 during 2004, 2005, and 2007, respectively. I developed a population model to assess the effect of this reported harvest on population size and trend of yellow-billed loons. Because of the uncertainty regarding actual harvest and definition of the breeding population(s) affected by this harvest, I considered 25 different scenarios. Predicted trends across these 25 scenarios ranged from stability to rapid decline (24 percent per year) with halving of the population in 3 years. Through an assessment of literature and unpublished satellite tracking data, I suggest that the most likely of these 25 scenarios is one where the migrant population subjected to harvest in the Bering Strait includes individuals from breeding populations in Alaska (Arctic coastal plain and the Kotzebue region) and eastern Russia, and for which the magnitude of harvest varies among years and emulates the annual variation of reported harvest during 2004-07 (317, 45, and 1,077 yellow-billed loons). This scenario, which assumes no movement of Canadian breeders through the Bering Strait, predicts a 4.6 percent rate of annual population decline, which would halve the populations in 15 years. Although these model outputs reflect the best available information, confidence in these predictions and applicable scenarios would be greatly enhanced by more information on harvest, rates of survival and reproduction, and migratory pathways.

The oral bioavailability and toxicokinetics of methylmercury in common loon (Gavia immer) chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fournier, F.; Karasov, W.H.; Kenow, K.P.; Meyer, M.W.; Hines, R.K.

2002-01-01

We compared the toxicokinetics of methylmercury in captive common loon chicks during two time intervals to assess the impact of feather growth on the kinetics of mercury. We also determined the oral bioavailability of methylmercury during these trials to test for age-related changes. The blood concentration-time curves for individuals dosed during feather development (initiated 35 days post hatch) were best described by a one-compartment toxicokinetic model with an elimination half-life of 3 days. The data for birds dosed following completion of feather growth (84 days post hatch) were best fitted by a two-compartment elimination model that includes an initial rapid distribution phase with a half-life of 0.9 days, followed by a slow elimination phase with a half-life of 116 days. We determined the oral bioavailability of methylmercury during the first dosing interval by comparing the ratios of the area under the blood concentration-time curves (AUC0→∞) for orally and intravenously dosed chicks. The oral bioavailability of methylmercury during the first dosing period was 0.83. We also determined bioavailability during both dosing periods using a second measure because of irregularities with intravenous results in the second period. This second bioavailability measure estimated the percentage of the dose that was deposited in the blood volume (f), and the results show that there was no difference in bioavailability among dosing periods. The results of this study highlight the importance of feather growth on the toxicokinetics of methylmercury.

A comparison of Loon balloon observations and stratospheric reanalysis products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, Leon S.; McDonald, Adrian J.; Bodeker, Gregory E.; Cooper, Kathy E.; Lewis, Jared; Paterson, Alexander J.

2017-01-01

Location information from long-duration super-pressure balloons flying in the Southern Hemisphere lower stratosphere during 2014 as part of X Project Loon are used to assess the quality of a number of different reanalyses including National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System version 2 (NCEP-CFSv2), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ERA-Interim), NASA Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), and the recently released MERRA version 2. Balloon GPS location information is used to derive wind speeds which are then compared with values from the reanalyses interpolated to the balloon times and locations. All reanalysis data sets accurately describe the winds, with biases in zonal winds of less than 0.37 m s-1 and meridional biases of less than 0.08 m s-1. The standard deviation on the differences between Loon and reanalyses zonal winds is latitude-dependent, ranging between 2.5 and 3.5 m s-1, increasing equatorward. Comparisons between Loon trajectories and those calculated by applying a trajectory model to reanalysis wind fields show that MERRA-2 wind fields result in the most accurate simulated trajectories with a mean 5-day balloon-reanalysis trajectory separation of 621 km and median separation of 324 km showing significant improvements over MERRA version 1 and slightly outperforming ERA-Interim. The latitudinal structure of the trajectory statistics for all reanalyses displays marginally lower mean separations between 15 and 35° S than between 35 and 55° S, despite standard deviations in the wind differences increasing toward the equator. This is shown to be related to the distance travelled by the balloon playing a role in the separation statistics.

Avian botulism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rocke, T.E.; Friend, M.

1999-01-01

Avian botulism is a paralytic, often fatal, disease of birds that results when they ingest toxin produced by the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. Seven distinct types of toxin designated by the letters A to G have been identified (Table 38.1). Waterfowl die-offs due to botulism are usually caused by type C toxin; sporadic die-offs among fish-eating birds, such as common loons and gulls, have been caused by type E toxin. Type A botulinum toxin has also caused disease in birds, most frequently in domestic chickens. Types B, D, F, and G are not known to cause avian botulism in North America.

Distribution and accumulation of mercury in tissues of captive-reared common loon (Gavia immer) chicks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, K.P.; Meyer, M.W.; Hines, R.K.; Karasov, W.H.

2007-01-01

We determined the distribution and accumulation of Hg in tissues of common loon (Gavia immer) chicks maintained for up to 15 weeks on either a control diet with no added methylmercury chloride (MeHgCl) or one containing either 0.4 or 1.2 ??g Hg (as MeHgCl)/g wet-weight food. Total Hg and MeHg tissue concentrations were strongly positively correlated (r2 > 0.95) with the amount of Hg delivered to individual chicks throughout the course of the experiment. The pattern of differential Hg concentration in internal tissues was consistent within each treatment: Liver > kidney > muscle > carcass > brain. Feather Hg concentrations were consistently higher than those of internal tissues and represented an important route of Hg elimination. Feather mass accounted for 4.3% ?? 0.1% (average ?? standard error) of body mass, yet 27.3% ?? 2.6% of total Hg intake was excreted into feathers. Our calculations indicate that 26.7% ?? 4.9% of ingested Hg was not accounted for and, thus, either was never absorbed or was absorbed and subsequently eliminated in feces. With the additional excretion into feathers, 54% of ingested Hg was excreted. Demethylation was evident in the liver at all treatment levels and in the kidneys of chicks dosed at 1.2 ??g Hg/g. Mercury concentrations were strongly positively correlated (r2 ??? 0.95) among internal tissues and with blood Hg concentration. Mercury concentrations of secondary feathers were moderately correlated (r2 = 0.82-0.93) with internal tissues. We supply regression models that may be used to provide perspective and a useful means of interpreting the variety of measures of Hg exposure reported in the literature. ?? 2007 SETAC.

Effects of injected methylmercury on the hatching of common loon (Gavia immer) eggs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenow, Kevin P.; Meyer, Michael W.; Rossmann, Ronald; Gendron-Fitzpatrick, Annette; Gray, Brian R.

2011-01-01

To determine the level of in ovo methylmercury (MeHg) exposure that results in detrimental effects on fitness and survival of loon embryos and hatched chicks, we conducted a field study in which we injected eggs with various doses of MeHg on day 4 of incubation. Eggs were collected following about 23 days of natural incubation and artificially incubated to observe hatching. Reduced embryo survival was evident in eggs injected at a rate of ≥1.3 μg Hg/g wet-mass. When maternally deposited Hg and injected Hg were considered together, the median lethal concentration of Hg (LC50) was estimated to be 1.78 μg Hg/g wet-mass. Organ mass patterns from eggs of chicks injected at a rate of 2.9 μg Hg/g differed from that of controls and chicks from the 0.5 μg Hg/g treatment, largely related to a negative relation between yolk sac mass and egg mercury concentration. Chicks from eggs in the 2.9 μg Hg/g treatment were also less responsive to a frightening stimulus than controls and chicks from the 0.5 μg Hg/g treatment. We also found that the length of incubation period increased with increasing egg mercury concentration. Tissue Hg concentrations were strongly associated (r2 ≥ 0.80) with egg Hg concentration.

Waterbird mortality from botulism type E in Lake Michigan: An update

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brand, Christopher J.; Duncan, Ruth M.; Garrow, Scott P.; Olson, Dan; Schumann, Leonard E.

1983-01-01

Three outbreaks of botulism type E occurring in waterbirds on Lake Michigan since autumn 1976 are discussed. Natural ingestion of food containing type E toxin by Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) and the presence of type E toxin in blood from moribund gulls were demonstrated. Concurrent presence of type C and type E botulinal toxins was found in a die-off of Common Loons (Gavia immer). In combination with previous reported outbreaks, these incidents suggest that this disease is geographically widespread in Lake Michigan, and that environmental conditions conducive to type E botulinal toxin production and consumption occur in both summer and autumn.

Demonstration of free-space optical communication for long-range data links between balloons on Project Loon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moision, Bruce; Erkmen, Baris; Keyes, Edward; Belt, Todd; Bowen, Oliver; Brinkley, Devin; Csonka, Paul; Eglington, Michael; Kazmierski, Andrei; Kim, Nam-hyong; Moody, John; Tu, Thanh; Vermeer, William

2017-02-01

Internet connectivity is limited and in some cases non-existent for a significant part of the world's population. Project Loon aims to address this with a network of high-altitude balloons traveling in the stratosphere, at an altitude of approximately 20 km. The balloons navigate by using the stratified wind layers at different altitudes, adjusting the balloon's altitude to catch winds in a desired direction. Data transfer is achieved by 1) uplinking a signal from an Internet-connected ground station to a balloon terminal, 2) crosslinking the signal through the balloon network to reach the geographic area of the users, and 3) downlinking the signal directly to the end-users' phones or other LTE-enabled devices. We describe Loon's progress on utilizing free-space optical communications (FSOC) for the inter-balloon crosslinks. FSOC, offering high data rates and long communication ranges, is well-suited for communication between high-altitude platforms. A stratospheric link is sufficiently high to be above weather events (clouds, fog, rain, etc.), and the impact of atmospheric turbulence is significantly weaker than at ground level. In addition, being in the stratosphere as opposed to space helps avoid the typical challenges faced by space-based systems, namely operation in a vacuum environment with significant radiation. Finally, the angular pointing disturbances introduced by a floating balloon-based platform are notably less than any propelled platform, which simplifies the disturbance rejection requirements on the FSOC system. We summarize results from Project Loon's early-phase experimental inter-balloon links at 20 km altitude, demonstrating full duplex 130 Mbps throughput at distances in excess of 100 km over the course of several-day flights. The terminals utilize a monostatic design, with dual wavelengths for communication and a dedicated wide-angle beacon for pointing, acquisition, and tracking. We summarize the constraints on the terminal design, and the key design trades that led to our initial system. We illustrate measured performance during flight tests: received signal power variations with range, pointing system performance, and data throughput.

Ecological baseline study of the Yakima Firing Center proposed land acquisition: A status report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rogers, L.E.; Beedlow, P.A.; Eberhardt, L.E.

1989-01-01

This report provides baseline environmental information for the property identified for possible expansion of the Yakima Firing Center. Results from this work provide general descriptions of the animals and major plant communities present. A vegetation map derived from a combination of on-site surveillance and remotely sensed imagery is provided as part of this report. Twenty-seven wildlife species of special interest (protected, sensitive, furbearer, game animal, etc.), and waterfowl, were observed on the proposed expansion area. Bird censuses revealed 13 raptorial species (including four of special interest: bald eagle, golden eagle, osprey, and prairie falcon); five upland game bird species (sagemore » grouse, California quail, chukar, gray partridge, and ring-necked pheasant); common loons (a species proposed for state listing as threatened); and five other species of special interest (sage thrasher, loggerhead shrike, mourning dove, sage sparrow, and long-billed curlew). Estimates of waterfowl abundance are included for the Priest Rapids Pool of the Columbia River. Six small mammal species were captured during this study; one, the sagebrush vole, is a species of special interest. Two large animal species, mule deer and elk, were noted on the site. Five species of furbearing animals were observed (coyote, beaver, raccoon, mink, and striped skunk). Four species of reptiles and one amphibian were noted. Fisheries surveys were conducted to document the presence of gamefish, and sensitive-classified fish and aquatic invertebrates. Rainbow trout were the only fish collected within the boundaries of the proposed northern expansion area. 22 refs., 10 figs., 4 tabs.« less

Role of storms and forest practices in sedimentation of an Oregon Coast Range lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, K.; Hatten, J. A.; Wheatcroft, R. A.; Guerrero, F. J.

2014-12-01

The design of better management practices in forested watersheds to face climate change and the associated increase in the frequency of extreme events requires a better understanding of watershed responses to extreme events in the past and also under management regimes. One of the most sensitive watershed processes affected is sediment yield. Lake sediments record events which occur in a watershed and provide an opportunity to examine the interaction of storms and forest management practices in the layers of the stratigraphy. We hypothesize that timber harvesting and road building since the 1900s has resulted in increases in sedimentation; however, the passage of the Oregon Forest Practices Act (OFPA) in 1972 has led to a decrease in sedimentation. Sediment cores were taken at Loon Lake in the Oregon Coast Range. The 32-m deep lake captures sediment from a catchment highly impacted by recent land use and episodic Pacific storms. We can use sedimentological tools to measure changes in sediment production as motivated by extreme floods before settlement, during a major timber harvesting period, and after installation of forestry Best Management Practices. Quantification of changes in particle size and elemental composition (C, N, C/N) throughout the cores can elucidate changes in watershed response to extreme events, as can changes in layer thickness. Age control in the cores is being established by Cesium-137 and radiocarbon dating. Given the instrumental meteorological data and decadal climate reconstructions, we will disentangle climate driven signals from changes in land use practices. The sediment shows distinct laminations and varying thickness of layers throughout the cores. Background deposition is composed of thin layers (<0.5 cm) of fine silts and clays, punctuated by thicker layers (3-25 cm) every 10 to 75 cm. These thick layers consist of distinctly textured units, generally fining upward. We interpret the thick layers in Loon Lake to be deposited by sediment-producing floods throughout much of the 1500-year lifespan of this lake. We will explore the relationship between sedimentation, land use, and climate forcing events to determine if the OFPA is having an effect on reducing sedimentation rates as a result of extreme magnitude storm events.

Mental Maps and Ethnocentrism: Geographic Characterizations in the Past.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, Harold M.

1979-01-01

Reexamines geographic thought regarding ethnocentrism as expressed in the writings including Ellen Churchill Semple, Hendrick Willem Van Loon, Ellsworth Huntington, Roswell C. Smith, J. Olney, Henry Thomas Buckle, Georg Friedrich Hegel, Johann Gottfried Von Herder, Charles de Montesquieu, Ibn Khaldun, and Hippocrates. (DB)

Learning from a Distressed Loon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gelter, Hans

2012-01-01

The unique "Conference on Wilderness Educational Expeditions: International Perspectives and Practices" took place from June 27 to July 13, 2010. The conference comprised 14 outdoor educators from Canada, Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Japan participating in a 250 km-long canoe expedition on the Mara and Burnside Rivers in…

Burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia) as indicators of ecosystem health at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Edsall, Thomas A.; Phillips, William E.

2004-01-01

The present study describes the provisional use of burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia [Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae]) as an indicator organism to assess and monitor the health of the Loon Lake and lower Platte River ecosystem within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan.

Mapping Human Population Density in and Around New Hapmshire's Loon Lakes: A Comparison of Dasymetric Methods

EPA Science Inventory

The impact of anthropogenic stressors on ecosystems is directly related to the pattern of human population density across the landscape; thus, accurate information on the distribution of human populations is critical for associating the impact of human population and ecological r...

Lead poisoning in a Mississippi sandhill crane

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Hereford, Scott G.

1994-01-01

Lead poisoning from the ingestion of spent lead shot is well documented in waterfowl (Sanderson and Bellrose 1986) and has been reported in other wetland (Locke et al. 1991, Windingstad et al. 1984) and upland (Hunter and Rosen 1965, Locke and Bagley 1967) avian species. Ingested fishing weights have been implicated in lead poisoning of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) (Blus et al. 1989), Common Loons (Gavia immer) (Locke et al. 1982, Franson and Cliplef 1992, Pokras and Chafe1 1992), Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) (Birkhead 1982), and Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) (Windingstad et al. 1984). The significance of lead poisoning as a mortality factor in avian species other than waterfowl is probably underestimated (Locke and Friend 1992), and any cause of mortality becomes particularly important in species with small population sizes. We report here the first known case of lead poisoning in a Mississippi Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pulla), a critically endangered subspecies.

Factors influencing nest survival and productivity of Red-throated Loons (Gavia stellata) in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rizzolo, Daniel; Schmutz, Joel A.; McCloskey, Sarah E.; Fondell, Thomas F.

2014-01-01

Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) numbers in Alaska have fluctuated dramatically over the past 3 decades; however, the demographic processes contributing to these population dynamics are poorly understood. To examine spatial and temporal variation in productivity, we estimated breeding parameters at 5 sites in Alaska: at Cape Espenberg and the Copper River Delta we estimated nest survival, and at 3 sites within the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta we estimated nest survival and productivity. Nest survival varied broadly among sites and years; annual estimates (lower, upper 95% confidence interval) ranged from 0.09 (0.03, 0.29) at Cape Espenberg in 2001 to 0.93 (0.76, 0.99) at the Copper River Delta in 2002. Annual variation among sites was not concordant, suggesting that site-scale factors had a strong influence on nest survival. Models of nest survival indicated that visits to monitor nests had a negative effect on nest daily survival probability, which if not accounted for biased nest survival strongly downward. The sensitivity of breeding Red-throated Loons to nest monitoring suggests other sources of disturbance that cause incubating birds to flush from their nests may also reduce nest survival. Nest daily survival probability at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta was negatively associated with an annual index of fox occurrence. Survival through the incubation and chick-rearing periods on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta ranged from 0.09 (0.001, 0.493) to 0.50 (0.04, 0.77). Daily survival probability during the chick-rearing period was lower for chicks that had a sibling in 2 of 3 years, consistent with the hypothesis that food availability was limited. Estimates of annual productivity on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta ranged from 0.17 to 1.0 chicks per pair. Productivity was not sufficient to maintain population stability in 2 of 3 years, indicating that nest depredation by foxes and poor foraging conditions during chick rearing can have important effects on productivity.

Fast and efficient: postnatal growth and energy expenditure in an Arctic-breeding waterbird, the Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rizzolo, Daniel; Schmutz, Joel A.; Speakman, John R.

2015-01-01

Environmental conditions can exert a strong influence on the growth and energy demands of chicks. We hypothesized that postnatal growth in a cold, aquatic environment would require a high level of energy metabolism in semiprecocial Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) chicks. We measured body-mass growth and daily energy expenditure (DEE) of free-ranging chicks in the Arctic. We used daily gains in body mass and DEE to estimate daily metabolizable energy (DME, kJ day-1) and total metabolizable energy (TME, kJ chick-1). Chicks gained body mass quickly, with a logistic growth rate constant 57% greater than the allometric prediction, yet were at only 60% of adult body mass at fledging. Males grew at a rate similar to that of females but for a slightly longer duration and so reached an asymptotic body mass 23% greater, and tarsus length 8% longer, than that of females. Chick growth performance was similar between first- and second-hatched chicks within broods of 2, which suggests that food availability was not limited. DEE increased in proportion to body mass, and DME peaked at 1,214 kJ day-1 on day 25 posthatching. Over the average 49-day postnatal period, TME was 49.0 MJ, which is within the range of error of the allometric prediction. Parents provided 58.6 MJ as food to meet this energy requirement. Given this chick energy requirement and the range of energy content of prey observed in the chick diet, selecting prey with higher energy content would greatly reduce adult provisioning effort. Red-throated Loon chicks did not have a high postnatal energy requirement, but rather grew quickly and fledged at a small size-with the effect of reducing the length of the postnatal period and, consequently, parental energy investment in chicks.

Kayuqtullu, Tulugatlu, Suli Atlat Annugaurut (Foxes and Ravens and Other Creatures).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Arthur, Sr.; And Others

Four short stories taken from Alaskan oral tradition are written in plain terms and presented in large print with illustrations on each page. "The Little Mouse" describes how a courageous mouse swims across a river only to discover it is just a man's footprint. In "The Loon and the Muskrat" two animals become possessive of the…

Maaqwi cascadensis: A large, marine diving bird (Avialae: Ornithurae) from the Upper Cretaceous of British Columbia, Canada

PubMed Central

Kaiser, Gary W.; Longrich, Nicholas R.

2017-01-01

Mesozoic bird fossils from the Pacific Coast of North America are rare, but small numbers are known from the Late Cretaceous aged sediments of Hornby Island, British Columbia. Most are unassociated fragments that offer little information, but additional preparation of a large coracoid has revealed more details of its structure, as well as three associated wing bones. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Maaqwi cascadensis, gen. et sp. nov. represents a derived crown or near-crown member of Ornithurae, and specifically suggests affinities with Vegaviidae. M. cascadensis is characterized by large size, and regressions based on dimensions of the coracoid suggest a large bird, with an estimated body mass of approximately 1.5 kilograms. The bones are robust, with thick walls, suggesting that M. cascadensis was a bird adapted for diving, similar to modern loons and grebes. The wings are short, while the coracoid is unusually short and broad, similar to modern loons. Along with the Ichthyornithes and Hesperornithes, M. cascadensis and Vegaviidae appear to represent a third clade of bird that evolved to exploit marine habitats in the Late Cretaceous, one specialized for foot-propelled diving and rapid cruising flight over water. PMID:29220405

Short Message Service (SMS) Security Solution for Mobile Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

correspondences, all reside on the mobile device . Once the data is compromised, the owner, family members, and friends may be subjected to identity theft ...SERVICE (SMS) SECURITY SOLUTION FOR MOBILE DEVICES by Yu Loon Ng December 2006 Thesis Advisor: Gurminder Singh Co-Advisor: John Gibson...in military settings are also discussed. 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 113 14. SUBJECT TERMS GSM security, SMS security, mobile device security

Ambulatory responses of Laricobius nigrinus (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), a hemlock woolly adelgid predator, to odors from prey, host foliage, and feeding conspecifics.

Treesearch

Arielle Arsenault; Albert (Bud) Mayfield; Kimberly Wallin

2015-01-01

Behavioral interactions between insects and their environments are often mediated by volatile cues. Plant-produced chemical cues induced by herbivore activity are often more effective at attracting predators than are cues produced by the herbivore alone (Dicke and van Loon 2000). The presence of herbivore-induced plant volatiles makes foraging by predators more...

A line transect model for aerial surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Quang, Pham Xuan; Lanctot, Richard B.

1991-01-01

We employ a line transect method to estimate the density of the common and Pacific loon in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge from aerial survey data. Line transect methods have the advantage of automatically taking into account “visibility bias” due to detectability difference of animals at different distances from the transect line. However, line transect methods must overcome two difficulties when applied to inaccurate recording of sighting distances due to high travel speeds, so that in fact only a few reliable distance class counts are available. We propose a unimodal detection function that provides an estimate of the effective area lost due to the blind strip, under the assumption that a line of perfect detection exists parallel to the transect line. The unimodal detection function can also be applied when a blind strip is absent, and in certain instances when the maximum probability of detection is less than 100%. A simple bootstrap procedure to estimate standard error is illustrated. Finally, we present results from a small set of Monte Carlo experiments.

Searching for solitude in the wilderness of southeast Alaska

Treesearch

Mary Emerick; David N. Cole

2008-01-01

Our group of wilderness campers perched on the rocks, enjoying the sounds of the nearby waterfall and the tide stealing in across the flats. Granite walls soared thousands of feet in the air; icebergs floated by on their way from calving glacier to the open sea. Loons called, and a rustling in the woods across the channel meant that a bear or deer might step out onto...

Discovery of a Bow Shock around VELA X-1: Erratum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaper, L.; van Loon, J. Th.; Augusteijn, T.; Goudfrooij, P.; Patat, F.; Waters, L. B. F. M.; Zijlstra, A. A.

1997-04-01

In the Letter Discovery of a Bow Shock around Vela X-1 by L. Kaper, J. Th. van Loon, T. Augusteijn, P. Goudfrooij, F. Patat, L. B. F. M. Waters, and A. A. Zijlstra (ApJ, 475, L37 [1997]), Figure 1 (Plate L7) was printed without its axis labels, as the result of a printer's error. The corrected figure appears in this issue as Plate L12.

A comparison of auditory brainstem responses across diving bird species

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crowell, Sara E.; Berlin, Alicia; Carr, Catherine E.; Olsen, Glenn H.; Therrien, Ronald E.; Yannuzzi, Sally E.; Ketten, Darlene R.

2015-01-01

There is little biological data available for diving birds because many live in hard-to-study, remote habitats. Only one species of diving bird, the black-footed penguin (Spheniscus demersus), has been studied in respect to auditory capabilities (Wever et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 63:676–680, 1969). We, therefore, measured in-air auditory threshold in ten species of diving birds, using the auditory brainstem response (ABR). The average audiogram obtained for each species followed the U-shape typical of birds and many other animals. All species tested shared a common region of the greatest sensitivity, from 1000 to 3000 Hz, although audiograms differed significantly across species. Thresholds of all duck species tested were more similar to each other than to the two non-duck species tested. The red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) and northern gannet (Morus bassanus) exhibited the highest thresholds while the lowest thresholds belonged to the duck species, specifically the lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis). Vocalization parameters were also measured for each species, and showed that with the exception of the common eider (Somateria mollisima), the peak frequency, i.e., frequency at the greatest intensity, of all species' vocalizations measured here fell between 1000 and 3000 Hz, matching the bandwidth of the most sensitive hearing range.

A comparison of auditory brainstem responses across diving bird species

PubMed Central

Crowell, Sara E.; Wells-Berlin, Alicia M.; Carr, Catherine E.; Olsen, Glenn H.; Therrien, Ronald E.; Yannuzzi, Sally E.; Ketten, Darlene R.

2015-01-01

There is little biological data available for diving birds because many live in hard-to-study, remote habitats. Only one species of diving bird, the black-footed penguin (Spheniscus demersus), has been studied in respect to auditory capabilities (Wever et al. 1969). We therefore measured in-air auditory threshold in ten species of diving birds, using the auditory brainstem response (ABR). The average audiogram obtained for each species followed the U-shape typical of birds and many other animals. All species tested shared a common region of greatest sensitivity, from 1000 to 3000 Hz, although audiograms differed significantly across species. Thresholds of all duck species tested were more similar to each other than to the two non-duck species tested. The red-throated loon (Gavia stellata) and northern gannet (Morus bassanus) exhibited the highest thresholds while the lowest thresholds belonged to the duck species, specifically the lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis). Vocalization parameters were also measured for each species, and showed that with the exception of the common eider (Somateria mollisima), the peak frequency, i.e. frequency at the greatest intensity, of all species’ vocalizations measured here fell between 1000 and 3000 Hz, matching the bandwidth of the most sensitive hearing range. PMID:26156644

Multifunctional Poly(2,5-benzimidazole)/Carbon Nanotube Composite Films

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Multifunctional Poly(2,5- benzimidazole )/Carbon Nanotube Composite Films JI-YE KANG,1 SOO-MI EO,1 IN-YUP JEON,1 YEONG SUK CHOI,2 LOON-SENG TAN,3 JONG...molecular-weight poly(2,5- benzimidazole ) (ABPBI). ABPBI/carbon nanotube (CNT) compo- sites were prepared via in situ polymerization of the AB-monomer in the...polymerization; multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT); nano- composites; poly(2,5- benzimidazole ); (ABPBI); polycondensa- tion; poly(phosphoric acid); single-walled

Guidance/Navigation Requirements Study Final Report. Volume III. Appendices

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-04-30

shown Figure G-2. The free-flight simulation program FFSIM uses quaternions to calculate the body attitude as a function of time. To calculate the...the lack of open-loop damping, the existence of a feedback controller which will stabilize the closed-loon system depends upon the satisfaction of a...re-entry vehicle has dynamic pecularitles which tend to discourage the use of "linear-quadratic" feedback regulators in guidance. The disadvantageous

Balloonborne Lidar Experiment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-24

predictable. 1he balloon will be launched with the lidar in standby mode. When an altitude of ib km has been attained, the baroswitch will be opened ...loon will be vaiveo cown to lower altitudes (-bU,0UU ft) and the balloon ruptured on command. lhe payload parachute will open ano the payloac will...values of the quantum efficiencies of the photomultipliers were used, as well as transmission and reflection efficiencies of the optics. The field of

Avian botulism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friend, Milton; Locke, Louis N.; Kennelly, James J.

1985-01-01

What is avian botulism? Avian botulism, or Western duck sickness, is one of the three most important disease problems of wild migratory birds. Each year, many birds are paralyzed or die after exposure to a toxin produced by the botulinum bacterium. Two of the seven toxin types that have been identifies cause mortality in wild birds; one of these types, type C, is most often associated with dieoffs of ducks, while type E primarily affects gulls and loons.

Resilience in Source to Sink Systems: A Millennial Record of Watershed Responses to Disturbance in Loon Lake, Umpqua River Basin, Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, F. J.; Richardson, K.; Hatten, J. A.

2017-12-01

Small mountainous watersheds are disproportionate sources of particulate organic matter (POM) to long-term sinks like lake bottoms and the ocean. Thus, alterations in sediment routing resulting from disturbances (e.g. earthquakes, fires, and timber harvesting) have profound consequences on watershed's (biogeochemical) resilience. The assessment of these biogeochemical impacts is complicated by the episodic signal propagation along these source-to-sink systems and therefore is seldom attempted. We report on a 1500-year record of historical changes in Loon Lake, a local sedimentary sink (1.2 km2) for a 230 km2 watershed in the Oregon Coast Range. Particle size distributions and POM elemental composition (C, N) were sampled at high temporal resolution ( 3 years). Stable isotopic composition and lignin biomarkers were sampled with varying temporal resolution depending on the period analyzed: 1939-2013 (3-year resolution); 515-1939 (15-year resolution). Disturbance history in Loon Lake catchment is recorded as a sequence of event beds deposited in sharp contrast within a matrix of background sedimentation. At least 8 out of 23 event beds were associated with >8.2 magnitude earthquakes (including the 9.0 megathrust earthquake in 1700). Forest fires in 1770 and 1890 were also recorded as event beds. After 1939, event beds record the impacts of landscape destabilization due to the interaction between intense storms and timber harvesting. At the onset of each event, %C, %N, and C:N ratios increased reflecting the input of coarse POM from surficial soil horizons. Top layers bracketing event beds are rich in clays and have low %C, suggesting a deep-soil sediment source. Isotopic signatures (i.e. δ13C, δ15N) confirm the allochthony of sediment inputs during events and lignin biomarkers suggest a replacement of riparian inputs by a strong gymnosperm signal, particularly after 1945. Thus, event beds record changes in the relative importance of different sediment sources within the catchment as they connect with their sink on the lake bottom. In contrast with continuous records of ecosystem changes from small watersheds, discontinuous records suggest the need for resilience assessments that go beyond the reconstruction of recovery paths to consider source to sink connectivity in small mountainous watersheds.

Proceedings of AFCRL Scientific Balloon Symposium (8th) Held at Hyannis, Mass. on 30 September to 3 October 1974

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-08-21

Ptiyiici Univtreity of Borgtn Btigm, Nonmy Abstract SPARMO (Solar Particles and Radiations Monitoring Organization) was originally organized mainly...for the purpose of coordinating bal- loon recordings of solar particle radiations, but in recent years the collaborative work of SPARMO groups has...IJ mi ■■ I I .. r— *- *■ 1 - 1. ORIGIN AND ORGANIZATIONAL STATUS SPARMO was created in October 1961, when a group of

A Simulation Program with Latency Exploitation for the Transient Analysis of Digital Circuits.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-08-01

PW PER) Examples: VIN 3 0 PULSE(-5 5 iNS iNS iNS 50NS lOONS) parameters default values units Vi (initial value) volts or amps V2 (pulsed value) volts...TAUl TD2 TAU2)mU Examples: VIN 3 0 EXP(-5 0 2NS 30NS 60NS 40NS) parameters default values units V1 (initial value) volts or amps V2 (pulsed value

Using land-cover change as dynamic variables in surface-water and water-quality models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karstensen, Krista A.; Warner, Kelly L.; Kuhn, Anne

2010-01-01

Land-cover data are typically used in hydrologic modeling to establish or describe land surface dynamics. This project is designed to demonstrate the use of land-cover change data in surface-water and water-quality models by incorporating land-cover as a variable condition. The project incorporates three different scenarios that vary hydrologically and geographically: 1) Agriculture in the Plains, 2) Loon habitat in New England, and 3) Forestry in the Ozarks.

Temporal variation in fish mercury concentrations within lakes from the western Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kenney, Leah A.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Ackerman, Joshua T.; von Hippel, Frank A.

2014-01-01

We assessed temporal variation in mercury (Hg) concentrations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Agattu Island, Aleutian Archipelago, Alaska. Total Hg concentrations in whole-bodied stickleback were measured at two-week intervals from two sites in each of two lakes from June 1 to August 10, 2011 during the time period when lakes were ice-free. Across all sites and sampling events, stickleback Hg concentrations ranged from 0.37–1.07 µg/g dry weight (dw), with a mean (± SE) of 0.55±0.01 µg/g dw. Mean fish Hg concentrations declined by 9% during the study period, from 0.57±0.01 µg/g dw in early June to 0.52±0.01 µg/g dw in mid-August. Mean fish Hg concentrations were 6% higher in Loon Lake (0.56±0.01 µg/g dw) than in Lake 696 (0.53±0.01 µg/g dw), and 4% higher in males (0.56±0.01 µg/g dw) than in females (0.54±0.01 µg/g dw). Loon Lake was distinguished from Lake 696 by the presence of piscivorous waterbirds during the breeding season. Mercury concentrations in stickleback from Agattu Island were higher than would be expected for an area without known point sources of Hg pollution, and high enough to be of concern to the health of piscivorous wildlife.

Effects of acidic precipitation on waterbirds in Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Longcore, J.R.; McAuley, D.G.; Stromborg, K.L.; Hensler, G.L.

1985-01-01

During 1982-84 waterbird use and numbers of waterbird broods were recorded for 29 wetlands on two study areas (25 and 77 km2) in east-central Maine underlain with bedrock having low, acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC). Twenty-nine wetlands over bedrock with high ANC (Class 3) and 31 wetlands over bedrock of low ANC (Class 1) were evaluated as predictors of wetland pH and alkalinity. Using the alkalinity value of 25 times was greater (P< ..0001) for downstream (84%) versus headwater (16%) wetlands during 1982-84. Avian use was similar when wetlands were classified either as beaver-created or glacial in origin. Headwater wetlands, which are most vulnerable to acidification within the low ANC areas, are used mostly by common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), and common loon (Gavia immer). Common merganser (Mergus merganser), spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularia), and chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica) were associated with headwater wetlands about equally. The majority of species (16), including dabbling ducks, used, almost exclusively, wetlands classified as downstream or beaver-created. For all years, 87% of the 246 broods observed was on wetlands classified as either downstream or beaver-created. Our data suggest that avian use of wetlands is influenced more by the morphometric and vegetative characteristics of the wetland basin rather than by the wetland water chemistry. Nevertheless, large numbers of a variety of avian species are associated with wetlands underlain with bedrock that has little or no capacity to neutralize acidic depositions.

INTRAVENOUS REGIONAL ANTIBIOTIC PERFUSION THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR DIGITAL LESIONS IN SEABIRDS.

PubMed

Fiorello, Christine V

2017-03-01

Foot infections are a common problem among seabirds in wildlife rehabilitation. Pododermatitis and digital infections are often challenging to treat because of the presence of suboptimal substrates, abnormal weight-bearing due to injuries, and suboptimal nutritional or health status. Seabirds represent the majority of animals requiring rehabilitation after oil spills, and foot problems are a common reason for euthanasia among these birds. Antibiotic intravenous regional perfusion therapy is frequently used in humans and other species to treat infections of the distal extremities, but it has not been evaluated in seabirds. During the 2015 Refugio oil spill response, four birds with foot lesions (pododermatitis, osteomyelitis, or both) were treated with ampicillin/sulbactam administered intravenously to the affected limb(s) in addition to systemic antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Three of the birds, all brown pelicans ( Pelecanus occidentalis ) recovered rapidly and were released. Two of these birds had acute pododermatitis and were treated once with intravenous regional perfusion. They were released approximately 3 wk after the perfusion therapy. The third pelican had osteomyelitis of a digit. It was treated twice with intravenous regional perfusion and was released about 1 mo after the initial perfusion therapy. The fourth bird, a Pacific loon ( Gavia pacifica ), was treated once with perfusion therapy but did not respond to treatment and was euthanatized. No serious adverse effects were observed. This technique should be explored further in avian species.

Visualizing complex (hydrological) systems with correlation matrices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haas, J. C.

2016-12-01

When trying to understand or visualize the connections of different aspects of a complex system, this often requires deeper understanding to start with, or - in the case of geo data - complicated GIS software. To our knowledge, correlation matrices have rarely been used in hydrology (e.g. Stoll et al., 2011; van Loon and Laaha, 2015), yet they do provide an interesting option for data visualization and analysis. We present a simple, python based way - using a river catchment as an example - to visualize correlations and similarities in an easy and colorful way. We apply existing and easy to use python packages from various disciplines not necessarily linked to the Earth sciences and can thus quickly show how different aquifers work or react, and identify outliers, enabling this system to also be used for quality control of large datasets. Going beyond earlier work, we add a temporal and spatial element, enabling us to visualize how a system reacts to local phenomena such as for example a river, or changes over time, by visualizing the passing of time in an animated movie. References: van Loon, A.F., Laaha, G.: Hydrological drought severity explained by climate and catchment characteristics, Journal of Hydrology 526, 3-14, 2015, Drought processes, modeling, and mitigation Stoll, S., Hendricks Franssen, H. J., Barthel, R., Kinzelbach, W.: What can we learn from long-term groundwater data to improve climate change impact studies?, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 15(12), 3861-3875, 2011

VizieR Online Data Catalog: DIB in VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey (van Loon+, 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Loon, J. T.; Bailey, M.; Tatton, B. L.; Maíz Apellániz, J.; Crowther, P. A.; de Koter, A.; Evans, C. J.; Henault-Brunet, V.; Howarth, I. D.; Richter, P.; Sana, H.; Simon-Diaz, S.; Taylor, W.; Walborn, N. R.

2012-11-01

Equivalent widths of the 4428, 5780, 5797 and 6614 Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs) were measured for up to 800 OB-type stars in the Tarantula Nebula (30 Doradus, containing the massive compact star cluster R136) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The Galactic foreground and LMC components were fitted simultaneously, with Lorentzians for the 4428 DIB and Gaussians for the other DIBs. All fits were inspected by eye, and a flag was reset to zero if the fit was rejected. (3 data files).

Parasites of Dogs from Indian Settlements in Northwestern Canada: A Survey with Public Health Implications

PubMed Central

Unruh, D. H. A.; King, J. E.; Allen, J. R.; Eaton, R. D. P.

1973-01-01

A total of 959 faecal samples were obtained from dogs in 12 native communities in Northern Saskatchewan, Central and Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. All samples were examined using a flotation technique. Samples from an area of endemic human amoebic infections were also examined by a formol-ether sedimentation method. Eighteen necropsies were performed. Entamoeba histolytica cysts were recovered from dog faeces at Loon Lake, Saskatchewan. Toxocara canis had low incidence in Saskatchewan and Central Alberta, and appeared to be almost non-existent further North. Toxascaris leonina was found in all areas surveyed. Canine hookworm infections were plentiful in all areas, the highest incidence being recorded from Northern Alberta and Northwest Territories. Many Taenia (or Echinococcus) infections were found consistently in all areas. Only one infection with Dipylidium caninum was discovered. Metorchis conjunctus infections were found to be common in the Saskatchewan reserves. Infections with Diphyllobothrium sp. were found in all communities with access to good fishing. One specimen of Dioctophyma renale was recovered at necropsy. Infections with parasites of no known zoonotic importance such as Trichuris, Alaria and Isospora species were also recorded. PMID:4265550

Parasites of dogs from Indian settlements in northwestern Canada: a survey with public health implications.

PubMed

Unruh, D H; King, J E; Eaton, R D; Allen, J R

1973-01-01

A total of 959 faecal samples were obtained from dogs in 12 native communities in Northern Saskatchewan, Central and Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. All samples were examined using a flotation technique. Samples from an area of endemic human amoebic infections were also examined by a formol-ether sedimentation method. Eighteen necropsies were performed. Entamoeba histolytica cysts were recovered from dog faeces at Loon Lake, Saskatchewan. Toxocara canis had low incidence in Saskatchewan and Central Alberta, and appeared to be almost non-existent further North. Toxascaris leonina was found in all areas surveyed. Canine hookworm infections were plentiful in all areas, the highest incidence being recorded from Northern Alberta and Northwest Territories. Many Taenia (or Echinococcus) infections were found consistently in all areas. Only one infection with Dipylidium caninum was discovered.Metorchis conjunctus infections were found to be common in the Saskatchewan reserves. Infections with Diphyllobothrium sp. were found in all communities with access to good fishing. One specimen of Dioctophyma renale was recovered at necropsy. Infections with parasites of no known zoonotic importance such as Trichuris, Alaria and Isospora species were also recorded.

Poisoning of wild birds from exposure to anticholinesterase compounds and lead: diagnostic methods and selected cases

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J. Christian; Smith, Milton R.

1999-01-01

Organophosphorus and carbamate compounds have largely replaced chlorinated hydrocarbons for pesticidal use in the United States, and many cases of poisoning resulting from exposure to these anticholinesterase agents have occurred in free-living birds. Although lead shot has been prohibited for waterfowl hunting throughout the United States since 1991, lead poisoning from the ingestion of spent lead shot is still occasionally seen in wild birds, and lead poisoning from the ingestion of fishing sinkers is an emerging issue of concern. A thorough history, a complete necropsy evaluation, and appropriate laboratory analysis of tissues are required to diagnose toxicoses in wild birds, including those caused by anticholinesterase compounds and lead. The interpretation of brain cholinesterase (ChE) activity results depends on the methods of analysis and comparison with expected normal enzyme activities in brain tissue from the same species. Although lead residues in tissues vary among species, many lead poisoned birds have tissue residues that are much higher than the lower threshold commonly accepted for a diagnosis of lead poisoning. We review histories, necropsy findings, and analytical methodologies and results for selected anticholinesterase and lead poisoning cases diagnosed in wild raptors, waterfowl, and loons.

Birds of the Kilbuck and Ahklun mountain region, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petersen, Margaret R.; Weir, Douglas N.; Dick, Matthew H.

1991-01-01

Between 1952 and 1988, we studied the abundance, distribution, occurrence, and habitats used by birds in the northwest portion of Bristol Bay and the adjacent Kilbuck and Ahklun mountains. In the 809 days we were present, we conducted 53 studies or surveys of birds in the region. We gathered information on 185 species, of which 65% (121) nested, 10% (19) probably nested, and 11% (21) were permanent residents in the region. Most breeding or probably breeding forms were of North American (58%; 81) or Beringian (24%; 33) affinity, while the remainder of the species were of Panboreal (17%; 24) and Old World (1%; 2) affinity. Similarly, most of the 44 migrants and visitants were of North American (41%; 18) affinity, while the remainder were of Beringian (32%; 14) and Panboreal (27%; 12) affinity. Of the 140 species that nested or probably nested, 53% (73) were abundant to fairly common, 29% (40) were uncommon to very rare, and 20% (27) were localized. Shrub thicket, dwarf shrub mat, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, mixed deciduous-coniferous forest, and fluviatile water and shoreline habitats supported the greatest diversity of species breeding and suspected of breeding. The highest concentrations of birds occurred in the estuaries of Nanvak, Chagvan, and Goodnews bays during spring and fall migrations and on the coastal and island cliffs during the breeding season.The information presented here provides the basis for range extensions of several species. Our records further clarify the known or probable Alaska breeding ranges of 11 species (fork-tailed storm-petrel, Oceanodroma furcata; double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus; red-faced cormorant, Phatacrocorax utile, brant, Branta bernicla; king eider, Somateria spectabilis; white-tailed ptarmigan, Lagopus leucurus; black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola; Pacific golden-plover, Pluvialis fulva; lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes; Say's phoebe, Sayomis saya; and Bohemian waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus). We also provide further information on distributions or documentation of unusual occurrences for nine taxa (frigatebird, Fregata spp.; Baikal teal, Anas formosa; American kestrel, Falco sparverius; Terek sandpiper, Xenus cinereus; bristle-thighed curlew, Numenius tahitiensis; slaty-backed gull, Larus schistisagus; rufous hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus; song sparrow, Melospiza melodia; and red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus). We provide quantitative data on the coastal migration of 11 species along Bristol Bay (red-throated loon, Gavia stellata; Pacific loon, Gavia pacifica; pelagic cormorant, Phalacrocorax pelagicus; emperor goose, Chen canagica; brant; Steller's eider, Polysticta stellen; common eider, Somateria mollissima; king eider; black scoter, Melanina nigra; white-winged scoter, Melanina fusca; and surf scoter, Melanina perspicillatd). We document changes in nesting densities, differences in numbers, or habitat variations of 32 species in response to human activities (e.g., semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus; arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea; tree swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, varied thrush, Ixoreus naevius; yellow-rumped warbler, Dendroica coronata; and American tree sparrow, Spizella arborea). We report the changes in a major colony of Aleutian terns (Sterna aleatico) at irregular intervals over 50 years.

Effects of ship traffic on seabirds in offshore waters: implications for marine conservation and spatial planning.

PubMed

Schwemmer, Philipp; Mendel, Bettina; Sonntag, Nicole; Dierschke, Volker; Garthe, Stefan

2011-07-01

Most anthropogenic influences on marine ecosystems, except for river- or terrestrial-borne pollution, involve some sort of vessel activity. Increasing anthropogenic activities mean that many countries are being forced to develop spatial planning schemes, while at the same time implementing conservation sites for sensitive species at sea. The effects of ship traffic on seabirds sensitive to human disturbance are currently too poorly understood to allow for the development of proper planning and conservation guidelines. We therefore used aerial surveys and experimental disturbance to elucidate the effects of passing ships on the distribution patterns, habitat loss, and species-specific flight reactions of birds, as well as the potential for habituation. Loons (Gavia spp.) showed clear avoidance of areas with high shipping intensity. Flush distances of four sea duck species differed significantly, with the longest distances recorded for Common Scoters (Melanitta nigra) and the shortest for Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima). Flush distance was positively related to flock size. Among all the sea duck species studied, the duration of temporary habitat loss was longest for Common Scoters. We found indications of habituation in sea ducks within areas of channeled traffic. However, it is questionable if habituation to free-ranging ships is likely to occur, because of their unpredictable nature. We therefore recommend that spatial planning should aim to channel ship traffic wherever possible to avoid further habitat fragmentation and to allow for habituation, at least in some species. Information on the effects of shipping on other seabird species and during different periods of the year is urgently needed, together with information on the effects of different types of boats, including recreational and fishing vessels.

Collision and displacement vulnerability among marine birds of the California Current System associated with offshore wind energy infrastructure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, Josh; Kelsey, Emily C.; Felis, Jonathan J.; Pereksta, David M.

2016-10-27

With growing climate change concerns and energy constraints, there is an increasing need for renewable energy sources within the United States and globally. Looking forward, offshore wind-energy infrastructure (OWEI) has the potential to produce a significant proportion of the power needed to reach our Nation’s renewable energy goal. Offshore wind-energy sites can capitalize open areas within Federal waters that have persistent, high winds with large energy production potential. Although there are few locations in the California Current System (CCS) where it would be acceptable to build pile-mounted wind turbines in waters less than 50 m deep, the development of technology able to support deep-water OWEI (>200 m depth) could enable wind-energy production in the CCS. As with all human-use of the marine environment, understanding the potential impacts of wind-energy infrastructure on the marine ecosystem is an integral part of offshore wind-energy research and planning. Herein, we present a comprehensive database to quantify marine bird vulnerability to potential OWEI in the CCS (see https://doi.org/10.5066/F79C6VJ0). These data were used to quantify marine bird vulnerabilities at the population level. For 81 marine bird species present in the CCS, we created three vulnerability indices: Population Vulnerability, Collision Vulnerability, and Displacement Vulnerability. Population Vulnerability was used as a scaling factor to generate two comprehensive indicies: Population Collision Vulnerability (PCV) and Population Displacement Vulnerability (PDV). Within the CCS, pelicans, terns (Forster’s [Sterna forsteri], Caspian [Hydroprogne caspia], Elegant [Thalasseus elegans], and Least Tern [Sternula antillarum]), gulls (Western [Larus occidentalis] and Bonaparte’s Gull [Chroicocephalus philadelphia]), South Polar Skua (Stercorarius maccormicki), and Brandt’s Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus) had the greatest PCV scores. Brown Pelican (Pelicanus occidentalis) had the greatest overall PCV score. Some alcids (Scripps’s Murrelet [Synthliboramphus scrippsi], Marbled Murrelet [Brachyramphus marmoratus], and Tufted Puffin [Fratercula cirrhata]), terns (Elegant and Least Lern), and loons (Yellow-billed [Gavia adamsii] and Common Loon [G. immer]) had the greatest PDV scores. Ashy Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma homochroa) had the greatest overall PDV score. To help inform decisions that will impact seabird conservation, vulnerability assessment results can now be combined with recent marine bird at-sea distribution and abundance data for the CCS to evaluate vulnerability areas where OWEI development is being considered. Lastly, it is important to note that as new information about seabird behavior and populations in the CCS becomes available, this database can be easily updated and modified.

First record of live birth in Cretaceous ichthyosaurs: closing an 80 million year gap.

PubMed

Maxwell, Erin E; Caldwell, Michael W

2003-08-07

New fossils of embryonic ichthyosaurs are both the geologically youngest and the physically smallest known ichthyosaur embryos. The embryos are articulated, though only partially preserved, and are located within the body cavity of an adult, presumably the mother. The embryos and adult were found in association with several other individuals of differing size classes, all of which appear to be a new taxon of Cretaceous ichthyosaur. The material was collected from units of the Loon River Formation, Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada. The implications of this new material to ichthyosaurian reproductive biology are discussed.

The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chuss, David T.

2010-01-01

The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a ba1loon-borne instrument designed to search for the faint signature of inflation in the polarized component of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). PIPER will measure the CMB polarization at 4 frequencies (l per flight) using a pair of cryogenic telescopes, one for measuring each of Stokes Q and U in the instrument frame. Each telescope receives both linear orthogonal polarizations in two 32 by 40 element planar arrays that utilize Transition-Edge Sensors (TES). The first element in each telescope is a variable-delay polarization modulator (VPM) that fully modulates the Stokes parameter to which the telescope is sensitive.

Alternative theoretical method for motion of a sand-filled funnel experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrd, David; White, Gary

2001-11-01

In "Motion of a Sand-Filled Funnel," Peter Sullivan and Anna McLoon described how to use numerical methods and a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to predict the motion of a variant of Atwood's machine with variable mass. They wrote for noncalculus-based physics classes, but we solve the same problem using the methods of calculus. Our method highlights the less-familiar but more accurate version of Newton's second law, ∑F =dp/dt. This can help introductory physics students understand a broader definition of Newton's second law and enhance their calculus skills. It also teaches students how to solve a variable-mass problem.

VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) Design Tools Reference Manual - Release 1.0.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-10-01

Pulse PULSE(VI V2 TD TR TF PW PER) Examples: VIN 3 0 PULSE(-i 1 2NS 2NS 2NS SONS lOONS) parameter default units V1 (initial value) Volts or Amps V2...VO VA FREQ TD THETA) Examples: VIN 3 0 SIN(0 1 OOMEG 1NS 1EO) parameter default value units VO (offset) Volts or Amps VA (amplitude) Volts or Amps...TD to TSTOP V O+VAe (-(" -nTD)%)in(2iFRJEQ (tim +TD)) t ° I. 3. Exponential EXP(V1 V2 TD1 TAU1 TD2 TAU2) Examples: VIN 3 0 EXP(-4 -1 2NS 3ONS 6ONS

The Time Course of Attentional and Oculomotor Capture Reveals a Common Cause

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Amelia R.; von Muhlenen, Adrian; Kingstone, Alan

2007-01-01

Eye movements are often misdirected toward a distractor when it appears abruptly, an effect known as oculomotor capture. Fundamental differences between eye movements and attention have led to questions about the relationship of oculomotor capture to the more general effect of sudden onsets on performance, known as attentional capture. This study…

Gut content analysis of Lake Michigan waterbirds in years with avian botulism type E mortality, 2010–2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Essian, David A.; Chipault, Jennifer G.; Lafrancois, Brenda M.; Leonard, Jill B.K.

2016-01-01

Waterbird die-offs caused by Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin type E (BoNT/E) have occurred sporadically in the Great Lakes since the late 1960s, with a recent pulse starting in the late 1990s. In recent die-offs, round gobies (Neogobius melanostomus) have been implicated as vectors for the transfer of BoNT/E to fish-eating birds due to the round goby invasion history and their importance as prey. Dreissenid mussels (Dreissena spp.) are also potentially involved in BoNT/E transmission to birds and round gobies. We examined gut contents of waterbirds collected in Lake Michigan during die-offs in 2010–2012, and the gut contents of culled, presumably BoNT/E-free double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). Round gobies were found in 86% of the BoNT/E-positive individuals, 84% of the BoNT/E-negative birds, and 94% of the BoNT/E-free cormorants examined. Double-crested cormorants, ring-billed gulls (Larus delewarensis), and common loons (Gavia immer) consumed larger-sized round gobies than horned and red-necked grebes (Podiceps auritus and Podiceps grisegena), white-winged scoters (Melanitta deglandi), and long-tailed ducks (Clangula hymealis). Other common prey included dreissenid mussels, terrestrial insects, and alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus). Our data emphasize the importance of round gobies and mussels in diets of Lake Michigan waterbirds and suggest they may play a role in the transfer of BoNT/E to waterbirds; however, round gobies and mussels were found in BoNT/E-positive, -negative, and -free individuals, suggesting that other factors, such as alternative trophic pathways for toxin transfer, bird migratory timing and feeding locations, prey behavior, and individual physiological differences across birds may affect the likelihood that a bird will succumb to BoNT/E intoxication.

Estimating fish populations by removal methods with minnow traps in southeast Alaska streams.

Treesearch

M.D. Bryant

2002-01-01

Passive capture methods, such as minnow traps, are commonly used to capture fish for mark-recapture population estimates; however, they have not been used for removal methods. Minnow traps set for 90-min periods during three or four sequential capture occasions during the summer of 1996 were used to capture coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch fry and...

Historic Storminess Changes in North Atlantic Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, A. G.; Elliott, L.; Noone, S.; Hickey, K.; Foster, I.; Wadhams, P.; Mayewski, P.

2001-05-01

Reconstructed patterns of historic storminess (1870-1990 AD) for North Atlantic region as indicated by measurements from selected stations in Iceland, Faeroes, Scotland and Ireland show clear links with the climate "seesaw" winters first described by Van Loon and Rogers. The stormiest winters appear to have occurred during periods when measured Greenland air temperatures at Jacobshavn and reconstructed air temperatures from the Summit ice core site have been exceptionally low and when air temperature across northern Europe have been well above average. Maxima and minima of recorded winter storms for the various stations are also in agreement with the Sodium chronology from GISP2 that points to increased sea salt precipitation on Greenland ice at Summit during Greenland "below" periods of the climate seesaw.

Netguns: a technique for capturing Black-backed Woodpeckers

Treesearch

Chad P. Lehman; Dylan C. Kesler; Christopher T. Rota; Mark A. Rumble; Eric M. Seckinger; Thomas M. Juntti; Joshua J. Millspaugh

2011-01-01

Effective capture techniques are essential for studying bird populations, but commonly used techniques have proven ineffective for capturing Black-backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) during the nonbreeding period. As a result, little is known about the winter ecology of Black-backed Woodpeckers. We used two netguns, one powered with a 0.308 cartridge and another...

Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS) En Route Trajectory Predictor Requirements and Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vivona, Robert; Cate, Karen Tung

2013-01-01

This requirements framework document is designed to support the capture of requirements and capabilities for state-of-the-art trajectory predictors (TPs). This framework has been developed to assist TP experts in capturing a clear, consistent, and cross-comparable set of requirements and capabilities. The goal is to capture capabilities (types of trajectories that can be built), functional requirements (including inputs and outputs), non-functional requirements (including prediction accuracy and computational performance), approaches for constraint relaxation, and input uncertainties. The sections of this framework are based on the Common Trajectory Predictor structure developed by the FAA/Eurocontrol Cooperative R&D Action Plan 16 Committee on Common Trajectory Prediction. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the Common TP Structure.1 This initial draft is intended as a first cut capture of the En Route TS Capabilities and Requirements. As such, it contains many annotations indicating possible logic errors in the CTAS code or in the description provided. It is intended to work out the details of the annotations with NASA and to update this document at a later time.

Lead fishing weights and other fishing tackle in selected waterbirds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J.C.; Hansen, Scott P.; Creekmore, T.E.; Brand, C.J.; Evers, D.C.; Duerr, A.E.; DeStefano, S.

2003-01-01

From 1995 through 1999, 2,240 individuals of 28 species of waterbirds were examined in the United States for ingested lead fishing weights. A combination of radiography and visual examination of stomachs was used to search for lead weights and blood and liver samples from live birds and carcasses, respectively, were collected for lead analysis. Ingested lead weights were found most frequently in the Common Loon (Gavia immer) (11 of 313 = 3.5%) and Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) (10 of 365 = 2.7%), but also in one of 81 (1.2%) Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and one of 11 (9.1%) Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax). Birds with ingested lead fishing weights (including split shot, jig heads, and egg, bell, and pyramid sinkers) were found in California, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. The size and mass of ingested lead weights ranged from split shot of 7 mm in the longest dimension, weighing less than 2 g, to a 22 ?? 39 mm pyramid sinker that weighed 78.2 g. Six ingested lead weights were more than 25.4 mm in the longest dimension. Lead concentrations in the blood and liver of birds with lead fishing weights in their stomachs ranged up to 13.9 ppm and 26.0 ppm (wet weight basis), respectively. During the study, we also noted the presence of ingested or entangled fishing tackle, with no associated lead weights, in eight species.

Avian botulism type E in waterbirds of Lake Michigan, 2010–2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chipault, Jennifer G.; White, C. LeAnn; Blehert, David S.; Jennings, Susan K.; Strom, Sean M.

2015-01-01

During 2010 to 2013, waterbird mortality surveillance programs used a shared protocol for shoreline walking surveys performed June to November at three areas in northern Lake Michigan. In 2010 and 2012, 1244 total carcasses (0.8 dead bird/km walked) and 2399 total carcasses (1.2 dead birds/km walked), respectively, were detected. Fewer carcasses were detected in 2011 (353 total carcasses, 0.2 dead bird/km walked) and 2013 (451 total carcasses, 0.3 dead bird/km walked). During 3 years, peak detection of carcasses occurred in October and involved primarily migratory diving and fish-eating birds, including long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis; 2010), common loons (Gavia immer; 2012), and red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator; 2013). In 2011, peak detection of carcasses occurred in August and consisted primarily of summer residents such as gulls (Larus spp.) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). A subset of fresh carcasses was collected throughout each year of the study and tested for botulinum neurotoxin type E (BoNT/E). Sixty-one percent of carcasses (57/94) and 10 of 11 species collected throughout the sampling season tested positive for BoNT/E, suggesting avian botulism type E was a major cause of death for both resident and migratory birds in Lake Michigan. The variety of avian species affected by botulism type E throughout the summer and fall during all 4 years of coordinated surveillance also suggests multiple routes for bird exposure to BoNT/E in Lake Michigan.

Differential estimates of southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) population structure based on capture method

Treesearch

Kevin S. Laves; Susan C. Loeb

2005-01-01

It is commonly assumed that population estimates derived from trapping small mammals are accurate and unbiased or that estimates derived from different capture methods are comparable. We captured southern flying squirrels (Glaucmrtys volam) using two methods to study their effect on red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides bumah) reproductive success. Southern flying...

A Novel Approach to High Definition, High-Contrast Video Capture in Abdominal Surgery

PubMed Central

Cosman, Peter H.; Shearer, Christopher J.; Hugh, Thomas J.; Biankin, Andrew V.; Merrett, Neil D.

2007-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to define the best available option for video capture of surgical procedures for educational and archival purposes, with a view to identifying methods of capturing high-quality footage and identifying common pitfalls. Summary Background Data: Several options exist for those who wish to record operative surgical techniques on video. While high-end equipment is an unnecessary expense for most surgical units, several techniques are readily available that do not require industrial-grade audiovisual recording facilities, but not all are suited to every surgical application. Methods: We surveyed and evaluated the available technology for video capture in surgery. Our evaluation included analyses of video resolution, depth of field, contrast, exposure, image stability, and frame composition, as well as considerations of cost, accessibility, utility, feasibility, and economies of scale. Results: Several video capture options were identified, and the strengths and shortcomings of each were catalogued. None of the commercially available options was deemed suitable for high-quality video capture of abdominal surgical procedures. A novel application of off-the-shelf technology was devised to address these issues. Conclusions: Excellent quality video capture of surgical procedures within deep body cavities is feasible using commonly available equipment and technology, with minimal technical difficulty. PMID:17414600

Packet flow monitoring tool and method

DOEpatents

Thiede, David R [Richland, WA

2009-07-14

A system and method for converting packet streams into session summaries. Session summaries are a group of packets each having a common source and destination internet protocol (IP) address, and, if present in the packets, common ports. The system first captures packets from a transport layer of a network of computer systems, then decodes the packets captured to determine the destination IP address and the source IP address. The system then identifies packets having common destination IP addresses and source IP addresses, then writes the decoded packets to an allocated memory structure as session summaries in a queue.

A Robust Design Capture-Recapture Analysis of Abundance, Survival and Temporary Emigration of Three Odontocete Species in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece

PubMed Central

Bonizzoni, Silvia; Bearzi, Giovanni; Eddy, Lavinia; Gimenez, Olivier

2016-01-01

While the Mediterranean Sea has been designated as a Global Biodiversity Hotspot, assessments of cetacean population abundance are lacking for large portions of the region, particularly in the southern and eastern basins. The challenges and costs of obtaining the necessary data often result in absent or poor abundance information. We applied capture-recapture models to estimate abundance, survival and temporary emigration of odontocete populations within a 2,400 km2 semi-enclosed Mediterranean bay, the Gulf of Corinth. Boat surveys were conducted in 2011–2015 to collect photo-identification data on striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba, short-beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis (always found together with striped dolphins in mixed groups) and common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, totaling 1,873 h of tracking. After grading images for quality and marking distinctiveness, 23,995 high-quality photos were included in a striped and common dolphin catalog, and 2,472 in a bottlenose dolphin catalog. The proportions of striped and common dolphins were calculated from the photographic sample and used to scale capture-recapture estimates. Best-fitting robust design capture-recapture models denoted no temporary emigration between years for striped and common dolphins, and random temporary emigration for bottlenose dolphins, suggesting different residency patterns in agreement with previous studies. Average estimated abundance over the five years was 1,331 (95% CI 1,122–1,578) striped dolphins, 22 (16–32) common dolphins, 55 (36–84) “intermediate” animals (potential striped x common dolphin hybrids) and 38 (32–46) bottlenose dolphins. Apparent survival was constant for striped, common and intermediate dolphins (0.94, 95% CI 0.92–0.96) and year-dependent for bottlenose dolphins (an average of 0.85, 95% CI 0.76–0.95). Our work underlines the importance of long-term monitoring to contribute reliable baseline information that can help assess the conservation status of wildlife populations. PMID:27926926

Reconstructing Historical Changes in Watersheds from Environmental Records: An Information Theory Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, F. J.; Hatten, J. A.; Ruddell, B.; Penaranda, V.; Murillo, P.

2015-12-01

A 20% of the world's population is living in watersheds that suffer from water shortage. This situation has complex causes associated with historical changes in watersheds. However, disentangling the role of key drivers of water availability like climate change or land use practices is challenging. Part of the difficulty resides in that historical analysis is basically a process of empirical reconstruction from available environmental records (e.g. sediment cores or long-term hydrologic time series). We developed a mathematical approach, based on information theory, for historical reconstructions in watersheds. We analyze spectral entropies calculated directly or indirectly for sediment cores or long-term hydrologic time series respectively. Spectral entropy measures changes in Shannon's information of natural patterns (e.g. particle size distributions in lake bottoms or streamflow regimes) as they respond to different drivers. We illustrate the application of our approach with two case studies: a reconstruction of a time series of historical changes from a sediment core, and the detection of hydrologic alterations in watersheds associated to climate and forestry activities. In the first case we calculated spectral entropies from 700 sediment layers encompassing 1500 years of history in Loon Lake (Southern Oregon). In the second case, we calculated annual spectral entropies from daily discharge for the last 45 years in two experimental watersheds in the H. J. Andrews LTER site (Oregon Cascades). In Loon Lake our approach separated, without supervision, earthquakes from landslides and floods. It can also help to improve age models for sedimentary layers. At H. J. Andrews's sites our approach was able to identify hydrological alterations following a complete clear cut in 1975. It is also helpful to identify potential long-term impacts of these forestry activities, enhanced by climate change. Our results suggest that spectral entropy is central for translating between historical structural changes in natural patterns, and their timing and relevance in watershed history. Therefore, a more robust reconstruction of watershed history and a better identification of drivers for pressing environmental issues, seems possible under the framework of Shannon's information theory.

Characteristics of fishing operations, environment and life history contributing to small cetacean bycatch in the northeast Atlantic.

PubMed

Brown, Susie; Reid, David; Rogan, Emer

2014-01-01

Fisheries bycatch is a key threat to cetacean species globally. Managing the impact requires an understanding of the conditions under which animals are caught and the sections of the population affected. We used observer data collected on an albacore tuna gillnet fishery in the northeast Atlantic, to assess operational and environmental factors contributing to bycatch of common and striped dolphins, using generalised linear models and model averaging. Life history demographics of the captured animals were also investigated. In both species, young males dominated the catch. The age ratio of common dolphins was significantly different from that estimated for the population in the region, based on life tables (G = 17.1, d.f. = 2, p = 0.002). Skewed age and sex ratios may reflect varying vulnerability to capture, through differences in behaviour or segregation in populations. Adult females constituted the second largest portion of the bycatch for both species, with potential consequences for population sustainability. Depth was the most important parameter influencing bycatch of both species and reflected what is known about common and striped dolphin habitat use in the region as the probability of catching common dolphins decreased, and striped dolphins increased, with increasing depth. Striped dolphin capture was similarly influenced by the extent to which operations were conducted in daylight, with the probability of capture increasing with increased operations in the pre-sunset and post-sunrise period, potentially driven by increased ability of observers to record animals during daylight operations, or by diurnal movements increasing contact with the fishery. Effort, based on net length and soak time, had little influence on the probability of capturing either species. Our results illustrate the importance of assessing the demographic of the animals captured during observer programmes and, perhaps more importantly, suggest that effort restrictions alone may not be sufficient to eradicate bycatch in areas where driftnets and small cetaceans co-occur.

Characteristics of Fishing Operations, Environment and Life History Contributing to Small Cetacean Bycatch in the Northeast Atlantic

PubMed Central

Brown, Susie; Reid, David; Rogan, Emer

2014-01-01

Fisheries bycatch is a key threat to cetacean species globally. Managing the impact requires an understanding of the conditions under which animals are caught and the sections of the population affected. We used observer data collected on an albacore tuna gillnet fishery in the northeast Atlantic, to assess operational and environmental factors contributing to bycatch of common and striped dolphins, using generalised linear models and model averaging. Life history demographics of the captured animals were also investigated. In both species, young males dominated the catch. The age ratio of common dolphins was significantly different from that estimated for the population in the region, based on life tables (G = 17.1, d.f. = 2, p = 0.002). Skewed age and sex ratios may reflect varying vulnerability to capture, through differences in behaviour or segregation in populations. Adult females constituted the second largest portion of the bycatch for both species, with potential consequences for population sustainability. Depth was the most important parameter influencing bycatch of both species and reflected what is known about common and striped dolphin habitat use in the region as the probability of catching common dolphins decreased, and striped dolphins increased, with increasing depth. Striped dolphin capture was similarly influenced by the extent to which operations were conducted in daylight, with the probability of capture increasing with increased operations in the pre-sunset and post-sunrise period, potentially driven by increased ability of observers to record animals during daylight operations, or by diurnal movements increasing contact with the fishery. Effort, based on net length and soak time, had little influence on the probability of capturing either species. Our results illustrate the importance of assessing the demographic of the animals captured during observer programmes and, perhaps more importantly, suggest that effort restrictions alone may not be sufficient to eradicate bycatch in areas where driftnets and small cetaceans co-occur. PMID:25121802

A versatile technique for capturing urban gulls during winter

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Daniel E.; Koenen, Kiana K. G.; MacKenzie, Kenneth G.; Pereira, Jillian W.; DeStefano, Stephen

2014-01-01

The capture of birds is a common part of many avian studies but often requires large investments of time and resources. We developed a novel technique for capturing gulls during the non-breeding season using a net launcher that was effective and efficient. The technique can be used in a variety of habitats and situations, including urban areas. Using this technique, we captured 1,326 gulls in 125 capture events from 2008 to 2012 in Massachusetts, USA. On average, 10 ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis; range = 1–37) were captured per trapping event. Capture rate (the number of birds captured per trapping event) was influenced by the type of bait used and also the time of the year (greatest in autumn, lowest in winter). Our capture technique could be adapted to catch a variety of urban or suburban birds and mammals that are attracted to bait.

Assessment of bird populations in a high quality savanna/woodland: a banding approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilmore, Sandra L.; Glowacki, Gary A.; Grundel, Ralph

2005-01-01

During the course of this six year study, the fall migration capture rate declined significantly, suggesting that reduced productivity may have occurred in bird populations. There was a positive response during the spring migration to earlier spring wildfires, indicated by high capture rates in 2000 and 2002 that corresponded with fires affecting most of the bird banding net locations. For several common species found at the Miller Woods site, the ratio of juveniles to adults was compared to ratios at other banding stations in the north central U.S. Breeding site fidelity was documented for 20 species, all common breeders. Variation in capture rates among net locations demonstrated the role of the shrub layer within the savanna habitat mosaic during migration stopover.

Affinity proteomics to study endogenous protein complexes: Pointers, pitfalls, preferences and perspectives

PubMed Central

LaCava, John; Molloy, Kelly R.; Taylor, Martin S.; Domanski, Michal; Chait, Brian T.; Rout, Michael P.

2015-01-01

Dissecting and studying cellular systems requires the ability to specifically isolate distinct proteins along with the co-assembled constituents of their associated complexes. Affinity capture techniques leverage high affinity, high specificity reagents to target and capture proteins of interest along with specifically associated proteins from cell extracts. Affinity capture coupled to mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic analyses has enabled the isolation and characterization of a wide range of endogenous protein complexes. Here, we outline effective procedures for the affinity capture of protein complexes, highlighting best practices and common pitfalls. PMID:25757543

Capture of sandhill cranes using alpha-chloralose.

PubMed

Hayes, Matthew A; Hartup, Barry K; Pittman, Jeanne M; Barzen, Jeb A

2003-10-01

From 1990-2001, we made 188 successful captures of 166 different greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) through experimental use of alpha-chloralose (AC). Most captures took place during September (72.3%; n = 136), followed by August (14.9%; n = 28), and October (12.8%; n = 24). Territorial pairs were captured more successfully than family groups. Overall morbidity (6.4%) and mortality (4.3%) were lower than most other capture techniques for sandhill cranes. Exertional myopathy (EM) was the most common complication observed using AC (3.7%). Sedation level (chi5(2) = 25.9, P < 0.01) and month of capture (chi2(2) = 12.3, P < 0.01) were both associated with the presence of EM in cranes captured with AC. A logistic regression model suggests lighter sedation and the months of August and October are potential risk factors for EM in sandhill cranes captured with AC in Wisconsin (USA).

Occurrence of the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin littoralis) at South Deer Island in Galveston Bay, Texas, April 2001-May 2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hogan, Jennifer L.

2003-01-01

One-hundred thirty-five terrapins were captured (116 individuals, 19 recaptures) in occurrence and nesting and basking surveys at South Deer Island in Galveston Bay, Texas, during April 2001–May 2002. Along the southern shore of the island, terrapins were captured in crab traps placed in shallow water offshore; in the lagoon on the island, terrapins were captured by hand while walking along the shore. In the nesting and basking surveys, areas of the island with continuous patches of exposed shell typically were checked twice a day for nesting and basking terrapins, except during the last 2 months of the study, when more intensive monitoring was conducted. The occurrence surveys resulted in 119 terrapins captured in crab traps and nine captured by hand around the lagoon. The nesting and basking surveys yielded seven terrapins. Only one was nesting, although the nest is believed to be the first documented terrapin nest found in Texas. Three terrapins were captured swimming near shell beaches, and three more were captured basking on shell beaches. The most terrapins were captured during April–May 2001 and April–May 2002. Biometric data collected on terrapins captured showed size dimorphism on the basis of sex. The median female straight-line carapace length was 17.8 centimeters, 1.4 times larger than the median male carapace length, 13.1 centimeters. The median female mass was 1,021 grams, 2.9 times larger than the median male mass, 354 grams. Intra-specific variation occurred in the colorations and markings of terrapins captured. Anomalies - lesions, deformities, barnacles, and algae - were common among terrapins captured. Both lesions and deformities were more common among males than females. Dominant vegetation or substrate associated with terrapin habitat included saltwort, slender seapurslane, seabeach orache, shell, and woody debris.

Effects of chemical immobilization on survival of African buffalo in the Kruger National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oosthuizen, W.C.; Cross, P.C.; Bowers, J.A.; Hay, C.; Ebinger, M.R.; Buss, P.; Hofmeyr, M.; Cameron, E.Z.

2009-01-01

Capturing, immobilizing, and fitting radiocollars are common practices in studies of large mammals, but success is based on the assumptions that captured animals are representative of the rest of the population and that the capture procedure has negligible effects. We estimated effects of chemical immobilization on mortality rates of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. We used a Cox proportional hazards approach to test for differences in mortality among age, sex, and capture classes of repeatedly captured radiocollared buffalo. Capture variables did not improve model fit and the Cox regression did not indicate increased risk of death for captured individuals up to 90 days postcapture [exp (??) = 1.07]. Estimated confidence intervals, however, span from a halving to a doubling of the mortality rate (95% CI = 0.56-2.02). Therefore, capture did not influence survival of captured individuals using data on 875 captures over a 5-year period. Consequently, long-term research projects on African buffalo involving immobilization, such as associated with research on bovine tuberculosis, should result in minimal capture mortality, but monitoring of possible effects should continue.

Inorganic Contaminants, Nutrient Reserves and Molt Intensity in Autumn Migrant Red-Necked Grebes (Podiceps grisegena) at Georgian Bay.

PubMed

Holman, Katie L; Schummer, Michael L; Petrie, Scott A; Chen, Yu-Wei; Belzile, Nelson

2015-11-01

Red-necked grebes (Podiceps grisegena) are piscivorous waterbirds that breed on freshwater lakes in northwestern Canada and stop-over at the Great Lakes during autumn migration to molt feathers and replenish lipid and protein reserves. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe concentrations of, and correlations among, inorganic contaminants in a sample of autumn migrant red-necked grebes from the Great Lakes, (2) compare concentrations of inorganic contaminants to those in autumn migrant common loons from Schummer et al. (Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 62:704, 2011a), (3) evaluate if the inorganic elements are negatively associated with lipid and protein reserves, and (4) determine if nutrient reserves and molt intensity were correlated. None of the 14 contaminants analyzed were above threshold levels known to cause acute health problems in piscivorous birds. Body masses of plucked birds were within the normal reported range. Lipid reserves varied positively with hepatic concentrations of arsenic, copper, iron, nickel, lead, and selenium and negatively with mercury and magnesium. Protein reserves variety negatively with hepatic concentrations of arsenic, calcium, nickel, lead, and zinc and positively with aluminum, cadmium, and iron. A negative correlation was observed between chest molt and lipid reserves but not between nutrient reserves and other feather tracts. The relationships between lipid reserves and both mercury and selenium were consistent with current research on other piscivorous waterbirds at the Great Lakes and justify continued work to determine interactions of these contaminants in waterbirds that breed, stage, and winter in the region.

Mercury in swamp sparrows (Melospiza georgiana) from wetland habitats in Wisconsin.

PubMed

Strom, Sean M; Brady, Ryan S

2011-10-01

Wetlands play a major role in the export of methylmercury (MeHg) to a watershed. The large contribution of wetlands to watersheds in northern Wisconsin, coupled with the acidic environment of this area, makes these habitats especially vulnerable to mercury (Hg) accumulation by biota. The purpose of this study was to compare Hg accumulation between northern Wisconsin wetlands and southern Wisconsin wetlands using the swamp sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) as a representative species. The swamp sparrow was selected as a representative passerine species in which to examine Hg in these habitats, because during their breeding season, they feed at a higher trophic level than many of their counterparts. During the breeding seasons of 2007 and 2008, blood samples were collected from swamp sparrows inhabiting wetlands in both northern and southern Wisconsin and analyzed for total Hg. The mean concentration of total Hg in swamp sparrows from northern wetlands was 0.135 ± 0.064 μg/ml while the mean concentration of total Hg in swamp sparrows from southern wetlands was 0.187 ± 0.106 μg/ml. Results revealed no significant difference (P = 0.17) between Hg accumulation in swamp sparrows from less-acidic wetlands in southern Wisconsin and Hg in swamp sparrows from acidic wetlands in northern Wisconsin. The results are contrary to those observed in other species such as common loon, tree swallow and river otter where higher accumulation has been observed in individuals from acidic habitats. Reasons for the lack of this accumulation pattern in swamp sparrows are unclear and warrant further study.

47 CFR 43.21 - Transactions with affiliates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... file, by April 1 of each year, a report designed to capture trends in service quality under price cap... report designed to capture trends in service quality under price cap regulation. The report shall contain...) REPORTS OF COMMUNICATION COMMON CARRIERS AND CERTAIN AFFILIATES § 43.21 Transactions with affiliates. (a...

47 CFR 43.21 - Transactions with affiliates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... file, by April 1 of each year, a report designed to capture trends in service quality under price cap... report designed to capture trends in service quality under price cap regulation. The report shall contain...) REPORTS OF COMMUNICATION COMMON CARRIERS AND CERTAIN AFFILIATES § 43.21 Transactions with affiliates. (a...

Observations of weasels in second-growth Douglas-fir forests in the Puget Trough, Washington.

Treesearch

T.M. Wilson; A.B. Carey

1996-01-01

Mustela frenata and M. erminea are common mammalian predators in Pacific Northwest forests, yet very little is known about their ecology in this region. Forty-five Mustela spp. were captured in >200,000 trap nights. Mustela erminea were most often captured in thinned stands with...

Designing berthing mechanisms for international compatibility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winch, John; Gonzalez-Vallejo, Juan J.

1991-01-01

The paper examines the technological issues regarding common berthing interfaces for the Space Station Freedom and pressurized modules from U.S., European, and Japanese space programs. The development of the common berthing mechanism (CBM) is based on common requirements concerning specifications, launch environments, and the unique requirements of ESA's Man-Tended Free Flyer. The berthing mechanism is composed of an active and a passive half, a remote manipulator system, 4 capture-latch assemblies, 16 structural bolts, and a pressure gage to verify equalization. Extensive graphic and verbal descriptions of each element are presented emphasizing the capture-latch motion and powered-bolt operation. The support systems to complete the interface are listed, and the manufacturing requirements for consistent fabrication are discussed to ensure effective international development.

Building on the Common Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conley, David T.

2011-01-01

The Common Core State Standards, released in June 2010, offer an opportunity to shift education away from shallow, test-prep instruction and toward a focus on key cognitive skills, writes Conley. Two consortia of states are now developing common assessments to measure these standards--assessments that will be designed to capture deeper, more…

Experimental study of hydraulics and sediment capture efficiency in catchbasins.

PubMed

Tang, Yangbo; Zhu, David Z; Rajaratnam, N; van Duin, Bert

2016-12-01

Catchbasins (also known as gully pot in the UK and Australia) are used to receive surface runoff and drain the stormwater into storm sewers. The recent interest in catchbasins is to improve their effectiveness in removing sediments in stormwater. An experimental study was conducted to examine the hydraulic features and sediment capture efficiency in catchbasins, with and without a bottom sump. A sump basin is found to increase the sediment capture efficiency significantly. The effect of inlet control devices, which are commonly used to control the amount of flow into the downstream storm sewer system, is also studied. These devices will increase the water depth in the catchbasin and increase the sediment capture efficiency. Equations are developed for predicting the sediment capture efficiency in catchbasins.

Assessing Student Performance and Perceptions in Lecture Capture vs. Face-to-Face Course Delivery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Euzent, Patricia; Martin, Thomas; Moskal, Patrick; Moskal, Patsy

2011-01-01

Public universities are currently facing a challenge in determining how to deliver quality instruction in the face of severe fiscal constraints. With recent technological advances, courses streamed over the Internet (i.e., lecture capture) are now becoming common. However, little research has been published that specifically examines student…

Ceftriaxone-associated pancreatitis captured on serial computed tomography scans.

PubMed

Nakagawa, Nozomu; Ochi, Nobuaki; Yamane, Hiromichi; Honda, Yoshihiro; Nagasaki, Yasunari; Urata, Noriyo; Nakanishi, Hidekazu; Kawamoto, Hirofumi; Takigawa, Nagio

2018-02-01

A 74-year-old man was treated with ceftriaxone for 5 days and subsequently experienced epigastric pain. Computed tomography (CT) was performed 7 and 3 days before epigastralgia. Although the first CT image revealed no radiographic signs in his biliary system, the second CT image revealed dense radiopaque material in the gallbladder lumen. The third CT image, taken at symptom onset, showed high density in the common bile duct and enlargement of the pancreatic head. This is a very rare case of pseudolithiasis involving the common bile duct, as captured on a series of CT images.

Improved high-throughput quantification of luminescent microplate assays using a common Western-blot imaging system.

PubMed

Hawkins, Liam J; Storey, Kenneth B

2017-01-01

Common Western-blot imaging systems have previously been adapted to measure signals from luminescent microplate assays. This can be a cost saving measure as Western-blot imaging systems are common laboratory equipment and could substitute a dedicated luminometer if one is not otherwise available. One previously unrecognized limitation is that the signals captured by the cameras in these systems are not equal for all wells. Signals are dependent on the angle of incidence to the camera, and thus the location of the well on the microplate. Here we show that: •The position of a well on a microplate significantly affects the signal captured by a common Western-blot imaging system from a luminescent assay.•The effect of well position can easily be corrected for.•This method can be applied to commercially available luminescent assays, allowing for high-throughput quantification of a wide range of biological processes and biochemical reactions.

Effectiveness of bowl trapping and netting for inventory of a bee community

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grundel, R.; Frohnapple, K.J.; Jean, R.P.; Pavlovic, N.B.

2011-01-01

Concern over the status of bees has increased the need to inventory bee communities and, consequently, has increased the need to understand effectiveness of different bee sampling methods. We sampled bees using bowl traps and netting at 25 northwest Indiana sites ranging from open grasslands to forests. Assemblages of bees captured in bowl traps and by netting were very similar, but this similarity was driven by similar relative abundances of commonly captured species. Less common species were often not shared between collection methods (bowls, netting) and only about half of the species were shared between methods. About one-quarter of species were more often captured by one of the two collection methods. Rapid accumulation of species was aided by sampling at temporal and habitat extremes. In particular, collecting samples early and late in the adult flight season and in open and forest habitats was effective in capturing the most species with the fewest samples. The number of samples estimated necessary to achieve a complete inventory using bowls and netting together was high. For example, ≈72% of species estimated capturable in bowls were captured among the 3,159 bees collected in bowls in this study, but ≈30,000–35,000 additional bees would need to be collected to achieve a 100% complete inventory. For bowl trapping, increasing the number of sampling dates or sampling sites was more effective than adding more bowls per sampling date in completing the inventory with the fewest specimens collected.

Predator size and the suitability of a common prey.

PubMed

Erickson, Kristin S; Morse, D H

1997-02-01

 Although a predator's mass should influence the suitability of its prey, this subject has received little direct attention. We studied the capture and processing of an abundant syrphid fly Toxomerus marginatus (c. 4 mg) by 0.6- to 40-mg juvenile crab spiders Misumena vatia (Thomisidae) to determine how profitability, relative profitability (profitability/predator mass), overall gain in mass, and relative gain in mass differed with predator mass, and whether foraging changed concurrently. In multi-prey experiments, the smallest successful spiders (0.6-3.0 mg) extracted less mass from flies, and did so more slowly, than large spiders. This gain was proportionately similar to that of 10- to 40-mg spiders with access to many Toxomerus. However, many small spiders failed to capture flies. When we gave spiders only a single Toxomerus, the smallest ones again extracted mass more slowly than the large ones and increased in mass less than the large ones, but increased in mass proportionately more than large ones. Relative gain in mass from a single prey decreased with increasing spider mass. Spiders larger than 10 mg all extracted similar amounts of mass from a single Toxomerus at similar rates, but varied in time spent between captures. Thus, Toxomerus changes with spider mass from a large, hard-to-capture bonanza to a small, easy-to-capture item of low per capita value. However, Toxomerus is common enough that large spiders can capture it en masse, thereby compensating for its decline in per capita value.

Age-structured mark-recapture analysis: A virtual-population-analysis-based model for analyzing age-structured capture-recapture data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coggins, L.G.; Pine, William E.; Walters, C.J.; Martell, S.J.D.

2006-01-01

We present a new model to estimate capture probabilities, survival, abundance, and recruitment using traditional Jolly-Seber capture-recapture methods within a standard fisheries virtual population analysis framework. This approach compares the numbers of marked and unmarked fish at age captured in each year of sampling with predictions based on estimated vulnerabilities and abundance in a likelihood function. Recruitment to the earliest age at which fish can be tagged is estimated by using a virtual population analysis method to back-calculate the expected numbers of unmarked fish at risk of capture. By using information from both marked and unmarked animals in a standard fisheries age structure framework, this approach is well suited to the sparse data situations common in long-term capture-recapture programs with variable sampling effort. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2006.

Combinatorial ligand libraries as a two-dimensional method for proteome analysis.

PubMed

Santucci, Laura; Candiano, Giovanni; Petretto, Andrea; Lavarello, Chiara; Bruschi, Maurizio; Ghiggeri, Gian Marco; Citterio, Attilio; Righetti, Pier Giorgio

2013-07-05

The present report tries to assess the possibility of performing capture of proteomes via combinatorial peptide ligand libraries (CPLL) in a two-dimensional (2D) mode, i.e. via orthogonal complementarity in the capture phase. To that aim, serum proteins are captured at physiological pH either at low ionic strength (25mM NaCl) or at high concentrations of lyotropic salts of the Hofmeister series (1M ammonium sulphate) favouring hydrophobic interaction. Indeed such 2D mechanisms seems to be operative, since 52% of the captured proteins are common to the two capture modes, 20% are specific only of the "ionic" interaction mode and 28% are found only in the "hydrophobically" driven interaction. As an additional bonus, losses of protein species from the initial sample, one of the major drawbacks of CPLLs, are diminished to about 5% and are found only in the ionic capture, whereas the hydrophobically engendered capture is loss-free. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrofishing capture probability of smallmouth bass in streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dauwalter, D.C.; Fisher, W.L.

2007-01-01

Abundance estimation is an integral part of understanding the ecology and advancing the management of fish populations and communities. Mark-recapture and removal methods are commonly used to estimate the abundance of stream fishes. Alternatively, abundance can be estimated by dividing the number of individuals sampled by the probability of capture. We conducted a mark-recapture study and used multiple repeated-measures logistic regression to determine the influence of fish size, sampling procedures, and stream habitat variables on the cumulative capture probability for smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu in two eastern Oklahoma streams. The predicted capture probability was used to adjust the number of individuals sampled to obtain abundance estimates. The observed capture probabilities were higher for larger fish and decreased with successive electrofishing passes for larger fish only. Model selection suggested that the number of electrofishing passes, fish length, and mean thalweg depth affected capture probabilities the most; there was little evidence for any effect of electrofishing power density and woody debris density on capture probability. Leave-one-out cross validation showed that the cumulative capture probability model predicts smallmouth abundance accurately. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007.

Systemic risk measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerra, Solange Maria; Silva, Thiago Christiano; Tabak, Benjamin Miranda; de Souza Penaloza, Rodrigo Andrés; de Castro Miranda, Rodrigo César

2016-01-01

In this paper we present systemic risk measures based on contingent claims approach and banking sector multivariate density. We also apply network measures to analyze bank common risk exposure. The proposed measures aim to capture credit risk stress and its potential to become systemic. These indicators capture not only individual bank vulnerability, but also the stress dependency structure between them. Furthermore, these measures can be quite useful for identifying systemically important banks. The empirical results show that these indicators capture with considerable fidelity the moments of increasing systemic risk in the Brazilian banking sector in recent years.

MSFC Space Station Program Commonly Used Acronyms and Abbreviations Listing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gates, Thomas G.

1988-01-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center maintains an active history program to assure that the foundation of the Center's history is captured and preserved for current and future generations. As part of that overall effort, the Center began a project in 1987 to capture historical information and documentation on the Marshall Center's roles regarding Space Shuttle and Space Station. This document is MSFC Space Station Program Commonly Used Acronyms and Abbreviations Listing. It contains acronyms and abbreviations used in Space Station documentation and in the Historian Annotated Bibliography of Space Station Program. The information may be used by the researcher as a reference tool.

General and histological indicators of health in wild fishes from a biological mercury hotspot in northeastern North America.

PubMed

Graves, Stephanie D; Kidd, Karen A; Houlahan, Jeff E; Munkittrick, Kelly R

2017-04-01

Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, Nova Scotia, Canada, is considered a biological mercury (Hg) hotspot because the tissues of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and common loons (Gavia immer) inhabiting the lakes frequently exceed so-called safe levels of Hg. In the present study, the relationships between Hg and overall health of males and females of 3 forage fish species (brown bullhead Ameirus nebulosus, banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus, and golden shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas; n = 6-18/sex/lake) in 6 lakes at the park were assessed using condition factor, liversomatic index (LSI), and macrophage aggregates (MAs; indicators of tissue damage). Mean muscle total Hg (THg) concentrations of brown bullhead, banded killifish, and golden shiner across lakes were 0.32 μg/g, 0.27 μg/g, and 0.34 μg/g, respectively. Condition was negatively related to muscle THg in golden shiner and banded killifish, LSI was not related to THg in any species, and all species showed evidence of increasing MA prevalence (counts and area) with increasing THg concentrations. The MAs were most prevalent in spleen tissues of golden shiner, with mean percentage cover ranging from 0.36% to 5.59% across lakes. In addition, the area of MAs appeared to be better predicted by THg concentration than was the number of MAs in the same tissue. These findings suggest that Hg is affecting the health of wild fishes in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site and that other populations with similar or higher concentrations of this metal may also be at risk. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:976-987. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

Use of an Upland Pine Forest by the Star-Nosed Mole, Condylura Cristata

Treesearch

Timothy S. McCay; Mark J. Komoraoski; William M. Ford

1999-01-01

The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a semi-aquatic insectivore, commonly found near marshy areas and streams. We report two captures of star-nosed moles from a xeric, upland pine forest more than 500 m from the nearest persistent source of water. Both captures occurred during rainy nights, suggesting that star-nosed moles use rain events as...

EVALUATION OF N-METHYL-N-TERT-BUTYLDIMETHYLSILYLTRIFLUOROACETAMIDE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS UNDER BOTH EIMS AND ELECTRON CAPTURE NICIMS CONDITIONS AND COMPARISON TO TRIMETHYLSILYL REAGENTS UNDER EIMS

EPA Science Inventory

Sewage effluent was analyzed for 3,5,6-trichloropyridinol (TCP) by extracting one liter of water using liquid-liquid extraction and determined by GC/MS operated in the negative ion chemical ionization (electron capture) mode, TCP is the major metabolite of the commonly used insec...

Dilution of Fluon Before Trap Surface Treatment Has No Effect on Longhorned Beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Captures

Treesearch

Jeremy D. Allison; Elizabeth E. Graham; Therese M. Poland; Brian L. Strom

2016-01-01

Several studies have observed that trap captures of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) can be increased by treating the surface of intercept traps with a lubricant. In addition to being expensive, these treatments can alter the spectral properties of intercept traps when applied neat. These surface treatments, particularly Fluon, are commonly used diluted as...

Common ground for biodiversity and ecosystem services: the “partial protection” challenge

PubMed Central

Faith, Daniel P

2012-01-01

New global initiatives require clarity about similarities and differences between biodiversity and ecosystem services. One argument is that ecosystem services capture utilitarian values, while biodiversity captures intrinsic values. However, the concept of biodiversity equally emerges from anthropogenic use values. Measures of biodiversity indicate broad option values, and so provide different information about future uses and benefits. Such differences nevertheless can be the basis for “common ground” for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Systematic conservation planning and related frameworks acknowledge such differences through effective trade-offs and synergies among different values of society. The early work on regional biodiversity trade-offs includes a little-explored aspect that could enhance this common ground. Regional planning here takes into account the “partial protection” of biodiversity provided by some land uses. Common-ground will be promoted by better integrating the ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation offered by ecosystems at the “natural end of the spectrum” with the partial protection and other benefits/services provided by more intensively-transformed places. PMID:24358821

Effects of an Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) on the Common Shore Crab Carcinus maenas: Tagging Pilot Experiments in the Lillgrund Offshore Wind Farm (Sweden).

PubMed

Langhamer, Olivia; Holand, Håkon; Rosenqvist, Gunilla

2016-01-01

Worldwide growth of offshore renewable energy production will provide marine organisms with new hard substrate for colonization in terms of artificial reefs. The artificial reef effect is important when planning offshore installations since it can create habitat enhancement. Wind power is the most advanced technology within offshore renewable energy sources and there is an urgent need to study its impacts on the marine environment. To test the hypothesis that offshore wind power increases the abundance of reef species relative to a reference area, we conduct an experiment on the model species common shore crab (Carcinus maenas).Overall, 3962 crabs were captured, observed, marked and released in 2011 and 1995 crabs in 2012. Additionally, carapace size, sex distribution, color morphs and body condition was recorded from captured crabs. We observed very low recapture rates at all sites during both years which made evaluating differences in population sizes very difficult. However, we were able to estimate population densities from the capture record for all three sites. There was no obvious artificial reef effect in the Lillgrund wind farm, but a spill-over effect to nearby habitats cannot be excluded. We could not find any effect of the wind farm on either, morphs, sex distribution or condition of the common shore crab. Our study found no evidence that Lillgrund wind farm has a negative effect on populations of the common shore crab. This study provides the first quantitative and experimental data on the common shore crab in relation to offshore wind farms.

Effects of an Offshore Wind Farm (OWF) on the Common Shore Crab Carcinus maenas: Tagging Pilot Experiments in the Lillgrund Offshore Wind Farm (Sweden)

PubMed Central

Langhamer, Olivia; Holand, Håkon; Rosenqvist, Gunilla

2016-01-01

Worldwide growth of offshore renewable energy production will provide marine organisms with new hard substrate for colonization in terms of artificial reefs. The artificial reef effect is important when planning offshore installations since it can create habitat enhancement. Wind power is the most advanced technology within offshore renewable energy sources and there is an urgent need to study its impacts on the marine environment. To test the hypothesis that offshore wind power increases the abundance of reef species relative to a reference area, we conduct an experiment on the model species common shore crab (Carcinus maenas).Overall, 3962 crabs were captured, observed, marked and released in 2011 and 1995 crabs in 2012. Additionally, carapace size, sex distribution, color morphs and body condition was recorded from captured crabs. We observed very low recapture rates at all sites during both years which made evaluating differences in population sizes very difficult. However, we were able to estimate population densities from the capture record for all three sites. There was no obvious artificial reef effect in the Lillgrund wind farm, but a spill-over effect to nearby habitats cannot be excluded. We could not find any effect of the wind farm on either, morphs, sex distribution or condition of the common shore crab. Our study found no evidence that Lillgrund wind farm has a negative effect on populations of the common shore crab. This study provides the first quantitative and experimental data on the common shore crab in relation to offshore wind farms. PMID:27780212

Eating traits questionnaires as a continuum of a single concept. Uncontrolled eating.

PubMed

Vainik, Uku; Neseliler, Selin; Konstabel, Kenn; Fellows, Lesley K; Dagher, Alain

2015-07-01

Research on eating behaviour has identified several potentially relevant eating-related traits captured by different questionnaires. Often, these questionnaires predict Body Mass Index (BMI), but the relationship between them has not been explicitly studied. We studied the unity and diversity of questionnaires capturing five common eating-related traits: Power of Food, Eating Impulsivity, emotional eating, Disinhibition, and binge eating in women from Estonia (n = 740) and Canada (n = 456). Using bifactor analysis, we showed that a) these questionnaires are largely explained by a single factor, and b) relative to this shared factor, only some questionnaires offered additional variance in predicting BMI. Hence, these questionnaires seemed to characterise a common factor, which we label Uncontrolled Eating. Item Response Theory techniques were then applied to demonstrate that c) within this common factor, the questionnaires could be placed on a continuum of Uncontrolled Eating. That is, Eating Impulsivity focused on the milder degree, Power of Food Scale, emotional eating scales, and Disinhibition on intermediate degrees, and the Binge Eating Scale on the most severe degrees of Uncontrolled Eating. In sum, evidence from two samples showed that questionnaires capturing five common BMI-related traits largely reflected the same underlying latent trait - Uncontrolled Eating. In Estonia, some questionnaires focused on different severities of this common construct, supporting a continuum model of Uncontrolled Eating. These findings provide a starting point for developing better questionnaires of the neurobehavioural correlates of obesity, and provide a unifying perspective from which to view the existing literature. R scripts and data used for the analysis are provided. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nectar, not colour, may lure insects to their death

PubMed Central

Bennett, Katherine F.; Ellison, Aaron M.

2009-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate in the field that prey of the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea are attracted to sugar, not to colour. Prey capture (either all taxa summed or individual common taxa considered separately) was not associated with total red area or patterning on pitchers of living pitcher plants. We separated effects of nectar availability and coloration using painted ‘pseudopitchers’, half of which were coated with sugar solution. Unsugared pseudopitchers captured virtually no prey, whereas pseudopitchers with sugar solution captured the same amount of prey as living pitchers. In contrast to a recent study that associated red coloration with prey capture but that lacked controls for nectar availability, we infer that nectar, not colour, is the primary means by which pitcher plants attract prey. PMID:19429649

Nectar, not colour, may lure insects to their death.

PubMed

Bennett, Katherine F; Ellison, Aaron M

2009-08-23

We experimentally demonstrate in the field that prey of the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea are attracted to sugar, not to colour. Prey capture (either all taxa summed or individual common taxa considered separately) was not associated with total red area or patterning on pitchers of living pitcher plants. We separated effects of nectar availability and coloration using painted 'pseudopitchers', half of which were coated with sugar solution. Unsugared pseudopitchers captured virtually no prey, whereas pseudopitchers with sugar solution captured the same amount of prey as living pitchers. In contrast to a recent study that associated red coloration with prey capture but that lacked controls for nectar availability, we infer that nectar, not colour, is the primary means by which pitcher plants attract prey.

Objective analysis of image quality of video image capture systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowberg, Alan H.

1990-07-01

As Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) technology has matured, video image capture has become a common way of capturing digital images from many modalities. While digital interfaces, such as those which use the ACR/NEMA standard, will become more common in the future, and are preferred because of the accuracy of image transfer, video image capture will be the dominant method in the short term, and may continue to be used for some time because of the low cost and high speed often associated with such devices. Currently, virtually all installed systems use methods of digitizing the video signal that is produced for display on the scanner viewing console itself. A series of digital test images have been developed for display on either a GE CT9800 or a GE Signa MRI scanner. These images have been captured with each of five commercially available image capture systems, and the resultant images digitally transferred on floppy disk to a PC1286 computer containing Optimast' image analysis software. Here the images can be displayed in a comparative manner for visual evaluation, in addition to being analyzed statistically. Each of the images have been designed to support certain tests, including noise, accuracy, linearity, gray scale range, stability, slew rate, and pixel alignment. These image capture systems vary widely in these characteristics, in addition to the presence or absence of other artifacts, such as shading and moire pattern. Other accessories such as video distribution amplifiers and noise filters can also add or modify artifacts seen in the captured images, often giving unusual results. Each image is described, together with the tests which were performed using them. One image contains alternating black and white lines, each one pixel wide, after equilibration strips ten pixels wide. While some systems have a slew rate fast enough to track this correctly, others blur it to an average shade of gray, and do not resolve the lines, or give horizontal or vertical streaking. While many of these results are significant from an engineering standpoint alone, there are clinical implications and some anatomy or pathology may not be visualized if an image capture system is used improperly.

Abundance of green tree frogs and insects in artificial canopy gaps in a bottomland hardwood forest

Treesearch

Scott Horn; James L. Hanula; Michael D. Ulyshen; John C. Kilgo

2005-01-01

We found more green tree frogs (Hyla cinera) in canopy gaps than in closed canopy forest. Of the 331 gree ntree frogs observed, 88% were in canopy gaps. Likewise, higher numbers and biomasses of insects were captured in the open gap habitat. Flies were the most commonly collected insect group accounting for 54% of the total capture. These data...

Analysis of MCNP simulated gamma spectra of CdTe detectors for boron neutron capture therapy.

PubMed

Winkler, Alexander; Koivunoro, Hanna; Savolainen, Sauli

2017-06-01

The next step in the boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is the real time imaging of the boron concentration in healthy and tumor tissue. Monte Carlo simulations are employed to predict the detector response required to realize single-photon emission computed tomography in BNCT, but have failed to correctly resemble measured data for cadmium telluride detectors. In this study we have tested the gamma production cross-section data tables of commonly used libraries in the Monte Carlo code MCNP in comparison to measurements. The cross section data table TENDL-2008-ACE is reproducing measured data best, whilst the commonly used ENDL92 and other studied libraries do not include correct tables for the gamma production from the cadmium neutron capture reaction that is occurring inside the detector. Furthermore, we have discussed the size of the annihilation peaks of spectra obtained by cadmium telluride and germanium detectors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of enhanced kinect sensor based motion capturing for gait assessment

PubMed Central

Müller, Björn; Ilg, Winfried; Giese, Martin A.

2017-01-01

Optical motion capturing systems are expensive and require substantial dedicated space to be set up. On the other hand, they provide unsurpassed accuracy and reliability. In many situations however flexibility is required and the motion capturing system can only temporarily be placed. The Microsoft Kinect v2 sensor is comparatively cheap and with respect to gait analysis promising results have been published. We here present a motion capturing system that is easy to set up, flexible with respect to the sensor locations and delivers high accuracy in gait parameters comparable to a gold standard motion capturing system (VICON). Further, we demonstrate that sensor setups which track the person only from one-side are less accurate and should be replaced by two-sided setups. With respect to commonly analyzed gait parameters, especially step width, our system shows higher agreement with the VICON system than previous reports. PMID:28410413

Overwinter survival of neotropical migratory birds in early successional and mature tropical forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conway, C.J.; Powell, G.V.N.; Nichols, J.D.

1995-01-01

Many Neotropical migratory species inhabit both mature and early successional forest on their wintering grounds, yet comparisons of survival rates between habitats are lacking. Consequently, the factors affecting habitat suitability for Neotropical migrants and the potential effects of tropical deforestation on migrants are not well understood. We estimated over-winter survival and capture probabilities of Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus), Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina), and Kentucky Warbler (Oporomis formosus) inhabiting two common tropical habitat types, mature and early-successional forest. Our results suggest that large differences (for example, ratio of survival rates (gamma) < 0.85) in overwinter survival between these habitats do not exist for any of these species. Age ratios did not differ between habitats, but males were more common in forest habitats and females more common in successional habitats for Hooded Warblers and Kentucky Warblers. Future research on overwinter survival should address the need for age- and sex-specific survival estimates before we can draw strong conclusions regarding winter habitat suitability. Our estimates of over-winter survival extrapolated to annual survival rates that were generally lower than previous estimates of annual survival of migratory birds. Capture probability differed between habitats for Kentucky Warblers, but our results provide strong evidence against large differences in capture probability between habitats for Wood Thrush, Hooded Warblers, and Ovenbirds. We found no temporal or among site differences in survival or capture probability for any of the four species. Additional research is needed to examine the effects of winter habitat use on survival during migration and between-winter survival.

Spatio-temporal distributions of piscivorous birds in a subarctic sound during the nonbreeding season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stocking, Jessica; Bishop, Mary Anne; Arab, Ali

2018-01-01

Understanding bird distributions outside of the breeding season may help to identify important criteria for winter refuge. We surveyed marine birds in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA over nine winters from 2007 to 2016. Our objectives were twofold: to examine the seasonal patterns of piscivorous species overwintering in Prince William Sound, and to explore the relationships between spatial covariates and bird distributions, accounting for inherent spatial structure. We used hurdle models to examine nine species groups of piscivorous seabirds: loons, grebes, cormorants, mergansers, large gulls, small gulls, kittiwakes, Brachyramphus murrelets, and murres. Seven groups showed pronounced seasonal patterns. The models with the most support identified water depth and distance to shore as key environmental covariates, while habitat type, wave exposure, sea surface temperature and seafloor slope had less support. Environmental associations are consistent with the available knowledge of forage fish distribution during this time, but studies that address habitat associations of prey fish in winter could strengthen our understanding of processes in Prince William Sound.

MAC/FAC: A Model of Similarity-Based Retrieval. Technical Report #59.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forbus, Kenneth D.; And Others

A model of similarity-based retrieval is presented that attempts to capture these seemingly contradictory psychological phenomena: (1) structural commonalities are weighed more heavily than surface commonalities in soundness or similarity judgments (when both members are present); (2) superficial similarity is more important in retrieval from…

What's Next in Complex Networks? Capturing the Concept of Attacking Play in Invasive Team Sports.

PubMed

Ramos, João; Lopes, Rui J; Araújo, Duarte

2018-01-01

The evolution of performance analysis within sports sciences is tied to technology development and practitioner demands. However, how individual and collective patterns self-organize and interact in invasive team sports remains elusive. Social network analysis has been recently proposed to resolve some aspects of this problem, and has proven successful in capturing collective features resulting from the interactions between team members as well as a powerful communication tool. Despite these advances, some fundamental team sports concepts such as an attacking play have not been properly captured by the more common applications of social network analysis to team sports performance. In this article, we propose a novel approach to team sports performance centered on sport concepts, namely that of an attacking play. Network theory and tools including temporal and bipartite or multilayered networks were used to capture this concept. We put forward eight questions directly related to team performance to discuss how common pitfalls in the use of network tools for capturing sports concepts can be avoided. Some answers are advanced in an attempt to be more precise in the description of team dynamics and to uncover other metrics directly applied to sport concepts, such as the structure and dynamics of attacking plays. Finally, we propose that, at this stage of knowledge, it may be advantageous to build up from fundamental sport concepts toward complex network theory and tools, and not the other way around.

Age structure changes and extraordinary lifespan in wild medfly populations.

PubMed

Carey, James R; Papadopoulos, Nikos T; Müller, Hans-Georg; Katsoyannos, Byron I; Kouloussis, Nikos A; Wang, Jane-Ling; Wachter, Kenneth; Yu, Wei; Liedo, Pablo

2008-06-01

The main purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that major changes in age structure occur in wild populations of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) and that a substantial fraction of individuals survive to middle age and beyond (> 3-4 weeks). We thus brought reference life tables and deconvolution models to bear on medfly mortality data gathered from a 3-year study of field-captured individuals that were monitored in the laboratory. The average time-to-death of captured females differed between sampling dates by 23.9, 22.7, and 37.0 days in the 2003, 2004, and 2005 field seasons, respectively. These shifts in average times-to-death provided evidence of changes in population age structure. Estimates indicated that middle-aged medflies (> 30 days) were common in the population. A surprise in the study was the extraordinary longevity observed in field-captured medflies. For example, 19 captured females but no reference females survived in the laboratory for 140 days or more, and 6 captured but no reference males survived in the laboratory for 170 days or more. This paper advances the study of aging in the wild by introducing a new method for estimating age structure in insect populations, demonstrating that major changes in age structure occur in field populations of insects, showing that middle-aged individuals are common in the wild, and revealing the extraordinary lifespans of wild-caught individuals due to their early life experience in the field.

Foraging Behavior, Home Range, Movements and Activity Patterns of Epicrates inornatus (Boidae) at Mata de Plátano Reserve in Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Treesearch

Alberto R. Puente-Rolón; Fernando J. Bird-Picó

2004-01-01

Observations of foraging behavior of the Puerto Rican boa (Epicrates inornatus) were performed at a cave entrance beginning one hour before sunset until one hour after sunrise. Boas captured bats from 1745 h to 0600 h, but most captures were between 1900 and 2400 h. The most common preyed bats were Erophylla sezekorni,

On-Chip AC self-test controller

DOEpatents

Flanagan, John D [Rhinebeck, NY; Herring, Jay R [Poughkeepsie, NY; Lo, Tin-Chee [Fishkill, NY

2009-09-29

A system for performing AC self-test on an integrated circuit that includes a system clock for normal operation is provided. The system includes the system clock, self-test circuitry, a first and second test register to capture and launch test data in response to a sequence of data pulses, and a logic circuit to be tested. The self-test circuitry includes an AC self-test controller and a clock splitter. The clock splitter generates the sequence of data pulses including a long data capture pulse followed by an at speed data launch pulse and an at speed data capture pulse followed by a long data launch pulse. The at speed data launch pulse and the at speed data capture pulse are generated for a common cycle of the system clock.

Tandem mass spectrometry measurement of the collision products of carbamate anions derived from CO2 capture sorbents: paving the way for accurate quantitation.

PubMed

Jackson, Phil; Fisher, Keith J; Attalla, Moetaz Ibrahim

2011-08-01

The reaction between CO(2) and aqueous amines to produce a charged carbamate product plays a crucial role in post-combustion capture chemistry when primary and secondary amines are used. In this paper, we report the low energy negative-ion CID results for several anionic carbamates derived from primary and secondary amines commonly used as post-combustion capture solvents. The study was performed using the modern equivalent of a triple quadrupole instrument equipped with a T-wave collision cell. Deuterium labeling of 2-aminoethanol (1,1,2,2,-d(4)-2-aminoethanol) and computations at the M06-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level were used to confirm the identity of the fragmentation products for 2-hydroxyethylcarbamate (derived from 2-aminoethanol), in particular the ions CN(-), NCO(-) and facile neutral losses of CO(2) and water; there is precedent for the latter in condensed phase isocyanate chemistry. The fragmentations of 2-hydroxyethylcarbamate were generalized for carbamate anions derived from other capture amines, including ethylenediamine, diethanolamine, and piperazine. We also report unequivocal evidence for the existence of carbamate anions derived from sterically hindered amines (Tris(2-hydroxymethyl)aminomethane and 2-methyl-2-aminopropanol). For the suite of carbamates investigated, diagnostic losses include the decarboxylation product (-CO(2), 44 mass units), loss of 46 mass units and the fragments NCO(-) (m/z 42) and CN(-) (m/z 26). We also report low energy CID results for the dicarbamate dianion ((-)O(2)CNHC(2)H(4)NHCO(2)(-)) commonly encountered in CO(2) capture solution utilizing ethylenediamine. Finally, we demonstrate a promising ion chromatography-MS based procedure for the separation and quantitation of aqueous anionic carbamates, which is based on the reported CID findings. The availability of accurate quantitation methods for ionic CO(2) capture products could lead to dynamic operational tuning of CO(2) capture-plants and, thus, cost-savings via real-time manipulation of solvent regeneration energies.

Effects of capture by trammel net on Colorado River native fishes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hunt, Teresa A.; Ward, David L.; Propper, Catherine R.; Gibb, Alice C.

2012-01-01

Trammel nets are commonly used to sample rare fishes; however, little research has assessed delayed mortality associated with this capture technique. We conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate the effects of capture by trammel net on bonytail Gila elegans, razorback sucker Xyrauchen texanus, and roundtail chub Gila robusta, at 15, 20, and 25uC. Fish (139–288 mm total length) were entangled in a trammel net for 2 h or captured by seine net and then monitored for mortality for at least 14 d. Blood samples were collected immediately after capture, and plasma cortisol levels were quantified as an index of capture-related stress. The cortisol response varied by species, but mean cortisol levels were higher for fish captured by trammel netting (295.9 ng/mL) relative to fish captured by seine netting (215.8 ng/mL). Only one fish (of 550) died during capture and handling, but 42% of the trammel-netted fish and 11% of the seine-netted fish died within 14 d after capture. In general, mortality after capture by trammel net increased with increased water temperature and at 25uC was 88% for bonytail, 94% for razorback sucker, and 25% for roundtail chub. Delayed mortality of wild-caught fish captured by trammel net has the potential to be high, at least under some circumstances. We suggest that sampling frequency, timing of sampling (relative to reproductive cycles), and water temperature all be considered carefully when using trammel nets to sample diminished populations of imperiled native fishes.

Loss of local capture of the pulmonary vein myocardium after antral isolation: prevalence and clinical significance.

PubMed

Squara, Fabien; Liuba, Ioan; Chik, William; Santangeli, Pasquale; Zado, Erica S; Callans, David J; Marchlinski, Francis E

2015-03-01

Capture of the myocardial sleeves of the pulmonary veins (PV) during PV pacing is mandatory for assessing exit block after PV isolation (PVI). However, previous studies reported that a significant proportion of PVs failed to demonstrate local capture after PVI. We designed this study to evaluate the prevalence and the clinical significance of loss of PV capture after PVI. Thirty patients (14 redo) undergoing antral PVI were included. Before and after PVI, local PV capture was assessed during circumferential pacing (10 mA/2 milliseconds) with a circular multipolar catheter (CMC), using EGM analysis from each dipole of the CMC and from the ablation catheter placed in ipsilateral PV. Pacing output was varied to optimize identification of sleeve capture. All PVs demonstrated sleeve capture before PVI, but only 81% and 40% after first time and redo PVI, respectively (P < 0.001 vs. before PVI). In multivariate analysis, absence of spontaneous PV depolarizations after PVI and previous PVI procedures were associated with less PV sleeve capture after PVI (40% sleeve capture, P < 0.001 for both). Loss of PV local capture by design was coincident with the development of PV entrance block and importantly predicted absence of acute reconnection during adenosine challenge with 96% positive predictive value (23% negative predictive value). Loss of PV local capture is common after antral PVI resulting in entrance block, and may be used as a specific alternate endpoint for PV electrical isolation. Additionally, loss of PV local capture may identify PVs at very low risk of acute reconnection during adenosine challenge. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Do executive functions explain the covariance between internalizing and externalizing behaviors?

PubMed

Hatoum, Alexander S; Rhee, Soo Hyun; Corley, Robin P; Hewitt, John K; Friedman, Naomi P

2017-11-16

This study examined whether executive functions (EFs) might be common features of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems across development. We examined relations between three EF latent variables (a common EF factor and factors specific to updating working memory and shifting sets), constructed from nine laboratory tasks administered at age 17, to latent growth intercept (capturing stability) and slope (capturing change) factors of teacher- and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing behaviors in 885 individual twins aged 7 to 16 years. We then estimated the proportion of intercept-intercept and slope-slope correlations predicted by EF as well as the association between EFs and a common psychopathology factor (P factor) estimated from all 9 years of internalizing and externalizing measures. Common EF was negatively associated with the intercepts of teacher-rated internalizing and externalizing behavior in males, and explained 32% of their covariance; in the P factor model, common EF was associated with the P factor in males. Shifting-specific was positively associated with the externalizing slope across sex. EFs did not explain covariation between parent-rated behaviors. These results suggest that EFs are associated with stable problem behavior variation, explain small proportions of covariance, and are a risk factor that that may depend on gender.

Common Badging and Access Control System (CBACS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldridge, Tim

2005-01-01

The goals of the project are: Achieve high business value through a common badging and access control system that integrates with smart cards. Provide physical (versus logical) deployment of smart cards initially. Provides a common consistent and reliable environment into which to release the smart card. Gives opportunity to develop agency-wide consistent processes, practices and policies. Enables enterprise data capture and management. Promotes data validation prior to SC issuance.

The relative influence of climate and catchment properties on hydrological drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Loon, Anne; Laaha, Gregor; Koffler, Daniel

2014-05-01

Studying hydrological drought (a below-normal water availability in groundwater, lakes and streams) is important to society and the ecosystem, but can also reveal interesting information about catchment functioning. This information can later be used for predicting drought in ungauged basins and to inform water management decisions. In this study, we used an extensive Austrian dataset of discharge measurements in clusters of catchments and combine this dataset with thematic information on climate and catchment properties. Our aim was to study the relative effects of climate and catchment characteristics on drought duration and deficit and on hydrological drought typology. Because the climate of the region is roughly uniform, our hypothesis was that the effect of differences of catchment properties would stand out. From time series of precipitation and discharge we identified droughts with the widely-used threshold level approach, defining a drought when a variable falls below a pre-defined threshold representing the regime. Drought characteristics that were analysed are drought duration and deficit. We also applied the typology of Van Loon & Van Lanen (2012). To explain differences in drought characteristics between catchments we did a correlation analysis with climate and catchment characteristics, based on Pearson correlation. We found very interesting patterns in the correlations of drought characteristics with climate and catchment properties: 1) Droughts with long duration (mean and maximum) and composite droughts are related to catchments with a high BFI (high baseflow) and a high percentage of shallow groundwater tables. 2) The deficit (mean and maximum) of both meteorological droughts and hydrological droughts is strongly related to catchment humidity, in this case quantified by average annual precipitation. 3) The hydrological drought types that are related to snow, i.e. cold snow season drought and snow melt drought, occur in catchments that are have a high elevation, steep slopes, a high percentage of crystalline rock, bare rock and glacier. The conclusion of our research is that it is not straightforward to separate the effects of climate and catchment properties on drought, since they are interrelated. This is especially true for mountainous regions where temperature and precipitation are strongly dependent on altitude. We did however see that the duration of drought is more related to catchment storage (catchment properties) and the severity of drought (represented by the drought deficit) is more related to catchment wetness (climate). Van Loon, A.F., and Van Lanen, H.A.J.: A process-based typology of hydrological drought, Hydrology and Earth System Science, 16, p. 1915-1946, doi: 10.5194/hess-16-1915-2012, 2012

Capture of farmed Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus): comparison of physiological parameters after manual capture and after capture with electrical stunning.

PubMed

Pfitzer, S; Ganswindt, A; Fosgate, G T; Botha, P J; Myburgh, J G

2014-09-27

The electric stunner (e-stunner) is commonly used to handle Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) on commercial farms in South Africa, but while it seems to improve handling and safety for the keepers, no information regarding physiological reactions to e-stunning is currently available. The aim of this study was therefore to compare various physiological parameters in farmed C niloticus captured either manually (noosing) or by using an e-stunner. A total of 45 crocodiles were captured at a South African farm by either e-stunning or noosing, and blood samples were taken immediately as well as four hours after capture. Parameters monitored were serum corticosterone, lactate, glucose, as well as alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase. Lactate concentrations were significantly higher in noosed compared with e-stunned animals (P<0.001). No other blood parameter differed significantly between the two methods of capture. In addition, recorded capture time confirmed that noosing takes significantly longer time compared with e-stunning (P<0.001), overall indicating that e-stunning seems to be the better option for restraint of especially large numbers of crocodiles in a commercial setup because it is quicker, safer and did not cause a significant increase in any of the parameters measured. British Veterinary Association.

Modeling and Analysis of Mixed Synchronous/Asynchronous Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Driscoll, Kevin R.; Madl. Gabor; Hall, Brendan

2012-01-01

Practical safety-critical distributed systems must integrate safety critical and non-critical data in a common platform. Safety critical systems almost always consist of isochronous components that have synchronous or asynchronous interface with other components. Many of these systems also support a mix of synchronous and asynchronous interfaces. This report presents a study on the modeling and analysis of asynchronous, synchronous, and mixed synchronous/asynchronous systems. We build on the SAE Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) to capture architectures for analysis. We present preliminary work targeted to capture mixed low- and high-criticality data, as well as real-time properties in a common Model of Computation (MoC). An abstract, but representative, test specimen system was created as the system to be modeled.

Seroprevalence Survey for Microsporidia in Common Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus): Example of A Quantitative Approach Based on Immunoblotting.

PubMed

Desoubeaux, Guillaume; Peschke, Roman; Le-Bert, Carolina; Fravel, Vanessa; Soto, Jeny; Jensen, Eric D; Flower, Jennifer E; Wells, Randall; Joachim, Anja; Cray, Carolyn

2018-05-09

Little is known about microsporidiosis pathogenicity in cetaceans. Here we report seroprevalence of 76% for microsporidia in blood samples from common bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus), from animals managed under human care ( n=108) or captured for health assessments ( n=13) and released.

Identifying Threshold Concepts in the Careers of Educational Developers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Timmermans, Julie A.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this multiple case study was to identify threshold concepts in the careers of educational developers. Twenty-one common threshold concepts emerged, with one threshold concept common among all participants: Facilitating a change process. The remaining 20 threshold concepts were captured in the following three categories: (1) Ways of…

Cameras and settings for optimal image capture from UAVs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Mike; O'Connor, James; James, Mike R.

2017-04-01

Aerial image capture has become very common within the geosciences due to the increasing affordability of low payload (<20 kg) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for consumer markets. Their application to surveying has led to many studies being undertaken using UAV imagery captured from consumer grade cameras as primary data sources. However, image quality and the principles of image capture are seldom given rigorous discussion which can lead to experiments being difficult to accurately reproduce. In this contribution we revisit the underpinning concepts behind image capture, from which the requirements for acquiring sharp, well exposed and suitable imagery are derived. This then leads to discussion of how to optimise the platform, camera, lens and imaging settings relevant to image quality planning, presenting some worked examples as a guide. Finally, we challenge the community to make their image data open for review in order to ensure confidence in the outputs/error estimates, allow reproducibility of the results and have these comparable with future studies. We recommend providing open access imagery where possible, a range of example images, and detailed metadata to rigorously describe the image capture process.

Computational materials chemistry for carbon capture using porous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Abhishek; Huang, Runhong; Malani, Ateeque; Babarao, Ravichandar

2017-11-01

Control over carbon dioxide (CO2) release is extremely important to decrease its hazardous effects on the environment such as global warming, ocean acidification, etc. For CO2 capture and storage at industrial point sources, nanoporous materials offer an energetically viable and economically feasible approach compared to chemisorption in amines. There is a growing need to design and synthesize new nanoporous materials with enhanced capability for carbon capture. Computational materials chemistry offers tools to screen and design cost-effective materials for CO2 separation and storage, and it is less time consuming compared to trial and error experimental synthesis. It also provides a guide to synthesize new materials with better properties for real world applications. In this review, we briefly highlight the various carbon capture technologies and the need of computational materials design for carbon capture. This review discusses the commonly used computational chemistry-based simulation methods for structural characterization and prediction of thermodynamic properties of adsorbed gases in porous materials. Finally, simulation studies reported on various potential porous materials, such as zeolites, porous carbon, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), for CO2 capture are discussed.

A new capture fraction method to map how pumpage affects surface water flow.

PubMed

Leake, Stanley A; Reeves, Howard W; Dickinson, Jesse E

2010-01-01

All groundwater pumped is balanced by removal of water somewhere, initially from storage in the aquifer and later from capture in the form of increase in recharge and decrease in discharge. Capture that results in a loss of water in streams, rivers, and wetlands now is a concern in many parts of the United States. Hydrologists commonly use analytical and numerical approaches to study temporal variations in sources of water to wells for select points of interest. Much can be learned about coupled surface/groundwater systems, however, by looking at the spatial distribution of theoretical capture for select times of interest. Development of maps of capture requires (1) a reasonably well-constructed transient or steady state model of an aquifer with head-dependent flow boundaries representing surface water features or evapotranspiration and (2) an automated procedure to run the model repeatedly and extract results, each time with a well in a different location. This paper presents new methods for simulating and mapping capture using three-dimensional groundwater flow models and presents examples from Arizona, Oregon, and Michigan.

Electron capture decay in Jovian planets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zito, R.R.; Schiferl, D.

1987-12-01

Following the commonly acknowledged fact that the decay of K-40 substantially contributes to the heating of planetary interiors, an examination is made of the possibility that interior heat in the Jovian planets and stars, where interior pressures may exceed 45 Mbar, may be generated by the pressure-accelerated electron capture decay of a variety of isotopes. The isotopes considered encompass K-40, V-50, Te-123, La-138, Al-26, and Cl-36. 19 references.

Color Survey of the Irregular Planetary Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graykowski, Ariel; Jewitt, David

2017-10-01

Irregular planetary satellites are characterized by their large orbital distance from their planet, their high eccentricity and their high inclination, all indicating that they were captured. However, the mechanism of capture and the source region of the satellites remain subjects of conjecture. This work presents the optical magnitudes and colors from a photometric survey of 42 irregular satellites with data obtained from the LRIS instrument on the 10-meter telescope at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Color is used as a proxy for composition. We compare the satellite populations of different planets and compare the satellites as a whole with other solar system small-body populations. For instance, if irregular satellites were captured from the Kuiper Belt, as is commonly proposed, then some might contain the ultrared material that is common in the trans-Neptunian and Centaur populations. Overall our data show that the irregular satellites lack ultrared matter. They are color-wise more similar to the comets, giant planet Trojans and other bodies of the middle solar system. Implications of our observations, and comparisons with previous color work, will be discussed.

The Effect of Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy on Fear-Related Capture of Attention in Parkinson's Disease and Essential Tremor: A Comparison to Healthy Individuals.

PubMed

Camalier, Corrie R; McHugo, Maureen; Zald, David H; Neimat, Joseph S

2018-01-01

In addition to motor symptoms, Parkinson's disease (PD) involves significant non-motor sequelae, including disruptions in cognitive and emotional processing. Fear recognition appears to be affected both by the course of the disease and by a common interventional therapy, deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS). Here, we examined if these effects extend to other aspects of emotional processing, such as attentional capture by negative emotional stimuli. Performance on an emotional attentional blink (EAB) paradigm, a common paradigm used to study emotional capture of attention, was examined in a cohort of individuals with PD, both on and off STN-DBS therapy (n=20). To contrast effects of healthy aging and other movement disorder and DBS targets, we also examined performance in a healthy elderly (n=20) and young (n=18) sample on the same task, and a sample diagnosed with Essential Tremor (ET) undergoing therapeutic deep brain stimulation of the ventral-intermediate nucleus (VIM-DBS, n=18). All four groups showed a robust attentional capture of emotional stimuli, irrespective of aging processes, movement disorder diagnosis, or stimulation. PD patients on average had overall worse performance, but this decrement in performance was not related to the emotional capture of attention. PD patients exhibited a robust EAB, indicating that the ability of emotion to direct attention remains intact in PD. Congruent with other recent data, these findings suggest that fear recognition deficits in PD may instead reflect a highly specific problem in recognition, rather than a general deficit in emotional processing of fearful stimuli.

A surface-associated activity trap for capturing water surface and aquatic invertebrates in wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanson, Mark A.; Roy, Christiane C.; Euliss, Ned H.; Zimmer, Kyle D.; Riggs, Michael R.; Butler, Malcolm G.

2000-01-01

We developed a surface-associated activity trap (SAT) for sampling aquatic invertebrates in wetlands. We compared performance of this trap with that of a conventional activity trap (AT) based on non-detection rates and relative abundance estimates for 13 taxa of common wetland invertebrates and for taxon richness using data from experiments in constructed wetlands. Taxon-specific non-detection rates for ATs generally exceeded those of SATs, and largest improvements using SATs were for Chironomidae and Gastropoda. SATs were efficient at capturing cladocera, Chironomidae, Gastropoda, total Crustacea, and multiple taxa (taxon richness) but were only slightly better than ATs at capturing Dytiscidae. Temporal differences in capture rates were observed only for cladocera, Chironomidae, Dytiscidae, and total Crustacea, with capture efficiencies of SATs usually decreasing from mid-June through mid-July for these taxa. We believe that SATs may be useful for characterizing wetland invertebrate communities and for developing improved measures of prey available to foraging waterfowl and other aquatic birds.

A surface-associated activity trap for capturing water-surface and aquatic invertebrates in wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanson, M.A.; Roy, C.C.; Euliss, N.H.; Zimmer, K.D.; Riggs, M.R.; Butler, Malcolm G.

2000-01-01

We developed a surface-associated activity trap (SAT) for sampling aquatic invertebrates in wetlands. We compared performance of this trap with that of a conventional activity trap (AT) based on non-detection rates and relative abundance estimates for 13 taxa of common wetland invertebrates and for taxon richness using data from experiments in constructed wetlands. Taxon-specific non-detection rates for ATs generally exceeded those of SATs, and largest improvements using SATs were for Chironomidae and Gastropoda. SATs were efficient at capturing cladocera, Chironomidae, Gastropoda, total Crustacea, and multiple taxa (taxon richness) but were only slightly better than ATs at capturing Dytiscidae. Temporal differences in capture rates were observed only for cladocera, Chironomidae, Dytiscidae, and total Crustacea, with capture efficiencies of SATs usually decreasing from mid-June through mid-July for these taxa. We believe that SATs may be useful for characterizing wetland invertebrate communities and for developing improved measures of prey available to foraging waterfowl and other aquatic birds.

Influence of trap modifications and environmental predictors on capture success of southern flying squirrels

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jacques, Christopher N.; Zweep, James S.; Scheihing, Mary E.; Rechkemmer, Will T.; Jenkins, Sean E.; Klaver, Robert W.; Dubay, Shelli A.

2017-01-01

Sherman traps are the most commonly used live traps in studies of small mammals and have been successfully used in the capture of arboreal species such as the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans). However, southern flying squirrels spend proportionately less time foraging on the ground, which necessitates above-ground trapping methods and modifications of capture protocols. Further, quantitative estimates of the factors affecting capture success of flying squirrel populations have focused solely on effects of trapping methodologies. We developed and evaluated the efficacy of a portable Sherman trap design for capturing southern flying squirrels during 2015–2016 at the Alice L. Kibbe Field Station, Illinois, USA. Additionally, we used logistic regression to quantify potential effects of time-dependent (e.g., weather) and time-independent (e.g., habitat, extrinsic) factors on capture success of southern flying squirrels. We recorded 165 capture events (119 F, 44 M, 2 unknown) using our modified Sherman trap design. Probability of capture success decreased 0.10/1° C increase in daily maximum temperature and by 0.09/unit increase (km/hr) in wind speed. Conversely, probability of capture success increased by 1.2/1° C increase in daily minimum temperature. The probability of capturing flying squirrels was negatively associated with trap orientation. When tree-mounted traps are required, our modified trap design is a safe, efficient, and cost-effective method of capturing animals when moderate weather (temp and wind speed) conditions prevail. Further, we believe that strategic placement of traps (e.g., northeast side of tree) and quantitative information on site-specific (e.g., trap location) characteristics (e.g., topographical features, slope, aspect, climatologic factors) could increase southern flying squirrel capture success. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

Applying Common Latino Magazine Cover Line Themes to Health Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Colleen L.; Barrios, Pamela; Lozada, Carolina; Soto-Balbuena, Kenlly; Martin-Biggers, Jennifer; Byrd-Bredbenner, Carol

2016-01-01

This study aimed to describe strategies used in magazine cover lines to capture the attention of Latino consumers. A content analysis of cover lines (n = 581) from six top-selling Latino women's and parenting magazines (n = 217 issues) sold in the United States identified 12 common themes: great/inspiring, beauty/health, bad/negative,…

Winter distribution and oiling of common terns in Trinidad: A further look

USGS Publications Warehouse

Erwin, R.M.; Smith, G.J.; Clapp, R.B.

1986-01-01

Common Terns were studied during January and March 1985 in Trinidad as part of wintering terns in Latin America. Eighty-nine birds were captured, 33 in January, 56 in March. Terns averaged 102 .+-. 0.9 g, with March birds weighing more than those caught in January. This weight is similar to that reported earlier by Blokpoel et al. (1982, 1984) and is considerably less than weights of either premigratory immature or adult Common Terns. Terns in Trinidad appear to be opportunistic, using human fishing for their food source and roosting on boats, oil platforms and other man-made structures. One-half of the captured sample of birds had at least detectable amounts of oil on the plumage. This represents the highest frequency of oiling reported yet for any seabird living under 'baseline' (non-spill) conditions in North or Central America. Oiling had no apparent major effect on the condition of birds since oiled birds had similar weights and blood parameters when compared to unoiled birds.

Tests for senescent decline in annual survival probabilities of common pochards, Aythya ferina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, J.D.; Hines, J.E.; Blums, P.

1997-01-01

Senescent decline in survival probabilities of animals is a topic about which much has been written but little is known. Here, we present formal tests of senescence hypotheses, using 1373 recaptures from 8877 duckling (age 0) and 504 yearling Common Pochards (Aythya ferina) banded at a Latvian study site, 1975-1992. The tests are based on capture-recapture models that explicitly incorporate sampling probabilities that, themselves, may exhibit timeand age-specific variation. The tests provided no evidence of senescent decline in survival probabilities for this species. Power of the most useful test was low for gradual declines in annual survival probability with age, but good for steeper declines. We recommend use of this type of capture-recapture modeling and analysis for other investigations of senescence in animal survival rates.

Spatial patterns of bee captures in North American bowl trapping surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Droege, Sam; Tepedino, Vincent J.; Lebuhn, Gretchen; Link, William; Minckley, Robert L.; Chen, Qian; Conrad, Casey

2010-01-01

1. Bowl and pan traps are now commonly used to capture bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes) for research and surveys. 2. Studies of how arrangement and spacing of bowl traps affect captures of bees are needed to increase the efficiency of this capture technique. 3. We present results from seven studies of bowl traps placed in trapping webs, grids, and transects in four North American ecoregions (Mid-Atlantic, Coastal California, Chihuahuan Desert, and Columbia Plateau). 4. Over 6000 specimens from 31 bee genera were captured and analysed across the studies. 5. Based on the results from trapping webs and distance tests, the per bowl capture rate of bees does not plateau until bowls are spaced 3–5 m apart. 6. Minor clumping of bee captures within transects was detected, with 26 of 56 transects having index of dispersion values that conform to a clumped distribution and 39 transects having positive Green's index values, 13 with zero, and only four negative. However, degree of clumping was slight with an average value of only 0.06 (the index ranges from -1 to 1) with only five values >0.15. Similarly, runs tests were significant for only 5.9% of the transects. 7. Results indicate that (i) capture rates are unaffected by short distances between bowls within transects and (ii) that bowls and transects should be dispersed throughout a study site.

A photoelectrochemical platform for the capture and release of rare single cells.

PubMed

Parker, Stephen G; Yang, Ying; Ciampi, Simone; Gupta, Bakul; Kimpton, Kathleen; Mansfeld, Friederike M; Kavallaris, Maria; Gaus, Katharina; Gooding, J Justin

2018-06-12

For many normal and aberrant cell behaviours, it is important to understand the origin of cellular heterogeneity. Although powerful methods for studying cell heterogeneity have emerged, they are more suitable for common rather than rare cells. Exploring the heterogeneity of rare single cells is challenging because these rare cells must be first pre-concentrated and undergo analysis prior to classification and expansion. Here, a versatile capture & release platform consisting of an antibody-modified and electrochemically cleavable semiconducting silicon surface for release of individual cells of interest is presented. The captured cells can be interrogated microscopically and tested for drug responsiveness prior to release and recovery. The capture & release strategy was applied to identify rare tumour cells from whole blood, monitor the uptake of, and response to, doxorubicin and subsequently select cells for single-cell gene expression based on their response to the doxorubicin.

When Does Feature Search Fail to Protect Against Attentional Capture?

PubMed Central

Graves, Tashina; Egeth, Howard E.

2016-01-01

When participants search for a shape (e.g., a circle) among a set of homogenous shapes (e.g., triangles) they are subject to distraction by color singletons that are more salient than the target. However, when participants search for a shape among heterogeneous shapes, the presence of a non-target color singleton does not slow responses to the target. Attempts have been made to explain these results from both bottom-up and top-down perspectives. What both accounts have in common is that they do not predict the occurrence of attentional capture on typical feature search displays. Here, we present a case where manipulating selection history, rather than the displays themselves, leads to attentional capture on feature search trials. The ability to map specific colors to the target and distractor appears to be what enables resistance to capture during feature search. PMID:27504073

Terrain detection and classification using single polarization SAR

DOEpatents

Chow, James G.; Koch, Mark W.

2016-01-19

The various technologies presented herein relate to identifying manmade and/or natural features in a radar image. Two radar images (e.g., single polarization SAR images) can be captured for a common scene. The first image is captured at a first instance and the second image is captured at a second instance, whereby the duration between the captures are of sufficient time such that temporal decorrelation occurs for natural surfaces in the scene, and only manmade surfaces, e.g., a road, produce correlated pixels. A LCCD image comprising the correlated and decorrelated pixels can be generated from the two radar images. A median image can be generated from a plurality of radar images, whereby any features in the median image can be identified. A superpixel operation can be performed on the LCCD image and the median image, thereby enabling a feature(s) in the LCCD image to be classified.

A new capture fraction method to map how pumpage affects surface water flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leake, S.A.; Reeves, H.W.; Dickinson, J.E.

2010-01-01

All groundwater pumped is balanced by removal of water somewhere, initially from storage in the aquifer and later from capture in the form of increase in recharge and decrease in discharge. Capture that results in a loss of water in streams, rivers, and wetlands now is a concern in many parts of the United States. Hydrologists commonly use analytical and numerical approaches to study temporal variations in sources of water to wells for select points of interest. Much can be learned about coupled surface/groundwater systems, however, by looking at the spatial distribution of theoretical capture for select times of interest. Development of maps of capture requires (1) a reasonably well-constructed transient or steady state model of an aquifer with head-dependent flow boundaries representing surface water features or evapotranspiration and (2) an automated procedure to run the model repeatedly and extract results, each time with a well in a different location. This paper presents new methods for simulating and mapping capture using three-dimensional groundwater flow models and presents examples from Arizona, Oregon, and Michigan. Journal compilation ?? 2010 National Ground Water Association. No claim to original US government works.

Comparative evaluation of the efficiency of the BG-Sentinel trap, CDC light trap and Mosquito-oviposition trap for the surveillance of vector mosquitoes.

PubMed

Li, Yiji; Su, Xinghua; Zhou, Guofa; Zhang, Hong; Puthiyakunnon, Santhosh; Shuai, Shufen; Cai, Songwu; Gu, Jinbao; Zhou, Xiaohong; Yan, Guiyun; Chen, Xiao-Guang

2016-08-12

The surveillance of vector mosquitoes is important for the control of mosquito-borne diseases. To identify a suitable surveillance tool for the adult dengue vector Aedes albopictus, the efficacy of the BG-Sentinel trap, CDC light trap and Mosquito-oviposition trap (MOT) on the capture of vector mosquitoes were comparatively evaluated in this study. The capture efficiencies of the BG-Sentinel trap, CDC light trap and Mosquito-oviposition trap for common vector mosquitoes were tested in a laboratory setting, through the release-recapture method, and at two field sites of Guangzhou, China from June 2013 to May 2014. The captured mosquitoes were counted, species identified and compared among the three traps on the basis of species. In the release-recapture experiments in a laboratory setting, the BG-Sentinel trap caught significantly more Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus than the CDC light trap and Mosquito-ovitrap, except for Anopheles sinensis. The BG-Sentinel trap had a higher efficacy in capturing female rather than male Ae. albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus, but the capture in CDC light traps displayed no significant differences. In the field trial, BG-Sentinel traps collected more Aedes albopictus than CDC light traps and MOTs collected in both urban and suburban areas. The BG-Sentinel trap was more sensitive for monitoring the population density of Aedes albopictus than the CDC light trap and MOT during the peak months of the year 2013. However, on an average, CDC light traps captured significantly more Cx. quinquefasciatus than BG-Sentinel traps. The population dynamics of Cx. quinquefasciatus displayed a significant seasonal variation, with the lowest numbers in the middle of the year. This study indicates that the BG-Sentinel trap is more effective than the commonly used CDC light trap and MOT in sampling adult Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus. We recommend its use in the surveillance of dengue vector mosquitoes in China.

Bacteriophage-based nanoprobes for rapid bacteria separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Juhong; Duncan, Bradley; Wang, Ziyuan; Wang, Li-Sheng; Rotello, Vincent M.; Nugen, Sam R.

2015-10-01

The lack of practical methods for bacterial separation remains a hindrance for the low-cost and successful development of rapid detection methods from complex samples. Antibody-tagged magnetic particles are commonly used to pull analytes from a liquid sample. While this method is well-established, improvements in capture efficiencies would result in an increase of the overall detection assay performance. Bacteriophages represent a low-cost and more consistent biorecognition element as compared to antibodies. We have developed nanoscale bacteriophage-tagged magnetic probes, where T7 bacteriophages were bound to magnetic nanoparticles. The nanoprobe allowed the specific recognition and attachment to E. coli cells. The phage magnetic nanprobes were directly compared to antibody-conjugated magnetic nanoprobes. The capture efficiencies of bacteriophages and antibodies on nanoparticles for the separation of E. coli K12 at varying concentrations were determined. The results indicated a similar bacteria capture efficiency between the two nanoprobes.The lack of practical methods for bacterial separation remains a hindrance for the low-cost and successful development of rapid detection methods from complex samples. Antibody-tagged magnetic particles are commonly used to pull analytes from a liquid sample. While this method is well-established, improvements in capture efficiencies would result in an increase of the overall detection assay performance. Bacteriophages represent a low-cost and more consistent biorecognition element as compared to antibodies. We have developed nanoscale bacteriophage-tagged magnetic probes, where T7 bacteriophages were bound to magnetic nanoparticles. The nanoprobe allowed the specific recognition and attachment to E. coli cells. The phage magnetic nanprobes were directly compared to antibody-conjugated magnetic nanoprobes. The capture efficiencies of bacteriophages and antibodies on nanoparticles for the separation of E. coli K12 at varying concentrations were determined. The results indicated a similar bacteria capture efficiency between the two nanoprobes. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr03779d

Covariance Structure Models for Gene Expression Microarray Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xie, Jun; Bentler, Peter M.

2003-01-01

Covariance structure models are applied to gene expression data using a factor model, a path model, and their combination. The factor model is based on a few factors that capture most of the expression information. A common factor of a group of genes may represent a common protein factor for the transcript of the co-expressed genes, and hence, it…

Improving inferences from fisheries capture-recapture studies through remote detection of PIT tags

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hewitt, David A.; Janney, Eric C.; Hayes, Brian S.; Shively, Rip S.

2010-01-01

Models for capture-recapture data are commonly used in analyses of the dynamics of fish and wildlife populations, especially for estimating vital parameters such as survival. Capture-recapture methods provide more reliable inferences than other methods commonly used in fisheries studies. However, for rare or elusive fish species, parameter estimation is often hampered by small probabilities of re-encountering tagged fish when encounters are obtained through traditional sampling methods. We present a case study that demonstrates how remote antennas for passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags can increase encounter probabilities and the precision of survival estimates from capture-recapture models. Between 1999 and 2007, trammel nets were used to capture and tag over 8,400 endangered adult Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) during the spawning season in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Despite intensive sampling at relatively discrete spawning areas, encounter probabilities from Cormack-Jolly-Seber models were consistently low (< 0.2) and the precision of apparent annual survival estimates was poor. Beginning in 2005, remote PIT tag antennas were deployed at known spawning locations to increase the probability of re-encountering tagged fish. We compare results based only on physical recaptures with results based on both physical recaptures and remote detections to demonstrate the substantial improvement in estimates of encounter probabilities (approaching 100%) and apparent annual survival provided by the remote detections. The richer encounter histories provided robust inferences about the dynamics of annual survival and have made it possible to explore more realistic models and hypotheses about factors affecting the conservation and recovery of this endangered species. Recent advances in technology related to PIT tags have paved the way for creative implementation of large-scale tagging studies in systems where they were previously considered impracticable.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arbanas, G; Dietrich, F S; Kerman, A K

A method for computing direct-semidirect (DSD) neutron radiative capture is presented and applied to thermal neutron capture on {sup 19}F, {sup 27}Al, {sup 28,29.30}Si, {sup 35,37}Cl, {sup 39,41}K, {sup 56}Fe, and {sup 238}U, in support of data evaluation effort at the O.R.N.L. The DSD method includes both direct and semidirect capture; the latter is a core-polarization term in which the giant dipole resonance is formed. We study the effects of a commonly used ''density'' approximation to the EM operator and find it to be unsatisfactory for the nuclei considered here. We also study the magnitude of semidirect capture relative tomore » the pure direct capture. Furthermore, we compare our results with those obtained from another direct capture code (Tedca [17]). We also compare our results with those obtained from analytical expression for external capture derived by Lane and Lynn [3], and its extension to include internal capture [7]. To estimate the effect of nuclear deformation on direct capture, we computed direct thermal capture on {sup 238}U with and without imposition of spherical symmetry. Direct capture for a spherically symmetric {sup 238}U was approximately 6 mb, while a quadrupole deformation of 0.215 on the shape of {sup 238}U lowers this cross section down to approximately 2 mb. This result suggests that effects of nuclear deformation on direct capture warrant a further study. We also find out that contribution to the direct capture on {sup 238}U from the nuclear interior significantly cancels that coming from the exterior region, and hence both contributions must be taken into account. We reproduced a well known discrepancy between the computed and observed branching ratios in {sup 56}Fe(n,{gamma}). This will lead us to revisit the concept of doorway states in the particle-hole model.« less

Communities that thrive in extreme conditions captured from a freshwater lake.

PubMed

Low-Décarie, Etienne; Fussmann, Gregor F; Dumbrell, Alex J; Bell, Graham

2016-09-01

Organisms that can grow in extreme conditions would be expected to be confined to extreme environments. However, we were able to capture highly productive communities of algae and bacteria capable of growing in acidic (pH 2), basic (pH 12) and saline (40 ppt) conditions from an ordinary freshwater lake. Microbial communities may thus include taxa that are highly productive in conditions that are far outside the range of conditions experienced in their host ecosystem. The organisms we captured were not obligate extremophiles, but were capable of growing in both extreme and benign conditions. The ability to grow in extreme conditions may thus be a common functional attribute in microbial communities. © 2016 The Author(s).

Neutron-capture rates for explosive nucleosynthesis: the case of 68Ni(n, γ) 69Ni

DOE PAGES

Spyrou, Artemis; Larsen, Ann-Cecilie; Liddick, Sean N.; ...

2017-02-22

Neutron-capture reactions play an important role in heavy element nucleosynthesis, since they are the driving force for the two processes that create the vast majority of the heavy elements. When a neutron capture occurs on a short-lived nucleus, it is extremely challenging to study the reaction directly and therefore the use of indirect techniques is essential. The present work reports on such an indirect measurement that provides strong constraints on the 68Ni(n,g) 69Ni reaction rate.The commonly used reaction libraries JINA-REACLIB and BRUSLIB are in relatively good agreement with the experimental rate. The impact of the new rate on weak r-processmore » calculations is discussed.« less

The Trojan Color Conundrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jewitt, David

2018-02-01

The Trojan asteroids of Jupiter and Neptune are likely to have been captured from original heliocentric orbits in the dynamically excited (“hot”) population of the Kuiper Belt. However, it has long been known that the optical color distributions of the Jovian Trojans and the hot population are not alike. This difference has been reconciled with the capture hypothesis by assuming that the Trojans were resurfaced (for example, by sublimation of near-surface volatiles) upon inward migration from the Kuiper Belt (where blackbody temperatures are ∼40 K) to Jupiter’s orbit (∼125 K). Here, we examine the optical color distribution of the Neptunian Trojans using a combination of new optical photometry and published data. We find a color distribution that is statistically indistinguishable from that of the Jovian Trojans but unlike any sub-population in the Kuiper Belt. This result is puzzling, because the Neptunian Trojans are very cold (blackbody temperature ∼50 K) and a thermal process acting to modify the surface colors at Neptune’s distance would also affect the Kuiper Belt objects beyond, where the temperatures are nearly identical. The distinctive color distributions of the Jovian and Neptunian Trojans thus present us with a conundrum: they are very similar to each other, suggesting either capture from a common source or surface modification by a common process. However, the color distributions differ from any plausible common source population, and there is no known modifying process that could operate equally at both Jupiter and Neptune.

Neutron-capture element abundances in the planetary nebula NGC 5315 from deep high-resolution optical and near-IR spectrophotometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madonna, S.; García-Rojas, J.; Sterling, N. C.; Luridiana, V.

2017-03-01

We have done a spectroscopical analysis of the type I planetary nebula (PN) NGC 5315, through high-resolution (R ˜ 40000) optical spectroscopy with UVES at the 8.2m Very Large Telescope, and medium-resolution (R ˜ 4800) near-IR spectroscopy with FIRE at the 6.5m Magellan Baade telescope, covering a wide spectral range from 0.31 μm to 2.50μm. The main aim of this work is to investigate the slow neutron(n)-capture process (the s-process) in the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) star progenitor of a type I PNe. We detected and identified about 700 features, including lines from the n-capture elements Kr, Se, and possibly Br and Xe. We compute physical conditions using line ratios of common ions. Ionic abundances are computed for the species with available atomic data. We calculate total abundances using recent ionization correction factors (ICFs) or by summing ionic abundances. Our results for common elements are in good agreement with previous works on the same object. We do not find a substantial s-process enrichment in NGC 5315, which is typical for type I PNe.

Differential Estimates of Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) Population Structure Based on Capture Method.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Laves, Kevin S.; Loeb, Susan C.

2006-01-01

ABSTRACT.—It is commonly assumed that population estimates derived from trapping small mammals are accurate and unbiased or that estimates derived from different capture methods are comparable. We captured southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) using two methods to study their effect on red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) reproductive success. Southern flying squirrels were captured at and removed from 30 red-cockaded woodpecker cluster sites during March to July 1994 and 1995 using Sherman traps placed in a grid encompassing a red-cockaded woodpecker nest tree and by hand from red-cockaded woodpecker cavities. Totals of 195 (1994) and 190 (1995) red-cockaded woodpecker cavities were examinedmore » at least three times each year. Trappability of southern flying squirrels in Sherman traps was significantly greater in 1995 (1.18%; 22,384 trap nights) than in 1994 (0.42%; 20,384 trap nights), and capture rate of southern flying squirrels in cavities was significantly greater in 1994 (22.7%; 502 cavity inspections) than in 1995 (10.8%; 555 cavity inspections). However, more southern flying squirrels were captured per cavity inspection than per Sherman trap night in both years. Male southern flying squirrels were more likely to be captured from cavities than in Sherman traps in 1994, but not in 1995. Both male and female juveniles were more likely to be captured in cavities than in traps in both years. In 1994 males in reproductive condition were more likely to be captured in cavities than in traps and in 1995 we captured significantly more reproductive females in cavities than in traps. Our data suggest that population estimates based solely on one trapping method may not represent true population size or structure of southern flying squirrels.« less

Estimation of sex-specific survival from capture-recapture data when sex is not always known

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, J.D.; Kendall, W.L.; Hines, J.E.; Spendelow, J.A.

2004-01-01

Many animals lack obvious sexual dimorphism, making assignment of sex difficult even for observed or captured animals. For many such species it is possible to assign sex with certainty only at some occasions; for example, when they exhibit certain types of behavior. A common approach to handling this situation in capture-recapture studies has been to group capture histories into those of animals eventually identified as male and female and those for which sex was never known. Because group membership is dependent on the number of occasions at which an animal was caught or observed (known sex animals, on average, will have been observed at more occasions than unknown-sex animals), survival estimates for known-sex animals will be positively biased, and those for unknown animals will be negatively biased. In this paper, we develop capture-recapture models that incorporate sex ratio and sex assignment parameters that permit unbiased estimation in the face of this sampling problem. We demonstrate the magnitude of bias in the traditional capture-recapture approach to this sampling problem, and we explore properties of estimators from other ad hoc approaches. The model is then applied to capture-recapture data for adult Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) at Falkner Island, Connecticut, 1993-2002. Sex ratio among adults in this population favors females, and we tested the hypothesis that this population showed sex-specific differences in adult survival. Evidence was provided for higher survival of adult females than males, as predicted. We recommend use of this modeling approach for future capture-recapture studies in which sex cannot always be assigned to captured or observed animals. We also place this problem in the more general context of uncertainty in state classification in multistate capture-recapture models.

Is attentional prioritisation of infant faces unique in humans?: Comparative demonstrations by modified dot-probe task in monkeys.

PubMed

Koda, Hiroki; Sato, Anna; Kato, Akemi

2013-09-01

Humans innately perceive infantile features as cute. The ethologist Konrad Lorenz proposed that the infantile features of mammals and birds, known as the baby schema (kindchenschema), motivate caretaking behaviour. As biologically relevant stimuli, newborns are likely to be processed specially in terms of visual attention, perception, and cognition. Recent demonstrations on human participants have shown visual attentional prioritisation to newborn faces (i.e., newborn faces capture visual attention). Although characteristics equivalent to those found in the faces of human infants are found in nonhuman primates, attentional capture by newborn faces has not been tested in nonhuman primates. We examined whether conspecific newborn faces captured the visual attention of two Japanese monkeys using a target-detection task based on dot-probe tasks commonly used in human visual attention studies. Although visual cues enhanced target detection in subject monkeys, our results, unlike those for humans, showed no evidence of an attentional prioritisation for newborn faces by monkeys. Our demonstrations showed the validity of dot-probe task for visual attention studies in monkeys and propose a novel approach to bridge the gap between human and nonhuman primate social cognition research. This suggests that attentional capture by newborn faces is not common to macaques, but it is unclear if nursing experiences influence their perception and recognition of infantile appraisal stimuli. We need additional comparative studies to reveal the evolutionary origins of baby-schema perception and recognition. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring what matters to patients: Using goal content to inform measure choice and development.

PubMed

Jacob, Jenna; Edbrooke-Childs, Julian; Law, Duncan; Wolpert, Miranda

2017-04-01

Personalised care requires personalised outcomes and ways of feeding back clinically useful information to clinicians and practitioners, but it is not clear how to best personalise outcome measurement and feedback using existing standardised outcome measures. The constant comparison method of grounded theory was used to compare goal themes derived from goals set at the outset of therapy for 180 children aged between 4 and 17 years, visiting eight child and adolescent mental health services, to existing standardised outcome measures used as part of common national datasets. In all, 20 out of 27 goal themes corresponded to items on at least one commonly used outcome measure. Consideration of goal themes helped to identify potential relevant outcome measures. However, there were several goal themes that were not captured by items on standardised outcome measures. These seemed to be related to existential factors such as understanding, thinking about oneself and future planning. This presents a powerful framework for how clinicians can use goals to help select a standardised outcome measure (where this is helpful) in addition to the use of a goal-based outcome measure and personalise choices. There may be areas not captured by standardised outcome measures that may be important for children and young people and which may only be currently captured in goal measurement. There is an indication that we may not be measuring what is important to children and young people. We may need to develop or look for new measures that capture these areas.

Distribution of ground-nesting marine birds along shorelines in Glacier Bay, southeastern Alaska: An assessment related to potential disturbance by back-country users

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arimitsu, Mayumi L.; Piatt, John F.; Romano, Marc D.

2007-01-01

With the exception of a few large colonies, the distribution of ground-nesting marine birds in Glacier Bay National Park in southeastern Alaska is largely unknown. As visitor use increases in back-country areas of the park, there is growing concern over the potential impact of human activities on breeding birds. During the 2003–05 breeding seasons, the shoreline of Glacier Bay was surveyed to locate ground-nesting marine birds and their nesting areas, including wildlife closures and historical sites for egg collection by Alaska Native peoples. The nesting distribution of four common ground-nesting marine bird species was determined: Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea), Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani), Mew Gull (Larus canus), and Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens). Observations of less abundant species also were recorded, including Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia), Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus), and Aleutian Tern (Sterna aleutica). Nesting distribution for Arctic Terns was largely restricted to the upper arms of the bay and a few treeless islets in the lower bay, whereas Black Oystercatchers were more widely distributed along shorelines in the park. Mew Gulls nested throughout the upper bay in Geikie Inlet and in Fingers and Berg Bays, and most Glaucous-winged Gull nests were found at wildlife closures in the central and lower bays. Several areas were identified where human disturbance could affect breeding birds. This study comprises the first bay-wide survey for the breeding distribution of ground-nesting marine birds in Glacier Bay National Park, providing a minimum estimate of their numbers and distribution within the park. This information can be used to assess future human disturbance and track natural changes in nesting bird distribution over time.

48 CFR 252.228-7003 - Capture and detention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... with the United States in a common military effort; or (iii) Known to have been taken prisoner, hostage... detention shall not be considered as time spent in contract performance, and the Government shall not be...

48 CFR 252.228-7003 - Capture and detention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... with the United States in a common military effort; or (iii) Known to have been taken prisoner, hostage... detention shall not be considered as time spent in contract performance, and the Government shall not be...

48 CFR 252.228-7003 - Capture and detention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... with the United States in a common military effort; or (iii) Known to have been taken prisoner, hostage... detention shall not be considered as time spent in contract performance, and the Government shall not be...

48 CFR 252.228-7003 - Capture and detention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... with the United States in a common military effort; or (iii) Known to have been taken prisoner, hostage... detention shall not be considered as time spent in contract performance, and the Government shall not be...

48 CFR 252.228-7003 - Capture and detention.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... with the United States in a common military effort; or (iii) Known to have been taken prisoner, hostage... detention shall not be considered as time spent in contract performance, and the Government shall not be...

Magnetic Capture of a Molecular Biomarker from Synovial Fluid in a Rat Model of Knee Osteoarthritis

PubMed Central

Yarmola, Elena G.; Shah, Yash; Arnold, David P.; Dobson, Jon; Allen, Kyle D.

2015-01-01

Biomarker development for osteoarthritis (OA) often begins in rodent models, but can be limited by an inability to aspirate synovial fluid from a rodent stifle (similar to the human knee). To address this limitation, we have developed a magnetic nanoparticle-based technology to collect biomarkers from a rodent stifle, termed magnetic capture. Using a common OA biomarker - the c-terminus telopeptide of type II collagen (CTXII) - magnetic capture was optimized in vitro using bovine synovial fluid and then tested in a rat model of knee OA. Anti-CTXII antibodies were conjugated to the surface of superparamagnetic iron oxide-containing polymeric particles. Using these anti-CTXII particles, magnetic capture was able to estimate the level of CTXII in 25 µL aliquots of bovine synovial fluid; and under controlled conditions, this estimate was unaffected by synovial fluid viscosity. Following in vitro testing, anti-CTXII particles were tested in a rat monoiodoacetate model of knee OA. CTXII could be magnetically captured from a rodent stifle without the need to aspirate fluid and showed 10 fold changes in CTXII levels from OA-affected joints relative to contralateral control joints. Combined, these data demonstrate the ability and sensitivity of magnetic capture for post-mortem analysis of OA biomarkers in the rat. PMID:26136062

Magnetic Capture of a Molecular Biomarker from Synovial Fluid in a Rat Model of Knee Osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Yarmola, Elena G; Shah, Yash; Arnold, David P; Dobson, Jon; Allen, Kyle D

2016-04-01

Biomarker development for osteoarthritis (OA) often begins in rodent models, but can be limited by an inability to aspirate synovial fluid from a rodent stifle (similar to the human knee). To address this limitation, we have developed a magnetic nanoparticle-based technology to collect biomarkers from a rodent stifle, termed magnetic capture. Using a common OA biomarker--the c-terminus telopeptide of type II collagen (CTXII)--magnetic capture was optimized in vitro using bovine synovial fluid and then tested in a rat model of knee OA. Anti-CTXII antibodies were conjugated to the surface of superparamagnetic iron oxide-containing polymeric particles. Using these anti-CTXII particles, magnetic capture was able to estimate the level of CTXII in 25 μL aliquots of bovine synovial fluid; and under controlled conditions, this estimate was unaffected by synovial fluid viscosity. Following in vitro testing, anti-CTXII particles were tested in a rat monoiodoacetate model of knee OA. CTXII could be magnetically captured from a rodent stifle without the need to aspirate fluid and showed tenfold changes in CTXII levels from OA-affected joints relative to contralateral control joints. Combined, these data demonstrate the ability and sensitivity of magnetic capture for post-mortem analysis of OA biomarkers in the rat.

Multiple Sensor Camera for Enhanced Video Capturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagahara, Hajime; Kanki, Yoshinori; Iwai, Yoshio; Yachida, Masahiko

A resolution of camera has been drastically improved under a current request for high-quality digital images. For example, digital still camera has several mega pixels. Although a video camera has the higher frame-rate, the resolution of a video camera is lower than that of still camera. Thus, the high-resolution is incompatible with the high frame rate of ordinary cameras in market. It is difficult to solve this problem by a single sensor, since it comes from physical limitation of the pixel transfer rate. In this paper, we propose a multi-sensor camera for capturing a resolution and frame-rate enhanced video. Common multi-CCDs camera, such as 3CCD color camera, has same CCD for capturing different spectral information. Our approach is to use different spatio-temporal resolution sensors in a single camera cabinet for capturing higher resolution and frame-rate information separately. We build a prototype camera which can capture high-resolution (2588×1958 pixels, 3.75 fps) and high frame-rate (500×500, 90 fps) videos. We also proposed the calibration method for the camera. As one of the application of the camera, we demonstrate an enhanced video (2128×1952 pixels, 90 fps) generated from the captured videos for showing the utility of the camera.

Innovations in dynamic test restraint systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuld, Christopher J.

1990-01-01

Recent launch system development programs have led to a new generation of large scale dynamic tests. The variety of test scenarios share one common requirement: restrain and capture massive high velocity flight hardware with no structural damage. The Space Systems Lab of McDonnell Douglas developed a remarkably simple and cost effective approach to such testing using ripstitch energy absorbers adapted from the sport of technical rockclimbing. The proven system reliability of the capture system concept has led to a wide variety of applications in test system design and in aerospace hardware design.

Storyline Visualizations of Eye Tracking of Movie Viewing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balint, John T.; Arendt, Dustin L.; Blaha, Leslie M.

Storyline visualizations offer an approach that promises to capture the spatio-temporal characteristics of individual observers and simultaneously illustrate emerging group behaviors. We develop a visual analytics approach to parsing, aligning, and clustering fixation sequences from eye tracking data. Visualization of the results captures the similarities and differences across a group of observers performing a common task. We apply our storyline approach to visualize gaze patterns of people watching dynamic movie clips. Storylines mitigate some of the shortcomings of existent spatio-temporal visualization techniques and, importantly, continue to highlight individual observer behavioral dynamics.

Origin of Martian Moons from Binary Asteroid Dissociation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Lyons, Valerie J. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The origin of the Martian moons Deimos and Phobos is controversial. A common hypothesis for their origin is that they are captured asteroids, but the moons show no signs of having been heated by passage through a (hypothetical) thick martian atmosphere, and the mechanism by which an asteroid in solar orbit could shed sufficient orbital energy to be captured into Mars orbit has not been previously elucidated. Since the discovery by the space probe Galileo that the asteroid Ida has a moon 'Dactyl', a significant number of asteroids have been discovered to have smaller asteroids in orbit about them. The existence of asteroid moons provides a mechanism for the capture of the Martian moons (and the small moons of the outer planets). When a binary asteroid makes a close approach to a planet, tidal forces can strip the moon from the asteroid. Depending on the phasing, either or both can then be captured. Clearly, the same process can be used to explain the origin of any of the small moons in the solar system.

Micromotor-based lab-on-chip immunoassays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, Miguel; Orozco, Jahir; Guix, Maria; Gao, Wei; Sattayasamitsathit, Sirilak; Escarpa, Alberto; Merkoçi, Arben; Wang, Joseph

2013-01-01

Here we describe the first example of using self-propelled antibody-functionalized synthetic catalytic microengines for capturing and transporting target proteins between the different reservoirs of a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device. A new catalytic polymer/Ni/Pt microtube engine, containing carboxy moieties on its mixed poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/COOH-PEDOT polymeric outermost layer, is further functionalized with the antibody receptor to selectively recognize and capture the target protein. The new motor-based microchip immunoassay operations are carried out without any bulk fluid flow, replacing the common washing steps in antibody-based protein bioassays with the active transport of the captured protein throughout the different reservoirs, where each step of the immunoassay takes place. A first microchip format involving an `on-the-fly' double-antibody sandwich assay (DASA) is used for demonstrating the selective capture of the target protein, in the presence of excess of non-target proteins. A secondary antibody tagged with a polymeric-sphere tracer allows the direct visualization of the binding events. In a second approach the immuno-nanomotor captures and transports the microsphere-tagged antigen through a microchannel network. An anti-protein-A modified microengine is finally used to demonstrate the selective capture, transport and convenient label-free optical detection of a Staphylococcus aureus target bacteria (containing proteinA in its cell wall) in the presence of a large excess of non-target (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells. The resulting nanomotor-based microchip immunoassay offers considerable potential for diverse applications in clinical diagnostics, environmental and security monitoring fields.Here we describe the first example of using self-propelled antibody-functionalized synthetic catalytic microengines for capturing and transporting target proteins between the different reservoirs of a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device. A new catalytic polymer/Ni/Pt microtube engine, containing carboxy moieties on its mixed poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/COOH-PEDOT polymeric outermost layer, is further functionalized with the antibody receptor to selectively recognize and capture the target protein. The new motor-based microchip immunoassay operations are carried out without any bulk fluid flow, replacing the common washing steps in antibody-based protein bioassays with the active transport of the captured protein throughout the different reservoirs, where each step of the immunoassay takes place. A first microchip format involving an `on-the-fly' double-antibody sandwich assay (DASA) is used for demonstrating the selective capture of the target protein, in the presence of excess of non-target proteins. A secondary antibody tagged with a polymeric-sphere tracer allows the direct visualization of the binding events. In a second approach the immuno-nanomotor captures and transports the microsphere-tagged antigen through a microchannel network. An anti-protein-A modified microengine is finally used to demonstrate the selective capture, transport and convenient label-free optical detection of a Staphylococcus aureus target bacteria (containing proteinA in its cell wall) in the presence of a large excess of non-target (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells. The resulting nanomotor-based microchip immunoassay offers considerable potential for diverse applications in clinical diagnostics, environmental and security monitoring fields. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr32400h

Assessing the Impact of Capture on Wild Animals: The Case Study of Chemical Immobilisation on Alpine Ibex.

PubMed

Brivio, Francesca; Grignolio, Stefano; Sica, Nicoletta; Cerise, Stefano; Bassano, Bruno

2015-01-01

The importance of capturing wild animals for research and conservation projects is widely shared. As this activity continues to become more common, the need to assess its negative effects increases so as to ensure ethical standards and the validity of research results. Increasing evidence has revealed that indirect (physiological and behavioural) effects of capture are as important as direct risks (death or injury) and that different capture methodologies can cause heterogeneous effects. We investigated the influence of chemical immobilisation on Alpine ibex (Capra ibex): during the days following the capture we collected data on spatial behaviour, activity levels of both males and females, and male hormone levels. Moreover, we recorded the reproductive status of each marked female during the breeding seasons of 15 years. Then, by several a priori models we investigated the effects of the capture taking into account biological factors and changes in environmental conditions. Our results showed that chemical immobilisation did not affect either spatial behaviour (for both males and females) or male hormone levels, though both sexes showed reduced activity levels up to two days after the capture. The capture did not significantly affect the likelihood for a female to give birth in the following summer. Our findings highlighted the scarce impact of chemical immobilisation on ibex biology, as we detected alteration of activity levels only immediately after the capture if compared to the following days (i.e., baseline situation). Hence, the comparison of our findings with previous research showed that our methodology is one of the less invasive procedures to capture large mammals. Nonetheless, in areas characterised by high predator density, we suggest that animals released be carefully monitored for some hours after the capture. Moreover, researchers should avoid considering data collected during the first days after the manipulation in order to avoid biased information.

Assessing the Impact of Capture on Wild Animals: The Case Study of Chemical Immobilisation on Alpine Ibex

PubMed Central

Brivio, Francesca; Grignolio, Stefano; Sica, Nicoletta; Cerise, Stefano; Bassano, Bruno

2015-01-01

The importance of capturing wild animals for research and conservation projects is widely shared. As this activity continues to become more common, the need to assess its negative effects increases so as to ensure ethical standards and the validity of research results. Increasing evidence has revealed that indirect (physiological and behavioural) effects of capture are as important as direct risks (death or injury) and that different capture methodologies can cause heterogeneous effects. We investigated the influence of chemical immobilisation on Alpine ibex (Capra ibex): during the days following the capture we collected data on spatial behaviour, activity levels of both males and females, and male hormone levels. Moreover, we recorded the reproductive status of each marked female during the breeding seasons of 15 years. Then, by several a priori models we investigated the effects of the capture taking into account biological factors and changes in environmental conditions. Our results showed that chemical immobilisation did not affect either spatial behaviour (for both males and females) or male hormone levels, though both sexes showed reduced activity levels up to two days after the capture. The capture did not significantly affect the likelihood for a female to give birth in the following summer. Our findings highlighted the scarce impact of chemical immobilisation on ibex biology, as we detected alteration of activity levels only immediately after the capture if compared to the following days (i.e., baseline situation). Hence, the comparison of our findings with previous research showed that our methodology is one of the less invasive procedures to capture large mammals. Nonetheless, in areas characterised by high predator density, we suggest that animals released be carefully monitored for some hours after the capture. Moreover, researchers should avoid considering data collected during the first days after the manipulation in order to avoid biased information. PMID:26111118

Estimation and modeling of electrofishing capture efficiency for fishes in wadeable warmwater streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Price, A.; Peterson, James T.

2010-01-01

Stream fish managers often use fish sample data to inform management decisions affecting fish populations. Fish sample data, however, can be biased by the same factors affecting fish populations. To minimize the effect of sample biases on decision making, biologists need information on the effectiveness of fish sampling methods. We evaluated single-pass backpack electrofishing and seining combined with electrofishing by following a dual-gear, mark–recapture approach in 61 blocknetted sample units within first- to third-order streams. We also estimated fish movement out of unblocked units during sampling. Capture efficiency and fish abundances were modeled for 50 fish species by use of conditional multinomial capture–recapture models. The best-approximating models indicated that capture efficiencies were generally low and differed among species groups based on family or genus. Efficiencies of single-pass electrofishing and seining combined with electrofishing were greatest for Catostomidae and lowest for Ictaluridae. Fish body length and stream habitat characteristics (mean cross-sectional area, wood density, mean current velocity, and turbidity) also were related to capture efficiency of both methods, but the effects differed among species groups. We estimated that, on average, 23% of fish left the unblocked sample units, but net movement varied among species. Our results suggest that (1) common warmwater stream fish sampling methods have low capture efficiency and (2) failure to adjust for incomplete capture may bias estimates of fish abundance. We suggest that managers minimize bias from incomplete capture by adjusting data for site- and species-specific capture efficiency and by choosing sampling gear that provide estimates with minimal bias and variance. Furthermore, if block nets are not used, we recommend that managers adjust the data based on unconditional capture efficiency.

Urinary corticosterone responses to capture and toe-clipping in the cane toad (Rhinella marina) indicate that toe-clipping is a stressor for amphibians.

PubMed

Narayan, Edward J; Molinia, Frank C; Kindermann, Christina; Cockrem, John F; Hero, Jean-Marc

2011-11-01

Toe-clipping, the removal of one or more toes, is a common method used to individually mark free-living animals. Whilst this method is widely used in studies of amphibians, the appropriateness of the method, and its potential detrimental effects have been the subject of debate. Here, we provide for the first time, evidence that toe-clipping is a stressor in a wild amphibian. We measured urinary corticosterone responses of male cane toads (Rhinella marina) to capture and handling only, and to toe-clipping under field conditions. Urinary testosterone concentrations and white blood cell proportions were also measured. Urinary corticosterone metabolite concentrations increased 6h after capture and handling only and remained high for 24h; corticosterone returned to baseline levels after 48 h and remained low at 72 h post capture and handling. Corticosterone concentrations in toads subjected to toe-clipping increased at 6h to significantly higher concentrations than after capture and handling only, then decreased more slowly than after capture and handling, and were still elevated (approximately double basal level) 72 h after toe-clipping. Testosterone did not change significantly after capture and handling only, whereas after toe-clipping testosterone decreased at 6h and remained low at 72 h. There were weak short-term effects of toe-clipping compared with capture and handling only on white blood cell proportions. We have clearly shown that toe-clipping is a distinctly stronger stressor than capture and handling alone. This indicates that there is an ethical cost of toe-clipping, and this should be considered when planning studies of amphibians. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A second generation human haplotype map of over 3.1 million SNPs.

PubMed

Frazer, Kelly A; Ballinger, Dennis G; Cox, David R; Hinds, David A; Stuve, Laura L; Gibbs, Richard A; Belmont, John W; Boudreau, Andrew; Hardenbol, Paul; Leal, Suzanne M; Pasternak, Shiran; Wheeler, David A; Willis, Thomas D; Yu, Fuli; Yang, Huanming; Zeng, Changqing; Gao, Yang; Hu, Haoran; Hu, Weitao; Li, Chaohua; Lin, Wei; Liu, Siqi; Pan, Hao; Tang, Xiaoli; Wang, Jian; Wang, Wei; Yu, Jun; Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Qingrun; Zhao, Hongbin; Zhao, Hui; Zhou, Jun; Gabriel, Stacey B; Barry, Rachel; Blumenstiel, Brendan; Camargo, Amy; Defelice, Matthew; Faggart, Maura; Goyette, Mary; Gupta, Supriya; Moore, Jamie; Nguyen, Huy; Onofrio, Robert C; Parkin, Melissa; Roy, Jessica; Stahl, Erich; Winchester, Ellen; Ziaugra, Liuda; Altshuler, David; Shen, Yan; Yao, Zhijian; Huang, Wei; Chu, Xun; He, Yungang; Jin, Li; Liu, Yangfan; Shen, Yayun; Sun, Weiwei; Wang, Haifeng; Wang, Yi; Wang, Ying; Xiong, Xiaoyan; Xu, Liang; Waye, Mary M Y; Tsui, Stephen K W; Xue, Hong; Wong, J Tze-Fei; Galver, Luana M; Fan, Jian-Bing; Gunderson, Kevin; Murray, Sarah S; Oliphant, Arnold R; Chee, Mark S; Montpetit, Alexandre; Chagnon, Fanny; Ferretti, Vincent; Leboeuf, Martin; Olivier, Jean-François; Phillips, Michael S; Roumy, Stéphanie; Sallée, Clémentine; Verner, Andrei; Hudson, Thomas J; Kwok, Pui-Yan; Cai, Dongmei; Koboldt, Daniel C; Miller, Raymond D; Pawlikowska, Ludmila; Taillon-Miller, Patricia; Xiao, Ming; Tsui, Lap-Chee; Mak, William; Song, You Qiang; Tam, Paul K H; Nakamura, Yusuke; Kawaguchi, Takahisa; Kitamoto, Takuya; Morizono, Takashi; Nagashima, Atsushi; Ohnishi, Yozo; Sekine, Akihiro; Tanaka, Toshihiro; Tsunoda, Tatsuhiko; Deloukas, Panos; Bird, Christine P; Delgado, Marcos; Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T; Gwilliam, Rhian; Hunt, Sarah; Morrison, Jonathan; Powell, Don; Stranger, Barbara E; Whittaker, Pamela; Bentley, David R; Daly, Mark J; de Bakker, Paul I W; Barrett, Jeff; Chretien, Yves R; Maller, Julian; McCarroll, Steve; Patterson, Nick; Pe'er, Itsik; Price, Alkes; Purcell, Shaun; Richter, Daniel J; Sabeti, Pardis; Saxena, Richa; Schaffner, Stephen F; Sham, Pak C; Varilly, Patrick; Altshuler, David; Stein, Lincoln D; Krishnan, Lalitha; Smith, Albert Vernon; Tello-Ruiz, Marcela K; Thorisson, Gudmundur A; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Chen, Peter E; Cutler, David J; Kashuk, Carl S; Lin, Shin; Abecasis, Gonçalo R; Guan, Weihua; Li, Yun; Munro, Heather M; Qin, Zhaohui Steve; Thomas, Daryl J; McVean, Gilean; Auton, Adam; Bottolo, Leonardo; Cardin, Niall; Eyheramendy, Susana; Freeman, Colin; Marchini, Jonathan; Myers, Simon; Spencer, Chris; Stephens, Matthew; Donnelly, Peter; Cardon, Lon R; Clarke, Geraldine; Evans, David M; Morris, Andrew P; Weir, Bruce S; Tsunoda, Tatsuhiko; Mullikin, James C; Sherry, Stephen T; Feolo, Michael; Skol, Andrew; Zhang, Houcan; Zeng, Changqing; Zhao, Hui; Matsuda, Ichiro; Fukushima, Yoshimitsu; Macer, Darryl R; Suda, Eiko; Rotimi, Charles N; Adebamowo, Clement A; Ajayi, Ike; Aniagwu, Toyin; Marshall, Patricia A; Nkwodimmah, Chibuzor; Royal, Charmaine D M; Leppert, Mark F; Dixon, Missy; Peiffer, Andy; Qiu, Renzong; Kent, Alastair; Kato, Kazuto; Niikawa, Norio; Adewole, Isaac F; Knoppers, Bartha M; Foster, Morris W; Clayton, Ellen Wright; Watkin, Jessica; Gibbs, Richard A; Belmont, John W; Muzny, Donna; Nazareth, Lynne; Sodergren, Erica; Weinstock, George M; Wheeler, David A; Yakub, Imtaz; Gabriel, Stacey B; Onofrio, Robert C; Richter, Daniel J; Ziaugra, Liuda; Birren, Bruce W; Daly, Mark J; Altshuler, David; Wilson, Richard K; Fulton, Lucinda L; Rogers, Jane; Burton, John; Carter, Nigel P; Clee, Christopher M; Griffiths, Mark; Jones, Matthew C; McLay, Kirsten; Plumb, Robert W; Ross, Mark T; Sims, Sarah K; Willey, David L; Chen, Zhu; Han, Hua; Kang, Le; Godbout, Martin; Wallenburg, John C; L'Archevêque, Paul; Bellemare, Guy; Saeki, Koji; Wang, Hongguang; An, Daochang; Fu, Hongbo; Li, Qing; Wang, Zhen; Wang, Renwu; Holden, Arthur L; Brooks, Lisa D; McEwen, Jean E; Guyer, Mark S; Wang, Vivian Ota; Peterson, Jane L; Shi, Michael; Spiegel, Jack; Sung, Lawrence M; Zacharia, Lynn F; Collins, Francis S; Kennedy, Karen; Jamieson, Ruth; Stewart, John

2007-10-18

We describe the Phase II HapMap, which characterizes over 3.1 million human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped in 270 individuals from four geographically diverse populations and includes 25-35% of common SNP variation in the populations surveyed. The map is estimated to capture untyped common variation with an average maximum r2 of between 0.9 and 0.96 depending on population. We demonstrate that the current generation of commercial genome-wide genotyping products captures common Phase II SNPs with an average maximum r2 of up to 0.8 in African and up to 0.95 in non-African populations, and that potential gains in power in association studies can be obtained through imputation. These data also reveal novel aspects of the structure of linkage disequilibrium. We show that 10-30% of pairs of individuals within a population share at least one region of extended genetic identity arising from recent ancestry and that up to 1% of all common variants are untaggable, primarily because they lie within recombination hotspots. We show that recombination rates vary systematically around genes and between genes of different function. Finally, we demonstrate increased differentiation at non-synonymous, compared to synonymous, SNPs, resulting from systematic differences in the strength or efficacy of natural selection between populations.

Commonality of Ground Systems in Launch Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quinn, Shawn M.

2008-01-01

NASA is examining the utility of requiring a certain degree of commonality in both flight and ground systems in the Constellation Program. While the benefits of commonality seem obvious in terms of minimizing upfront development and long-term operations and maintenance costs, success in real, large-scale engineering systems used to support launch operations is relatively unknown. A broad literature review conducted for this paper did not yield a single paper specifically addressing the application of commonality for ground systems at any launch site in the United States or abroad. This paper provides a broad overview of the ground systems, captures historical and current application of commonality at the launch site, and offers suggestions for additional research to further develop commonality approaches.

Detection of Pseudogymnoascus destructans on Free-flying Male Bats Captured During Summer in the Southeastern USA.

PubMed

Carpenter, Grace M; Willcox, Emma V; Bernard, Riley F; H Stiver, William

2016-10-01

Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causal agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), is commonly found on bats captured both inside and outside caves during hibernation, a time when bats are most vulnerable to infection. It has not been documented in the southeast US on bats captured outside caves or on the landscape in summer. We collected 136 skin swabs from 10 species of bats captured at 20 sites on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 12 May-16 August 2015. Three swabs were found positive for P. destructans, one from a male tricolored bat ( Perimyotis subflavus ) and two from male big brown bats ( Eptesicus fuscus ). This detection of P. destructans on free-flying male bats in the southeast US during summer has potential repercussions for the spread of the fungus to novel bat species and environments. Our finding emphasizes the need to maintain rigorous year-round decontamination of field clothing and equipment until more is understood about the viability of P. destructans found on bats captured outside hibernacula during summer, about the potential for males to act as reservoirs of the fungus, and the risk of fungal transmission and spread.

Evaluating the content of the communication items in the CAHPS(®) clinician and group survey and supplemental items with what high-performing physicians say they do.

PubMed

Quigley, Denise D; Martino, Steven C; Brown, Julie A; Hays, Ron D

2013-01-01

A doctor's ability to communicate effectively is key to establishing and maintaining positive doctor-patient relationships. The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (CAHPS(®)) Clinician and Group Survey is the standard for collecting and reporting information about patients' experiences of care in the USA. To evaluate how well CAHPS(®) Clinician and Group 2.0 core and supplemental survey items (CG-CAHPS) with a 12-month reference capture doctor-patient communication. Eleven of the 40 highest-rated physicians on the CG-CAHPS survey treating patients in a Midwest commercial health plan. Data were obtained via semi-structured interviews. Specific behaviors, practices, and opinions about doctor communication were coded and compared to the CG-CAHPS items. CG-CAHPS fully captures six of the nine behaviors most commonly mentioned by high-performing physicians: employing office staff with good people skills; involving office staff in communication with patients; spending enough time with patients; listening carefully; providing clear, simple explanations; and devising an action plan with each patient. Three physician behaviors identified as key were not captured in CG-CAHPS items: use of nonverbal communication; greeting patients and introducing oneself; and tracking personal information about patients. CG-CAHPS survey items capture many of the most commonly mentioned doctor-patient communication behaviors and practices identified by high-performing physicians. Nonverbal communication, greeting patients, and tracking personal information about patients were identified as key aspects of doctor-patient communication, but are not captured by the current CG-CAHPS. We recommend further research to assess patients' perceptions of specific verbal and nonverbal behaviors (such as leaning forward in a chair, casually asking about other family members), followed by the development of new items (if needed) that aim to capture what these specific behaviors represent to patients (e.g., listens attentively, seems to care about me as a person, empathy). We also recommend including items about greeting and tracking personal information about patients in future CAHPS item sets addressing doctor-patient communication. Enriching the content of the CAHPS communication measure can help health-care organizations improve doctor-patient communication and interactions.

Commander’s Guide Renewable Energy

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

water deep underground. The most common way of capturing the energy from geothermal sources is to tap into naturally occurring hydrothermal ...Emissions: smoke and condensation plume impacts on atmospheric opacity (visual and other spectra), odors, noise, and boiler ash. Commanders

78 FR 34241 - African-American Music Appreciation Month, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-06

... from every walk of life have set out to capture the American experience not just in poetry or prose... hope, and struggle for a better day. Those feelings speak to something common in all of us. With...

Comparative Evaluation of Background Subtraction Algorithms in Remote Scene Videos Captured by MWIR Sensors

PubMed Central

Yao, Guangle; Lei, Tao; Zhong, Jiandan; Jiang, Ping; Jia, Wenwu

2017-01-01

Background subtraction (BS) is one of the most commonly encountered tasks in video analysis and tracking systems. It distinguishes the foreground (moving objects) from the video sequences captured by static imaging sensors. Background subtraction in remote scene infrared (IR) video is important and common to lots of fields. This paper provides a Remote Scene IR Dataset captured by our designed medium-wave infrared (MWIR) sensor. Each video sequence in this dataset is identified with specific BS challenges and the pixel-wise ground truth of foreground (FG) for each frame is also provided. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate BS algorithms on this proposed dataset. The overall performance of BS algorithms and the processor/memory requirements were compared. Proper evaluation metrics or criteria were employed to evaluate the capability of each BS algorithm to handle different kinds of BS challenges represented in this dataset. The results and conclusions in this paper provide valid references to develop new BS algorithm for remote scene IR video sequence, and some of them are not only limited to remote scene or IR video sequence but also generic for background subtraction. The Remote Scene IR dataset and the foreground masks detected by each evaluated BS algorithm are available online: https://github.com/JerryYaoGl/BSEvaluationRemoteSceneIR. PMID:28837112

Monitoring breeding and migration of neotropical migratory birds at Point Loma, San Diego County, California, 5-year summary, 2011–15

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lynn, Suellen; Madden, Melanie C.; Kus, Barbara E.

2017-04-27

Executive SummaryWe operated a bird banding station on the Point Loma peninsula in western San Diego County, California, during spring and summer from 2011 to 2015. The station was established in 2010 as part of a long-term monitoring program for neotropical migratory birds during spring migration and for breeding birds as part of the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program.During spring migration (April and May), 2011–15, we captured 1,760 individual birds of 54 species, 91 percent (1,595) of which were newly banded, fewer than 1 percent (3) of which were recaptures that were banded in previous years, and 9 percent (143 hummingbirds, 2 hawks, and 17 other birds) of which we released unbanded. We observed an additional 22 species that were not captured. Thirty-four individuals were captured more than once. Bird capture rate averaged 0.49 ± 0.07 captures per net-hour (range 0.41–0.56). Species richness per day averaged 6.87 ± 0.33. Cardellina pusilla (Wilson’s warbler) was the most abundant spring migrant captured, followed by Empidonax difficilis (Pacific-slope flycatcher), Vireo gilvus (warbling vireo), Zonotrichia leucophrys (white-crowned sparrow), and Selasphorus rufus (rufous hummingbird). Captures of white-crowned sparrow decreased, and captures of Pacific-slope flycatcher increased, over the 5 years of our study. Fifty-six percent of known-sex individuals were male and 44 percent were female. The peak number of new species arriving per day ranged from April 1 (2013-six species) to April 16 (2012-five species). A significant correlation was determined between the number of migrants captured each day per net-hour and the density of echoes on the Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) images across all 5 years, and in each year except 2014. NEXRAD radar imagery appears to be a useful tool for detecting pulses in migration.Our results indicate that Point Loma provides stopover habitat during migration for 76 migratory species, including 20 species of conservation concern. Two of these species, Vireo bellii pusillus (least Bell’s vireo) and Empidonax traillii (willow flycatcher) are listed as State and (or) federally threatened or endangered.Except for Archilochus alexandri (black-chinned hummingbird) and Setophaga occidentalis (hermit warbler), which arrived later during the migratory season in latter years of our study, median arrival dates for migratory species tended to be earlier each year or did not change across 5 years. Of the five most common migratory species, white-crowned sparrow and rufous hummingbird arrived earlier in latter years of the study, but Pacific-slope flycatcher, warbling vireo, and Wilson’s warbler median arrival dates were variable and showed no trend.We captured 1,680 individuals of 66 species during the MAPS/breeding season (May through August) across the 5 years of our study, 72 percent (1,211) of which were newly banded, 10 percent (167) of which were recaptures, and 18 percent (302 hummingbirds and other birds that escaped prior to banding) of which we released unbanded. Bird capture rate averaged 0.65 ± 0.21 captures per net-hour (range 0.12–2.54). Species richness per day ranged from 9.80 ± 5.01 to 14.20 ± 4.57. Calypte anna (Anna’s hummingbird) was the most abundant breeding species captured, followed by Oreothlypis celata (orange-crowned warbler), Psaltriparus minimus (bushtit), Pipilo maculatus (spotted towhee), Thryomanes bewickii (Bewick’s wren), Melozone crissalis (California towhee), and Chamaea fasciata (wrentit). Fifty-one percent of known-sex captures were female, and 49 percent were male. Thirty-one percent of known-age captures were juveniles.Populations of bushtits and orange-crowned warbler decreased significantly over 5 years. Anna’s hummingbird abundance was high for 4 years, and then decreased in 2015. Bewick’s wren and wrentit populations were highest in 2015. There was no obvious pattern in spotted towhee and California towhee abundance across 5 years. Annual breeding productivity for most species was low in 2014 and high in 2015. Bewick’s wren had the highest breeding productivity of the six most commonly captured species, followed by bushtit. Orange-crowned warbler had the lowest breeding productivity. Breeding productivity was a significant predictor of population size the next year for bushtit, but not for any other resident breeding species examined.Adult survivorship was generally high from 2013 to 14, and low from 2014 to 15. Wrentits had the highest survivorship of the most common species captured, followed by California towhee and orange-crowned warbler. Adult survivorship was lowest for bushtits and spotted towhees. Adult survivorship was a significant predictor of population size for bushtits, but not for any other resident species examined.Our monitoring results indicate that Point Loma provides breeding habitat for seven species of conservation concern. One of these species, the federally threatened Polioptila californica californica (California gnatcatcher), was documented breeding at the study site.

Wildland firefighter deaths in the United States: A comparison of existing surveillance systems

PubMed Central

Butler, Corey; Marsh, Suzanne; Domitrovich, Joseph W.; Helmkamp, Jim

2017-01-01

Wildland fire fighting is a high-risk occupation requiring considerable physical and psychological demands. Multiple agencies publish fatality summaries for wildland firefighters; however, the reported number and types vary. At least five different surveillance systems capture deaths, each with varying case definitions and case inclusion/exclusion criteria. Four are population-level systems and one is case-based. System differences create challenges to accurately characterize fatalities. Data within each of the five surveillance systems were examined to better understand the types of wildland firefighter data collected, to assess each system’s utility in characterizing wildland firefighter fatalities, and to determine each system’s potential to inform prevention strategies. To describe similarities and differences in how data were recorded and characterized, wildland fire deaths for three of the population-based systems were matched and individual fatalities across systems were compared. Between 2001 and 2012, 247 unique deaths were captured among the systems; 73% of these were captured in all three systems. Most common causes of death in all systems were associated with aviation, vehicles, medical events, and entrapments/burnovers. The data show that, although the three systems often report similar annual summary statistics, events captured in each system vary each year depending on the types of events that the system is designed to track, such as inclusion/exclusion of fatalities associated with the Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefits Act of 2003. The overarching and central goal of each system is to collect accurate and timely information to improve wildland firefighter safety and health. Each system is unique and has varying inclusion and exclusion criteria for capturing and tracking different subsets of wildland firefighter tasks and duties. Use of a common case definition and better descriptions and interpretations of the data and the results would help to more accurately characterize wildland firefighter traumatic injuries and illnesses, lessen the likelihood for misinterpretation of wildland firefighter fatality data, and assist with defining the true occupational injury burden within this high-risk population. PMID:27754819

A likelihood framework for joint estimation of salmon abundance and migratory timing using telemetric mark-recapture

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bromaghin, Jeffrey F.; Gates, Kenneth S.; Palmer, Douglas E.

2010-01-01

Many fisheries for Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are actively managed to meet escapement goal objectives. In fisheries where the demand for surplus production is high, an extensive assessment program is needed to achieve the opposing objectives of allowing adequate escapement and fully exploiting the available surplus. Knowledge of abundance is a critical element of such assessment programs. Abundance estimation using mark—recapture experiments in combination with telemetry has become common in recent years, particularly within Alaskan river systems. Fish are typically captured and marked in the lower river while migrating in aggregations of individuals from multiple populations. Recapture data are obtained using telemetry receivers that are co-located with abundance assessment projects near spawning areas, which provide large sample sizes and information on population-specific mark rates. When recapture data are obtained from multiple populations, unequal mark rates may reflect a violation of the assumption of homogeneous capture probabilities. A common analytical strategy is to test the hypothesis that mark rates are homogeneous and combine all recapture data if the test is not significant. However, mark rates are often low, and a test of homogeneity may lack sufficient power to detect meaningful differences among populations. In addition, differences among mark rates may provide information that could be exploited during parameter estimation. We present a temporally stratified mark—recapture model that permits capture probabilities and migratory timing through the capture area to vary among strata. Abundance information obtained from a subset of populations after the populations have segregated for spawning is jointly modeled with telemetry distribution data by use of a likelihood function. Maximization of the likelihood produces estimates of the abundance and timing of individual populations migrating through the capture area, thus yielding substantially more information than the total abundance estimate provided by the conventional approach. The utility of the model is illustrated with data for coho salmon O. kisutch from the Kasilof River in south-central Alaska.

Wildland firefighter deaths in the United States: A comparison of existing surveillance systems.

PubMed

Butler, Corey; Marsh, Suzanne; Domitrovich, Joseph W; Helmkamp, Jim

2017-04-01

Wildland fire fighting is a high-risk occupation requiring considerable physical and psychological demands. Multiple agencies publish fatality summaries for wildland firefighters; however, the reported number and types vary. At least five different surveillance systems capture deaths, each with varying case definitions and case inclusion/exclusion criteria. Four are population-level systems and one is case-based. System differences create challenges to accurately characterize fatalities. Data within each of the five surveillance systems were examined to better understand the types of wildland firefighter data collected, to assess each system's utility in characterizing wildland firefighter fatalities, and to determine each system's potential to inform prevention strategies. To describe similarities and differences in how data were recorded and characterized, wildland fire deaths for three of the population-based systems were matched and individual fatalities across systems were compared. Between 2001 and 2012, 247 unique deaths were captured among the systems; 73% of these were captured in all three systems. Most common causes of death in all systems were associated with aviation, vehicles, medical events, and entrapments/burnovers. The data show that, although the three systems often report similar annual summary statistics, events captured in each system vary each year depending on the types of events that the system is designed to track, such as inclusion/exclusion of fatalities associated with the Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefits Act of 2003. The overarching and central goal of each system is to collect accurate and timely information to improve wildland firefighter safety and health. Each system is unique and has varying inclusion and exclusion criteria for capturing and tracking different subsets of wildland firefighter tasks and duties. Use of a common case definition and better descriptions and interpretations of the data and the results would help to more accurately characterize wildland firefighter traumatic injuries and illnesses, lessen the likelihood for misinterpretation of wildland firefighter fatality data, and assist with defining the true occupational injury burden within this high-risk population.

Highly sensitive detection of the group A Rotavirus using Apolipoprotein H-coated ELISA plates compared to quantitative real-time PCR.

PubMed

Adlhoch, Cornelia; Kaiser, Marco; Hoehne, Marina; Mas Marques, Andreas; Stefas, Ilias; Veas, Francisco; Ellerbrok, Heinz

2011-02-10

The principle of a capture ELISA is binding of specific capture antibodies (polyclonal or monoclonal) to the surface of a suitable 96 well plate. These immobilized antibodies are capable of specifically binding a virus present in a clinical sample. Subsequently, the captured virus is detected using a specific detection antibody. The drawback of this method is that a capture ELISA can only function for a single virus captured by the primary antibody. Human Apolipoprotein H (ApoH) or β2-glycoprotein 1 is able to poly-specifically bind viral pathogens. Replacing specific capture antibodies by ApoH should allow poly-specific capture of different viruses that subsequently could be revealed using specific detection antibodies. Thus, using a single capture ELISA format different viruses could be analysed depending on the detection antibody that is applied. In order to demonstrate that this is a valid approach we show detection of group A rotaviruses from stool samples as a proof of principle for a new method of capture ELISA that should also be applicable to other viruses. Stool samples of different circulating common human and potentially zoonotic group A rotavirus strains, which were pretested in commercial EIAs and genotyped by PCR, were tested in parallel in an ApoH-ELISA set-up and by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Several control samples were included in the analysis. The ApoH-ELISA was suitable for the capture of rotavirus-particles and the detection down to 1,000 infectious units (TCID(50/ml)). Subsets of diagnostic samples of different G- and P-types were tested positive in the ApoH-ELISA in different dilutions. Compared to the qPCR results, the analysis showed high sensitivity, specificity and low cross-reactivity for the ApoH-ELISA, which was confirmed in receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. In this study the development of a highly sensitive and specific capture ELISA was demonstrated by combining a poly-specific ApoH capture step with specific detection antibodies using group A rotaviruses as an example.

Use of models to map potential capture of surface water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leake, Stanley A.

2006-01-01

The effects of ground-water withdrawals on surface-water resources and riparian vegetation have become important considerations in water-availability studies. Ground water withdrawn by a well initially comes from storage around the well, but with time can eventually increase inflow to the aquifer and (or) decrease natural outflow from the aquifer. This increased inflow and decreased outflow is referred to as “capture.” For a given time, capture can be expressed as a fraction of withdrawal rate that is accounted for as increased rates of inflow and decreased rates of outflow. The time frames over which capture might occur at different locations commonly are not well understood by resource managers. A ground-water model, however, can be used to map potential capture for areas and times of interest. The maps can help managers visualize the possible timing of capture over large regions. The first step in the procedure to map potential capture is to run a ground-water model in steady-state mode without withdrawals to establish baseline total flow rates at all sources and sinks. The next step is to select a time frame and appropriate withdrawal rate for computing capture. For regional aquifers, time frames of decades to centuries may be appropriate. The model is then run repeatedly in transient mode, each run with one well in a different model cell in an area of interest. Differences in inflow and outflow rates from the baseline conditions for each model run are computed and saved. The differences in individual components are summed and divided by the withdrawal rate to obtain a single capture fraction for each cell. Values are contoured to depict capture fractions for the time of interest. Considerations in carrying out the analysis include use of realistic physical boundaries in the model, understanding the degree of linearity of the model, selection of an appropriate time frame and withdrawal rate, and minimizing error in the global mass balance of the model.

Multifunctional Nanotechnology-Enabled Sensors for Rapid Capture and Detection of Pathogens.

PubMed

Mustafa, Fatima; Hassan, Rabeay Y A; Andreescu, Silvana

2017-09-15

Nanomaterial-based sensing approaches that incorporate different types of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanostructures in conjunction with natural or synthetic receptors as molecular recognition elements provide opportunities for the design of sensitive and selective assays for rapid detection of contaminants. This review summarizes recent advancements over the past ten years in the development of nanotechnology-enabled sensors and systems for capture and detection of pathogens. The most common types of nanostructures and NPs, their modification with receptor molecules and integration to produce viable sensing systems with biorecognition, amplification and signal readout are discussed. Examples of all-in-one systems that combine multifunctional properties for capture, separation, inactivation and detection are also provided. Current trends in the development of low-cost instrumentation for rapid assessment of food contamination are discussed as well as challenges for practical implementation and directions for future research.

Under-reactive but easily distracted: An fMRI investigation of attentional capture in autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Keehn, Brandon; Nair, Aarti; Lincoln, Alan J; Townsend, Jeanne; Müller, Ralph-Axel

2016-02-01

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), salient behaviorally-relevant information often fails to capture attention, while subtle behaviorally-irrelevant details commonly induce a state of distraction. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neurocognitive networks underlying attentional capture in sixteen high-functioning children and adolescents with ASD and twenty-one typically developing (TD) individuals. Participants completed a rapid serial visual presentation paradigm designed to investigate activation of attentional networks to behaviorally-relevant targets and contingent attention capture by task-irrelevant distractors. In individuals with ASD, target stimuli failed to trigger bottom-up activation of the ventral attentional network and the cerebellum. Additionally, the ASD group showed no differences in behavior or occipital activation associated with contingent attentional capture. Rather, results suggest that to-be-ignored distractors that shared either task-relevant or irrelevant features captured attention in ASD. Results indicate that individuals with ASD may be under-reactive to behaviorally-relevant stimuli, unable to filter irrelevant information, and that both top-down and bottom-up attention networks function atypically in ASD. Lastly, deficits in target-related processing were associated with autism symptomatology, providing further support for the hypothesis that non-social attentional processes and their neurofunctional underpinnings may play a significant role in the development of sociocommunicative impairments in ASD. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The role of magnocellular signals in oculomotor attentional capture

PubMed Central

Leonard, Carly J.; Luck, Steven J.

2011-01-01

While it is known that salient distractors often capture covert and overt attention, it is unclear whether salience signals that stem from magnocellular visual input have a more dominant role in oculomotor capture than those that result from parvocellular input. Because of the direct anatomical connections between the magnocellular pathway and the superior colliculus, salience signals generated from the magnocellular pathway may produce greater oculomotor capture than those from the parvocellular pathway, which could be potentially harder to overcome with “top-down”, goal-directed guidance. Although previous research has addressed this with regard to magnocellular transients, in the current research we investigated whether a static singleton distractor defined along a dimension visible to the magnocellular pathway would also produce enhanced oculomotor capture. In two experiments, we addressed this possibility by comparing a parvo-biased singleton condition, in which the distractor was defined by isoluminant chromatic color contrast, with a magno+parvo singleton condition, in which the distractor also differed in luminance from the surrounding objects. In both experiments, magno+parvo singletons elicited faster eye movements than parvo-only singletons, presumably reflecting faster information transmission in the magnocellular pathway, but magno+parvo singletons were not significantly more likely to produce oculomotor capture. Thus, although magnocellular salience signals are available more rapidly, they have no sizable advantage over parvocellular salience signals in controlling oculomotor orienting when all stimuli have a common onset. PMID:22076486

Application of a simplified ecological footprint at a regional scale

EPA Science Inventory

Ecological Footprint (EF) is a commonly used metric of environmental sustainability because it is straightforward in theory and easy to conceptualize. EF attempts to capture anthropogenic influence on resources by identifying the amount of biologically-productive land required t...

Effects of sampling conditions on DNA-based estimates of American black bear abundance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laufenberg, Jared S.; Van Manen, Frank T.; Clark, Joseph D.

2013-01-01

DNA-based capture-mark-recapture techniques are commonly used to estimate American black bear (Ursus americanus) population abundance (N). Although the technique is well established, many questions remain regarding study design. In particular, relationships among N, capture probability of heterogeneity mixtures A and B (pA and pB, respectively, or p, collectively), the proportion of each mixture (π), number of capture occasions (k), and probability of obtaining reliable estimates of N are not fully understood. We investigated these relationships using 1) an empirical dataset of DNA samples for which true N was unknown and 2) simulated datasets with known properties that represented a broader array of sampling conditions. For the empirical data analysis, we used the full closed population with heterogeneity data type in Program MARK to estimate N for a black bear population in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. We systematically reduced the number of those samples used in the analysis to evaluate the effect that changes in capture probabilities may have on parameter estimates. Model-averaged N for females and males were 161 (95% CI = 114–272) and 100 (95% CI = 74–167), respectively (pooled N = 261, 95% CI = 192–419), and the average weekly p was 0.09 for females and 0.12 for males. When we reduced the number of samples of the empirical data, support for heterogeneity models decreased. For the simulation analysis, we generated capture data with individual heterogeneity covering a range of sampling conditions commonly encountered in DNA-based capture-mark-recapture studies and examined the relationships between those conditions and accuracy (i.e., probability of obtaining an estimated N that is within 20% of true N), coverage (i.e., probability that 95% confidence interval includes true N), and precision (i.e., probability of obtaining a coefficient of variation ≤20%) of estimates using logistic regression. The capture probability for the larger of 2 mixture proportions of the population (i.e., pA or pB, depending on the value of π) was most important for predicting accuracy and precision, whereas capture probabilities of both mixture proportions (pA and pB) were important to explain variation in coverage. Based on sampling conditions similar to parameter estimates from the empirical dataset (pA = 0.30, pB = 0.05, N = 250, π = 0.15, and k = 10), predicted accuracy and precision were low (60% and 53%, respectively), whereas coverage was high (94%). Increasing pB, the capture probability for the predominate but most difficult to capture proportion of the population, was most effective to improve accuracy under those conditions. However, manipulation of other parameters may be more effective under different conditions. In general, the probabilities of obtaining accurate and precise estimates were best when p≥ 0.2. Our regression models can be used by managers to evaluate specific sampling scenarios and guide development of sampling frameworks or to assess reliability of DNA-based capture-mark-recapture studies.

The coordinate system of the eye in cataract surgery: Performance comparison of the circle Hough transform and Daugman's algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlachynska, Alzbeta; Oplatkova, Zuzana Kominkova; Sramka, Martin

2017-07-01

The aim of the work is to determine the coordinate system of an eye and insert a polar-axis system into images captured by a slip lamp. The image of the eye with the polar axis helps a surgeon accurately implant toric intraocular lens in the required position/rotation during the cataract surgery. In this paper, two common algorithms for pupil detection are compared: the circle Hough transform and Daugman's algorithm. The procedures were tested and analysed on the anonymous data set of 128 eyes captured at Gemini eye clinic in 2015.

Extended capture range for focus-diverse phase retrieval in segmented aperture systems using geometrical optics.

PubMed

Jurling, Alden S; Fienup, James R

2014-03-01

Extending previous work by Thurman on wavefront sensing for segmented-aperture systems, we developed an algorithm for estimating segment tips and tilts from multiple point spread functions in different defocused planes. We also developed methods for overcoming two common modes for stagnation in nonlinear optimization-based phase retrieval algorithms for segmented systems. We showed that when used together, these methods largely solve the capture range problem in focus-diverse phase retrieval for segmented systems with large tips and tilts. Monte Carlo simulations produced a rate of success better than 98% for the combined approach.

Cleanup procedure for water, soil, animal and plant extracts for the use of electron-capture detector in the gas chromatographic analysis of organophosphorus insecticide residues.

PubMed

Kadoum, A M

1968-07-01

A simple, aqueous acetonitrile partition cleanup method for analyses of some common organophosphorus insecticide residues is described. The procedure described is for cleanup and quantitative recovery of parathion, methyl parathion, diazinon, malathion and thimet from different extracts. Those insecticides in the purified extracts of ground water, grain, soil, plant and animal tissues can be detected quantitatively by gas chromatography with an electron capture-detector at 0.01 ppm. Cleanup is satisfactory for paper and thin-layer chromatography for further identification of individual insecticides in the extracts.

Nosology, ontology and promiscuous realism.

PubMed

Binney, Nicholas

2015-06-01

Medics may consider worrying about their metaphysics and ontology to be a waste of time. I will argue here that this is not the case. Promiscuous realism is a metaphysical position which holds that multiple, equally valid, classification schemes should be applied to objects (such as patients) to capture different aspects of their complex and heterogeneous nature. As medics at the bedside may need to capture different aspects of their patients' problems, they may need to use multiple classification schemes (multiple nosologies), and thus consider adopting a different metaphysics to the one commonly in use. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Neutron radiative capture cross section of Cu,6563 between 0.4 and 7.5 MeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newsome, I.; Bhike, M.; Krishichayan, Tornow, W.

2018-04-01

Natural copper is commonly used as cooling and shielding medium in detector arrangements designed to search for neutrinoless double-β decay. Neutron-induced background reactions on copper could potentially produce signals that are indistinguishable from the signals of interest. The present work focuses on radiative neutron capture experiments on Cu,6563 in the 0.4 to 7.5 MeV neutron energy range. The new data provide evaluations and model calculations with benchmark data needed to extend their applicability in predicting background rates in neutrinoless double-β decay experiments.

Toward more transparent and reproducible omics studies through a common metadata checklist and data publications.

PubMed

Kolker, Eugene; Özdemir, Vural; Martens, Lennart; Hancock, William; Anderson, Gordon; Anderson, Nathaniel; Aynacioglu, Sukru; Baranova, Ancha; Campagna, Shawn R; Chen, Rui; Choiniere, John; Dearth, Stephen P; Feng, Wu-Chun; Ferguson, Lynnette; Fox, Geoffrey; Frishman, Dmitrij; Grossman, Robert; Heath, Allison; Higdon, Roger; Hutz, Mara H; Janko, Imre; Jiang, Lihua; Joshi, Sanjay; Kel, Alexander; Kemnitz, Joseph W; Kohane, Isaac S; Kolker, Natali; Lancet, Doron; Lee, Elaine; Li, Weizhong; Lisitsa, Andrey; Llerena, Adrian; Macnealy-Koch, Courtney; Marshall, Jean-Claude; Masuzzo, Paola; May, Amanda; Mias, George; Monroe, Matthew; Montague, Elizabeth; Mooney, Sean; Nesvizhskii, Alexey; Noronha, Santosh; Omenn, Gilbert; Rajasimha, Harsha; Ramamoorthy, Preveen; Sheehan, Jerry; Smarr, Larry; Smith, Charles V; Smith, Todd; Snyder, Michael; Rapole, Srikanth; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Stanberry, Larissa; Stewart, Elizabeth; Toppo, Stefano; Uetz, Peter; Verheggen, Kenneth; Voy, Brynn H; Warnich, Louise; Wilhelm, Steven W; Yandl, Gregory

2014-01-01

Biological processes are fundamentally driven by complex interactions between biomolecules. Integrated high-throughput omics studies enable multifaceted views of cells, organisms, or their communities. With the advent of new post-genomics technologies, omics studies are becoming increasingly prevalent; yet the full impact of these studies can only be realized through data harmonization, sharing, meta-analysis, and integrated research. These essential steps require consistent generation, capture, and distribution of metadata. To ensure transparency, facilitate data harmonization, and maximize reproducibility and usability of life sciences studies, we propose a simple common omics metadata checklist. The proposed checklist is built on the rich ontologies and standards already in use by the life sciences community. The checklist will serve as a common denominator to guide experimental design, capture important parameters, and be used as a standard format for stand-alone data publications. The omics metadata checklist and data publications will create efficient linkages between omics data and knowledge-based life sciences innovation and, importantly, allow for appropriate attribution to data generators and infrastructure science builders in the post-genomics era. We ask that the life sciences community test the proposed omics metadata checklist and data publications and provide feedback for their use and improvement.

Toward More Transparent and Reproducible Omics Studies Through a Common Metadata Checklist and Data Publications.

PubMed

Kolker, Eugene; Özdemir, Vural; Martens, Lennart; Hancock, William; Anderson, Gordon; Anderson, Nathaniel; Aynacioglu, Sukru; Baranova, Ancha; Campagna, Shawn R; Chen, Rui; Choiniere, John; Dearth, Stephen P; Feng, Wu-Chun; Ferguson, Lynnette; Fox, Geoffrey; Frishman, Dmitrij; Grossman, Robert; Heath, Allison; Higdon, Roger; Hutz, Mara H; Janko, Imre; Jiang, Lihua; Joshi, Sanjay; Kel, Alexander; Kemnitz, Joseph W; Kohane, Isaac S; Kolker, Natali; Lancet, Doron; Lee, Elaine; Li, Weizhong; Lisitsa, Andrey; Llerena, Adrian; MacNealy-Koch, Courtney; Marshall, Jean-Claude; Masuzzo, Paola; May, Amanda; Mias, George; Monroe, Matthew; Montague, Elizabeth; Mooney, Sean; Nesvizhskii, Alexey; Noronha, Santosh; Omenn, Gilbert; Rajasimha, Harsha; Ramamoorthy, Preveen; Sheehan, Jerry; Smarr, Larry; Smith, Charles V; Smith, Todd; Snyder, Michael; Rapole, Srikanth; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Stanberry, Larissa; Stewart, Elizabeth; Toppo, Stefano; Uetz, Peter; Verheggen, Kenneth; Voy, Brynn H; Warnich, Louise; Wilhelm, Steven W; Yandl, Gregory

2013-12-01

Biological processes are fundamentally driven by complex interactions between biomolecules. Integrated high-throughput omics studies enable multifaceted views of cells, organisms, or their communities. With the advent of new post-genomics technologies, omics studies are becoming increasingly prevalent; yet the full impact of these studies can only be realized through data harmonization, sharing, meta-analysis, and integrated research. These essential steps require consistent generation, capture, and distribution of metadata. To ensure transparency, facilitate data harmonization, and maximize reproducibility and usability of life sciences studies, we propose a simple common omics metadata checklist. The proposed checklist is built on the rich ontologies and standards already in use by the life sciences community. The checklist will serve as a common denominator to guide experimental design, capture important parameters, and be used as a standard format for stand-alone data publications. The omics metadata checklist and data publications will create efficient linkages between omics data and knowledge-based life sciences innovation and, importantly, allow for appropriate attribution to data generators and infrastructure science builders in the post-genomics era. We ask that the life sciences community test the proposed omics metadata checklist and data publications and provide feedback for their use and improvement.

Feasibility study of algae-based CO2 capture

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract: The biomass of microalgae contains approximately 50% carbon, which is commonly obtained from the atmosphere, but can also be taken from commercial sources that produce CO2, such as coal-fired power plants. A study of operational demonstration projects is being underta...

Feasibility study of algae-based Carbon Dioxide capture

EPA Science Inventory

SUMMARY: The biomass of microalgae contains approximately 50% carbon, which is commonly obtained from the atmosphere, but can also be taken from commercial sources that produce CO2, such as coal-fired power plants. A study of operational demonstration projects is being undertak...

Leaving A Mark: A Comparison Arthropod Protein Marking Protocols

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Knowledge of arthropod pest and natural enemy disperal patterns is needed for effective and environmentally benign pest control. The most common tactics used to monitor arthropod dispersal patterns include mark-release-recapture (MRR) and mark-capture methodologies. Both methods require the applica...

Nondestructive evaluation of pavement structural condition for rehabilitation design : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-05-31

Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) is the common non-destructive testing method for in-situ evaluation of pavement condition. : This study aims to develop finite element (FE) models that can simulate FWD loading on pavement system and capture the : c...

Identifying sources of heterogeneity in capture probabilities: An example using the Great Tit Parus major

USGS Publications Warehouse

Senar, J.C.; Conroy, M.J.; Carrascal, L.M.; Domenech, J.; Mozetich, I.; Uribe, F.

1999-01-01

Heterogeneous capture probabilities are a common problem in many capture-recapture studies. Several methods of detecting the presence of such heterogeneity are currently available, and stratification of data has been suggested as the standard method to avoid its effects. However, few studies have tried to identify sources of heterogeneity, or whether there are interactions among sources. The aim of this paper is to suggest an analytical procedure to identify sources of capture heterogeneity. We use data on the sex and age of Great Tits captured in baited funnel traps, at two localities differing in average temperature. We additionally use 'recapture' data obtained by videotaping at feeder (with no associated trap), where the tits ringed with different colours were recorded. This allowed us to test whether individuals in different classes (age, sex and condition) are not trapped because of trap shyness or because o a reduced use of the bait. We used logistic regression analysis of the capture probabilities to test for the effects of age, sex, condition, location and 'recapture method. The results showed a higher recapture probability in the colder locality. Yearling birds (either males or females) had the highest recapture prob abilities, followed by adult males, while adult females had the lowest recapture probabilities. There was no effect of the method of 'recapture' (trap or video tape), which suggests that adult females are less often captured in traps no because of trap-shyness but because of less dependence on supplementary food. The potential use of this methodological approach in other studies is discussed.

Under-reporting of road traffic mortality in developing countries: application of a capture-recapture statistical model to refine mortality estimates.

PubMed

Samuel, Jonathan C; Sankhulani, Edward; Qureshi, Javeria S; Baloyi, Paul; Thupi, Charles; Lee, Clara N; Miller, William C; Cairns, Bruce A; Charles, Anthony G

2012-01-01

Road traffic injuries are a major cause of preventable death in sub-Saharan Africa. Accurate epidemiologic data are scarce and under-reporting from primary data sources is common. Our objectives were to estimate the incidence of road traffic deaths in Malawi using capture-recapture statistical analysis and determine what future efforts will best improve upon this estimate. Our capture-recapture model combined primary data from both police and hospital-based registries over a one year period (July 2008 to June 2009). The mortality incidences from the primary data sources were 0.075 and 0.051 deaths/1000 person-years, respectively. Using capture-recapture analysis, the combined incidence of road traffic deaths ranged 0.192-0.209 deaths/1000 person-years. Additionally, police data were more likely to include victims who were male, drivers or pedestrians, and victims from incidents with greater than one vehicle involved. We concluded that capture-recapture analysis is a good tool to estimate the incidence of road traffic deaths, and that capture-recapture analysis overcomes limitations of incomplete data sources. The World Health Organization estimated incidence of road traffic deaths for Malawi utilizing a binomial regression model and survey data and found a similar estimate despite strikingly different methods, suggesting both approaches are valid. Further research should seek to improve capture-recapture data through utilization of more than two data sources and improving accuracy of matches by minimizing missing data, application of geographic information systems, and use of names and civil registration numbers if available.

Under-Reporting of Road Traffic Mortality in Developing Countries: Application of a Capture-Recapture Statistical Model to Refine Mortality Estimates

PubMed Central

Samuel, Jonathan C.; Sankhulani, Edward; Qureshi, Javeria S.; Baloyi, Paul; Thupi, Charles; Lee, Clara N.; Miller, William C.; Cairns, Bruce A.; Charles, Anthony G.

2012-01-01

Road traffic injuries are a major cause of preventable death in sub-Saharan Africa. Accurate epidemiologic data are scarce and under-reporting from primary data sources is common. Our objectives were to estimate the incidence of road traffic deaths in Malawi using capture-recapture statistical analysis and determine what future efforts will best improve upon this estimate. Our capture-recapture model combined primary data from both police and hospital-based registries over a one year period (July 2008 to June 2009). The mortality incidences from the primary data sources were 0.075 and 0.051 deaths/1000 person-years, respectively. Using capture-recapture analysis, the combined incidence of road traffic deaths ranged 0.192–0.209 deaths/1000 person-years. Additionally, police data were more likely to include victims who were male, drivers or pedestrians, and victims from incidents with greater than one vehicle involved. We concluded that capture-recapture analysis is a good tool to estimate the incidence of road traffic deaths, and that capture-recapture analysis overcomes limitations of incomplete data sources. The World Health Organization estimated incidence of road traffic deaths for Malawi utilizing a binomial regression model and survey data and found a similar estimate despite strikingly different methods, suggesting both approaches are valid. Further research should seek to improve capture-recapture data through utilization of more than two data sources and improving accuracy of matches by minimizing missing data, application of geographic information systems, and use of names and civil registration numbers if available. PMID:22355338

Live Cell Genomics: RNA Exon-Specific RNA-Binding Protein Isolation.

PubMed

Bell, Thomas J; Eberwine, James

2015-01-01

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are essential regulatory proteins that control all modes of RNA processing and regulation. New experimental approaches to isolate these indispensable proteins under in vivo conditions are needed to advance the field of RBP biology. Historically, in vitro biochemical approaches to isolate RBP complexes have been useful and productive, but biological relevance of the identified RBP complexes can be imprecise or erroneous. Here we review an inventive experimental to isolate RBPs under the in vivo conditions. The method is called peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-assisted identification of RBP (PAIR) technology and it uses cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to deliver photo-activatible RBP-capture molecule to the cytoplasm of the live cells. The PAIR methodology provides two significant advantages over the most commonly used approaches: (1) it overcomes the in vitro limitation of standard biochemical approaches and (2) the PAIR RBP-capture molecule is highly selective and adaptable which allows investigators to isolate exon-specific RBP complexes. Most importantly, the in vivo capture conditions and selectivity of the RBP-capture molecule yield biologically accurate and relevant RBP data.

Accretion Dynamics on Wet Granular Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saingier, Guillaume; Sauret, Alban; Jop, Pierre

2017-05-01

Wet granular aggregates are common precursors of construction materials, food, and health care products. The physical mechanisms involved in the mixing of dry grains with a wet substrate are not well understood and difficult to control. Here, we study experimentally the accretion of dry grains on a wet granular substrate by measuring the growth dynamics of the wet aggregate. We show that this aggregate is fully saturated and its cohesion is ensured by the capillary depression at the air-liquid interface. The growth dynamics is controlled by the liquid fraction at the surface of the aggregate and exhibits two regimes. In the viscous regime, the growth dynamics is limited by the capillary-driven flow of liquid through the granular packing to the surface of the aggregate. In the capture regime, the capture probability depends on the availability of the liquid at the saturated interface, which is controlled by the hydrostatic depression in the material. We propose a model that rationalizes our observations and captures both dynamics based on the evolution of the capture probability with the hydrostatic depression.

Physics of Intact Capture of Cometary Coma Dust Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, William

2011-06-01

In 1986, Tom Ahrens and I developed a simple model for hypervelocity capture in low density foams, aimed in particular at the suggestion that such techniques could be used to capture dust during flyby of an active comet nucleus. While the model was never published in printed form, it became known to many in the cometary dust sampling community. More sophisticated models have been developed since, but our original model still retains superiority for some applications and elucidates the physics of the capture process in a more intuitive way than the more recent models. The model makes use of the small value of the Hugoniot intercept typical of highly distended media to invoke analytic expressions with functional forms common to fluid dynamics. The model successfully describes the deceleration and ablation of a particle that is large enough to see the foam as a low density continuum. I will present that model, updated with improved calculations of the temperature in the shocked foam, and show its continued utility in elucidating the phenomena of hypervelocity penetration of low-density foams.

Winter habitat occurrence patterns of temperate migrant birds in Belize

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dawson, D.K.; Robbins, C.S.; Sauer, J.R.

1992-01-01

We used mist nets and point counts to sample bird populations in 61 sites in Belize during January-March of 1987-1991. Sites were classified as forest, second growth, woody agricultural crops (citrus, mango, cacao, and cashew), or non-woody agricultural crops (rice and sugar cane). We evaluated patterns of occurence of wintering temperate migrant bird species in these habitats. Mist net captures of 22 of 31 migrant species differed significantly among habitats. Of these, 13 species were captured more frequently in the agricultural habitats. American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia), and Magnolia Warbler (Dendroica magnolia) were among the species captured most frequently in woody agricultural habitats; captures of Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), and Northern (lcterus galbula) and Orchard orioles (I. spur/anus) were highest in the non-woody agricultural sites. We relate these occurrence patterns to trends in breeding populations in North America. While count data provide a wide picture of winter habitat distribution of migrants, more intensive work is necessary to assess temporal and geographic variation of migrant bird use of agricultural habitats.

C3 and C4 biomass allocation responses to elevated CO2 and nitrogen: contrasting resource capture strategies

USGS Publications Warehouse

White, K.P.; Langley, J.A.; Cahoon, D.R.; Megonigal, J.P.

2012-01-01

Plants alter biomass allocation to optimize resource capture. Plant strategy for resource capture may have important implications in intertidal marshes, where soil nitrogen (N) levels and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) are changing. We conducted a factorial manipulation of atmospheric CO2 (ambient and ambient + 340 ppm) and soil N (ambient and ambient + 25 g m-2 year-1) in an intertidal marsh composed of common North Atlantic C3 and C4 species. Estimation of C3 stem turnover was used to adjust aboveground C3 productivity, and fine root productivity was partitioned into C3-C4 functional groups by isotopic analysis. The results suggest that the plants follow resource capture theory. The C3 species increased aboveground productivity under the added N and elevated CO2 treatment (P 2 alone. C3 fine root production decreased with added N (P 2 (P = 0.0481). The C4 species increased growth under high N availability both above- and belowground, but that stimulation was diminished under elevated CO2. The results suggest that the marsh vegetation allocates biomass according to resource capture at the individual plant level rather than for optimal ecosystem viability in regards to biomass influence over the processes that maintain soil surface elevation in equilibrium with sea level.

Exogenous attention can be counter-selective: onset cues disrupt sensitivity to color changes.

PubMed

Müller-Plath, Gisela; Klöckner, Nils

2014-03-01

In peripheral spatial cueing paradigms, exogenous attentional capture is commonly observed after salient onset cues or with cues contingent on target characteristics. We proposed that exogenously captured attention disrupts the selectivity to target features. We tested this by experimentally emulating the everyday observation that in a viewing situation in which the observer is monitoring a stationary display fort change to occur, the onset of a salient stimulus (onset cue) or a change in a stationary stimulus similar to the expected one (contingent cue) has a distracting effect. As predicted, we found that both types of cues reduced the target detection sensitivity but enhanced the bias to respond in a go-nogo-paradigm. With the onset cue, the sensitivity loss was more pronounced at the side of the cue, whereas the contingent cue affected both sides likewise. Moreover, the effects of the onset cue interacted with the task difficulty: the more selectivity a task required the more immune it was against disruption, but the more likely was a response. We concluded that onset capture disrupts selective attention by adding noise to the processing of the target location. The effects of contingent capture could be explained with cue-target confounding. Finally, we suggest a new model of attentional capture in which exogenous and endogenous components interact in a dynamic way.

Multifunctional Nanotechnology-Enabled Sensors for Rapid Capture and Detection of Pathogens

PubMed Central

Mustafa, Fatima; Andreescu, Silvana

2017-01-01

Nanomaterial-based sensing approaches that incorporate different types of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanostructures in conjunction with natural or synthetic receptors as molecular recognition elements provide opportunities for the design of sensitive and selective assays for rapid detection of contaminants. This review summarizes recent advancements over the past ten years in the development of nanotechnology-enabled sensors and systems for capture and detection of pathogens. The most common types of nanostructures and NPs, their modification with receptor molecules and integration to produce viable sensing systems with biorecognition, amplification and signal readout are discussed. Examples of all-in-one systems that combine multifunctional properties for capture, separation, inactivation and detection are also provided. Current trends in the development of low-cost instrumentation for rapid assessment of food contamination are discussed as well as challenges for practical implementation and directions for future research. PMID:28914769

Phage-based biomolecular filter for the capture of bacterial pathogens in liquid streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Songtao; Chen, I.-Hsuan; Horikawa, Shin; Lu, Xu; Liu, Yuzhe; Wikle, Howard C.; Suh, Sang Jin; Chin, Bryan A.

2017-05-01

This paper investigates a phage-based biomolecular filter that enables the evaluation of large volumes of liquids for the presence of small quantities of bacterial pathogens. The filter is a planar arrangement of phage-coated, strip-shaped magnetoelastic (ME) biosensors (4 mm × 0.8 mm × 0.03 mm), magnetically coupled to a filter frame structure, through which a liquid of interest flows. This "phage filter" is designed to capture specific bacterial pathogens and allow non-specific debris to pass, eliminating the common clogging issue in conventional bead filters. ANSYS Maxwell was used to simulate the magnetic field pattern required to hold ME biosensors densely and to optimize the frame design. Based on the simulation results, a phage filter structure was constructed, and a proof-in-concept experiment was conducted where a Salmonella solution of known concentration were passed through the filter, and the number of captured Salmonella was quantified by plate counting.

'Insect aquaplaning' on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: how Heliamphora nutans Benth. pitcher plants capture prey.

PubMed

Bauer, Ulrike; Scharmann, Mathias; Skepper, Jeremy; Federle, Walter

2013-02-22

Trichomes are a common feature of plants and perform important and diverse functions. Here, we show that the inward-pointing hairs on the inner wall of insect-trapping Heliamphora nutans pitchers are highly wettable, causing water droplets to spread rapidly across the surface. Wetting strongly enhanced the slipperiness and increased the capture rate for ants from 29 to 88 per cent. Force measurements and tarsal ablation experiments revealed that wetting affected the insects' adhesive pads but not the claws, similar to the 'aquaplaning' mechanism of (unrelated) Asian Nepenthes pitcher plants. The inward-pointing trichomes provided much higher traction when insects were pulled outwards. The wetness-dependent capture mechanisms of H. nutans and Nepenthes pitchers present a striking case of functional convergence, whereas the use of wettable trichomes constitutes a previously unknown mechanism to make plant surfaces slippery.

Prey capture by freely swimming flagellates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, Anders; Dolger, Julia; Nielsen, Lasse Tor; Kiorboe, Thomas

2017-11-01

Flagellates are unicellular microswimmers that propel themselves using one or several beating flagella. Here, we explore the dependence of swimming kinematics and prey clearance rate on flagellar arrangement and determine optimal flagellar arrangements and essential trade-offs. To describe near-cell flows around freely swimming flagellates we consider a model in which the cell is represented by a no-slip sphere and each flagellum by a point force. For uniflagellates pulled by a single flagellum the model suggests that a long flagellum favors fast swimming, whereas high clearance rate is favored by a very short flagellum. For biflagellates with both a longitudinal and a transversal flagellum we explore the helical swimming kinematics and the prey capture sites. We compare our predictions with observations of swimming kinematics, prey capture, and flows around common marine flagellates. The Centre for Ocean Life is a VKR Centre of Excellence supported by the Villum Foundation.

International Alzheimer's Disease Research Portfolio (IADRP) aims to capture global Alzheimer's disease research funding.

PubMed

Liggins, Charlene; Snyder, Heather M; Silverberg, Nina; Petanceska, Suzana; Refolo, Lorenzo M; Ryan, Laurie; Carrillo, Maria C

2014-05-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a recognized international public health crisis. There is an urgent need for public and private funding agencies around the world to coordinate funding strategies and leverage existing resources to enhance and expand support of AD research. To capture and compare their existing investments in AD research and research-related resources, major funding organizations are starting to utilize the Common Alzheimer's Disease Research Ontology (CADRO) to categorize their funding information. This information is captured in the International Alzheimer's Disease Research Portfolio (IADRP) for further analysis. As of January, 2014, over fifteen organizations from the US, Canada, Europe and Australia have contributed their information. The goal of the IADRP project is to enable funding organizations to assess the changing landscape of AD research and coordinate strategies, leverage resources, and avoid duplication of effort. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

‘Insect aquaplaning’ on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: how Heliamphora nutans Benth. pitcher plants capture prey

PubMed Central

Bauer, Ulrike; Scharmann, Mathias; Skepper, Jeremy; Federle, Walter

2013-01-01

Trichomes are a common feature of plants and perform important and diverse functions. Here, we show that the inward-pointing hairs on the inner wall of insect-trapping Heliamphora nutans pitchers are highly wettable, causing water droplets to spread rapidly across the surface. Wetting strongly enhanced the slipperiness and increased the capture rate for ants from 29 to 88 per cent. Force measurements and tarsal ablation experiments revealed that wetting affected the insects' adhesive pads but not the claws, similar to the ‘aquaplaning’ mechanism of (unrelated) Asian Nepenthes pitcher plants. The inward-pointing trichomes provided much higher traction when insects were pulled outwards. The wetness-dependent capture mechanisms of H. nutans and Nepenthes pitchers present a striking case of functional convergence, whereas the use of wettable trichomes constitutes a previously unknown mechanism to make plant surfaces slippery. PMID:23256197

An evaluation of the efficiency of minnow traps for estimating the abundance of minnows in desert spring systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, James T.; Scheerer, Paul D.; Clements, Shaun

2015-01-01

Desert springs are sensitive aquatic ecosystems that pose unique challenges to natural resource managers and researchers. Among the most important of these is the need to accurately quantify population parameters for resident fish, particularly when the species are of special conservation concern. We evaluated the efficiency of baited minnow traps for estimating the abundance of two at-risk species, Foskett Speckled Dace Rhinichthys osculus ssp. and Borax Lake Chub Gila boraxobius, in desert spring systems in southeastern Oregon. We evaluated alternative sample designs using simulation and found that capture–recapture designs with four capture occasions would maximize the accuracy of estimates and minimize fish handling. We implemented the design and estimated capture and recapture probabilities using the Huggins closed-capture estimator. Trap capture probabilities averaged 23% and 26% for Foskett Speckled Dace and Borax Lake Chub, respectively, but differed substantially among sample locations, through time, and nonlinearly with fish body size. Recapture probabilities for Foskett Speckled Dace were, on average, 1.6 times greater than (first) capture probabilities, suggesting “trap-happy” behavior. Comparison of population estimates from the Huggins model with the commonly used Lincoln–Petersen estimator indicated that the latter underestimated Foskett Speckled Dace and Borax Lake Chub population size by 48% and by 20%, respectively. These biases were due to variability in capture and recapture probabilities. Simulation of fish monitoring that included the range of capture and recapture probabilities observed indicated that variability in capture and recapture probabilities in time negatively affected the ability to detect annual decreases by up to 20% in fish population size. Failure to account for variability in capture and recapture probabilities can lead to poor quality data and study inferences. Therefore, we recommend that fishery researchers and managers employ sample designs and estimators that can account for this variability.

Feasibility study of algae-based CO2 capture

EPA Science Inventory

The biomass of microalgae contains approximately 50% carbon, which is commonly obtained from the atmosphere, but can also be taken from commercial sources that produce CO2, such as coal-fired power plants. A study of operational demonstration projects is being undertaken to eval...

Herpetofaunal species composition and relative abundance among three New England forest types

Treesearch

Richard M. DeGraaf; Deborah D. Rudis

1990-01-01

Drift fences and pitfall traps captured > 2000 reptiles and amphibians during 2 years; the most common species were wood frog (Rana sylvatica), American toad (Bufo americanus), and redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus). There were differences in species abundances among streamside and upland...

Competent Systems: Effective, Efficient, Deliverable.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abramson, Bruce

Recent developments in artificial intelligence and decision analysis suggest reassessing the approaches commonly taken to the design of knowledge-based systems. Competent systems are based on models known as influence diagrams, which graphically capture a domain's basic objects and their interrelationships. Among the benefits offered by influence…

Capturing and Displaying Uncertainty in the Common Tactical/Environmental Picture

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-09-30

multistatic active detection, and incorporated this characterization into a Bayesian track - before - detect system called, the Likelihood Ratio Tracker (LRT...prediction uncertainty in a track before detect system for multistatic active sonar. The approach has worked well on limited simulation data. IMPACT

EFFECTIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

One commonly used approach to CSO pollution abatement is to rely on a storm-event based design of storage-tank volume to capture CSO for pump-back and/or bleed-back (gravity flow) to the existing WWTP for treatment. However, this approach may not be by itself the most economical...

THE REPORTED EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMONLY USED BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR THE CONTROL OF NUTRIENTS IN URBAN STORMWATER

EPA Science Inventory

Many structural BMPs, when appropriately designed and constructed, capture and treat urban runoff to remove particulate-associated pollutants. However, field monitoring programs show these same structures provide relatively little reduction in the loadings of dissolved constitue...

Lotka-Volterra pairwise modeling fails to capture diverse pairwise microbial interactions

PubMed Central

Momeni, Babak; Xie, Li; Shou, Wenying

2017-01-01

Pairwise models are commonly used to describe many-species communities. In these models, an individual receives additive fitness effects from pairwise interactions with each species in the community ('additivity assumption'). All pairwise interactions are typically represented by a single equation where parameters reflect signs and strengths of fitness effects ('universality assumption'). Here, we show that a single equation fails to qualitatively capture diverse pairwise microbial interactions. We build mechanistic reference models for two microbial species engaging in commonly-found chemical-mediated interactions, and attempt to derive pairwise models. Different equations are appropriate depending on whether a mediator is consumable or reusable, whether an interaction is mediated by one or more mediators, and sometimes even on quantitative details of the community (e.g. relative fitness of the two species, initial conditions). Our results, combined with potential violation of the additivity assumption in many-species communities, suggest that pairwise modeling will often fail to predict microbial dynamics. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25051.001 PMID:28350295

Estimating Common Growth Patterns in Juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from Diverse Genetic Stocks and a Large Spatial Extent.

PubMed

Goertler, Pascale A L; Scheuerell, Mark D; Simenstad, Charles A; Bottom, Daniel L

2016-01-01

Life history variation in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) supports species resilience to natural disturbances and fishery exploitation. Within salmon species, life-history variation often manifests during freshwater and estuarine rearing, as variation in growth. To date, however, characterizing variability in growth patterns within and among individuals has been difficult via conventional sampling methods because of the inability to obtain repeated size measurements. In this study we related otolith microstructures to growth rates of individual juvenile Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) from the Columbia River estuary over a two-year period (2010-2012). We used dynamic factor analysis to determine whether there were common patterns in growth rates within juveniles based on their natal region, capture location habitat type, and whether they were wild or of hatchery origin. We identified up to five large-scale trends in juvenile growth rates depending on month and year of capture. We also found that hatchery fish had a narrower range of trend loadings for some capture groups, suggesting that hatchery fish do not express the same breadth of growth variability as wild fish. However, we were unable to resolve a relationship between specific growth patterns and habitat transitions. Our study exemplifies how a relatively new statistical analysis can be applied to dating or aging techniques to summarize individual variation, and characterize aspects of life history diversity.

Estimating Common Growth Patterns in Juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from Diverse Genetic Stocks and a Large Spatial Extent

PubMed Central

Scheuerell, Mark D.; Simenstad, Charles A.; Bottom, Daniel L.

2016-01-01

Life history variation in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) supports species resilience to natural disturbances and fishery exploitation. Within salmon species, life-history variation often manifests during freshwater and estuarine rearing, as variation in growth. To date, however, characterizing variability in growth patterns within and among individuals has been difficult via conventional sampling methods because of the inability to obtain repeated size measurements. In this study we related otolith microstructures to growth rates of individual juvenile Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) from the Columbia River estuary over a two-year period (2010–2012). We used dynamic factor analysis to determine whether there were common patterns in growth rates within juveniles based on their natal region, capture location habitat type, and whether they were wild or of hatchery origin. We identified up to five large-scale trends in juvenile growth rates depending on month and year of capture. We also found that hatchery fish had a narrower range of trend loadings for some capture groups, suggesting that hatchery fish do not express the same breadth of growth variability as wild fish. However, we were unable to resolve a relationship between specific growth patterns and habitat transitions. Our study exemplifies how a relatively new statistical analysis can be applied to dating or aging techniques to summarize individual variation, and characterize aspects of life history diversity. PMID:27695094

Micromotor-based lab-on-chip immunoassays.

PubMed

García, Miguel; Orozco, Jahir; Guix, Maria; Gao, Wei; Sattayasamitsathit, Sirilak; Escarpa, Alberto; Merkoçi, Arben; Wang, Joseph

2013-02-21

Here we describe the first example of using self-propelled antibody-functionalized synthetic catalytic microengines for capturing and transporting target proteins between the different reservoirs of a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device. A new catalytic polymer/Ni/Pt microtube engine, containing carboxy moieties on its mixed poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/COOH-PEDOT polymeric outermost layer, is further functionalized with the antibody receptor to selectively recognize and capture the target protein. The new motor-based microchip immunoassay operations are carried out without any bulk fluid flow, replacing the common washing steps in antibody-based protein bioassays with the active transport of the captured protein throughout the different reservoirs, where each step of the immunoassay takes place. A first microchip format involving an 'on-the-fly' double-antibody sandwich assay (DASA) is used for demonstrating the selective capture of the target protein, in the presence of excess of non-target proteins. A secondary antibody tagged with a polymeric-sphere tracer allows the direct visualization of the binding events. In a second approach the immuno-nanomotor captures and transports the microsphere-tagged antigen through a microchannel network. An anti-protein-A modified microengine is finally used to demonstrate the selective capture, transport and convenient label-free optical detection of a Staphylococcus aureus target bacteria (containing proteinA in its cell wall) in the presence of a large excess of non-target (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells. The resulting nanomotor-based microchip immunoassay offers considerable potential for diverse applications in clinical diagnostics, environmental and security monitoring fields.

Transient flow conditions in probabilistic wellhead protection: importance and ways to manage spatial and temporal uncertainty in capture zone delineation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enzenhoefer, R.; Rodriguez-Pretelin, A.; Nowak, W.

2012-12-01

"From an engineering standpoint, the quantification of uncertainty is extremely important not only because it allows estimating risk but mostly because it allows taking optimal decisions in an uncertain framework" (Renard, 2007). The most common way to account for uncertainty in the field of subsurface hydrology and wellhead protection is to randomize spatial parameters, e.g. the log-hydraulic conductivity or porosity. This enables water managers to take robust decisions in delineating wellhead protection zones with rationally chosen safety margins in the spirit of probabilistic risk management. Probabilistic wellhead protection zones are commonly based on steady-state flow fields. However, several past studies showed that transient flow conditions may substantially influence the shape and extent of catchments. Therefore, we believe they should be accounted for in the probabilistic assessment and in the delineation process. The aim of our work is to show the significance of flow transients and to investigate the interplay between spatial uncertainty and flow transients in wellhead protection zone delineation. To this end, we advance our concept of probabilistic capture zone delineation (Enzenhoefer et al., 2012) that works with capture probabilities and other probabilistic criteria for delineation. The extended framework is able to evaluate the time fraction that any point on a map falls within a capture zone. In short, we separate capture probabilities into spatial/statistical and time-related frequencies. This will provide water managers additional information on how to manage a well catchment in the light of possible hazard conditions close to the capture boundary under uncertain and time-variable flow conditions. In order to save computational costs, we take advantage of super-positioned flow components with time-variable coefficients. We assume an instantaneous development of steady-state flow conditions after each temporal change in driving forces, following an idea by Festger and Walter, 2002. These quasi steady-state flow fields are cast into a geostatistical Monte Carlo framework to admit and evaluate the influence of parameter uncertainty on the delineation process. Furthermore, this framework enables conditioning on observed data with any conditioning scheme, such as rejection sampling, Ensemble Kalman Filters, etc. To further reduce the computational load, we use the reverse formulation of advective-dispersive transport. We simulate the reverse transport by particle tracking random walk in order to avoid numerical dispersion to account for well arrival times.

Genetic architecture of cyst nematode resistance revealed by genome-wide association study in soybean

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bi-parental mapping populations have been commonly utilized to identify and characterize quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines Ichinohe). Although this approach successfully mapped a large number of SCN resistance QTL, it captures onl...

Online Training: The Value of Capturing Trainee Reactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Lori K.; DuBois, Cathy Z.; Faley, Robert H.

2008-01-01

Purpose: Despite years of advice from researchers that trainee reactions provide training evaluation information that is of very limited use, trainee reactions remain the most commonly used measure of training effectiveness. Because the technology that supports online training facilitates the collection of trainee reaction information during and…

Becoming a Spider Scientist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Patricia; Getz, Angela

2008-01-01

In this integrated unit, third grade students become spider scientists as they observe spiders in their classroom to debunk some common misconceptions about these intimidating creatures. "Charlotte's Web" is used to capture students' interest. In addition to addressing philosophical topics such as growing-up, death, and friendship; E.B. White's…

Applicability of common measures in multifocus image fusion comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vajgl, Marek

2017-11-01

Image fusion is an image processing area aimed at fusion of multiple input images to achieve an output image somehow better then each of the input ones. In the case of "multifocus fusion", input images are capturing the same scene differing ina focus distance. The aim is to obtain an image, which is sharp in all its areas. The are several different approaches and methods used to solve this problem. However, it is common question which one is the best. This work describes a research covering the field of common measures with a question, if some of them can be used as a quality measure of the fusion result evaluation.

Towards more transparent and reproducible omics studies through a common metadata checklist and data publications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kolker, Eugene; Ozdemir, Vural; Martens , Lennart

Biological processes are fundamentally driven by complex interactions between biomolecules. Integrated high-throughput omics studies enable multifaceted views of cells, organisms, or their communities. With the advent of new post-genomics technologies omics studies are becoming increasingly prevalent yet the full impact of these studies can only be realized through data harmonization, sharing, meta-analysis, and integrated research,. These three essential steps require consistent generation, capture, and distribution of the metadata. To ensure transparency, facilitate data harmonization, and maximize reproducibility and usability of life sciences studies, we propose a simple common omics metadata checklist. The proposed checklist is built on the rich ontologiesmore » and standards already in use by the life sciences community. The checklist will serve as a common denominator to guide experimental design, capture important parameters, and be used as a standard format for stand-alone data publications. This omics metadata checklist and data publications will create efficient linkages between omics data and knowledge-based life sciences innovation and importantly, allow for appropriate attribution to data generators and infrastructure science builders in the post-genomics era. We ask that the life sciences community test the proposed omics metadata checklist and data publications and provide feedback for their use and improvement.« less

Toward More Transparent and Reproducible Omics Studies Through a Common Metadata Checklist and Data Publications

PubMed Central

Özdemir, Vural; Martens, Lennart; Hancock, William; Anderson, Gordon; Anderson, Nathaniel; Aynacioglu, Sukru; Baranova, Ancha; Campagna, Shawn R.; Chen, Rui; Choiniere, John; Dearth, Stephen P.; Feng, Wu-Chun; Ferguson, Lynnette; Fox, Geoffrey; Frishman, Dmitrij; Grossman, Robert; Heath, Allison; Higdon, Roger; Hutz, Mara H.; Janko, Imre; Jiang, Lihua; Joshi, Sanjay; Kel, Alexander; Kemnitz, Joseph W.; Kohane, Isaac S.; Kolker, Natali; Lancet, Doron; Lee, Elaine; Li, Weizhong; Lisitsa, Andrey; Llerena, Adrian; MacNealy-Koch, Courtney; Marshall, Jean-Claude; Masuzzo, Paola; May, Amanda; Mias, George; Monroe, Matthew; Montague, Elizabeth; Mooney, Sean; Nesvizhskii, Alexey; Noronha, Santosh; Omenn, Gilbert; Rajasimha, Harsha; Ramamoorthy, Preveen; Sheehan, Jerry; Smarr, Larry; Smith, Charles V.; Smith, Todd; Snyder, Michael; Rapole, Srikanth; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Stanberry, Larissa; Stewart, Elizabeth; Toppo, Stefano; Uetz, Peter; Verheggen, Kenneth; Voy, Brynn H.; Warnich, Louise; Wilhelm, Steven W.; Yandl, Gregory

2014-01-01

Abstract Biological processes are fundamentally driven by complex interactions between biomolecules. Integrated high-throughput omics studies enable multifaceted views of cells, organisms, or their communities. With the advent of new post-genomics technologies, omics studies are becoming increasingly prevalent; yet the full impact of these studies can only be realized through data harmonization, sharing, meta-analysis, and integrated research. These essential steps require consistent generation, capture, and distribution of metadata. To ensure transparency, facilitate data harmonization, and maximize reproducibility and usability of life sciences studies, we propose a simple common omics metadata checklist. The proposed checklist is built on the rich ontologies and standards already in use by the life sciences community. The checklist will serve as a common denominator to guide experimental design, capture important parameters, and be used as a standard format for stand-alone data publications. The omics metadata checklist and data publications will create efficient linkages between omics data and knowledge-based life sciences innovation and, importantly, allow for appropriate attribution to data generators and infrastructure science builders in the post-genomics era. We ask that the life sciences community test the proposed omics metadata checklist and data publications and provide feedback for their use and improvement. PMID:24456465

Measures of Retail Food Store Environments and Sales: Review and Implications for Healthy Eating Initiatives.

PubMed

Glanz, Karen; Johnson, Lauren; Yaroch, Amy L; Phillips, Matthew; Ayala, Guadalupe X; Davis, Erica L

2016-04-01

This review describes available measures of retail food store environments, including data collection methods, characteristics of measures, the dimensions most commonly captured across methods, and their strengths and limitations. Articles were included if they were published between 1990 and 2015 in an English-language peer-reviewed journal and presented original research findings on the development and/or use of a measure or method to assess retail food store environments. Four sources were used, including literature databases, backward searching of identified articles, published reviews, and measurement registries. From 3,013 citations identified, 125 observational studies and 5 studies that used sales records were reviewed in-depth. Most studies were cross-sectional and based in the US. The most common tools used were the US Department of Agriculture's Thrifty Food Plan and the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Stores. The most common attribute captured was availability of healthful options, followed by price. Measurement quality indicators were minimal and focused mainly on assessments of reliability. Two widely used tools to measure retail food store environments are available and can be refined and adapted. Standardization of measurement across studies and reports of measurement quality (eg, reliability, validity) may better inform practice and policy changes. Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How Much Is Enough? Minimal Responses of Water Quality and Stream Biota to Partial Retrofit Stormwater Management in a Suburban Neighborhood

EPA Science Inventory

Decentralized stormwater management approaches (e.g., biofiltration swales, pervious pavement, green roofs, rain gardens) that capture, detain, infiltrate, and filter runoff are now commonly used to minimize the impacts of stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces on aquatic eco...

On (Un)common Ground: Transforming from Dissonance to Commitment in a Service Learning Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naudé, Luzelle

2015-01-01

Through the lenses of transformative and experiential learning theory, this article describes South African psychology students' transformational journey while doing service-learning in a rural community. The reflection reports of five cohort groups (2006 to 2010), capturing students meaning making experiences and interpretations during community…

Lights! Camera! Action!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2011-01-01

Advanced capture technology has become almost ubiquitous in higher education: If an institution does nt have it, chances are that it is trailing the competition. Students want it. Tech-savvy teaochers like it. And blended learning environments practically demand it. The most commonly touted benefit of these systems is that they are student…

A community effort towards a knowledge-base and mathematical model of the human pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium LT2

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Metabolic reconstructions (MRs) are common denominators in systems biology and represent biochemical, genetic, and genomic (BiGG) knowledge-bases for target organisms by capturing currently available information in a consistent, structured manner. Salmonella enterica subspecies I serovar Typhimurium...

Caregivers as Interventionists and Trainers: Teaching Mands to Children with Developmental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loughrey, Tara Olivia; Contreras, Bethany P.; Majdalany, Lina M.; Rudy, Nikki; Sinn, Stephanie; Teague, Patricia; Marshall, Genevieve; McGreevy, Patrick; Harvey, A. Celeste

2014-01-01

We evaluated the use of behavioral skills training (BST) to train caregivers to conduct procedures commonly associated with mand training. We trained two caregivers on the following procedures: (a) conducting preference assessments, (b) delivering preferred items contingent on appropriate behavior, (c) capturing and contriving motivating…

Assessment Applications of Ontologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Gregory K. W. K.; Niemi, David; Bewley, William L.

This paper discusses the use of ontologies and their applications to assessment. An ontology provides a shared and common understanding of a domain that can be communicated among people and computational systems. The ontology captures one or more experts' conceptual representation of a domain expressed in terms of concepts and the relationships…

Harnessing the Power or Narratives to Understand User Requirements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hvalshagen, Merete

2011-01-01

It is estimated that $150 billion is wasted yearly on information and communications technology failures in the US. The most common reason for failure is deficiencies in the specified requirements. IS researchers and IS practitioners are therefore continuously exploring methods for effectively analyzing and capturing the user requirements. One…

Common EEG features for behavioral estimation in disparate, real-world tasks.

PubMed

Touryan, Jon; Lance, Brent J; Kerick, Scott E; Ries, Anthony J; McDowell, Kaleb

2016-02-01

In this study we explored the potential for capturing the behavioral dynamics observed in real-world tasks from concurrent measures of EEG. In doing so, we sought to develop models of behavior that would enable the identification of common cross-participant and cross-task EEG features. To accomplish this we had participants perform both simulated driving and guard duty tasks while we recorded their EEG. For each participant we developed models to estimate their behavioral performance during both tasks. Sequential forward floating selection was used to identify the montage of independent components for each model. Linear regression was then used on the combined power spectra from these independent components to generate a continuous estimate of behavior. Our results show that oscillatory processes, evidenced in EEG, can be used to successfully capture slow fluctuations in behavior in complex, multi-faceted tasks. The average correlation coefficients between the actual and estimated behavior was 0.548 ± 0.117 and 0.701 ± 0.154 for the driving and guard duty tasks respectively. Interestingly, through a simple clustering approach we were able to identify a number of common components, both neural and eye-movement related, across participants and tasks. We used these component clusters to quantify the relative influence of common versus participant-specific features in the models of behavior. These findings illustrate the potential for estimating complex behavioral dynamics from concurrent measures from EEG using a finite library of universal features. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Unified Simulation and Analysis Framework for Deep Space Navigation Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anzalone, Evan; Chuang, Jason; Olsen, Carrie

2013-01-01

As the technology that enables advanced deep space autonomous navigation continues to develop and the requirements for such capability continues to grow, there is a clear need for a modular expandable simulation framework. This tool's purpose is to address multiple measurement and information sources in order to capture system capability. This is needed to analyze the capability of competing navigation systems as well as to develop system requirements, in order to determine its effect on the sizing of the integrated vehicle. The development for such a framework is built upon Model-Based Systems Engineering techniques to capture the architecture of the navigation system and possible state measurements and observations to feed into the simulation implementation structure. These models also allow a common environment for the capture of an increasingly complex operational architecture, involving multiple spacecraft, ground stations, and communication networks. In order to address these architectural developments, a framework of agent-based modules is implemented to capture the independent operations of individual spacecraft as well as the network interactions amongst spacecraft. This paper describes the development of this framework, and the modeling processes used to capture a deep space navigation system. Additionally, a sample implementation describing a concept of network-based navigation utilizing digitally transmitted data packets is described in detail. This developed package shows the capability of the modeling framework, including its modularity, analysis capabilities, and its unification back to the overall system requirements and definition.

Assessing the ability of comorbidity indexes to capture comorbid disease in the inpatient rehabilitation burn injury population.

PubMed

Slocum, Chloe S; Goldstein, Richard; DiVita, Margaret A; Mix, Jacqueline; Niewczyk, Paulette; Gerrard, Paul; Sheridan, Robert; Kowalske, Karen J; Zafonte, Ross; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeffrey C

2015-05-01

Burn patients exhibit comorbidities that influence outcomes. This study examines whether existing comorbidity measures capture comorbidities in the burn inpatient rehabilitation population. Data were obtained from the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation from 2002 to 2011 for adults with burn injury. International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, codes were used to assess three comorbidity measures (Charlson Comorbidity Index, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Comorbidity Tiers). The number of subjects and unique comorbidity codes (>1% of frequency) captured by each comorbidity measure was calculated. The study included 5347 patients with a median total body surface area burn decile of 20%-29%, mean age of 51.6 yrs, and mean number of comorbidities of 7.6. There were 2809 unique International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, comorbidity codes. The Charlson Comorbidity Index, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Comorbidity Tiers did not capture 67%, 27%, and 58% of the subjects, respectively. There were 107 unique comorbidities that occurred with a frequency of greater than 1%. Of these, 67% were not captured in all three comorbidity measures. Commonly used comorbidity indexes do not reflect the extent of comorbid disease in the burn rehabilitation population. Future work is needed to assess the need for comorbidity indexes specific to the inpatient rehabilitation setting.

An Ontology-Based Archive Information Model for the Planetary Science Community

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, J. Steven; Crichton, Daniel J.; Mattmann, Chris

2008-01-01

The Planetary Data System (PDS) information model is a mature but complex model that has been used to capture over 30 years of planetary science data for the PDS archive. As the de-facto information model for the planetary science data archive, it is being adopted by the International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA) as their archive data standard. However, after seventeen years of evolutionary change the model needs refinement. First a formal specification is needed to explicitly capture the model in a commonly accepted data engineering notation. Second, the core and essential elements of the model need to be identified to help simplify the overall archive process. A team of PDS technical staff members have captured the PDS information model in an ontology modeling tool. Using the resulting knowledge-base, work continues to identify the core elements, identify problems and issues, and then test proposed modifications to the model. The final deliverables of this work will include specifications for the next generation PDS information model and the initial set of IPDA archive data standards. Having the information model captured in an ontology modeling tool also makes the model suitable for use by Semantic Web applications.

Evasive mimicry: when (if ever) could mimicry based on difficulty of capture evolve?

PubMed

Ruxton, G D; Speed, M; Sherratt, T N

2004-10-22

We elucidate the conditions under which an easy-to-catch edible prey species may evolve to resemble another edible species that is much more difficult to capture ('evasive Batesian mimicry'), and the conditions under which two or more edible but hard-to-catch species evolve a common resemblance ('evasive Mullerian mimicry'). Using two complementary mathematical models, we argue that both phenomena are logically possible but that several factors will limit the prevalence of these forms of mimicry in nature. Evasive Batesian mimicry is most likely to arise when it is costly in time or energy for the predator species to pursue evasive prey, when mimics are encountered less frequently than evasive models and where there are abundant alternative prey. Evasive Mullerian mimicry, by contrast, is most likely to arise when evasive prey species differ in abundance, predators are slow to learn to avoid evasive prey and evading capture is costly to the prey. Unequivocal evidence for evasive Batesian or Mullerian mimicry has not yet been demonstrated in the field, and we argue that more empirical work is needed to test whether putative examples are indeed a result of selection to signal difficulty of capture.

Increasing capture efficiency of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes and Richardson, 1905) and the reliability of catch rate estimates

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeVries, R. J.; Hann, D. A.; Schramm, H.L.

2015-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of environmental parameters on the probability of capturing endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) using trotlines in the lower Mississippi River. Pallid sturgeon were sampled by trotlines year round from 2008 to 2011. A logistic regression model indicated water temperature (T; P < 0.01) and depth (D; P = 0.03) had significant effects on capture probability (Y = −1.75 − 0.06T + 0.10D). Habitat type, surface current velocity, river stage, stage change and non-sturgeon bycatch were not significant predictors (P = 0.26–0.63). Although pallid sturgeon were caught throughout the year, the model predicted that sampling should focus on times when the water temperature is less than 12°C and in deeper water to maximize capture probability; these water temperature conditions commonly occur during November to March in the lower Mississippi River. Further, the significant effect of water temperature which varies widely over time, as well as water depth indicate that any efforts to use the catch rate to infer population trends will require the consideration of temperature and depth in standardized sampling efforts or adjustment of estimates.

Optimizing Sampling Design to Deal with Mist-Net Avoidance in Amazonian Birds and Bats

PubMed Central

Marques, João Tiago; Ramos Pereira, Maria J.; Marques, Tiago A.; Santos, Carlos David; Santana, Joana; Beja, Pedro; Palmeirim, Jorge M.

2013-01-01

Mist netting is a widely used technique to sample bird and bat assemblages. However, captures often decline with time because animals learn and avoid the locations of nets. This avoidance or net shyness can substantially decrease sampling efficiency. We quantified the day-to-day decline in captures of Amazonian birds and bats with mist nets set at the same location for four consecutive days. We also evaluated how net avoidance influences the efficiency of surveys under different logistic scenarios using re-sampling techniques. Net avoidance caused substantial declines in bird and bat captures, although more accentuated in the latter. Most of the decline occurred between the first and second days of netting: 28% in birds and 47% in bats. Captures of commoner species were more affected. The numbers of species detected also declined. Moving nets daily to minimize the avoidance effect increased captures by 30% in birds and 70% in bats. However, moving the location of nets may cause a reduction in netting time and captures. When moving the nets caused the loss of one netting day it was no longer advantageous to move the nets frequently. In bird surveys that could even decrease the number of individuals captured and species detected. Net avoidance can greatly affect sampling efficiency but adjustments in survey design can minimize this. Whenever nets can be moved without losing netting time and the objective is to capture many individuals, they should be moved daily. If the main objective is to survey species present then nets should still be moved for bats, but not for birds. However, if relocating nets causes a significant loss of netting time, moving them to reduce effects of shyness will not improve sampling efficiency in either group. Overall, our findings can improve the design of mist netting sampling strategies in other tropical areas. PMID:24058579

Multiple roles of filopodial dynamics in particle capture and phagocytosis and phenotypes of Cdc42 and Myo10 deletion

PubMed Central

Horsthemke, Markus; Bachg, Anne C.; Groll, Katharina; Moyzio, Sven; Müther, Barbara; Hemkemeyer, Sandra A.; Wedlich-Söldner, Roland; Sixt, Michael; Tacke, Sebastian; Bähler, Martin; Hanley, Peter J.

2017-01-01

Macrophage filopodia, finger-like membrane protrusions, were first implicated in phagocytosis more than 100 years ago, but little is still known about the involvement of these actin-dependent structures in particle clearance. Using spinning disk confocal microscopy to image filopodial dynamics in mouse resident Lifeact-EGFP macrophages, we show that filopodia, or filopodia-like structures, support pathogen clearance by multiple means. Filopodia supported the phagocytic uptake of bacterial (Escherichia coli) particles by (i) capturing along the filopodial shaft and surfing toward the cell body, the most common mode of capture; (ii) capturing via the tip followed by retraction; (iii) combinations of surfing and retraction; or (iv) sweeping actions. In addition, filopodia supported the uptake of zymosan (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) particles by (i) providing fixation, (ii) capturing at the tip and filopodia-guided actin anterograde flow with phagocytic cup formation, and (iii) the rapid growth of new protrusions. To explore the role of filopodia-inducing Cdc42, we generated myeloid-restricted Cdc42 knock-out mice. Cdc42-deficient macrophages exhibited rapid phagocytic cup kinetics, but reduced particle clearance, which could be explained by the marked rounded-up morphology of these cells. Macrophages lacking Myo10, thought to act downstream of Cdc42, had normal morphology, motility, and phagocytic cup formation, but displayed markedly reduced filopodia formation. In conclusion, live-cell imaging revealed multiple mechanisms involving macrophage filopodia in particle capture and engulfment. Cdc42 is not critical for filopodia or phagocytic cup formation, but plays a key role in driving macrophage lamellipodial spreading. PMID:28289096

NASA's Automated Rendezvous and Docking/Capture Sensor Development and Its Applicability to the GER

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinkel, Heather; Cryan, Scott; DSouza, Christopher; Strube, Matthew

2014-01-01

This paper will address how a common Automated Rendezvous and Docking/Capture (AR&D/C) sensor suite can support Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) missions, and discuss how the model of common capability development to support multiple missions can enable system capability level partnerships and further GER objectives. NASA has initiated efforts to develop AR&D/C sensors, that are directly applicable to GER. NASA needs AR&D/C sensors for both the robotic and crewed segments of the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). NASA recently conducted a commonality assessment of the concept of operations for the robotic Asteroid Redirect Vehicle (ARV) and the crewed mission segment using the Orion crew vehicle. The commonality assessment also considered several future exploration and science missions requiring an AR&D/C capability. Missions considered were asteroid sample return, satellite servicing, and planetary entry, descent, and landing. This assessment determined that a common sensor suite consisting of one or more visible wavelength cameras, a three-dimensional LIDAR along with long-wavelength infrared cameras for robustness and situational awareness could be used on each mission to eliminate the cost of multiple sensor developments and qualifications. By choosing sensor parameters at build time instead of at design time and, without having to requalify flight hardware, a specific mission can design overlapping bearing, range, relative attitude, and position measurement availability to suit their mission requirements with minimal nonrecurring engineering costs. The resulting common sensor specification provides the union of all performance requirements for each mission and represents an improvement over the current systems used for AR&D/C today. NASA's AR&D/C sensor development path could benefit the International Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) and support the GER mission scenario by providing a common sensor suite upon which GER objectives could be achieved while minimizing development costs. The paper will describe the concepts of operations of these missions and how the common sensors are utilized by each mission. It will also detail the potential partnerships and contribution of the International community in the development of this common AR&D/C sensor suite.

Mercury risk to avian piscivores across western United States and Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jackson, Allyson K.; Evers, David C.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Ackerman, Joshua T.; Willacker, James J.; Elliott, John E.; Lepak, Jesse M.; Vander Pol, Stacy S.; Bryan, Colleen E.

2016-01-01

The widespread distribution of mercury (Hg) threatens wildlife health, particularly piscivorous birds. Western North America is a diverse region that provides critical habitat to many piscivorous bird species, and also has a well-documented history of mercury contamination from legacy mining and atmospheric deposition. The diversity of landscapes in the west limits the distribution of avian piscivore species, complicating broad comparisons across the region. Mercury risk to avian piscivores was evaluated across the western United States and Canada using a suite of avian piscivore species representing a variety of foraging strategies that together occur broadly across the region. Prey fish Hg concentrations were size-adjusted to the preferred size class of the diet for each avian piscivore (Bald Eagle = 36 cm, Osprey = 30 cm, Common and Yellow-billed Loon = 15 cm, Western and Clark's Grebe = 6 cm, and Belted Kingfisher = 5 cm) across each species breeding range. Using a combination of field and lab-based studies on Hg effect in a variety of species, wet weight blood estimates were grouped into five relative risk categories including: background (< 0.5 μg/g), low (0.5–1 μg/g), moderate (1–2 μg/g), high (2–3 μg/g), and extra high (> 3 μg/g). These risk categories were used to estimate potential mercury risk to avian piscivores across the west at a 1 degree-by-1 degree grid cell resolution. Avian piscivores foraging on larger-sized fish generally were at a higher relative risk to Hg. Habitats with a relatively high risk included wetland complexes (e.g., prairie pothole in Saskatchewan), river deltas (e.g., San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, Columbia River), and arid lands (Great Basin and central Arizona). These results indicate that more intensive avian piscivore sampling is needed across Western North America to generate a more robust assessment of exposure risk.

Identification of long-chain perfluorinated acids in biota from the Canadian Arctic.

PubMed

Martin, Jonathan W; Smithwick, Marla M; Braune, Birgit M; Hoekstra, Paul F; Muir, Derek C G; Mabury, Scott A

2004-01-15

Recently it was discovered that humans and animals from various urban and remote global locations contained a novel class of persistent fluorinated contaminants, the most pervasive of which was perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Lower concentrations of perfluorooctanoate, perfluorohexane sulfonate, and heptadecafluorooctane sulfonamide have also been detected in various samples. Although longer perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) are used in industry and have been detected in fish following a spill of aqueous film forming foam, no studies have been conducted to examine the widespread occurrence of long-chain PFCAs (e.g., CF3(CF2)xCOO-, where x > 6). To provide a preliminary assessment of fluorinated contaminants, including PFCAs, in the Canadian Arctic, polar bears, ringed seals, arctic fox, mink, common loons, northern fulmars, black guillemots, and fish were collected at various locations in the circumpolar region. PFOS was the major contaminant detected in most samples and in polar bear liver was the most prominent organohalogen (mean PFOS = 3.1 microg/g wet weight) compared to individual polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, chlordane, or hexachlorocyclohexane-related chemicals in fat. Using two independent mass spectral techniques, it was confirmed that all samples also contained ng/g concentrations of a homologous series of PFCAs, ranging in length from 9 to 15 carbons. Sum concentrations of PFCAs (sum(PFCAs)) were lower than total PFOS equivalents (sum(PFOS)) in all samples except for mink. In mink, perfluorononanoate (PFNA) concentrations exceeded PFOS concentrations, indicating that PFNA and other PFCAs should be considered in future risk assessments. Mammals feeding at higher trophic levels had greater concentrations of PFOS and PFCAs than mammals feeding at lower trophic positions. In general, odd-length PFCAs exceeded the concentration of even-length PFCAs, and concentrations decreased with increasing chain length in mammals. PFOS and PFCA concentrations were much lower for animals living in the Canadian Arctic than for the same species living in mid-latitude regions of the United States. Future studies should continue to monitor all fluorinated contaminants and examine the absolute and relative toxicities for this novel suite of PFCAs.

Wind of change: new insights on the ecology and evolution of pollination and mating in wind-pollinated plants.

PubMed

Friedman, Jannice; Barrett, Spencer C H

2009-06-01

The rich literature that characterizes the field of pollination biology has focused largely on animal-pollinated plants. At least 10 % of angiosperms are wind pollinated, and this mode of pollination has evolved on multiple occasions among unrelated lineages, and hence this discrepancy in research interest is surprising. Here, the evolution and functional ecology of pollination and mating in wind-pollinated plants are discussed, a theoretical framework for modelling the selection of wind pollination is outlined, and pollen capture and the occurrence of pollen limitation in diverse wind-pollinated herbs are investigated experimentally. Wind pollination may commonly evolve to provide reproductive assurance when pollinators are scarce. Evidence is presented that pollen limitation in wind-pollinated plants may not be as common as it is in animal-pollinated species. The studies of pollen capture in wind-pollinated herbs demonstrate that pollen transfer efficiency is not substantially lower than in animal-pollinated plants as is often assumed. These findings challenge the explanation that the evolution of few ovules in wind-pollinated flowers is associated with low pollen loads. Floral and inflorescence architecture is crucial to pollination and mating because of the aerodynamics of wind pollination. Evidence is provided for the importance of plant height, floral position, and stamen and stigma characteristics in promoting effective pollen dispersal and capture. Finally, it is proposed that geitonogamous selfing may alleviate pollen limitation in many wind-pollinated plants with unisexual flowers.

Rapid identification and susceptibility testing of uropathogenic microbes via immunosorbent ATP-bioluminescence assay on a microfluidic simulator for antibiotic therapy.

PubMed

Dong, Tao; Zhao, Xinyan

2015-02-17

The incorporation of pathogen identification with antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) was implemented on a concept microfluidic simulator, which is well suited for personalizing antibiotic treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). The microfluidic device employs a fiberglass membrane sandwiched between two polypropylene components, with capture antibodies immobilized on the membrane. The chambers in the microfluidic device share the same geometric distribution as the wells in a standard 384-well microplate, resulting in compatibility with common microplate readers. Thirteen types of common uropathogenic microbes were selected as the analytes in this study. The microbes can be specifically captured by various capture antibodies and then quantified via an ATP bioluminescence assay (ATP-BLA) either directly or after a variety of follow-up tests, including urine culture, antibiotic treatment, and personalized antibiotic therapy simulation. Owing to the design of the microfluidic device, as well as the antibody specificity and the ATP-BLA sensitivity, the simulator was proven to be able to identify UTI pathogen species in artificial urine samples within 20 min and to reliably and simultaneously verify the antiseptic effects of eight antibiotic drugs within 3-6 h. The measurement range of the device spreads from 1 × 10(3) to 1 × 10(5) cells/mL in urine samples. We envision that the medical simulator might be broadly employed in UTI treatment and could serve as a model for the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases.

Survival and physiologic response of common Amakihi and Japanese white-eyes during simulated translocation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Work, Thierry M.; Massey, J. Gregory; Johnson, Luanne; Dougill, Steve; Banko, Paul C.

1999-01-01

We evaluated the effects of three translocation trials on Common Amakihi (Hemignathus virens) and Japanese White-eyes (Zosterops japonicus). Trial 1 involved capturing birds, transporting them on rough roads for 4 hr followed by holding in an aviary for 48 hr without overnight thermal support prior to release. Trial 2 involved capture, then holding in an aviary for 48 hr with overnight thermal support followed by transport for 4 hr prior to release. Trial 3 and 1 were identical except that overnight thermal support was provided during trial 3. We monitored survival, food consumption, weight change, and fecal production during captivity as well as changes in hematocrit, estimated total solids, heterophil to lymphocyte ratios, plasma uric acid, and creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) at capture and release. Survival was significantly lower for Amakihi during trial 1 (no thermal support). Birds that died lost significantly more weight than those that survived. Regardless of trial, birds responded to translocation by a combination of weight loss, anemia, hypoproteinemia, and elevated heterophil to lymphocyte ratio, uric acid, and CPK levels. The first 24 hr of captivity posed the greatest risk to birds regardless of whether transport or holding occurred first. Food consumption, fecal production, and weight all decreased at night, and overnight thermal support during holding was critical if ambient temperatures dipped to freezing. We recommend that if small passerines are to be held for > 12 hr, they be monitored individually for weight loss, food consumption, and fecal production.

Seasonal movement and home range of the Mariana Common Moorhen

USGS Publications Warehouse

Takano, L.L.; Haig, S.M.

2004-01-01

Adult Mariana Common Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus guami) were radio-marked on Guam (n = 25) and Saipan (n = 18) to determine home range, inter- and intraseasonal space use, and movement patterns among the Mariana Islands of Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Birds were tracked throughout the dry and wet seasons in 2000 and 2001. During the dry season, no interisland movements were detected and most birds remained at a single wetland. However, some radio-marked adults on Guam (48%) and Saipan (11%) dispersed from their capture site to other wetland sites. Inter-and intraisland movements increased during the wet season. Interisland movement from Saipan to Tinian occurred at the onset of the wet season, although no birds were observed moving off Guam. Radio-marked adults on Guam (71%) and Saipan (70%) dispersed from their capture site to other wetlands. On Guam, moorhens moved farther in the wet season than the dry season. During the wet season frequency of movement among sites was inversely proportional to the average distance between wetlands. Guam moorhens used rivers more often during the wet season. Among nine dispersing adult moorhens captured during the wet season on Fena Reservoir, Guam, 67% returned to Fena Reservoir during the 2001 dry season. Home-range estimates on Guam averaged 3.1 ?? 4.8 ha (SD) and did not differ significantly between sexes or seasons. However, during the dry season, females exhibited significantly smaller mean core areas than males.

Seasonal movement and home range of the Mariana Common Moorhen

USGS Publications Warehouse

Takano, Leilani L.; Haig, Susan M.

2004-01-01

Adult Mariana Common Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus guami) were radio-marked on Guam (n = 25) and Saipan (n = 18) to determine home range, inter- and intraseasonal space use, and movement patterns among the Mariana Islands of Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Birds were tracked throughout the dry and wet seasons in 2000 and 2001. During the dry season, no interisland movements were detected and most birds remained at a single wetland. However, some radio-marked adults on Guam (48%) and Saipan (11%) dispersed from their capture site to other wetland sites. Inter-and intraisland movements increased during the wet season. Interisland movement from Saipan to Tinian occurred at the onset of the wet season, although no birds were observed moving off Guam. Radio-marked adults on Guam (71%) and Saipan (70%) dispersed from their capture site to other wetlands. On Guam, moorhens moved farther in the wet season than the dry season. During the wet season frequency of movement among sites was inversely proportional to the average distance between wetlands. Guam moorhens used rivers more often during the wet season. Among nine dispersing adult moorhens captured during the wet season on Fena Reservoir, Guam, 67% returned to Fena Reservoir during the 2001 dry season. Home-range estimates on Guam averaged 3.1 ± 4.8 ha (SD) and did not differ significantly between sexes or seasons. However, during the dry season, females exhibited significantly smaller mean core areas than males.

Wind of change: new insights on the ecology and evolution of pollination and mating in wind-pollinated plants

PubMed Central

Friedman, Jannice; Barrett, Spencer C. H.

2009-01-01

Background The rich literature that characterizes the field of pollination biology has focused largely on animal-pollinated plants. At least 10 % of angiosperms are wind pollinated, and this mode of pollination has evolved on multiple occasions among unrelated lineages, and hence this discrepancy in research interest is surprising. Here, the evolution and functional ecology of pollination and mating in wind-pollinated plants are discussed, a theoretical framework for modelling the selection of wind pollination is outlined, and pollen capture and the occurrence of pollen limitation in diverse wind-pollinated herbs are investigated experimentally. Scope and Conclusions Wind pollination may commonly evolve to provide reproductive assurance when pollinators are scarce. Evidence is presented that pollen limitation in wind-pollinated plants may not be as common as it is in animal-pollinated species. The studies of pollen capture in wind-pollinated herbs demonstrate that pollen transfer efficiency is not substantially lower than in animal-pollinated plants as is often assumed. These findings challenge the explanation that the evolution of few ovules in wind-pollinated flowers is associated with low pollen loads. Floral and inflorescence architecture is crucial to pollination and mating because of the aerodynamics of wind pollination. Evidence is provided for the importance of plant height, floral position, and stamen and stigma characteristics in promoting effective pollen dispersal and capture. Finally, it is proposed that geitonogamous selfing may alleviate pollen limitation in many wind-pollinated plants with unisexual flowers. PMID:19218583

The Development of the General Factor of Psychopathology 'p Factor' Through Childhood and Adolescence.

PubMed

Murray, Aja Louise; Eisner, Manuel; Ribeaud, Denis

2016-11-01

Recent studies have suggested that the structure of psychopathology may be usefully represented in terms of a general factor of psychopathology (p-factor) capturing variance common to a broad range of symptoms transcending diagnostic domains in addition to specific factors capturing variance common to smaller subsets of more closely related symptoms. Little is known about how the general co-morbidity captured by this p-factor develops and whether general co-morbidity increases or decreases over childhood and adolescence. We evaluated two competing hypotheses: 1) dynamic mutualism which predicts growth in general co-morbidity and associated p-factor strength over time and 2) p-differentiation which predicts that manifestations of liabilities towards psychopathology become increasingly specific over time. Data came from the Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children and Youths (z-proso), a longitudinal study of a normative sample (approx. 50 % male) measured at 8 time points from ages 7 to 15. We operationalised general co-morbidity as p-factor strength in a bi-factor model and used omega hierarchical to track how this changed over development. In contrast to the predictions of both dynamic mutualism and p-differentiation, p-factor strength remained relatively constant over the studied period suggesting that such processes do not govern the interplay between psychopathological symptoms during this phase of development. Future research should focus on earlier phases of development and on factors that maintain the consistency of symptom-general covariation across this period.

Using scenarios to capture work processes in shared home care.

PubMed

Hägglund, Maria; Scandurra, Isabella; Koch, Sabine

2007-01-01

Shared home care is increasingly common, and in order to develop ICT that support such complex cooperative work it is crucial obtain an understanding of the work routines, information demands, and other central preconditions at the clinical level before the development is initiated. Scenarios are proposed as a technique that can be useful for capturing work processes in shared home care and experiences from the Old@Home project are presented. The scenarios are useful not only in the initial phases of the development project but throughout the development process, improving the accessibility of end user requirements and usability issues for the design team, and as a basis for use cases and further design.

RNA interactome capture in yeast.

PubMed

Beckmann, Benedikt M

2017-04-15

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are key players in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. To be able to unbiasedly identify RBPs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we developed a yeast RNA interactome capture protocol which employs RNA labeling, covalent UV crosslinking of RNA and proteins at 365nm wavelength (photoactivatable-ribonucleoside-enhanced crosslinking, PAR-CL) and finally purification of the protein-bound mRNA. The method can be easily implemented in common workflows and takes about 3days to complete. Next to a comprehensive explanation of the method, we focus on our findings about the choice of crosslinking in yeast and discuss the rationale of individual steps in the protocol. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Heterogeneity of envelope molecules expressed on primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 particles as probed by the binding of neutralizing and nonneutralizing antibodies.

PubMed

Poignard, Pascal; Moulard, Maxime; Golez, Edwin; Vivona, Veronique; Franti, Michael; Venturini, Sara; Wang, Meng; Parren, Paul W H I; Burton, Dennis R

2003-01-01

Virion capture assays, in which immobilized antibodies (Abs) capture virus particles, have been used to suggest that nonneutralizing Abs bind effectively to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) primary viruses. Here, we show that virion capture assays, under conditions commonly reported in the literature, give a poor indication of epitope expression on the surface of infectious primary HIV-1. First, estimation of primary HIV-1 capture by p24 measurements shows a very poor correlation with an estimation based on infectivity measurements. Second, virion capture appears to require relatively low Ab affinity for the virion, as shown by the ability of a monoclonal Ab to capture a wild-type and a neutralization escape variant virus equally well. Nevertheless, in a more interpretable competition format, it is shown that nonneutralizing anti-CD4 binding site (CD4bs) Abs compete with a neutralizing anti-CD4bs Ab (b12) for virus capture, suggesting that the nonneutralizing anti-CD4bs Abs are able to bind to the envelope species that is involved in virion capture in these experiments. However, the nonneutralizing anti-CD4bs Abs do not inhibit neutralization by b12 even at considerable excess. This suggests that the nonneutralizing Abs are unable to bind effectively to the envelope species required for virus infectivity. The results were obtained for three different primary virus envelopes. The explanation that we favor is that infectious HIV-1 primary virions can express two forms of gp120, an accessible nonfunctional form and a functional form with limited access. Binding to the nonfunctional form, which needs only to be present at relatively low density on the virion, permits capture but does not lead to neutralization. The expression of a nonfunctional but accessible form of gp120 on virions may contribute to the general failure of HIV-1 infection to elicit cross-neutralizing Abs and may represent a significant problem for vaccines based on viruses or virus-like particles.

Evaluation of trap capture in a geographically closed population of brown treesnakes on Guam

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tyrrell, C.L.; Christy, M.T.; Rodda, G.H.; Yackel Adams, A.A.; Ellingson, A.R.; Savidge, J.A.; Dean-Bradley, K.; Bischof, R.

2009-01-01

1. Open population mark-recapture analysis of unbounded populations accommodates some types of closure violations (e.g. emigration, immigration). In contrast, closed population analysis of such populations readily allows estimation of capture heterogeneity and behavioural response, but requires crucial assumptions about closure (e.g. no permanent emigration) that are suspect and rarely tested empirically. 2. In 2003, we erected a double-sided barrier to prevent movement of snakes in or out of a 5-ha semi-forested study site in northern Guam. This geographically closed population of >100 snakes was monitored using a series of transects for visual searches and a 13 ?? 13 trapping array, with the aim of marking all snakes within the site. Forty-five marked snakes were also supplemented into the resident population to quantify the efficacy of our sampling methods. We used the program mark to analyse trap captures (101 occasions), referenced to census data from visual surveys, and quantified heterogeneity, behavioural response, and size bias in trappability. Analytical inclusion of untrapped individuals greatly improved precision in the estimation of some covariate effects. 3. A novel discovery was that trap captures for individual snakes consisted of asynchronous bouts of high capture probability lasting about 7 days (ephemeral behavioural effect). There was modest behavioural response (trap happiness) and significant latent (unexplained) heterogeneity, with small influences on capture success of date, gender, residency status (translocated or not), and body condition. 4. Trapping was shown to be an effective tool for eradicating large brown treesnakes Boiga irregularis (>900 mm snout-vent length, SVL). 5. Synthesis and applications. Mark-recapture modelling is commonly used by ecological managers to estimate populations. However, existing models involve making assumptions about either closure violations or response to capture. Physical closure of our population on a landscape scale allowed us to determine the relative importance of covariates influencing capture probability (body size, trappability periods, and latent heterogeneity). This information was used to develop models in which different segments of the population could be assigned different probabilities of capture, and suggests that modelling of open populations should incorporate easily measured, but potentially overlooked, parameters such as body size or condition. ?? 2008 The Authors.

Octopus: A Design Methodology for Motion Capture Wearables

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Human motion capture (MoCap) is widely recognised for its usefulness and application in different fields, such as health, sports, and leisure; therefore, its inclusion in current wearables (MoCap-wearables) is increasing, and it may be very useful in a context of intelligent objects interconnected with each other and to the cloud in the Internet of Things (IoT). However, capturing human movement adequately requires addressing difficult-to-satisfy requirements, which means that the applications that are possible with this technology are held back by a series of accessibility barriers, some technological and some regarding usability. To overcome these barriers and generate products with greater wearability that are more efficient and accessible, factors are compiled through a review of publications and market research. The result of this analysis is a design methodology called Octopus, which ranks these factors and schematises them. Octopus provides a tool that can help define design requirements for multidisciplinary teams, generating a common framework and offering a new method of communication between them. PMID:28809786

Musculoskeletal Simulation Model Generation from MRI Data Sets and Motion Capture Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmid, Jérôme; Sandholm, Anders; Chung, François; Thalmann, Daniel; Delingette, Hervé; Magnenat-Thalmann, Nadia

Today computer models and computer simulations of the musculoskeletal system are widely used to study the mechanisms behind human gait and its disorders. The common way of creating musculoskeletal models is to use a generic musculoskeletal model based on data derived from anatomical and biomechanical studies of cadaverous specimens. To adapt this generic model to a specific subject, the usual approach is to scale it. This scaling has been reported to introduce several errors because it does not always account for subject-specific anatomical differences. As a result, a novel semi-automatic workflow is proposed that creates subject-specific musculoskeletal models from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data sets and motion capture data. Based on subject-specific medical data and a model-based automatic segmentation approach, an accurate modeling of the anatomy can be produced while avoiding the scaling operation. This anatomical model coupled with motion capture data, joint kinematics information, and muscle-tendon actuators is finally used to create a subject-specific musculoskeletal model.

Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) as biomonitors of lead contamination of the Big River in Missouri`s Old Lead Belt

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Overmann, S.R.; Krajicek, J.J.

1995-04-01

The usefulness of common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) as biomonitors of lead (Pb) contamination of aquatic ecosystems was assessed. Thirty-seven snapping turtles were collected from three sites on the Big River, an Ozarkian stream contaminated with Pb mine tailings. Morphometric measurements, tissue Pb concentrations (muscle, blood, bone, carapace, brain, and liver), {delta}-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase ({delta}-ALAD) activity, hematocrit, hemoglobin, plasma glucose, osmolality, and chloride ion content were measured. The data showed no effects of Pb contamination on capture success or morphological measurements. Tissue Pb concentrations were related to capture location. Hematocrit, plasma osmolality, plasma glucose, and plasma chloride ion content weremore » not significantly different with respect to capture location. The {delta}-ALAD activity levels were decreased in turtles taken from contaminated sites. Lead levels in the Big River do not appear to be adversely affecting the snapping turtles of the river. Chelydra serpentina is a useful species for biomonitoring of Pb-contaminated aquatic environments.« less

Applying Content Management to Automated Provenance Capture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schuchardt, Karen L.; Gibson, Tara D.; Stephan, Eric G.

2008-04-10

Workflows and data pipelines are becoming increasingly valuable in both computational and experimen-tal sciences. These automated systems are capable of generating significantly more data within the same amount of time than their manual counterparts. Automatically capturing and recording data prove-nance and annotation as part of these workflows is critical for data management, verification, and dis-semination. Our goal in addressing the provenance challenge was to develop and end-to-end system that demonstrates real-time capture, persistent content management, and ad-hoc searches of both provenance and metadata using open source software and standard protocols. We describe our prototype, which extends the Kepler workflow toolsmore » for the execution environment, the Scientific Annotation Middleware (SAM) content management software for data services, and an existing HTTP-based query protocol. Our implementation offers several unique capabilities, and through the use of standards, is able to pro-vide access to the provenance record to a variety of commonly available client tools.« less

Octopus: A Design Methodology for Motion Capture Wearables.

PubMed

Marin, Javier; Blanco, Teresa; Marin, Jose J

2017-08-15

Human motion capture (MoCap) is widely recognised for its usefulness and application in different fields, such as health, sports, and leisure; therefore, its inclusion in current wearables (MoCap-wearables) is increasing, and it may be very useful in a context of intelligent objects interconnected with each other and to the cloud in the Internet of Things (IoT). However, capturing human movement adequately requires addressing difficult-to-satisfy requirements, which means that the applications that are possible with this technology are held back by a series of accessibility barriers, some technological and some regarding usability. To overcome these barriers and generate products with greater wearability that are more efficient and accessible, factors are compiled through a review of publications and market research. The result of this analysis is a design methodology called Octopus, which ranks these factors and schematises them. Octopus provides a tool that can help define design requirements for multidisciplinary teams, generating a common framework and offering a new method of communication between them.

Mechanisms for RNA capture by ssDNA viruses: grand theft RNA.

PubMed

Stedman, Kenneth

2013-06-01

Viruses contain three common types of packaged genomes; double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), RNA (mostly single and occasionally double stranded) and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). There are relatively straightforward explanations for the prevalence of viruses with dsDNA and RNA genomes, but the evolutionary basis for the apparent success of ssDNA viruses is less clear. The recent discovery of four ssDNA virus genomes that appear to have been formed by recombination between co-infecting RNA and ssDNA viruses, together with the high mutation rate of ssDNA viruses provide possible explanations. RNA-DNA recombination allows ssDNA viruses to access much broader sequence space than through nucleotide substitution and DNA-DNA recombination alone. Multiple non-exclusive mechanisms, all due to the unique replication of ssDNA viruses, are proposed for this unusual RNA capture. RNA capture provides an explanation for the evolutionary success of the ssDNA viruses and may help elucidate the mystery of integrated RNA viruses in viral and cellular DNA genomes.

A New Multi-Sensor Fusion Scheme to Improve the Accuracy of Knee Flexion Kinematics for Functional Rehabilitation Movements.

PubMed

Tannous, Halim; Istrate, Dan; Benlarbi-Delai, Aziz; Sarrazin, Julien; Gamet, Didier; Ho Ba Tho, Marie Christine; Dao, Tien Tuan

2016-11-15

Exergames have been proposed as a potential tool to improve the current practice of musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Inertial or optical motion capture sensors are commonly used to track the subject's movements. However, the use of these motion capture tools suffers from the lack of accuracy in estimating joint angles, which could lead to wrong data interpretation. In this study, we proposed a real time quaternion-based fusion scheme, based on the extended Kalman filter, between inertial and visual motion capture sensors, to improve the estimation accuracy of joint angles. The fusion outcome was compared to angles measured using a goniometer. The fusion output shows a better estimation, when compared to inertial measurement units and Kinect outputs. We noted a smaller error (3.96°) compared to the one obtained using inertial sensors (5.04°). The proposed multi-sensor fusion system is therefore accurate enough to be applied, in future works, to our serious game for musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Improving size estimates of open animal populations by incorporating information on age

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manly, Bryan F.J.; McDonald, Trent L.; Amstrup, Steven C.; Regehr, Eric V.

2003-01-01

Around the world, a great deal of effort is expended each year to estimate the sizes of wild animal populations. Unfortunately, population size has proven to be one of the most intractable parameters to estimate. The capture-recapture estimation models most commonly used (of the Jolly-Seber type) are complicated and require numerous, sometimes questionable, assumptions. The derived estimates usually have large variances and lack consistency over time. In capture–recapture studies of long-lived animals, the ages of captured animals can often be determined with great accuracy and relative ease. We show how to incorporate age information into size estimates for open populations, where the size changes through births, deaths, immigration, and emigration. The proposed method allows more precise estimates of population size than the usual models, and it can provide these estimates from two sample occasions rather than the three usually required. Moreover, this method does not require specialized programs for capture-recapture data; researchers can derive their estimates using the logistic regression module in any standard statistical package.

Comparability of Examinee Proficiency Scores on Computer Adaptive Tests Using Real and Simulated Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Josiah Jeremiah

2010-01-01

In measurement research, data simulations are a commonly used analytical technique. While simulation designs have many benefits, it is unclear if these artificially generated datasets are able to accurately capture real examinee item response behaviors. This potential lack of comparability may have important implications for administration of…

Student Experiences at Off-Campus Parties: Results from a Multicampus Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakeman, Rick C.; Silver, Blake R.; Molasso, William

2014-01-01

The need to understand the settings in which students drink represents an ongoing challenge for universities. Undergraduate students (N = 2,146) completed an online multicampus survey to capture the perceptions of off-campus party guests regarding common party behaviors and events. Results indicate that students frequently attend off-campus…

Movement and capture efficiency of radio-tagged salmonids sampled by electrofishing

Treesearch

Michael K. Young; David A. Schmetterling

2012-01-01

Electrofishing-based estimates of fish abundance are common. Most population models assume that samples are drawn froma closed population, but population closure is sometimes difficult to achieve. Consequently, we individually electrofished 103 radio-tagged trout of two species, westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi and brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis...

Paying for High- and Low-Quality Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schacter, John; Thum, Yeow Meng

2004-01-01

The extensive research on teacher quality has led to two conclusions. First, there are large and significant differences among teachers in terms of their capacity to improve student achievement. Second, these differences are not captured by common measures of teacher qualifications (E.A. Hanushek, Teacher quality, in: L.T. Izumi, W.M. Evers…

Identifying Common Mathematical Misconceptions from Actions in Educational Video Games. CRESST Report 838

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Deirdre

2014-01-01

Educational video games provide an opportunity for students to interact with and explore complex representations of academic content and allow for the examination of problem-solving strategies and mistakes that can be difficult to capture in more traditional environments. However, data from such games are notoriously difficult to analyze. This…

Picturing Leisure: Using Photovoice to Understand the Experience of Leisure and Dementia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genoe, M. Rebecca; Dupuis, Sherry L.

2013-01-01

Interviews and participant observation are commonly used to explore the experience of dementia, yet may not adequately capture perspectives of persons with dementia as communication changes. We used photovoice (i.e., using cameras in qualitative research) along with interviews and participant observation to explore meanings of leisure for persons…

Can Value-Added Measures of Teacher Performance Be Trusted? Working Paper #18

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guarino, Cassandra M.; Reckase, Mark D.; Woolridge, Jeffrey M.

2012-01-01

We investigate whether commonly used value-added estimation strategies can produce accurate estimates of teacher effects. We estimate teacher effects in simulated student achievement data sets that mimic plausible types of student grouping and teacher assignment scenarios. No one method accurately captures true teacher effects in all scenarios,…

Scaly, Slimy Fun in Prekindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eastburn, Mark; Ackerman, Andrea; Jones, Bevan

2017-01-01

Nothing captures children's attention more than a living animal, and the more exotic its appearance, the greater the effect. Some of the most exotic-looking creatures, such as toads, frogs, and turtles, can be found near schools, and even in cities, reptiles and amphibians (commonly known as "herps") usually aren't far. Teachers may also…

Using Google Earth to Study the Basic Characteristics of Volcanoes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schipper, Stacia; Mattox, Stephen

2010-01-01

Landforms, natural hazards, and the change in the Earth over time are common material in state and national standards. Volcanoes exemplify these standards and readily capture the interest and imagination of students. With a minimum of training, students can recognize erupted materials and types of volcanoes; in turn, students can relate these…

Capturing Spatial Variability of Biogeochemical Mass Exchanges and Reaction Rates in Wetland Water and Soil through Model Compartmentalization

EPA Science Inventory

A common phenomenon observed in natural and constructed wetlands is short-circuiting of flow and formation of stagnant zones that are only indirectly connected with the incoming water. Biogeochemistry of passive areas is potentially much different than that of active zones. In ...

Mathematicians' Views on Current Publishing Issues: A Survey of Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, Kristine K.

2011-01-01

This article reports research mathematicians' attitudes about and activity in specific scholarly communication areas, as captured in a 2010 survey of more than 600 randomly-selected mathematicians worldwide. Key findings include: (1) Most mathematicians have papers in the arXiv, but posting to their own web pages remains more common; (2) A third…

Capturing Student Progress via Portfolios in the Music Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Melissa M.

2009-01-01

A common desire among music educators is to help students develop the ability to reflect on and evaluate their own music making. To achieve this goal, music educators often provide their students with a variety of instructional activities, such as watching their ensemble's latest concert performance and writing a critical review of it, allowing…

Connecting single cell to collective cell behavior in a unified theoretical framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, Mishel; Bullo, Francesco; Campàs, Otger

Collective cell behavior is an essential part of tissue and organ morphogenesis during embryonic development, as well as of various disease processes, such as cancer. In contrast to many in vitro studies of collective cell migration, most cases of in vivo collective cell migration involve rather small groups of cells, with large sheets of migrating cells being less common. The vast majority of theoretical descriptions of collective cell behavior focus on large numbers of cells, but fail to accurately capture the dynamics of small groups of cells. Here we introduce a low-dimensional theoretical description that successfully captures single cell migration, cell collisions, collective dynamics in small groups of cells, and force propagation during sheet expansion, all within a common theoretical framework. Our description is derived from first principles and also includes key phenomenological aspects of cell migration that control the dynamics of traction forces. Among other results, we explain the counter-intuitive observations that pairs of cells repel each other upon collision while they behave in a coordinated manner within larger clusters.

Using data from an encounter sampler to model fish dispersal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Obaza, A.; DeAngelis, D.L.; Trexler, J.C.

2011-01-01

A method to estimate speed of free-ranging fishes using a passive sampling device is described and illustrated with data from the Everglades, U.S.A. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) from minnow traps embedded in drift fences was treated as an encounter rate and used to estimate speed, when combined with an independent estimate of density obtained by use of throw traps that enclose 1 m2 of marsh habitat. Underwater video was used to evaluate capture efficiency and species-specific bias of minnow traps and two sampling studies were used to estimate trap saturation and diel-movement patterns; these results were used to optimize sampling and derive correction factors to adjust species-specific encounter rates for bias and capture efficiency. Sailfin mollies Poecilia latipinna displayed a high frequency of escape from traps, whereas eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki were most likely to avoid a trap once they encountered it; dollar sunfish Lepomis marginatus were least likely to avoid the trap once they encountered it or to escape once they were captured. Length of sampling and time of day affected CPUE; fishes generally had a very low retention rate over a 24 h sample time and only the Everglades pygmy sunfish Elassoma evergladei were commonly captured at night. Dispersal speed of fishes in the Florida Everglades, U.S.A., was shown to vary seasonally and among species, ranging from 0.05 to 0.15 m s-1 for small poeciliids and fundulids to 0.1 to 1.8 m s-1 for L. marginatus. Speed was generally highest late in the wet season and lowest in the dry season, possibly tied to dispersal behaviours linked to finding and remaining in dry-season refuges. These speed estimates can be used to estimate the diffusive movement rate, which is commonly employed in spatial ecological models.

Surface engineering on mesoporous silica chips for enriching low molecular weight phosphorylated proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Ye; Peng, Yang; Lin, Kevin; Shen, Haifa; Brousseau, Louis C., III; Sakamoto, Jason; Sun, Tong; Ferrari, Mauro

2011-02-01

Phosphorylated peptides and proteins play an important role in normal cellular activities, e.g., gene expression, mitosis, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. However, technical hurdles hinder the use of common fractionation methods to capture phosphopeptides from complex biological fluids such as human sera. Herein, we present the development of a dual strategy material that offers enhanced capture of low molecular weight phosphoproteins: mesoporous silica thin films with precisely engineered pore sizes that sterically select for molecular size combined with chemically selective surface modifications (i.e. Ga3+, Ti4+ and Zr4+) that target phosphoroproteins. These materials provide high reproducibility (CV = 18%) and increase the stability of the captured proteins by excluding degrading enzymes, such as trypsin. The chemical and physical properties of the composite mesoporous thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and ellipsometry. Using mass spectroscopy and biostatistics analysis, the enrichment efficiency of different metal ions immobilized on mesoporous silica chips was investigated. The novel technology reported provides a platform capable of efficiently profiling the serum proteome for biomarker discovery, forensic sampling, and routine diagnostic applications.Phosphorylated peptides and proteins play an important role in normal cellular activities, e.g., gene expression, mitosis, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, as well as tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. However, technical hurdles hinder the use of common fractionation methods to capture phosphopeptides from complex biological fluids such as human sera. Herein, we present the development of a dual strategy material that offers enhanced capture of low molecular weight phosphoproteins: mesoporous silica thin films with precisely engineered pore sizes that sterically select for molecular size combined with chemically selective surface modifications (i.e. Ga3+, Ti4+ and Zr4+) that target phosphoroproteins. These materials provide high reproducibility (CV = 18%) and increase the stability of the captured proteins by excluding degrading enzymes, such as trypsin. The chemical and physical properties of the composite mesoporous thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and ellipsometry. Using mass spectroscopy and biostatistics analysis, the enrichment efficiency of different metal ions immobilized on mesoporous silica chips was investigated. The novel technology reported provides a platform capable of efficiently profiling the serum proteome for biomarker discovery, forensic sampling, and routine diagnostic applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c0nr00720j

A review of the 11-year solar cycle, the QBO, and the atmosphere relationship

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chanin, M. L.

1989-01-01

The papers published by Labitzke (1987) and by Labitzke and Van Loon (1988) indicated that the separation of Winter stratospheric data according to the phase of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (Q.B.O.) led to a largely improved relationship with the 11 year solar cycle. Since then, this possible relationship has been studied and extended from the surface to the lower thermosphere and its extension to other seasons is in progress. An opportunity is provided to review the state of the problem and to attempt to give a general view of the experimentally observed responses of the atmosphere to solar activity, when considering the phases of the Q.B.O. After a brief recall of the relationship discovered in the winter stratosphere, its extension downwards, upwards and to the other seasons are successively reviewed. The existing models are not adequate right now to represent the solar influence as they only take into account the change in UV flux, but before being able to use the large scale dynamics in a coupled radiative photochemical model, one needs to understand the mechanism able to explain the forcing from the lower atmosphere or the surface which could be induced by a change in solar activity.

A New Method for the Fast Analysis of Trihalomethanes in Tap and Recycled Waters Using Headspace Gas Chromatography with Micro-Electron Capture Detection.

PubMed

Alexandrou, Lydon D; Meehan, Barry J; Morrison, Paul D; Jones, Oliver A H

2017-05-15

Chemical disinfection of water supplies brings significant public health benefits by reducing microbial contamination. The process can however, result in the formation of toxic compounds through interactions between disinfectants and organic material in the source water. These new compounds are termed disinfection by-products (DBPs). The most common are the trihalomethanes (THMs) such as trichloromethane (chloroform), dichlorobromomethane, chlorodibromomethane and tribromomethane (bromoform); these are commonly reported as a single value for total trihalomethanes (TTHMs). Analysis of DBPs is commonly performed via time- and solvent-intensive sample preparation techniques such as liquid-liquid and solid phase extraction. In this study, a method using headspace gas chromatography with micro-electron capture detection was developed and applied for the analysis of THMs in drinking and recycled waters from across Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). The method allowed almost complete removal of the sample preparation step whilst maintaining trace level detection limits (>1 ppb). All drinking water samples had TTHM concentrations below the Australian regulatory limit of 250 µg/L but some were above the U.S. EPA limit of 60 µg/L. The highest TTHM concentration was 67.2 µg/L and lowest 22.9 µg/L. For recycled water, samples taken directly from treatment plants held significantly higher concentrations (153.2 µg/L TTHM) compared to samples from final use locations (4.9-9.3 µg/L).

Captures of Ostrinia furnacalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) With Sex Pheromone Traps in NE China Corn and Soybeans.

PubMed

Chen, Ri-Zhao; Li, Lian-Bing; Klein, Michael G; Li, Qi-Yun; Li, Peng-Pei; Sheng, Cheng-Fa

2016-02-01

Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), commonly referred to as the Asian corn borer, is the most important corn pest in Asia. Although capturing males with pheromone traps has recently been the main monitoring tool and suppression technique, the best trap designs remain unclear. Commercially available Delta and funnel traps, along with laboratory-made basin and water traps, and modified Delta traps, were evaluated in corn and soybean fields during 2013-2014 in NE China. The water trap was superior for capturing first-generation O. furnacalis (1.37 times the Delta trap). However, the basin (8.3 ± 3.2 moths/trap/3 d), Delta (7.9 ± 2.5), and funnel traps (7.0 ± 2.3) were more effective than water traps (1.4 ± 0.4) during the second generation. Delta traps gave optimal captures when deployed at ca. 1.57 × the highest corn plants, 1.36× that of average soybean plants, and at the field borders. In Delta traps modified by covering 1/3 of their ends, captures increased by ca. 15.7 and 8.1% in the first and second generations, respectively. After 35 d in the field, pheromone lures were still ca. 50% as attractive as fresh lures, and retained this level of attraction for ca. 25 more days. Increased captures (first and second generation: 90.9 ± 9.5%; 78.3 ± 9.3%) were obtained by adding a lure exposed for 5 d to funnel traps baited with a 35-d lure. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Automated Adaptive Brightness in Wireless Capsule Endoscopy Using Image Segmentation and Sigmoid Function.

PubMed

Shrestha, Ravi; Mohammed, Shahed K; Hasan, Md Mehedi; Zhang, Xuechao; Wahid, Khan A

2016-08-01

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) plays an important role in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases by capturing images of human small intestine. Accurate diagnosis of endoscopic images depends heavily on the quality of captured images. Along with image and frame rate, brightness of the image is an important parameter that influences the image quality which leads to the design of an efficient illumination system. Such design involves the choice and placement of proper light source and its ability to illuminate GI surface with proper brightness. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are normally used as sources where modulated pulses are used to control LED's brightness. In practice, instances like under- and over-illumination are very common in WCE, where the former provides dark images and the later provides bright images with high power consumption. In this paper, we propose a low-power and efficient illumination system that is based on an automated brightness algorithm. The scheme is adaptive in nature, i.e., the brightness level is controlled automatically in real-time while the images are being captured. The captured images are segmented into four equal regions and the brightness level of each region is calculated. Then an adaptive sigmoid function is used to find the optimized brightness level and accordingly a new value of duty cycle of the modulated pulse is generated to capture future images. The algorithm is fully implemented in a capsule prototype and tested with endoscopic images. Commercial capsules like Pillcam and Mirocam were also used in the experiment. The results show that the proposed algorithm works well in controlling the brightness level accordingly to the environmental condition, and as a result, good quality images are captured with an average of 40% brightness level that saves power consumption of the capsule.

A predator equalizes rate of capture of a schooling prey in a patchy environment.

PubMed

Vijayan, Sundararaj; Kotler, Burt P; Abramsky, Zvika

2017-05-01

Prey individuals are often distributed heterogeneously in the environment, and their abundances and relative availabilities vary among patches. A foraging predator should maximize energetic gains by selectively choosing patches with higher prey density. However, catching behaviorally responsive and group-forming prey in patchy environments can be a challenge for predators. First, they have to identify the profitable patches, and second, they must manage the prey's sophisticated anti-predator behavior. Thus, the forager and its prey have to continuously adjust their behavior to that of their opponent. Given these conditions, the foraging predator's behavior should be dynamic with time in terms of foraging effort and prey capture rates across different patches. Theoretically, the allocation of its time among patches of behaviorally responsive prey should be such that it equalizes its prey capture rates across patches through time. We tested this prediction in a model system containing a predator (little egret) and group-forming prey (common gold fish) in two sets of experiments in which (1) patches (pools) contained equal numbers of prey, or in which (2) patches contained unequal densities of prey. The egret equalized the prey capture rate through time in both equal and different density experiments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Model-Based Systems Engineering for Capturing Mission Architecture System Processes with an Application Case Study - Orion Flight Test 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bonanne, Kevin H.

2011-01-01

Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is an emerging methodology that can be leveraged to enhance many system development processes. MBSE allows for the centralization of an architecture description that would otherwise be stored in various locations and formats, thus simplifying communication among the project stakeholders, inducing commonality in representation, and expediting report generation. This paper outlines the MBSE approach taken to capture the processes of two different, but related, architectures by employing the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) as a standard for architecture description and the modeling tool MagicDraw. The overarching goal of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of MBSE as a means of capturing and designing a mission systems architecture. The first portion of the project focused on capturing the necessary system engineering activities that occur when designing, developing, and deploying a mission systems architecture for a space mission. The second part applies activities from the first to an application problem - the system engineering of the Orion Flight Test 1 (OFT-1) End-to-End Information System (EEIS). By modeling the activities required to create a space mission architecture and then implementing those activities in an application problem, the utility of MBSE as an approach to systems engineering can be demonstrated.

Improved wheal detection from skin prick test images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulan, Orhan

2014-03-01

Skin prick test is a commonly used method for diagnosis of allergic diseases (e.g., pollen allergy, food allergy, etc.) in allergy clinics. The results of this test are erythema and wheal provoked on the skin where the test is applied. The sensitivity of the patient against a specific allergen is determined by the physical size of the wheal, which can be estimated from images captured by digital cameras. Accurate wheal detection from these images is an important step for precise estimation of wheal size. In this paper, we propose a method for improved wheal detection on prick test images captured by digital cameras. Our method operates by first localizing the test region by detecting calibration marks drawn on the skin. The luminance variation across the localized region is eliminated by applying a color transformation from RGB to YCbCr and discarding the luminance channel. We enhance the contrast of the captured images for the purpose of wheal detection by performing principal component analysis on the blue-difference (Cb) and red-difference (Cr) color channels. We finally, perform morphological operations on the contrast enhanced image to detect the wheal on the image plane. Our experiments performed on images acquired from 36 different patients show the efficiency of the proposed method for wheal detection from skin prick test images captured in an uncontrolled environment.

Metals and bacteria partitioning to various size particles in Ballona Creek storm water runoff.

PubMed

Brown, Jeffrey S; Stein, Eric D; Ackerman, Drew; Dorsey, John H; Lyon, Jessica; Carter, Patrick M

2013-02-01

Many storm water best management practice (BMP) devices function primarily by capturing particulate matter to take advantage of the well-documented association between storm water particles and pollutants. The hydrodynamic separation or settling methods used by most BMP devices are most effective at capturing medium to large particles; however, these may not be the most predominant particles associated with urban runoff. The present study examined particle size distribution in storm water runoff from an urban watershed in southern California and investigated the pollutant-particle associations of metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn) and bacteria (enterococci and Escherichia coli). During small storm events (≤0.7 cm rain), the highest concentration of pollutants were associated with a <6-µm filter fraction, which accounted for 70% of the per storm contaminant mass but made up more than 20% of the total particle mass. The pollutant-particle association changed with storm size. Most pollutant mass was associated with >35 µm size particles during a 5-cm rain event. These results suggest that much of the contaminant load in storm water runoff will not be captured by the most commonly used BMP devices, because most of these devices (e.g., hydrodynamic separators) are unable to capture particles smaller than 75 µm. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Dust Removal Technolgy for a Mars In Situ Resource Utilization System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calle, C. I.; Johansen, M. R.; Williams, B. S.; Hogue, M. D.; Mackey, P. J.; Clements, J. S.

2011-01-01

Several In Situ Resource Utilization (lSRU) systems being considered to enable future manned exploration of Mars require capture of Martian atmospheric gas to extract oxygen and other commodities. However, the Martian atmosphere contains relatively large amounts of dust which must be removed in tbe collection systems of the ISRU chambers. The amount of atmospheric dust varies largely with the presence of daily dust devils and the less frequent but much more powerful global dust storms. A common and mature dust removal technology for terrestrial systems is the electrostatic precipitator. With this technology, dust particles being captured are imparted an electrostatic charge by means of a corona discharge. Charged dust particles are then driven to a region of high electric field which forces the particles onto a collector for capture. Several difficulties appear when this technology is adapted to the Martian atmospheric environment At the low atmospheric pressure of Mars, electrical breakdown occurs at much lower voltages than on Earth and corona discharge is difficult to sustain. In this paper, we report on our efforts to obtain a steady corona/glow discharge in a simulated Martian atmosphere of carbon dioxide at 9 millibars of pressure. We also present results on the design of a dust capture system under these atmospheric conditions.

Capture and On-chip analysis of Melanoma Cells Using Tunable Surface Shear forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsao, Simon Chang-Hao; Vaidyanathan, Ramanathan; Dey, Shuvashis; Carrascosa, Laura G.; Christophi, Christopher; Cebon, Jonathan; Shiddiky, Muhammad J. A.; Behren, Andreas; Trau, Matt

2016-01-01

With new systemic therapies becoming available for metastatic melanoma such as BRAF and PD-1 inhibitors, there is an increasing demand for methods to assist with treatment selection and response monitoring. Quantification and characterisation of circulating melanoma cells (CMCs) has been regarded as an excellent non-invasive candidate but a sensitive and efficient tool to do these is lacking. Herein we demonstrate a microfluidic approach for melanoma cell capture and subsequent on-chip evaluation of BRAF mutation status. Our approach utilizes a recently discovered alternating current electrohydrodynamic (AC-EHD)-induced surface shear forces, referred to as nanoshearing. A key feature of nanoshearing is the ability to agitate fluid to encourage contact with surface-bound antibody for the cell capture whilst removing nonspecific cells from the surface. By adjusting the AC-EHD force to match the binding affinity of antibodies against the melanoma-associated chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan (MCSP), a commonly expressed melanoma antigen, this platform achieved an average recovery of 84.7% from biological samples. Subsequent staining with anti-BRAFV600E specific antibody enabled on-chip evaluation of BRAFV600E mutation status in melanoma cells. We believe that the ability of nanoshearing-based capture to enumerate melanoma cells and subsequent on-chip characterisation has the potential as a rapid screening tool while making treatment decisions.

Using the two-source capture-recapture method to estimate the incidence of acute flaccid paralysis in Victoria, Australia.

PubMed Central

Whitfield, Kathryn; Kelly, Heath

2002-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence and the completeness of ascertainment of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in Victoria, Australia, in 1998-2000 and to determine its common causes among children aged under 15 years. METHODS:: The two-source capture-recapture method was used to estimate the incidence of cases of AFP and to evaluate case ascertainment in the routine surveillance system. The primary and secondary data sources were notifications from this system and inpatient hospital records, respectively. FINDINGS: The routine surveillance system indicated that there were 14 cases and the hospital record review identified 19 additional cases. According to the two-source capture-recapture method, there would have been 40 cases during this period (95% confidence interval (CI) = 29-51), representing an average annual incidence of 1.4 per 100000 children aged under 15 years (95% CI = 1.1- 1.7). Thus case ascertainment based on routine surveillance was estimated to be 35% complete. Guillain-Barré syndrome was the commonest single cause of AFP. CONCLUSIONS: Routine surveillance for AFP in Victoria was insensitive. A literature review indicated that the capture-recapture estimates obtained in this study were plausible. The present results help to define a target notification rate for surveillance in settings where poliomyelitis is not endemic. PMID:12481205

Adaptive projection intensity adjustment for avoiding saturation in three-dimensional shape measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chao; Gao, Nan; Wang, Xiangjun; Zhang, Zonghua

2018-03-01

Phase-based fringe projection methods have been commonly used for three-dimensional (3D) measurements. However, image saturation results in incorrect intensities in captured fringe pattern images, leading to phase and measurement errors. Existing solutions are complex. This paper proposes an adaptive projection intensity adjustment method to avoid image saturation and maintain good fringe modulation in measuring objects with a high range of surface reflectivities. The adapted fringe patterns are created using only one prior step of fringe-pattern projection and image capture. First, a set of phase-shifted fringe patterns with maximum projection intensity value of 255 and a uniform gray level pattern are projected onto the surface of an object. The patterns are reflected from and deformed by the object surface and captured by a digital camera. The best projection intensities corresponding to each saturated-pixel clusters are determined by fitting a polynomial function to transform captured intensities to projected intensities. Subsequently, the adapted fringe patterns are constructed using the best projection intensities at projector pixel coordinate. Finally, the adapted fringe patterns are projected for phase recovery and 3D shape calculation. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves high measurement accuracy even for objects with a high range of surface reflectivities.

Distribution, density, and biomass of introduced small mammals in the southern mariana islands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiewel, A.S.; Adams, A.A.Y.; Rodda, G.H.

2009-01-01

Although it is generally accepted that introduced small mammals have detrimental effects on island ecology, our understanding of these effects is frequently limited by incomplete knowledge of small mammal distribution, density, and biomass. Such information is especially critical in the Mariana Islands, where small mammal density is inversely related to effectiveness of Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis) control tools, such as mouse-attractant traps. We used mark-recapture sampling to determine introduced small mammal distribution, density, and biomass in the major habitats of Guam, Rota, Saipan, and Tinian, including grassland, Leucaena forest, and native limestone forest. Of the five species captured, Rattus diardii (sensu Robins et al. 2007) was most common across habitats and islands. In contrast, Mus musculus was rarely captured at forested sites, Suncus murinus was not captured on Rota, and R. exulans and R. norvegicus captures were uncommon. Modeling indicated that neophobia, island, sex, reproductive status, and rain amount influenced R. diardii capture probability, whereas time, island, and capture heterogeneity influenced S. murinus and M. musculus capture probability. Density and biomass were much greater on Rota, Saipan, and Tinian than on Guam, most likely a result of Brown Tree Snake predation pressure on the latter island. Rattus diardii and M. musculus density and biomass were greatest in grassland, whereas S. murinus density and biomass were greatest in Leucaena forest. The high densities documented during this research suggest that introduced small mammals (especially R. diardii) are impacting abundance and diversity of the native fauna and flora of the Mariana Islands. Further, Brown Tree Snake control and management tools that rely on mouse attractants will be less effective on Rota, Saipan, and Tinian than on Guam. If the Brown Tree Snake becomes established on these islands, high-density introduced small mammal populations will likely facilitate and support a high-density Brown Tree Snake population, even as native species are reduced or extirpated. ?? 2009 by University of Hawai'i Press All rights reserved.

Lowering the Barrier to Reproducible Research by Publishing Provenance from Common Analytical Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, M. B.; Slaughter, P.; Walker, L.; Jones, C. S.; Missier, P.; Ludäscher, B.; Cao, Y.; McPhillips, T.; Schildhauer, M.

2015-12-01

Scientific provenance describes the authenticity, origin, and processing history of research products and promotes scientific transparency by detailing the steps in computational workflows that produce derived products. These products include papers, findings, input data, software products to perform computations, and derived data and visualizations. The geosciences community values this type of information, and, at least theoretically, strives to base conclusions on computationally replicable findings. In practice, capturing detailed provenance is laborious and thus has been a low priority; beyond a lab notebook describing methods and results, few researchers capture and preserve detailed records of scientific provenance. We have built tools for capturing and publishing provenance that integrate into analytical environments that are in widespread use by geoscientists (R and Matlab). These tools lower the barrier to provenance generation by automating capture of critical information as researchers prepare data for analysis, develop, test, and execute models, and create visualizations. The 'recordr' library in R and the `matlab-dataone` library in Matlab provide shared functions to capture provenance with minimal changes to normal working procedures. Researchers can capture both scripted and interactive sessions, tag and manage these executions as they iterate over analyses, and then prune and publish provenance metadata and derived products to the DataONE federation of archival repositories. Provenance traces conform to the ProvONE model extension of W3C PROV, enabling interoperability across tools and languages. The capture system supports fine-grained versioning of science products and provenance traces. By assigning global identifiers such as DOIs, reseachers can cite the computational processes used to reach findings. And, finally, DataONE has built a web portal to search, browse, and clearly display provenance relationships between input data, the software used to execute analyses and models, and derived data and products that arise from these computations. This provenance is vital to interpretation and understanding of science, and provides an audit trail that researchers can use to understand and replicate computational workflows in the geosciences.

Assessing the Relative Risk of Aerocapture Using Probabalistic Risk Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Percy, Thomas K.; Bright, Ellanee; Torres, Abel O.

2005-01-01

A recent study performed for the Aerocapture Technology Area in the In-Space Propulsion Technology Projects Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center investigated the relative risk of various capture techniques for Mars missions. Aerocapture has been proposed as a possible capture technique for future Mars missions but has been perceived by many in the community as a higher risk option as compared to aerobraking and propulsive capture. By performing a probabilistic risk assessment on aerocapture, aerobraking and propulsive capture, a comparison was made to uncover the projected relative risks of these three maneuvers. For mission planners, this knowledge will allow them to decide if the mass savings provided by aerocapture warrant any incremental risk exposure. The study focuses on a Mars Sample Return mission currently under investigation at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). In each case (propulsive, aerobraking and aerocapture), the Earth return vehicle is inserted into Martian orbit by one of the three techniques being investigated. A baseline spacecraft was established through initial sizing exercises performed by JPL's Team X. While Team X design results provided the baseline and common thread between the spacecraft, in each case the Team X results were supplemented by historical data as needed. Propulsion, thermal protection, guidance, navigation and control, software, solar arrays, navigation and targeting and atmospheric prediction were investigated. A qualitative assessment of human reliability was also included. Results show that different risk drivers contribute significantly to each capture technique. For aerocapture, the significant drivers include propulsion system failures and atmospheric prediction errors. Software and guidance hardware contribute the most to aerobraking risk. Propulsive capture risk is mainly driven by anomalous solar array degradation and propulsion system failures. While each subsystem contributes differently to the risk of each technique, results show that there exists little relative difference in the reliability of these capture techniques although uncertainty for the aerocapture estimates remains high given the lack of in-space demonstration.

Challenging the Common Sense of the Right in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collin, Ross; Apple, Michael W.

2010-01-01

In the elections of 2006 and 2008, progressive and liberal groups in the United States broke through key bulwarks of the Right to capture some of the highest hills on the political landscape. Although progressives and liberals now control key positions, the Right still holds wide swaths of terrain and still exercises considerable power in shaping…

Accelerating the College and Career Readiness of Oregon's Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Oregon is in the process of transitioning to new English language arts and mathematics standards that will better prepare students to be successful in college and their careers. Time, effort, and resources must be dedicated to effective implementation in order to realize the promise of these new common core state standards. This paper captures the…

Reliability and Validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Assessing Walking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Ploeg, Hidde P.; Tudor-Locke, Catrine; Marshall, Alison L.; Craig, Cora; Hagstromer, Maria; Sjostrom, Michael; Bauman, Adrian

2010-01-01

The single most commonly reported physical activity in public health surveys is walking. As evidence accumulates that walking is important for preventing weight gain and reducing the risk of diabetes, there is increased need to capture this behavior in a valid and reliable manner. Although the disadvantages of a self-report methodology are well…

Capturing Dynamic Presentation: Using Technology to Enhance the Chalk and the Talk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venema, Sven; Lodge, Jason M.

2013-01-01

Despite rapid changes in the ways in which university courses are being delivered, lectures have remained a common feature of many courses. The lecture is problematic for many reasons, not the least being that it does not encourage interaction. The current project attempted to address this problem by implementing "digital ink" into…

Capture the Human Side of Learning: Data Makeover Puts Students Front and Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharratt, Lyn; Fullan, Michael

2013-01-01

Education is overloaded with programs and data. The growth of digital power has aided and abetted the spread of accountability-driven data--Adequate Yearly Progress, test results for every child in every grade, Common Core standards, formative and summative assessments. Technology accelerates the onslaught of data. All this information goes for…

Turning to Case Studies as a Mechanism for Learning in Action Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Leary, Denise; Coughlan, Paul; Rigg, Clare; Coghlan, David

2017-01-01

Case studies are a useful means of capturing and sharing experiential knowledge by allowing researchers to explore the social, organisational and political contexts of a specific case. Although accounts of action learning are often reported using a case study approach, it is not common to see individual case studies being used as a learning…

Using Time-Compression to Make Multimedia Learning More Efficient: Current Research and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pastore, Raymond; Ritzhaupt, Albert D.

2015-01-01

It is now common practice for instructional designers to incorporate digitally recorded lectures for Podcasts (e.g., iTunes University), voice-over presentations (e.g., PowerPoint), animated screen captures with narration (e.g., Camtasia), and other various learning objects with digital audio in the instructional method. As a result, learners are…

Accelerating the College and Career Readiness of Idaho's Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Idaho is in the process of transitioning to new English language arts and mathematics standards that will better prepare students to be successful in college and their careers. Time, effort, and resources must be dedicated to effective implementation in order to realize the promise of these new common core state standards. This paper captures the…

Making the Decision to Provide Enhanced Podcasts to Post-Secondary Science Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holbrook, Jane; Dupont, Christine

2011-01-01

Providing students with supplementary course materials such as audio podcasts, enhanced podcasts, video podcasts and other forms of lecture-capture video files after a lecture is now a common occurrence in many post-secondary courses. We used an online questionnaire to ask students how helpful enhanced podcasts were for a variety of course…

Multilevel Modeling of Two Cyclical Processes: Extending Differential Structural Equation Modeling to Nonlinear Coupled Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butner, Jonathan; Amazeen, Polemnia G.; Mulvey, Genna M.

2005-01-01

The authors present a dynamical multilevel model that captures changes over time in the bidirectional, potentially asymmetric influence of 2 cyclical processes. S. M. Boker and J. Graham's (1998) differential structural equation modeling approach was expanded to the case of a nonlinear coupled oscillator that is common in bimanual coordination…

Moving Phones Tick Slower: Creating an Android App to Demonstrate Time Dilation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Underwood, Bret; Zhai, Yunxiao

2016-01-01

Smartphones and tablets are packed with sensors that allow us to take experimental data, essentially making them mobile physics labs. Apps exist that make it easy to capture and analyze data from these sensors, allowing users to study diverse phenomena such as free fall acceleration, the speed of sound,radioactivity, and many others. Commonly, the…

EVALUATION OF IODINE BASED IMPINGER SOLUTIONS FOR THE EFFICIENT CAPTURE OF HG USING DIRECT INJECTION NEBULIZATION INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETRY (DIN-ICP/MS) ANALYSIS

EPA Science Inventory

Currently there are no EPA reference sampling methods that have been promulgated for measuring stack emissions of Hg from coal combustion sources, however, EPA Method 29 is most commonly applied. The draft ASTM Ontario Hydro Method for measuring oxidized, elemental, particulate-b...

IMPINGER SOLUTIONS FOR THE EFFICIENT CAPTURE OF GASEOUS MERCURY SPECIES USING DIRECT INJECTION NEBULIZATION INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETRY (DIN-ICP/MS) ANALYSIS

EPA Science Inventory

Currently there are no EPA reference sampling mehtods that have been promulgated for measuring Hg from coal combustion sources. EPA Method 29 is most commonly applied. The ASTM Ontario Hydro Draft Method for measuring oxidized, elemental, particulate-bound and total Hg is now und...

Efficacy of Three Funnel Traps for Capturing Amphibian Larvae in Seasonal Forest Ponds

Treesearch

Richard R. Buech; Leanna M. Egeland

2002-01-01

Among the many techniques that have been used to study amphibians, funnel traps are commonly recommended to determine species presence, breeding success, and relative abundance of amphibian larvae in aquatic habitats. Several authors have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of funnel traps for sampling amphibian larvae (Adams et al. 1997; Fronzuto and Verrell...

Accelerating the College and Career Readiness of Hawaii's Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Hawaii is in the process of transitioning to new English language arts and mathematics standards that will better prepare students to be successful in college and their careers. Time, effort, and resources must be dedicated to effective implementation in order to realize the promise of these new common core state standards. This paper captures the…

Researching Literacy in Context: Using Video Analysis to Explore School Literacies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blikstad-Balas, Marte; Sørvik, Gard Ove

2015-01-01

This article addresses how methodological approaches relying on video can be included in literacy research to capture changing literacies. In addition to arguing why literacy is best studied in context, we provide empirical examples of how small, head-mounted video cameras have been used in two different research projects that share a common aim:…

Biological Essentialism and the Tidal Change of Natural Kinds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkins, John S.

2013-01-01

The vision of natural kinds that is most common in the modern philosophy of biology, particularly with respect to the question whether species and other taxa are natural kinds, is based on a revision of the notion by Mill in "A System of Logic." However, there was another conception that Whewell had previously captured well, which taxonomists have…

Electronic Teaching Portfolios: Technology Skills + Portfolio Development = Powerful Preservice Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capraro, Mary Margaret

An electronic portfolio is a collection of work captured by electronic means that serves as an exhibit of individual efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas. Due to rapid growth and updates in technology, keeping electronic portfolios is becoming increasingly common in a variety of educational settings. In fall 2002 at one large…

Electronic Teaching Portfolios: Technology Skills + Portfolio Development--Do They = Powerful Preservice Teachers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capraro, Mary Margaret

2006-01-01

Electronic portfolios are a "collection of work captured by electronic means, that serves as an exhibit of individual efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas" (Weidmer, 1998, p. 586). Because of the rapid growth and updates in technology, keeping electronic portfolios is becoming increasingly common in a variety of educational…

Pass the Mealworms, Please: Using Mealworms to Develop Science Process Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrell, Pamela Esprivalo; Bailer, Jill

2004-01-01

Mealworms, yum yum! Insects are an exciting way for middle school students to acquire science process skills. A teacher eating a mealworm will certainly capture the attention of students, and explaining the common practice of insect eating among people in other countries is a great way to include culture in a science lesson. This article provides…

Plastic ingestion by Scyliorhinus canicula trawl captured in the North Sea.

PubMed

Smith, L E

2018-05-01

The ingestion of plastic debris by marine organisms has been documented across a variety of taxa including; marine mammals, sea birds, sea turtles and some fish species. Fewer reports have described ingestion by sharks, in this study the gastrointestinal tracts of 20 small spotted catsharks (Scyliorhinus canicula) trawl captured in the North Sea were investigated. Macroplastics (>20 mm) were found in 2 individuals and microplastic (<5 mm) was found in one other individual, this is the first time that plastic ingestion has been reported in this species. These observations suggest that gastrointestinal analysis of commonly landed elasmobranch species is worthwhile, to further understanding on the organisms and habitats impacted by plastic pollution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bacteria facilitate prey retention by the pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Bacteria are hypothesized to provide a variety of beneficial functions to plants. Many carnivorous pitcher plants, for example, rely on bacteria for digestion of captured prey. This bacterial community may also be responsible for the low surface tensions commonly observed in pitcher plant digestive fluids, which might facilitate prey capture. I tested this hypothesis by comparing the physical properties of natural pitcher fluid from the pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica and cultured ‘artificial’ pitcher fluids and tested these fluids' prey retention capabilities. I found that cultures of pitcher leaves' bacterial communities had similar physical properties to raw pitcher fluids. These properties facilitated the retention of insects by both fluids and hint at a previously undescribed class of plant–microbe interaction. PMID:27881762

Bacteria facilitate prey retention by the pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica.

PubMed

Armitage, David W

2016-11-01

Bacteria are hypothesized to provide a variety of beneficial functions to plants. Many carnivorous pitcher plants, for example, rely on bacteria for digestion of captured prey. This bacterial community may also be responsible for the low surface tensions commonly observed in pitcher plant digestive fluids, which might facilitate prey capture. I tested this hypothesis by comparing the physical properties of natural pitcher fluid from the pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica and cultured 'artificial' pitcher fluids and tested these fluids' prey retention capabilities. I found that cultures of pitcher leaves' bacterial communities had similar physical properties to raw pitcher fluids. These properties facilitated the retention of insects by both fluids and hint at a previously undescribed class of plant-microbe interaction. © 2016 The Author(s).

Knowledge represented using RDF semantic network in the concept of semantic web

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lukasova, A., E-mail: alena.lukasova@osu.cz; Vajgl, M., E-mail: marek.vajgl@osu.cz; Zacek, M., E-mail: martin.zacek@osu.cz

The RDF(S) model has been declared as the basic model to capture knowledge of the semantic web. It provides a common and flexible way to decompose composed knowledge to elementary statements, which can be represented by RDF triples or by RDF graph vectors. From the logical point of view, elements of knowledge can be expressed using at most binary predicates, which can be converted to RDF-triples or graph vectors. However, it is not able to capture implicit knowledge representable by logical formulas. This contribution shows how existing approaches (semantic networks and clausal form logic) can be combined together with RDFmore » to obtain RDF-compatible system with ability to represent implicit knowledge and inference over knowledge base.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shields, G. A.; Bonning, E. W., E-mail: shields@astro.as.utexas.edu, E-mail: erin.bonning@questu.ca

Recent results indicate that the compact lenticular galaxy NGC 1277 in the Perseus Cluster contains a black hole of mass {approx}10{sup 10} M{sub Sun }. This far exceeds the expected mass of the central black hole in a galaxy of the modest dimensions of NGC 1277. We suggest that this giant black hole was ejected from the nearby giant galaxy NGC 1275 and subsequently captured by NGC 1277. The ejection was the result of gravitational radiation recoil when two large black holes merged following the merger of two giant ellipticals that helped to form NGC 1275. The black hole wanderedmore » in the cluster core until it was captured in a close encounter with NGC 1277. The migration of black holes in clusters may be a common occurrence.« less

Introducing dengue vaccine: Implications for diagnosis in dengue vaccinated subjects.

PubMed

Alagarasu, Kalichamy

2016-05-27

Diagnosis of dengue virus infections is complicated by preference for different diagnostic tests in different post onset days of illness and the presence of multiple serotypes leading to secondary and tertiary infections. The sensitivity of the most commonly employed diagnostic assays such as anti dengue IgM capture (MAC) ELISA and non structural protein (NS) 1 capture ELISA are lower in secondary and subsequent infections. Introduction of dengue vaccine in endemic regions will affect the way how dengue is diagnosed in vaccinated subjects. This viewpoint article discusses implications of introduction of dengue vaccine on the diagnosis of dengue infections in vaccinated subjects and the strategies that are needed to tackle the issue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Experimental Manipulations of Course Woody Debris on Sorcids and Other Fauna

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCay, T.S.; Komoroski, M.J.; Ford, W.M.

2001-06-10

The authors studied the relationship between the level of course woody debris in experimental plots of mature loblolly pine and the richness and abundance of shrews, reptiles and amphibians. Comparisons were made between plots in which all down and standing debris were removed and plots that were not treated. Removal of woody debris resulted in a week treatment effect. The capture of southeastern shrews declined through the period perhaps due to drought. The least common shrew demonstrated the strongest effects from removal.In sampling 37 species of amphibians were observed. The Carolina anole and the red salamander were captured more frequentlymore » on removal plots. No difference were found between removal and controls with regard to reptiles.« less

Improving the Measurement of Fertility Regulation Practices: Findings from Qualitative Research in Ghana.

PubMed

Marston, Cicely; Renedo, Alicia; Nyaaba, Gertrude Nsorma; Machiyama, Kazuyo; Tapsoba, Placide; Cleland, John

2017-09-01

According to Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data, highly educated urban women in some West African countries simultaneously have low rates of both contraceptive use and fertility-suggesting that the DHS may not be capturing a complete picture of women's contraceptive practices. Individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 48 women aged 18-49 in Accra, Ghana, who had at least a secondary education to explore their reproductive lives and relationships, and their views on and use of fertility regulation strategies. Data were analyzed using iterative thematic techniques. Women commonly reported using combinations of contraceptive methods, including "counting days" (using a calendar and the date of one's last menstrual period to estimate "unsafe" days-those on which the risk of conception is high), as well as withdrawal, condoms and frequent use of emergency contraceptive pills. Women described practicing "periodic contraception": for example, counting days to determine unsafe days and practicing contraception ad hoc on such days. Method use combinations varied from cycle to cycle-forming a "mosaic" of method use combinations over time. The fertility control strategies commonly reported by the study respondents-periodic contraception, and frequent use of traditional methods and emergency contraceptive pills-are likely not adequately captured in general surveys such as the DHS. Such surveys are also not well suited to measuring combinations of methods and mosaics of method combinations. New ways of capturing women's fertility regulation practices should be considered, including additional survey items, new question modules and specialist studies.

A new framework for the documentation and interpretation of oral food challenges in population-based and clinical research.

PubMed

Grabenhenrich, L B; Reich, A; Bellach, J; Trendelenburg, V; Sprikkelman, A B; Roberts, G; Grimshaw, K E C; Sigurdardottir, S; Kowalski, M L; Papadopoulos, N G; Quirce, S; Dubakiene, R; Niggemann, B; Fernández-Rivas, M; Ballmer-Weber, B; van Ree, R; Schnadt, S; Mills, E N C; Keil, T; Beyer, K

2017-03-01

The conduct of oral food challenges as the preferred diagnostic standard for food allergy (FA) was harmonized over the last years. However, documentation and interpretation of challenge results, particularly in research settings, are not sufficiently standardized to allow valid comparisons between studies. Our aim was to develop a diagnostic toolbox to capture and report clinical observations in double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges (DBPCFC). A group of experienced allergists, paediatricians, dieticians, epidemiologists and data managers developed generic case report forms and standard operating procedures for DBPCFCs and piloted them in three clinical centres. The follow-up of the EuroPrevall/iFAAM birth cohort and other iFAAM work packages applied these methods. A set of newly developed questionnaire or interview items capture the history of FA. Together with sensitization status, this forms the basis for the decision to perform a DBPCFC, following a standardized decision algorithm. A generic form including details about severity and timing captures signs and symptoms observed during or after the procedures. In contrast to the commonly used dichotomous outcome FA vs no FA, the allergy status is interpreted in multiple categories to reflect the complexity of clinical decision-making. The proposed toolbox sets a standard for improved documentation and harmonized interpretation of DBPCFCs. By a detailed documentation and common terminology for communicating outcomes, these tools hope to reduce the influence of subjective judgment of supervising physicians. All forms are publicly available for further evolution and free use in clinical and research settings. © 2016 The Authors. Allergy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Capturing the post-exertional exacerbation of fatigue following physical and cognitive challenge in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

PubMed

Keech, Andrew; Sandler, Carolina X; Vollmer-Conna, Ute; Cvejic, Erin; Lloyd, Andrew R; Barry, Benjamin K

2015-12-01

To design and validate an instrument to capture the characteristic post-exertional exacerbation of fatigue in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Firstly, patients with CFS (N=19) participated in five focus group discussions to jointly explore the nature of fatigue and dynamic changes after activity, and inform development of a self-report instrument - the Fatigue and Energy Scale (FES). The psychometric properties of the FES were then examined in two case-control challenge studies: a physically-demanding challenge (moderate-intensity aerobic exercise; N=10 patients), and a cognitively-demanding challenge (simulated driving; N=11 patients). Finally, ecological validity was evaluated by recording in association with tasks of daily living (N=9). Common descriptors for fatigue included 'exhaustion', 'tiredness', 'drained of energy', 'heaviness in the limbs', and 'foggy in the head'. Based on the qualitative data, fatigue was conceptualised as consisting of 'physical' and 'cognitive' dimensions. Analysis of the psychometric properties of the FES showed good sensitivity to the changing symptoms during a post-exertional exacerbation of fatigue following both physical exercise and driving simulation challenges, as well as tasks of daily living. The 'fatigue' experienced by patients with CFS covers both physical and cognitive components. The FES captured the phenomenon of a post-exertional exacerbation of fatigue commonly reported by patients with CFS. The characteristics of the symptom response to physical and cognitive challenges were similar. Both the FES and the challenge paradigms offer key tools to reliably investigate biological correlates of the dynamic changes in fatigue. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A simple novel device for air sampling by electrokinetic capture

DOE PAGES

Gordon, Julian; Gandhi, Prasanthi; Shekhawat, Gajendra; ...

2015-12-27

A variety of different sampling devices are currently available to acquire air samples for the study of the microbiome of the air. All have a degree of technical complexity that limits deployment. Here, we evaluate the use of a novel device, which has no technical complexity and is easily deployable. An air-cleaning device powered by electrokinetic propulsion has been adapted to provide a universal method for collecting samples of the aerobiome. Plasma-induced charge in aerosol particles causes propulsion to and capture on a counter-electrode. The flow of ions creates net bulk airflow, with no moving parts. A device and electrodemore » assembly have been re-designed from air-cleaning technology to provide an average air flow of 120 lpm. This compares favorably with current air sampling devices based on physical air pumping. Capture efficiency was determined by comparison with a 0.4 μm polycarbonate reference filter, using fluorescent latex particles in a controlled environment chamber. Performance was compared with the same reference filter method in field studies in three different environments. For 23 common fungal species by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), there was 100 % sensitivity and apparent specificity of 87%, with the reference filter taken as “gold standard.” Further, bacterial analysis of 16S RNA by amplicon sequencing showed equivalent community structure captured by the electrokinetic device and the reference filter. Unlike other current air sampling methods, capture of particles is determined by charge and so is not controlled by particle mass. We analyzed particle sizes captured from air, without regard to specific analyte by atomic force microscopy: particles at least as low as 100 nM could be captured from ambient air. This work introduces a very simple plug-and-play device that can sample air at a high-volume flow rate with no moving parts and collect particles down to the sub-micron range. In conclusion, the performance of the device is substantially equivalent to capture by pumping through a filter for microbiome analysis by quantitative PCR and amplicon sequencing.« less

A simple novel device for air sampling by electrokinetic capture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gordon, Julian; Gandhi, Prasanthi; Shekhawat, Gajendra

A variety of different sampling devices are currently available to acquire air samples for the study of the microbiome of the air. All have a degree of technical complexity that limits deployment. Here, we evaluate the use of a novel device, which has no technical complexity and is easily deployable. An air-cleaning device powered by electrokinetic propulsion has been adapted to provide a universal method for collecting samples of the aerobiome. Plasma-induced charge in aerosol particles causes propulsion to and capture on a counter-electrode. The flow of ions creates net bulk airflow, with no moving parts. A device and electrodemore » assembly have been re-designed from air-cleaning technology to provide an average air flow of 120 lpm. This compares favorably with current air sampling devices based on physical air pumping. Capture efficiency was determined by comparison with a 0.4 μm polycarbonate reference filter, using fluorescent latex particles in a controlled environment chamber. Performance was compared with the same reference filter method in field studies in three different environments. For 23 common fungal species by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), there was 100 % sensitivity and apparent specificity of 87%, with the reference filter taken as “gold standard.” Further, bacterial analysis of 16S RNA by amplicon sequencing showed equivalent community structure captured by the electrokinetic device and the reference filter. Unlike other current air sampling methods, capture of particles is determined by charge and so is not controlled by particle mass. We analyzed particle sizes captured from air, without regard to specific analyte by atomic force microscopy: particles at least as low as 100 nM could be captured from ambient air. This work introduces a very simple plug-and-play device that can sample air at a high-volume flow rate with no moving parts and collect particles down to the sub-micron range. In conclusion, the performance of the device is substantially equivalent to capture by pumping through a filter for microbiome analysis by quantitative PCR and amplicon sequencing.« less

Assessment of exit block following pulmonary vein isolation: far-field capture masquerading as entrance without exit block.

PubMed

Vijayaraman, Pugazhendhi; Dandamudi, Gopi; Naperkowski, Angela; Oren, Jess; Storm, Randle; Ellenbogen, Kenneth A

2012-10-01

Complete electrical isolation of pulmonary veins (PVs) remains the cornerstone of ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation. Entrance block without exit block has been reported to occur in 40% of the patients. Far-field capture (FFC) can occur during pacing from the superior PVs to assess exit block, and this may appear as persistent conduction from PV to left atrium (LA). To facilitate accurate assessment of exit block. Twenty consecutive patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation referred for ablation were included in the study. Once PV isolation (entrance block) was confirmed, pacing from all the bipoles on the Lasso catheter was used to assess exit block by using a pacing stimulus of 10 mA at 2 ms. Evidence for PV capture without conduction to LA was necessary to prove exit block. If conduction to LA was noticed, pacing output was decreased until there was PV capture without conduction to LA or no PV capture was noted to assess for far-field capture in both the upper PVs. All 20 patients underwent successful isolation (entrance block) of all 76 (4 left common PV) veins: mean age 58 ± 9 years; paroxysmal atrial fibrillation 40%; hypertension 70%, diabetes mellitus 30%, coronary artery disease 15%; left ventricular ejection fraction 55% ± 10%; LA size 42 ± 11 mm. Despite entrance block, exit block was absent in only 16% of the PVs, suggesting persistent PV to LA conduction. FFC of LA appendage was noted in 38% of the left superior PVs. FFC of the superior vena cava was noted in 30% of the right superior PVs. The mean pacing threshold for FFC was 7 ± 4 mA. Decreasing pacing output until only PV capture (loss of FFC) is noted was essential to confirm true exit block. FFC of LA appendage or superior vena cava can masquerade as persistent PV to LA conduction. A careful assessment for PV capture at decreasing pacing output is essential to exclude FFC. Copyright © 2012 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A simple novel device for air sampling by electrokinetic capture.

PubMed

Gordon, Julian; Gandhi, Prasanthi; Shekhawat, Gajendra; Frazier, Angel; Hampton-Marcell, Jarrad; Gilbert, Jack A

2015-12-27

A variety of different sampling devices are currently available to acquire air samples for the study of the microbiome of the air. All have a degree of technical complexity that limits deployment. Here, we evaluate the use of a novel device, which has no technical complexity and is easily deployable. An air-cleaning device powered by electrokinetic propulsion has been adapted to provide a universal method for collecting samples of the aerobiome. Plasma-induced charge in aerosol particles causes propulsion to and capture on a counter-electrode. The flow of ions creates net bulk airflow, with no moving parts. A device and electrode assembly have been re-designed from air-cleaning technology to provide an average air flow of 120 lpm. This compares favorably with current air sampling devices based on physical air pumping. Capture efficiency was determined by comparison with a 0.4 μm polycarbonate reference filter, using fluorescent latex particles in a controlled environment chamber. Performance was compared with the same reference filter method in field studies in three different environments. For 23 common fungal species by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), there was 100 % sensitivity and apparent specificity of 87 %, with the reference filter taken as "gold standard." Further, bacterial analysis of 16S RNA by amplicon sequencing showed equivalent community structure captured by the electrokinetic device and the reference filter. Unlike other current air sampling methods, capture of particles is determined by charge and so is not controlled by particle mass. We analyzed particle sizes captured from air, without regard to specific analyte by atomic force microscopy: particles at least as low as 100 nM could be captured from ambient air. This work introduces a very simple plug-and-play device that can sample air at a high-volume flow rate with no moving parts and collect particles down to the sub-micron range. The performance of the device is substantially equivalent to capture by pumping through a filter for microbiome analysis by quantitative PCR and amplicon sequencing.

Precipitating Circumstances of Suicide among Active Duty U.S. Army Personnel Versus U.S. Civilians, 2005–2010

PubMed Central

Logan, Joseph E; Skopp, Nancy A; Reger, Mark A; Gladden, Matt; Smolenski, Derek J; Floyd, C Faye; Gahm, Gregory A

2015-01-01

To help understand suicide among soldiers, we compared suicide events between active duty U.S. Army versus civilian decedents to identify differences and inform military prevention efforts. We linked 141 Army suicide records from 2005 to 2010 to National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) data. We described the decedents’ military background and compared their precipitators of death captured in NVDRS to those of demographically matched civilian suicide decedents. Both groups commonly had mental health and intimate partner precipitating circumstances, but soldier decedents less commonly disclosed suicide intent. PMID:25093259

How getting noticed helps getting on: successful attention capture doubles children's cooperative play

PubMed Central

Yuill, Nicola; Hinske, Steve; Williams, Sophie E.; Leith, Georgia

2014-01-01

Cooperative social interaction is a complex skill that involves maintaining shared attention and continually negotiating a common frame of reference. Privileged in human evolution, cooperation provides support for the development of social-cognitive skills. We hypothesize that providing audio support for capturing playmates' attention will increase cooperative play in groups of young children. Attention capture was manipulated via an audio-augmented toy to boost children's attention bids. Study 1 (48 6- to 11-year-olds) showed that the augmented toy yielded significantly more cooperative play in triads compared to the same toy without augmentation. In Study 2 (33 7- to 9-year-olds) the augmented toy supported greater success of attention bids, which were associated with longer cooperative play, associated in turn with better group narratives. The results show how cooperation requires moment-by-moment coordination of attention and how we can manipulate environments to reveal and support mechanisms of social interaction. Our findings have implications for understanding the role of joint attention in the development of cooperative action and shared understanding. PMID:24904453

Simulating carbon capture by enhanced weathering with croplands: an overview of key processes highlighting areas of future model development

PubMed Central

Quegan, Shaun; Banwart, Steven A.

2017-01-01

Enhanced weathering (EW) aims to amplify a natural sink for CO2 by incorporating powdered silicate rock with high reactive surface area into agricultural soils. The goal is to achieve rapid dissolution of minerals and release of alkalinity with accompanying dissolution of CO2 into soils and drainage waters. EW could counteract phosphorus limitation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in tropical soils, and soil acidification, a common agricultural problem studied with numerical process models over several decades. Here, we review the processes leading to soil acidification in croplands and how the soil weathering CO2 sink is represented in models. Mathematical models capturing the dominant processes and human interventions governing cropland soil chemistry and GHG emissions neglect weathering, while most weathering models neglect agricultural processes. We discuss current approaches to modelling EW and highlight several classes of model having the potential to simulate EW in croplands. Finally, we argue for further integration of process knowledge in mathematical models to capture feedbacks affecting both longer-term CO2 consumption and crop growth and yields. PMID:28381633

FBI Fingerprint Image Capture System High-Speed-Front-End throughput modeling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rathke, P.M.

1993-09-01

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has undertaken a major modernization effort called the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFISS). This system will provide centralized identification services using automated fingerprint, subject descriptor, mugshot, and document processing. A high-speed Fingerprint Image Capture System (FICS) is under development as part of the IAFIS program. The FICS will capture digital and microfilm images of FBI fingerprint cards for input into a central database. One FICS design supports two front-end scanning subsystems, known as the High-Speed-Front-End (HSFE) and Low-Speed-Front-End, to supply image data to a common data processing subsystem. The production rate of themore » HSFE is critical to meeting the FBI`s fingerprint card processing schedule. A model of the HSFE has been developed to help identify the issues driving the production rate, assist in the development of component specifications, and guide the evolution of an operations plan. A description of the model development is given, the assumptions are presented, and some HSFE throughput analysis is performed.« less

PNNL Report on the Development of Bench-scale CFD Simulations for Gas Absorption across a Wetted Wall Column

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Chao; Xu, Zhijie; Lai, Canhai

This report is prepared for the demonstration of hierarchical prediction of carbon capture efficiency of a solvent-based absorption column. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is first developed to simulate the core phenomena of solvent-based carbon capture, i.e., the CO2 physical absorption and chemical reaction, on a simplified geometry of wetted wall column (WWC) at bench scale. Aqueous solutions of ethanolamine (MEA) are commonly selected as a CO2 stream scrubbing liquid. CO2 is captured by both physical and chemical absorption using highly CO2 soluble and reactive solvent, MEA, during the scrubbing process. In order to provide confidence bound on themore » computational predictions of this complex engineering system, a hierarchical calibration and validation framework is proposed. The overall goal of this effort is to provide a mechanism-based predictive framework with confidence bound for overall mass transfer coefficient of the wetted wall column (WWC) with statistical analyses of the corresponding WWC experiments with increasing physical complexity.« less

An urban observatory for quantifying phosphorus and suspended solid loads in combined natural and stormwater conveyances.

PubMed

Melcher, Anthony A; Horsburgh, Jeffery S

2017-06-01

Water quality in urban streams and stormwater systems is highly dynamic, both spatially and temporally, and can change drastically during storm events. Infrequent grab samples commonly collected for estimating pollutant loadings are insufficient to characterize water quality in many urban water systems. In situ water quality measurements are being used as surrogates for continuous pollutant load estimates; however, relatively few studies have tested the validity of surrogate indicators in urban stormwater conveyances. In this paper, we describe an observatory aimed at demonstrating the infrastructure required for surrogate monitoring in urban water systems and for capturing the dynamic behavior of stormwater-driven pollutant loads. We describe the instrumentation of multiple, autonomous water quality and quantity monitoring sites within an urban observatory. We also describe smart and adaptive sampling procedures implemented to improve data collection for developing surrogate relationships and for capturing the temporal and spatial variability of pollutant loading events in urban watersheds. Results show that the observatory is able to capture short-duration storm events within multiple catchments and, through inter-site communication, sampling efforts can be synchronized across multiple monitoring sites.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Intercropping within Managed Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Does Not Affect Wild Bee Communities.

PubMed

Campbell, Joshua W; Miller, Darren A; Martin, James A

2016-11-04

Intensively-managed pine ( Pinus spp.) have been shown to support diverse vertebrate communities, but their ability to support invertebrate communities, such as wild bees, has not been well-studied. Recently, researchers have examined intercropping switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ), a native perennial, within intensively managed loblolly pine ( P. taeda ) plantations as a potential source for cellulosic biofuels. To better understand potential effects of intercropping on bee communities, we investigated visitation of bees within three replicates of four treatments of loblolly pine in Mississippi, U.S.A.: 3-4 year old pine plantations and 9-10 year old pine plantations with and without intercropped switchgrass. We used colored pan traps to capture bees during the growing seasons of 2013 and 2014. We captured 2507 bees comprised of 18 different genera during the two-year study, with Lasioglossum and Ceratina being the most common genera captured. Overall, bee abundances were dependent on plantation age and not presence of intercropping. Our data suggests that switchgrass does not negatively impact or promote bee communities within intensively-managed loblolly pine plantations.

Magnetic removal of Entamoeba cysts from water using chitosan oligosaccharide-coated iron oxide nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Shukla, Sudeep; Arora, Vikas; Jadaun, Alka; Kumar, Jitender; Singh, Nishant; Jain, Vinod Kumar

2015-01-01

Amebiasis, a major health problem in developing countries, is the second most common cause of death due to parasitic infection. Amebiasis is usually transmitted by the ingestion of Entamoeba histolytica cysts through oral–fecal route. Herein, we report on the use of chitosan oligosaccharide-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles for efficient capture and removal of pathogenic protozoan cysts under the influence of an external magnetic field. These nanoparticles were synthesized through a chemical synthesis process. The synthesized particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and zeta potential analysis. The particles were found to be well dispersed and uniform in size. The capture and removal of pathogenic cysts were demonstrated by fluorescent microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Three-dimensional modeling of various biochemical components of cyst walls, and thereafter, flexible docking studies demonstrate the probable interaction mechanism of nanoparticles with various components of E. histolytica cyst walls. Results of the present study suggest that E. histolytica cysts can be efficiently captured and removed from contaminated aqueous systems through the application of synthesized nanoparticles. PMID:26261417

On controlling nonlinear dissipation in high order filter methods for ideal and non-ideal MHD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yee, H. C.; Sjogreen, B.

2004-01-01

The newly developed adaptive numerical dissipation control in spatially high order filter schemes for the compressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations has been recently extended to the ideal and non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations. These filter schemes are applicable to complex unsteady MHD high-speed shock/shear/turbulence problems. They also provide a natural and efficient way for the minimization of Div(B) numerical error. The adaptive numerical dissipation mechanism consists of automatic detection of different flow features as distinct sensors to signal the appropriate type and amount of numerical dissipation/filter where needed and leave the rest of the region free from numerical dissipation contamination. The numerical dissipation considered consists of high order linear dissipation for the suppression of high frequency oscillation and the nonlinear dissipative portion of high-resolution shock-capturing methods for discontinuity capturing. The applicable nonlinear dissipative portion of high-resolution shock-capturing methods is very general. The objective of this paper is to investigate the performance of three commonly used types of nonlinear numerical dissipation for both the ideal and non-ideal MHD.

Capture-SELEX: Selection of DNA Aptamers for Aminoglycoside Antibiotics

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Small organic molecules are challenging targets for an aptamer selection using the SELEX technology (SELEX—Systematic Evolution of Ligans by EXponential enrichment). Often they are not suitable for immobilization on solid surfaces, which is a common procedure in known aptamer selection methods. The Capture-SELEX procedure allows the selection of DNA aptamers for solute targets. A special SELEX library was constructed with the aim to immobilize this library on magnetic beads or other surfaces. For this purpose a docking sequence was incorporated into the random region of the library enabling hybridization to a complementary oligo fixed on magnetic beads. Oligonucleotides of the library which exhibit high affinity to the target and a secondary structure fitting to the target are released from the beads for binding to the target during the aptamer selection process. The oligonucleotides of these binding complexes were amplified, purified, and immobilized via the docking sequence to the magnetic beads as the starting point of the following selection round. Based on this Capture-SELEX procedure, the successful DNA aptamer selection for the aminoglycoside antibiotic kanamycin A as a small molecule target is described. PMID:23326761

When are genetic methods useful for estimating contemporary abundance and detecting population trends?

Treesearch

David A. Tallmon; Dave Gregovich; Robin S. Waples; C. Scott Baker; Jennifer Jackson; Barbara L. Taylor; Eric Archer; Karen K. Martien; Fred W. Allendorf; Michael K. Schwartz

2010-01-01

The utility of microsatellite markers for inferring population size and trend has not been rigorously examined, even though these markers are commonly used to monitor the demography of natural populations. We assessed the ability of a linkage disequilibrium estimator of effective population size (Ne) and a simple capture-recapture estimator of abundance (N) to quantify...

40 CFR 63.3370 - How do I demonstrate compliance with the emission standards?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... equivalent allowable organic HAP (Equation 13a or b of § 63.3370). (4) Use of a capture system and control... control devices (i) Average equivalent organic HAP emission rate does not exceed 0.2 kg organic HAP per kg... material applied on the web coating line or group of web coating lines controlled by a common control...

40 CFR 63.3370 - How do I demonstrate compliance with the emission standards?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... equivalent allowable organic HAP (Equation 13a or b of § 63.3370). (4) Use of a capture system and control... control devices (i) Average equivalent organic HAP emission rate does not exceed 0.2 kg organic HAP per kg... material applied on the web coating line or group of web coating lines controlled by a common control...

40 CFR 63.3370 - How do I demonstrate compliance with the emission standards?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... equivalent allowable organic HAP (Equation 13a or b of § 63.3370). (4) Use of a capture system and control... control devices (i) Average equivalent organic HAP emission rate does not exceed 0.2 kg organic HAP per kg... material applied on the web coating line or group of web coating lines controlled by a common control...

40 CFR 63.3370 - How do I demonstrate compliance with the emission standards?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... or group of web coating lines controlled by a common control device during the month. (vi) If... monthly HAP applied (Equation 6 of § 63.3370) is less than the calculated equivalent allowable organic HAP (Equation 13a or b of § 63.3370). (4) Use of a capture system and control device (i) Overall organic HAP...

Predicting the spread of all invasive forest pests in the United States

Treesearch

Emma J. Hudgins; Andrew M. Liebhold; Brian Leung; Regan Early

2017-01-01

We tested whether a general spread model could capture macroecological patterns across all damaging invasive forest pests in the United States. We showed that a common constant dispersal kernel model, simulated from the discovery date, explained 67.94% of the variation in range size across all pests, and had 68.00% locational accuracy between predicted and observed...

Scaled Inverse Probability Weighting: A Method to Assess Potential Bias Due to Event Nonreporting in Ecological Momentary Assessment Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovalchik, Stephanie A.; Martino, Steven C.; Collins, Rebecca L.; Shadel, William G.; D'Amico, Elizabeth J.; Becker, Kirsten

2018-01-01

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a popular assessment method in psychology that aims to capture events, emotions, and cognitions in real time, usually repeatedly throughout the day. Because EMA typically involves more intensive monitoring than traditional assessment methods, missing data are commonly an issue and this missingness may bias…

Digital Humanities: Envisioning a Collaborative Tool for Mapping, Evaluating, and Sharing Reconstructed Colonial American Parcel Maps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruvane, Mary Brent

2012-01-01

The use of GIS technology for the humanities has opened up new avenues for visually exploring and asking questions of our nation's historical record. The potential to harness new knowledge with tools designed to capture and preserve geographic links to the artifacts of our past is within our grasp. This research explores the common information…

Mapping meaningful places on Washington's Olympic Peninsula: Toward a deeper understanding of landscape values

Treesearch

Lee Karol Cerveny; Kelly Biedenweg; Rebecca McLain

2017-01-01

Landscape values mapping has been widely employed as a form of public participation GIS (PPGIS) in natural resource planning and decision-making to capture the complex array of values, uses, and interactions between people and landscapes. A landscape values typology has been commonly employed in the mapping of social and environmental values in a variety of management...

Gender Differences in the Field of Information Security Technology Management: A Qualitative, Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Marcia L.

2013-01-01

This qualitative study explored why there are so few senior women in the information security technology management field and whether gender played a part in the achievement of women in the field. Extensive interviews were performed to capture the lived experiences of successful women in the field regarding the obstacles and common denominators of…

Hyperspectral Image Classification via Kernel Sparse Representation

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

classification algorithms. Moreover, the spatial coherency across neighboring pixels is also incorporated through a kernelized joint sparsity model , where...joint sparsity model , where all of the pixels within a small neighborhood are jointly represented in the feature space by selecting a few common training...hyperspectral imagery, joint spar- sity model , kernel methods, sparse representation. I. INTRODUCTION HYPERSPECTRAL imaging sensors capture images

Tactical Enthusiasm and Operational Blindness: Civilian Casualties during the Allied Air Campaign in Italy in 1940-1945

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-21

b]y common consent, the capture of the island was essentially due to the bombing. Naval fire had had a very little effect, and the soldiers had... little . Vera Zamagni, professor of economics at the University of Bologna, points out that even when it became clear that the war would be a...

VEMAP phase 2 bioclimatic database. I. Gridded historical (20th century) climate for modeling ecosystem dynamics across the conterminous USA

Treesearch

Timothy G.F. Kittel; Nan. A. Rosenbloom; J.A. Royle; C. Daly; W.P. Gibson; H.H. Fisher; P. Thornton; D.N. Yates; S. Aulenbach; C. Kaufman; R. McKeown; Dominque Bachelet; David S. Schimel

2004-01-01

Analysis and simulation of biospheric responses to historical forcing require surface climate data that capture those aspects of climate that control ecological processes, including key spatial gradients and modes of temporal variability. We developed a multivariate, gridded historical climate dataset for the conterminous USA as a common input database for the...

What It Means to Be a Teacher: The Reality and Gift of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gose, Michael

2007-01-01

The stories, anecdotes, humor, and insights found in this book capture what it means to be a teacher. The book begins with common encounters that are the hallmark of the new-teacher experience, but continues into equally entertaining tales that come with years of working with students, parents, staff, faculty, and administrators. "What It Means…

Custom E-Learning Experiences: Working with Profiles for Multiple Content Sources Access and Adaptation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferretti, Stefano; Roccetti, Marco; Salomoni, Paola; Mirri, Silvia

2009-01-01

It is a common belief that the problem of extracting learners' profiles to be used for delivering custom learning experiences is a closed case. Yet, practical solutions do not completely cope with the complex issue of capturing all the features of users, especially those of heterogeneous learners, who may have special needs or characteristics…

Differences in Movement Pattern and Detectability between Males and Females Influence How Common Sampling Methods Estimate Sex Ratio.

PubMed

Rodrigues, João Fabrício Mota; Coelho, Marco Túlio Pacheco

2016-01-01

Sampling the biodiversity is an essential step for conservation, and understanding the efficiency of sampling methods allows us to estimate the quality of our biodiversity data. Sex ratio is an important population characteristic, but until now, no study has evaluated how efficient are the sampling methods commonly used in biodiversity surveys in estimating the sex ratio of populations. We used a virtual ecologist approach to investigate whether active and passive capture methods are able to accurately sample a population's sex ratio and whether differences in movement pattern and detectability between males and females produce biased estimates of sex-ratios when using these methods. Our simulation allowed the recognition of individuals, similar to mark-recapture studies. We found that differences in both movement patterns and detectability between males and females produce biased estimates of sex ratios. However, increasing the sampling effort or the number of sampling days improves the ability of passive or active capture methods to properly sample sex ratio. Thus, prior knowledge regarding movement patterns and detectability for species is important information to guide field studies aiming to understand sex ratio related patterns.

Kinematic analysis of basic rhythmic movements of hip-hop dance: motion characteristics common to expert dancers.

PubMed

Sato, Nahoko; Nunome, Hiroyuki; Ikegami, Yasuo

2015-02-01

In hip-hop dance contests, a procedure for evaluating performances has not been clearly defined, and objective criteria for evaluation are necessary. It is assumed that most hip-hop dance techniques have common motion characteristics by which judges determine the dancer's skill level. This study aimed to extract motion characteristics that may be linked to higher evaluations by judges. Ten expert and 12 nonexpert dancers performed basic rhythmic movements at a rate of 100 beats per minute. Their movements were captured using a motion capture system, and eight judges evaluated the performances. Four kinematic parameters, including the amplitude of the body motions and the phase delay, which indicates the phase difference between two joint angles, were calculated. The two groups showed no significant differences in terms of the amplitudes of the body motions. In contrast, the phase delay between the head motion and the other body parts' motions of expert dancers who received higher scores from the judges, which was approximately a quarter cycle, produced a loop-shaped motion of the head. It is suggested that this slight phase delay was related to the judges' evaluations and that these findings may help in constructing an objective evaluation system.

Differences in Movement Pattern and Detectability between Males and Females Influence How Common Sampling Methods Estimate Sex Ratio

PubMed Central

Rodrigues, João Fabrício Mota; Coelho, Marco Túlio Pacheco

2016-01-01

Sampling the biodiversity is an essential step for conservation, and understanding the efficiency of sampling methods allows us to estimate the quality of our biodiversity data. Sex ratio is an important population characteristic, but until now, no study has evaluated how efficient are the sampling methods commonly used in biodiversity surveys in estimating the sex ratio of populations. We used a virtual ecologist approach to investigate whether active and passive capture methods are able to accurately sample a population’s sex ratio and whether differences in movement pattern and detectability between males and females produce biased estimates of sex-ratios when using these methods. Our simulation allowed the recognition of individuals, similar to mark-recapture studies. We found that differences in both movement patterns and detectability between males and females produce biased estimates of sex ratios. However, increasing the sampling effort or the number of sampling days improves the ability of passive or active capture methods to properly sample sex ratio. Thus, prior knowledge regarding movement patterns and detectability for species is important information to guide field studies aiming to understand sex ratio related patterns. PMID:27441554

Low-cost human motion capture system for postural analysis onboard ships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nocerino, Erica; Ackermann, Sebastiano; Del Pizzo, Silvio; Menna, Fabio; Troisi, Salvatore

2011-07-01

The study of human equilibrium, also known as postural stability, concerns different research sectors (medicine, kinesiology, biomechanics, robotics, sport) and is usually performed employing motion analysis techniques for recording human movements and posture. A wide range of techniques and methodologies has been developed, but the choice of instrumentations and sensors depends on the requirement of the specific application. Postural stability is a topic of great interest for the maritime community, since ship motions can make demanding and difficult the maintenance of the upright stance with hazardous consequences for the safety of people onboard. The need of capturing the motion of an individual standing on a ship during its daily service does not permit to employ optical systems commonly used for human motion analysis. These sensors are not designed for operating in disadvantageous environmental conditions (water, wetness, saltiness) and with not optimal lighting. The solution proposed in this study consists in a motion acquisition system that could be easily usable onboard ships. It makes use of two different methodologies: (I) motion capture with videogrammetry and (II) motion measurement with Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The developed image-based motion capture system, made up of three low-cost, light and compact video cameras, was validated against a commercial optical system and then used for testing the reliability of the inertial sensors. In this paper, the whole process of planning, designing, calibrating, and assessing the accuracy of the motion capture system is reported and discussed. Results from the laboratory tests and preliminary campaigns in the field are presented.

Trap configuration and spacing influences parameter estimates in spatial capture-recapture models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sun, Catherine C.; Fuller, Angela K.; Royle, J. Andrew

2014-01-01

An increasing number of studies employ spatial capture-recapture models to estimate population size, but there has been limited research on how different spatial sampling designs and trap configurations influence parameter estimators. Spatial capture-recapture models provide an advantage over non-spatial models by explicitly accounting for heterogeneous detection probabilities among individuals that arise due to the spatial organization of individuals relative to sampling devices. We simulated black bear (Ursus americanus) populations and spatial capture-recapture data to evaluate the influence of trap configuration and trap spacing on estimates of population size and a spatial scale parameter, sigma, that relates to home range size. We varied detection probability and home range size, and considered three trap configurations common to large-mammal mark-recapture studies: regular spacing, clustered, and a temporal sequence of different cluster configurations (i.e., trap relocation). We explored trap spacing and number of traps per cluster by varying the number of traps. The clustered arrangement performed well when detection rates were low, and provides for easier field implementation than the sequential trap arrangement. However, performance differences between trap configurations diminished as home range size increased. Our simulations suggest it is important to consider trap spacing relative to home range sizes, with traps ideally spaced no more than twice the spatial scale parameter. While spatial capture-recapture models can accommodate different sampling designs and still estimate parameters with accuracy and precision, our simulations demonstrate that aspects of sampling design, namely trap configuration and spacing, must consider study area size, ranges of individual movement, and home range sizes in the study population.

Common data elements for secondary use of electronic health record data for clinical trial execution and serious adverse event reporting.

PubMed

Bruland, Philipp; McGilchrist, Mark; Zapletal, Eric; Acosta, Dionisio; Proeve, Johann; Askin, Scott; Ganslandt, Thomas; Doods, Justin; Dugas, Martin

2016-11-22

Data capture is one of the most expensive phases during the conduct of a clinical trial and the increasing use of electronic health records (EHR) offers significant savings to clinical research. To facilitate these secondary uses of routinely collected patient data, it is beneficial to know what data elements are captured in clinical trials. Therefore our aim here is to determine the most commonly used data elements in clinical trials and their availability in hospital EHR systems. Case report forms for 23 clinical trials in differing disease areas were analyzed. Through an iterative and consensus-based process of medical informatics professionals from academia and trial experts from the European pharmaceutical industry, data elements were compiled for all disease areas and with special focus on the reporting of adverse events. Afterwards, data elements were identified and statistics acquired from hospital sites providing data to the EHR4CR project. The analysis identified 133 unique data elements. Fifty elements were congruent with a published data inventory for patient recruitment and 83 new elements were identified for clinical trial execution, including adverse event reporting. Demographic and laboratory elements lead the list of available elements in hospitals EHR systems. For the reporting of serious adverse events only very few elements could be identified in the patient records. Common data elements in clinical trials have been identified and their availability in hospital systems elucidated. Several elements, often those related to reimbursement, are frequently available whereas more specialized elements are ranked at the bottom of the data inventory list. Hospitals that want to obtain the benefits of reusing data for research from their EHR are now able to prioritize their efforts based on this common data element list.

Comparison of rangeland vegetation sampling techniques in the Central Grasslands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stohlgren, T.J.; Bull, K.A.; Otsuki, Yuka

1998-01-01

Maintaining native plant diversity, detecting exotic species, and monitoring rare species are becoming important objectives in rangeland conservation. Four rangeland vegetation sampling techniques were compared to see how well they captured local pant diversity. The methods tested included the commonly used Parker transects, Daubenmire transects as modified by the USDA Forest Service, a new transect and 'large quadrat' design proposed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the Modified-Whittaker multi-scale vegetation plot. The 4 methods were superimposed in shortgrass steppe, mixed grass prairie, northern mixed prairie, and tallgrass prairie in the Central Grasslands of the United States with 4 replicates in each prairie type. Analysis of variance tests showed significant method effects and prairie type effects, but no significant method X type interactions for total species richness, the number of native species, the number of species with less than 1 % cover, and the time required for sampling. The methods behaved similarly in each prairie type under a wide variety of grazing regimens. The Parker, large quadrat, and Daubenmire transects significantly underestimated the total species richness and the number of native species in each prairie type, and the number of species with less than 1 % cover in all but the tallgrass prairie type. The transect techniques also consistently missed half the exotic species, including noxious weeds, in each prairie type. The Modified-Whittaker method, which included an exhaustive search for plant species in a 20 x 50 m plot, served as the baseline for species richeness comparisons. For all prairie types, the Modified-Whittaker plot captured an average of 42. (?? 2.4; 1 S.E.) plant species per site compared to 15.9 (?? 1.3), 18.9 (?? 1.2), and 22.8 (?? 1.6) plant species per site using the Parker, large quadrat, and Daubenmire transect methods, respectively. The 4 methods captured most of the dominant species at each site and thus produced similar results for total foliar cover and soil cover. The detection and measurement of exotic plant species were greatly enhanced by using ten 1 m2 subplots in a multi-scale sampling design and searching a larger area (1,000 m2) at each site. Even with 4 replicate sites, the transect methods usually captured, and thus would monitor, 36 to 66 % of the plant species at each site. To evaluate the status and trends of common, rare, and exotic plant species at local, regional, and national scales, innovative, multi-scale methods must replace the commonly used transect methods to the past.

A Foundation for Enterprise Imaging: HIMSS-SIIM Collaborative White Paper.

PubMed

Roth, Christopher J; Lannum, Louis M; Persons, Kenneth R

2016-10-01

Care providers today routinely obtain valuable clinical multimedia with mobile devices, scope cameras, ultrasound, and many other modalities at the point of care. Image capture and storage workflows may be heterogeneous across an enterprise, and as a result, they often are not well incorporated in the electronic health record. Enterprise Imaging refers to a set of strategies, initiatives, and workflows implemented across a healthcare enterprise to consistently and optimally capture, index, manage, store, distribute, view, exchange, and analyze all clinical imaging and multimedia content to enhance the electronic health record. This paper is intended to introduce Enterprise Imaging as an important initiative to clinical and informatics leadership, and outline its key elements of governance, strategy, infrastructure, common multimedia content, acquisition workflows, enterprise image viewers, and image exchange services.

Gallium metal affinity capture tandem mass spectrometry for the selective detection of phosphopeptides in complex mixtures

PubMed Central

Blacken, Grady R.; Sadílek, Martin; Tureček, František

2008-01-01

Metal affinity capture tandem mass spectrometry (MAC-MSMS) is evaluated in a comparative study of a lysine-derived nitrilotriacetic acid (Nα, Nα-bis-(carboxymethyl)lysine, LysNTA) and an aspartic-acid-related iminodiacetic acid (N-(4-aminobutyl)aspartic acid, AspIDA) as selective phosphopeptide detection reagents. Both LysNTA and AspIDA spontaneously form ternary complexes with GaIII and phosphorylated amino acids and phosphopeptides upon mixing in solution. Collision-induced dissociation of positive complex ions produced by electrospray produces common fragments (LysNTA + H)+ or (AspIDA + H)+ at m/z 263 and 205, respectively. MSMS precursor scans using these fragments as reporter ions allow one to selectively detect multiple charge states of phosphopeptides in mixtures. It follows from this comparative study that LysNTA is superior to AspIDA in detecting phosphopeptides, possibly because of the higher coordination number and greater stability constant for GaIII – phosphopeptide complexation of the former reagent. In a continuing development of MAC-MSMS for proteomics applications, we demonstrate its utility in a post-column reaction format. Using a simple post-column-reaction ‘T’ and syringe pump to deliver our chelating reagents, α-casein tryptic phosphopeptides can be selectively analyzed from a solution containing a twofold molar excess of bovine serum albumin. The MAC-MSMS method is shown to be superior to the commonly used neutral loss scan for the common loss of phosphoric acid. PMID:18265438

Discrete and morphometric traits reveal contrasting patterns and processes in the macroevolutionary history of a clade of scorpions.

PubMed

Mongiardino Koch, N; Ceccarelli, F S; Ojanguren-Affilastro, A A; Ramírez, M J

2017-04-01

Many palaeontological studies have investigated the evolution of entire body plans, generally relying on discrete character-taxon matrices. In contrast, macroevolutionary studies performed by neontologists have mostly focused on morphometric traits. Although these data types are very different, some studies have suggested that they capture common patterns. Nonetheless, the tests employed to support this claim have not explicitly incorporated a phylogenetic framework and may therefore be susceptible to confounding effects due to the presence of common phylogenetic structure. We address this question using the scorpion genus Brachistosternus Pocock 1893 as case study. We make use of a time-calibrated multilocus molecular phylogeny, and compile discrete and traditional morphometric data sets, both capturing the overall morphology of the organisms. We find that morphospaces derived from these matrices are significantly different, and that the degree of discordance cannot be replicated by simulations of random character evolution. Moreover, we find strong support for contrasting modes of evolution, with discrete characters being congruent with an 'early burst' scenario whereas morphometric traits suggest species-specific adaptations to have driven morphological evolution. The inferred macroevolutionary dynamics are therefore contingent on the choice of character type. Finally, we confirm that metrics of correlation fail to detect these profound differences given common phylogenetic structure in both data sets, and that methods incorporating a phylogenetic framework and accounting for expected covariance should be favoured. © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2017 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

A New Method for the Fast Analysis of Trihalomethanes in Tap and Recycled Waters Using Headspace Gas Chromatography with Micro-Electron Capture Detection

PubMed Central

Alexandrou, Lydon D.; Meehan, Barry J.; Morrison, Paul D.; Jones, Oliver A. H.

2017-01-01

Chemical disinfection of water supplies brings significant public health benefits by reducing microbial contamination. The process can however, result in the formation of toxic compounds through interactions between disinfectants and organic material in the source water. These new compounds are termed disinfection by-products (DBPs). The most common are the trihalomethanes (THMs) such as trichloromethane (chloroform), dichlorobromomethane, chlorodibromomethane and tribromomethane (bromoform); these are commonly reported as a single value for total trihalomethanes (TTHMs). Analysis of DBPs is commonly performed via time- and solvent-intensive sample preparation techniques such as liquid–liquid and solid phase extraction. In this study, a method using headspace gas chromatography with micro-electron capture detection was developed and applied for the analysis of THMs in drinking and recycled waters from across Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). The method allowed almost complete removal of the sample preparation step whilst maintaining trace level detection limits (>1 ppb). All drinking water samples had TTHM concentrations below the Australian regulatory limit of 250 µg/L but some were above the U.S. EPA limit of 60 µg/L. The highest TTHM concentration was 67.2 µg/L and lowest 22.9 µg/L. For recycled water, samples taken directly from treatment plants held significantly higher concentrations (153.2 µg/L TTHM) compared to samples from final use locations (4.9–9.3 µg/L). PMID:28505068

The MGED ontology: a framework for describing functional genomics experiments.

PubMed

Stoeckert, Christian J; Parkinson, Helen

2003-01-01

The Microarray Gene Expression Data (MGED) society was formed with an initial focus on experiments involving microarray technology. Despite the diversity of applications, there are common concepts used and a common need to capture experimental information in a standardized manner. In building the MGED ontology, it was recognized that it would be impractical to cover all the different types of experiments on all the different types of organisms by listing and defining all the types of organisms and their properties. Our solution was to create a framework for describing microarray experiments with an initial focus on the biological sample and its manipulation. For concepts that are common for many species, we could provide a manageable listing of controlled terms. For concepts that are species-specific or whose values cannot be readily listed, we created an 'OntologyEntry' concept that referenced an external resource. The MGED ontology is a work in progress that needs additional instances and particularly needs constraints to be added. The ontology currently covers the experimental sample and design, and we have begun capturing aspects of the microarrays themselves as well. The primary application of the ontology will be to develop forms for entering information into databases, and consequently allowing queries, taking advantage of the structure provided by the ontology. The application of an ontology of experimental conditions extends beyond microarray experiments and, as the scope of MGED includes other aspects of functional genomics, so too will the MGED ontology.

Small mammal community composition in cornfields, roadside ditches, and prairies in eastern Nebraska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kirsch, E.M.

1997-01-01

Community composition of small mammals was examined in prairies, cornfields, and their adjacent roadside ditches in eastern Nebraska. Western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis) and meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) were associated with prairie habitat, were common in ditches, but avoided cornfields. Prairie voles (M. Ochrogaster) and white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) were associated with ditch habitat, were common in prairies, but avoided cornfields. Short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda) avoided cornfields, were associated with ditches next to cornfields, but were common in prairies and ditches next to prairies. Deer mice (P. Maniculatus) were associated with cornfields but were relatively common in prairies and ditches. House mice (Mus musculus) were most common in ditches next to cornfields, occurred in cornfields and ditches next to prairies, but were not captured in prairies. Although community composition appears to differ among prairies, ditches, and cornfields, ditches support a more complete suite of the native small mammal species in large and relatively even numbers, whereas cornfields only support deer mice in large numbers.

Spawning site selection and contingent behavior in Common Snook, Centropomus undecimalis.

PubMed

Lowerre-Barbieri, Susan; Villegas-Ríos, David; Walters, Sarah; Bickford, Joel; Cooper, Wade; Muller, Robert; Trotter, Alexis

2014-01-01

Reproductive behavior affects spatial population structure and our ability to manage for sustainability in marine and diadromous fishes. In this study, we used fishery independent capture-based sampling to evaluate where Common Snook occurred in Tampa Bay and if it changed with spawning season, and passive acoustic telemetry to assess fine scale behavior at an inlet spawning site (2007-2009). Snook concentrated in three areas during the spawning season only one of which fell within the expected spawning habitat. Although in lower numbers, they remained in these areas throughout the winter months. Acoustically-tagged snook (n = 31) showed two seasonal patterns at the spawning site: Most fish occurred during the spawning season but several fish displayed more extended residency, supporting the capture-based findings that Common Snook exhibit facultative catadromy. Spawning site selection for iteroparous, multiple-batch spawning fishes occurs at the lifetime, annual, or intra-annual temporal scales. In this study we show colonization of a new spawning site, indicating that lifetime spawning site fidelity of Common Snook is not fixed at this fine spatial scale. However, individuals did exhibit annual and intra-seasonal spawning site fidelity to this new site over the three years studied. The number of fish at the spawning site increased in June and July (peak spawning months) and on new and full lunar phases indicating within population variability in spawning and movement patterns. Intra-seasonal patterns of detection also differed significantly with sex. Common Snook exhibited divergent migration tactics and habitat use at the annual and estuarine scales, with contingents using different overwintering habitat. Migration tactics also varied at the spawning site at the intra-seasonal scale and with sex. These results have important implications for understanding how reproductive behavior affects spatio-temporal patterns of fish abundance and their resilience to disturbance events and fishing pressure.

Isolation of Circulating Plasma Cells in Multiple Myeloma Using CD138 Antibody-Based Capture in a Microfluidic Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qasaimeh, Mohammad A.; Wu, Yichao C.; Bose, Suman; Menachery, Anoop; Talluri, Srikanth; Gonzalez, Gabriel; Fulciniti, Mariateresa; Karp, Jeffrey M.; Prabhala, Rao H.; Karnik, Rohit

2017-04-01

The necessity for bone marrow aspiration and the lack of highly sensitive assays to detect residual disease present challenges for effective management of multiple myeloma (MM), a plasma cell cancer. We show that a microfluidic cell capture based on CD138 antigen, which is highly expressed on plasma cells, permits quantitation of rare circulating plasma cells (CPCs) in blood and subsequent fluorescence-based assays. The microfluidic device is based on a herringbone channel design, and exhibits an estimated cell capture efficiency of ~40-70%, permitting detection of <10 CPCs/mL using 1-mL sample volumes, which is difficult using existing techniques. In bone marrow samples, the microfluidic-based plasma cell counts exhibited excellent correlation with flow cytometry analysis. In peripheral blood samples, the device detected a baseline of 2-5 CD138+ cells/mL in healthy donor blood, with significantly higher numbers in blood samples of MM patients in remission (20-24 CD138+ cells/mL), and yet higher numbers in MM patients exhibiting disease (45-184 CD138+ cells/mL). Analysis of CPCs isolated using the device was consistent with serum immunoglobulin assays that are commonly used in MM diagnostics. These results indicate the potential of CD138-based microfluidic CPC capture as a useful ‘liquid biopsy’ that may complement or partially replace bone marrow aspiration.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Liang; Nachtergaele, Sigrid; Seddon, Annela M.

This paper utilizes cyclodextrin-based host-guest chemistry in a microfluidic device to modulate the crystallization of membrane proteins and the process of concentration of membrane protein samples. Methyl-{beta}-cyclodextrin (MBCD) can efficiently capture a wide variety of detergents commonly used for the stabilization of membrane proteins by sequestering detergent monomers. Reaction Center (RC) from Blastochloris viridis was used here as a model system. In the process of concentrating membrane protein samples, MBCD was shown to break up free detergent micelles and prevent them from being concentrated. The addition of an optimal amount of MBCD to the RC sample captured loosely bound detergentmore » from the protein-detergent complex and improved sample homogeneity, as characterized by dynamic light scattering. Using plug-based microfluidics, RC crystals were grown in the presence of MBCD, giving a different morphology and space group than crystals grown without MBCD. The crystal structure of RC crystallized in the presence of MBCD was consistent with the changes in packing and crystal contacts hypothesized for removal of loosely bound detergent. The incorporation of MBCD into a plug-based microfluidic crystallization method allows efficient use of limited membrane protein sample by reducing the amount of protein required and combining sparse matrix screening and optimization in one experiment. The use of MBCD for detergent capture can be expanded to develop cyclodextrin-derived molecules for fine-tuned detergent capture and thus modulate membrane protein crystallization in an even more controllable way.« less

Targeting Human Serum Fucome by an Integrated Liquid-phase Multi Column Platform Operating in “Cascade” to Facilitate Comparative Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Disease-Free and Breast Cancer Sera

PubMed Central

Selvaraju, Subhashini; Rassi, Ziad El

2013-01-01

A fully integrated platform was developed for capturing/fractionating human fucome from disease-free and breast cancer sera. It comprised multicolumn operated by HPLC pumps and switching valves for the simultaneous depletion of high abundance proteins via affinity-based subtraction and the capturing of fucosylated glycoproteins via lectin affinity chromatography followed by the fractionation of the captured glycoproteins by reversed phase chromatography (RPC). Two lectin columns specific to fucose, namely Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) and Lotus tetragonolobus agglutinin (LTA) were utilized. The platform allowed the “cascading” of the serum sample from column-to-column in the liquid phase with no sample manipulation between the various steps. This guaranteed no sample loss and no propagation of experimental biases between the various columns. Finally, the fucome was fractionated by RPC yielding desalted fractions in volatile acetonitrile-rich mobile phase, which after vacuum evaporation were subjected to trypsinolysis for LC-MS/MS analysis. This permitted the identification of the differentially expressed proteins (DEP) in breast cancer serum yielding a broad panel of 35 DEP from the combined LTA and AAL captured proteins and a narrower panel of 8 DEP that were commonly differentially expressed in both LTA and AAL fractions, which are considered as more representative of cancer altered fucome. PMID:23533108

Consistency, precision, and accuracy of optical and electromagnetic shape-capturing systems for digital measurement of residual-limb anthropometrics of persons with transtibial amputation.

PubMed

Geil, Mark D

2007-01-01

Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing systems have been adapted for specific use in prosthetics, providing practitioners with a means to digitally capture the shape of a patient's limb, modify the socket model using software, and automatically manufacture either a positive model to be used in the fabrication of a socket or the socket itself. The digital shape captured is a three-dimensional (3-D) model from which standard anthropometric measures can be easily obtained. This study recorded six common anthropometric dimensions from CAD shape files of three foam positive models of the residual limbs of persons with transtibial amputations. Two systems were used to obtain 3-D models of the residual limb, a noncontact optical system and a contact-based electromagnetic field system, and both experienced practitioners and prosthetics students conducted measurements. Measurements were consistent; the mean range (difference of maximum and minimum) across all measurements was 0.96 cm. Both systems provided similar results, and both groups used the systems consistently. Students were slightly more consistent than practitioners but not to a clinically significant degree. Results also compared favorably with traditional measurement, with differences versus hand measurements about 5 mm. These results suggest the routine use of digital shape capture for collection of patient volume information.

Feasibility study of algae-based Carbon Dioxide capture ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

SUMMARY: The biomass of microalgae contains approximately 50% carbon, which is commonly obtained from the atmosphere, but can also be taken from commercial sources that produce CO2, such as coal-fired power plants. A study of operational demonstration projects is being undertaken to evaluate the benefits of using algae to reduce CO2 emissions from industrial and small-scale utility power boilers. The operations are being studied for the use of CO2 from flue gas for algae growth along with the production of biofuels and other useful products to prepare a comprehensive characterization of the economic feasibility of using algae to capture CO2. Information is being generated for analyses of the potential for these technologies to advance in the market and assist in meeting environmental goals, as well as to examine their associated environmental implications. Three electric power generation plants (coal and fuel oil fired) equipped to send flue-gas emissions to algae culture at demonstration facilities are being studied. Data and process information are being collected and developed to facilitate feasibility and modeling evaluations of the CO2 to algae technology. An understanding of process requirements to apply this technology to existing industries would go far in advancing carbon capture opportunities. Documenting the successful use of this technology could help bring “low-tech”, low-cost, CO2 to algae, carbon capture to multiple size industries and

Atmospheric inverse modeling via sparse reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hase, Nils; Miller, Scot M.; Maaß, Peter; Notholt, Justus; Palm, Mathias; Warneke, Thorsten

2017-10-01

Many applications in atmospheric science involve ill-posed inverse problems. A crucial component of many inverse problems is the proper formulation of a priori knowledge about the unknown parameters. In most cases, this knowledge is expressed as a Gaussian prior. This formulation often performs well at capturing smoothed, large-scale processes but is often ill equipped to capture localized structures like large point sources or localized hot spots. Over the last decade, scientists from a diverse array of applied mathematics and engineering fields have developed sparse reconstruction techniques to identify localized structures. In this study, we present a new regularization approach for ill-posed inverse problems in atmospheric science. It is based on Tikhonov regularization with sparsity constraint and allows bounds on the parameters. We enforce sparsity using a dictionary representation system. We analyze its performance in an atmospheric inverse modeling scenario by estimating anthropogenic US methane (CH4) emissions from simulated atmospheric measurements. Different measures indicate that our sparse reconstruction approach is better able to capture large point sources or localized hot spots than other methods commonly used in atmospheric inversions. It captures the overall signal equally well but adds details on the grid scale. This feature can be of value for any inverse problem with point or spatially discrete sources. We show an example for source estimation of synthetic methane emissions from the Barnett shale formation.

Investigating Veterinary Medicine Faculty Perceptions of Lecture Capture: Issues, Concerns, and Promises.

PubMed

Kwiatkowski, Alison C; Demirbilek, Muhammet

Lecture capture technology is becoming more pervasive in today's classrooms. Students are demanding their lectures be recorded, but many instructors remain resistant. The goal of this study was to investigate faculty perceptions of lecture capture and to understand their concerns with the technology. Through a review of the existing literature, three common reasons for not recording were identified: impact on class attendance, incompatible pedagogy, and technical concerns. To test the hypotheses, an electronic survey was created and distributed to the faculty of a veterinary college in the southeastern US. The survey included both quantitative and qualitative questions. An invitation was emailed to all 134 faculty members, garnering 50 responses. Results were consistent with the hypotheses. Impact on class attendance, teaching styles, and technical considerations have dissuaded many instructors from adopting lecture capture technology. However, a fourth theme that emerged was faculty lack of awareness/familiarity. According to the qualitative responses, many faculty either did not know lecture recording was available in their teaching spaces or were not trained in how to use the technology. Recommendations for future research include distributing the survey campus-wide and providing more opportunities for faculty training. It would also be worthwhile to repeat the survey after providing more information and training materials to faculty, or after switching from an opt-in to an opt-out approach, to see whether perceptions have changed among the college's faculty.

Common Mental Disorders among Occupational Groups: Contributions of the Latent Class Model

PubMed Central

Martins Carvalho, Fernando; de Araújo, Tânia Maria

2016-01-01

Background. The Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) is widely used for evaluating common mental disorders. However, few studies have evaluated the SRQ-20 measurements performance in occupational groups. This study aimed to describe manifestation patterns of common mental disorders symptoms among workers populations, by using latent class analysis. Methods. Data derived from 9,959 Brazilian workers, obtained from four cross-sectional studies that used similar methodology, among groups of informal workers, teachers, healthcare workers, and urban workers. Common mental disorders were measured by using SRQ-20. Latent class analysis was performed on each database separately. Results. Three classes of symptoms were confirmed in the occupational categories investigated. In all studies, class I met better criteria for suspicion of common mental disorders. Class II discriminated workers with intermediate probability of answers to the items belonging to anxiety, sadness, and energy decrease that configure common mental disorders. Class III was composed of subgroups of workers with low probability to respond positively to questions for screening common mental disorders. Conclusions. Three patterns of symptoms of common mental disorders were identified in the occupational groups investigated, ranging from distinctive features to low probabilities of occurrence. The SRQ-20 measurements showed stability in capturing nonpsychotic symptoms. PMID:27630999

2D or Not 2D? Testing the Utility of 2D Vs. 3D Landmark Data in Geometric Morphometrics of the Sculpin Subfamily Oligocottinae (Pisces; Cottoidea).

PubMed

Buser, Thaddaeus J; Sidlauskas, Brian L; Summers, Adam P

2018-05-01

We contrast 2D vs. 3D landmark-based geometric morphometrics in the fish subfamily Oligocottinae by using 3D landmarks from CT-generated models and comparing the morphospace of the 3D landmarks to one based on 2D landmarks from images. The 2D and 3D shape variables capture common patterns across taxa, such that the pairwise Procrustes distances among taxa correspond and the trends captured by principal component analysis are similar in the xy plane. We use the two sets of landmarks to test several ecomorphological hypotheses from the literature. Both 2D and 3D data reject the hypothesis that head shape correlates significantly with the depth at which a species is commonly found. However, in taxa where shape variation in the z-axis is high, the 2D shape variables show sufficiently strong distortion to influence the outcome of the hypothesis tests regarding the relationship between mouth size and feeding ecology. Only the 3D data support previous studies which showed that large mouth sizes correlate positively with high percentages of elusive prey in the diet. When used to test for morphological divergence, 3D data show no evidence of divergence, while 2D data show that one clade of oligocottines has diverged from all others. This clade shows the greatest degree of z-axis body depth within Oligocottinae, and we conclude that the inability of the 2D approach to capture this lateral body depth causes the incongruence between 2D and 3D analyses. Anat Rec, 301:806-818, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Global evaluation of particulate organic carbon flux parameterizations and implications for atmospheric pCO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gloege, Lucas; McKinley, Galen A.; Mouw, Colleen B.; Ciochetto, Audrey B.

2017-07-01

The shunt of photosynthetically derived particulate organic carbon (POC) from the euphotic zone and deep remineralization comprises the basic mechanism of the "biological carbon pump." POC raining through the "twilight zone" (euphotic depth to 1 km) and "midnight zone" (1 km to 4 km) is remineralized back to inorganic form through respiration. Accurately modeling POC flux is critical for understanding the "biological pump" and its impacts on air-sea CO2 exchange and, ultimately, long-term ocean carbon sequestration. Yet commonly used parameterizations have not been tested quantitatively against global data sets using identical modeling frameworks. Here we use a single one-dimensional physical-biogeochemical modeling framework to assess three common POC flux parameterizations in capturing POC flux observations from moored sediment traps and thorium-234 depletion. The exponential decay, Martin curve, and ballast model are compared to data from 11 biogeochemical provinces distributed across the globe. In each province, the model captures satellite-based estimates of surface primary production within uncertainties. Goodness of fit is measured by how well the simulation captures the observations, quantified by bias and the root-mean-square error and displayed using "target diagrams." Comparisons are presented separately for the twilight zone and midnight zone. We find that the ballast hypothesis shows no improvement over a globally or regionally parameterized Martin curve. For all provinces taken together, Martin's b that best fits the data is [0.70, 0.98]; this finding reduces by at least a factor of 3 previous estimates of potential impacts on atmospheric pCO2 of uncertainty in POC export to a more modest range [-16 ppm, +12 ppm].

Seasonal Distributions of the Western Cherry Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Among Host and Nonhost Fruit Trees

PubMed Central

Yee, Wee L.

2014-01-01

Abstract Seasonal distributions of the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), in sweet cherry ( Prunus avium (L.) L.) (major host), black hawthorn (occasional developmental host) ( Crataegus douglasii Lindley), and other trees were determined in a ponderosa pine ecosystem in Washington state, USA. The hypothesis that most fly dispersal from cherry trees occurs after fruit senesce or drop was tested, with emphasis on movement to black hawthorn trees. Sweet cherry fruit developed earlier than black hawthorn, bitter cherry (common host), choke cherry, and apple fruit. Flies were usually captured first in sweet cherry trees but were caught in bitter cherry and other trees throughout the season. Peak fly capture periods in sweet cherry began around the same time or slightly earlier than in other trees. However, peak fly capture periods in black hawthorn and other nonsweet cherry trees continued after peak periods in sweet cherry ended, or relative fly numbers within sweet cherry declined more quickly than those within other trees. Larvae were reared from sweet and bitter cherry but not black hawthorn fruit. Results provide partial support for the hypothesis in that although R. indifferens commonly disperses from sweet cherry trees with fruit, it could disperse more, or more flies are retained in nonsweet cherry trees after than before sweet cherries drop. This could allow opportunities for the flies to use other fruit for larval development. Although R . indifferens infestation in black hawthorn was not detected, early season fly dispersal to this and other trees and fly presence in bitter cherry could make fly management in sweet cherry difficult. PMID:25527581

Novel lineage patterns from an automated water sampler to probe marine microbial biodiversity with ships of opportunity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, Rowena F.; Picard, Kathryn T.; Hamilton, Kristina M.; Walne, Antony; Tarran, Glen A.; Mills, David; McQuatters-Gollop, Abigail; Edwards, Martin

2015-09-01

There is a paucity of data on long-term, spatially resolved changes in microbial diversity and biogeography in marine systems, and yet these organisms underpin fundamental ecological processes in the oceans affecting socio-economic values of the marine environment. We report results from a new autonomous Water and Microplankton Sampler (WaMS) that is carried within the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR). Whilst the CPR with its larger mesh size (270 μm), is designed to capture larger plankton, the WaMS was designed as an additional device to capture plankton below 50 μm and delicate larger species, often destroyed by net sampling methods. A 454 pyrosequencing and flow cytometric investigation of eukaryotic microbes using the partial 18S rDNA from thirteen WaMS samples collected over three months in the English Channel revealed a wide diversity of organisms. Alveolates, Fungi, and picoplanktonic Chlorophytes were the most common lineages captured despite the small sample volumes (200-250 ml). The survey also identified Cercozoa and MAST heterotrophic Stramenopiles, normally missed in microscopic-based plankton surveys. The most common was the likely parasitic LKM11 Rozellomycota lineage which comprised 43.2% of all reads and are rarely observed in marine pelagic surveys. An additional 9.5% of reads belonged to other parasitic lineages including marine Syndiniales and Ichthyosporea. Sample variation was considerable, indicating that microbial diversity is spatially or temporally patchy. Our study has shown that the WaMS sampling system is autonomous, versatile and robust, and due to its deployment on the established CPR network, is a cost-effective monitoring tool for microbial diversity for the detection of smaller and delicate taxa.

High survivorship after catch-and-release fishing suggests physiological resilience in the endothermic shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus)

PubMed Central

Lyle, Jeremy; Tracey, Sean; Currie, Suzanne; Semmens, Jayson M

2015-01-01

Abstract The shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) is a species commonly targeted by commercial and recreational anglers in many parts of the developed world. In Australia, the species is targeted by recreational anglers only, under the assumption that most of the sharks are released and populations remain minimally impacted. If released sharks do not survive, the current management strategy will need to be revised. Shortfin mako sharks are commonly subjected to lengthy angling events; however, their endothermic physiology may provide an advantage over ectothermic fishes when recovering from exercise. This study assessed the post-release survival of recreationally caught shortfin mako sharks using Survivorship Pop-up Archival Transmitting (sPAT) tags and examined physiological indicators of capture stress from blood samples as well as any injuries that may be caused by hook selection. Survival estimates were based on 30 shortfin mako sharks captured off the south-eastern coast of Australia. Three mortalities were observed over the duration of the study, yielding an overall survival rate of 90%. All mortalities occurred in sharks angled for <30 min. Sharks experienced increasing plasma lactate with longer fight times and higher sea surface temperatures (SSTs), increased plasma glucose at higher SSTs and depressed expression of heat shock protein 70 and β-hydroxybutyrate at higher SSTs. Long fight times did not impact survival. Circle hooks significantly reduced foul hooking when compared with J hooks. Under the conditions of this study, we found that physical injury associated with hook choice is likely to have contributed to an increased likelihood of mortality, whereas the high aerobic scope associated with the species' endothermy probably enabled it to cope with long fight times and the associated physiological responses to capture. PMID:27303650

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Horn, Scott; Hanula, James, L.

Abstract This study determined if short-term removal of coarse woody debris would reduce prey available to red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis Vieillot) and other bark-foraging birds at the Savannah River Site in Aiken and Barnwell counties, SC. All coarse woody debris was removed from four 9-ha plots of mature loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in 1997 and again in 1998. We sampled arthropods in coarse woody debris removal and control stands using crawl traps that captured arthropods crawling up tree boles, burlap bands wrapped around trees, and cardboard panels placed on the ground. We captured 27 orders and 172 families ofmore » arthropods in crawl traps whereas 20 arthropod orders were observed under burlap bands and cardboard panels. The most abundant insects collected from crawl traps were aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) and ants (Hymenoptera: Forrnicidae). The greatest biomass was in the wood cockroaches (Blattaria: Blattellidae), caterpillars (Lepidoptera) in the Family Noctuidae, and adult weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). The most common group observed underneath cardboard panels was lsoptera (termites), and the most common taxon under burlap bands was wood cockroaches. Overall, arthropod abundance and biomass captured in crawl traps was similar in control and removal plots. In contrast, we observed more arthropods under burlap bands (mean & SE; 3,021.5 k 348.6, P= 0.03) and cardboard panels (3,537.25 k 432.4, P= 0.04) in plots with coarse woody debris compared with burlap bands (2325 + 171.3) and cardboard panels (2439.75 + 288.9) in plots where coarse woody debris was removed. Regression analyses showed that abundance beneath cardboard panels was positively correlated with abundance beneath burlap bands demonstrating the link between abundance on the ground with that on trees. Our results demonstrate that short-term removal of coarse woody debris from pine forests reduced overall arthropod availability to bark-foraging birds.« less

Fish predation by semi-aquatic spiders: a global pattern.

PubMed

Nyffeler, Martin; Pusey, Bradley J

2014-01-01

More than 80 incidences of fish predation by semi-aquatic spiders--observed at the fringes of shallow freshwater streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, and fens--are reviewed. We provide evidence that fish predation by semi-aquatic spiders is geographically widespread, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. Fish predation by spiders appears to be more common in warmer areas between 40° S and 40° N. The fish captured by spiders, usually ranging from 2-6 cm in length, are among the most common fish taxa occurring in their respective geographic area (e.g., mosquitofish [Gambusia spp.] in the southeastern USA, fish of the order Characiformes in the Neotropics, killifish [Aphyosemion spp.] in Central and West Africa, as well as Australian native fish of the genera Galaxias, Melanotaenia, and Pseudomugil). Naturally occurring fish predation has been witnessed in more than a dozen spider species from the superfamily Lycosoidea (families Pisauridae, Trechaleidae, and Lycosidae), in two species of the superfamily Ctenoidea (family Ctenidae), and in one species of the superfamily Corinnoidea (family Liocranidae). The majority of reports on fish predation by spiders referred to pisaurid spiders of the genera Dolomedes and Nilus (>75% of observed incidences). There is laboratory evidence that spiders from several more families (e.g., the water spider Argyroneta aquatica [Cybaeidae], the intertidal spider Desis marina [Desidae], and the 'swimming' huntsman spider Heteropoda natans [Sparassidae]) predate fish as well. Our finding of such a large diversity of spider families being engaged in fish predation is novel. Semi-aquatic spiders captured fish whose body length exceeded the spiders' body length (the captured fish being, on average, 2.2 times as long as the spiders). Evidence suggests that fish prey might be an occasional prey item of substantial nutritional importance.

Fish Predation by Semi-Aquatic Spiders: A Global Pattern

PubMed Central

Nyffeler, Martin; Pusey, Bradley J.

2014-01-01

More than 80 incidences of fish predation by semi-aquatic spiders – observed at the fringes of shallow freshwater streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, and fens – are reviewed. We provide evidence that fish predation by semi-aquatic spiders is geographically widespread, occurring on all continents except Antarctica. Fish predation by spiders appears to be more common in warmer areas between 40° S and 40° N. The fish captured by spiders, usually ranging from 2–6 cm in length, are among the most common fish taxa occurring in their respective geographic area (e.g., mosquitofish [Gambusia spp.] in the southeastern USA, fish of the order Characiformes in the Neotropics, killifish [Aphyosemion spp.] in Central and West Africa, as well as Australian native fish of the genera Galaxias, Melanotaenia, and Pseudomugil). Naturally occurring fish predation has been witnessed in more than a dozen spider species from the superfamily Lycosoidea (families Pisauridae, Trechaleidae, and Lycosidae), in two species of the superfamily Ctenoidea (family Ctenidae), and in one species of the superfamily Corinnoidea (family Liocranidae). The majority of reports on fish predation by spiders referred to pisaurid spiders of the genera Dolomedes and Nilus (>75% of observed incidences). There is laboratory evidence that spiders from several more families (e.g., the water spider Argyroneta aquatica [Cybaeidae], the intertidal spider Desis marina [Desidae], and the ‘swimming’ huntsman spider Heteropoda natans [Sparassidae]) predate fish as well. Our finding of such a large diversity of spider families being engaged in fish predation is novel. Semi-aquatic spiders captured fish whose body length exceeded the spiders’ body length (the captured fish being, on average, 2.2 times as long as the spiders). Evidence suggests that fish prey might be an occasional prey item of substantial nutritional importance. PMID:24940885

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy in the Treatment of Locally Recurred Head and Neck Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kankaanranta, Leena; Seppaelae, Tiina; Koivunoro, Hanna

2007-10-01

Purpose: Head and neck carcinomas that recur locally after conventional irradiation pose a difficult therapeutic problem. We evaluated safety and efficacy of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) in the treatment of such cancers. Methods and Materials: Twelve patients with inoperable, recurred, locally advanced (rT3, rT4, or rN2) head and neck cancer were treated with BNCT in a prospective, single-center Phase I-II study. Prior treatments consisted of surgery and conventionally fractionated photon irradiation to a cumulative dose of 56-74 Gy administered with or without concomitant chemotherapy. Tumor responses were assessed using the RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) criteria andmore » adverse effects using the National Cancer Institute common toxicity grading v3.0. Intravenously administered boronophenylalanine-fructose (BPA-F, 400 mg/kg) was used as the boron carrier. Each patient was scheduled to be treated twice with BNCT. Results: Ten patients received BNCT twice; 2 were treated once. Ten (83%) patients responded to BNCT, and 2 (17%) had tumor growth stabilization for 5.5 and 7.6 months. The median duration of response was 12.1 months; six responses were ongoing at the time of analysis or death (range, 4.9-19.2 months). Four (33%) patients were alive without recurrence with a median follow-up of 14.0 months (range, 12.8-19.2 months). The most common acute adverse effects were mucositis, fatigue, and local pain; 2 patients had a severe (Grade 3) late adverse effect (xerostomia, 1; dysphagia, 1). Conclusions: Boron neutron capture therapy is effective and safe in the treatment of inoperable, locally advanced head and neck carcinomas that recur at previously irradiated sites.« less

Seasonal distributions of the western cherry fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) among host and nonhost fruit trees.

PubMed

Yee, Wee L

2014-01-01

Seasonal distributions of the western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), in sweet cherry (Prunus avium (L.) L.) (major host), black hawthorn (occasional developmental host) (Crataegus douglasii Lindley), and other trees were determined in a ponderosa pine ecosystem in Washington state, USA. The hypothesis that most fly dispersal from cherry trees occurs after fruit senesce or drop was tested, with emphasis on movement to black hawthorn trees. Sweet cherry fruit developed earlier than black hawthorn, bitter cherry (common host), choke cherry, and apple fruit. Flies were usually captured first in sweet cherry trees but were caught in bitter cherry and other trees throughout the season. Peak fly capture periods in sweet cherry began around the same time or slightly earlier than in other trees. However, peak fly capture periods in black hawthorn and other nonsweet cherry trees continued after peak periods in sweet cherry ended, or relative fly numbers within sweet cherry declined more quickly than those within other trees. Larvae were reared from sweet and bitter cherry but not black hawthorn fruit. Results provide partial support for the hypothesis in that although R. indifferens commonly disperses from sweet cherry trees with fruit, it could disperse more, or more flies are retained in nonsweet cherry trees after than before sweet cherries drop. This could allow opportunities for the flies to use other fruit for larval development. Although R. indifferens infestation in black hawthorn was not detected, early season fly dispersal to this and other trees and fly presence in bitter cherry could make fly management in sweet cherry difficult. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America 2014. This work is written by a US Government employee and is in the public domain in the US.

OGUMI—A new mobile application to conduct common-pool resource experiments in continuous time

PubMed Central

Nissen, Dennis

2017-01-01

OGUMI is an Android-based open source mobile application for conducting Common-Pool Resource Experiments, Choice Experiments, and Questionnaires in the field, in the laboratory, and online. A main feature of OGUMI is its capacity to capture real-time changes in human behaviour in response to a dynamically varying resource. OGUMI is simple (for example, likewise other existing software, it does not require expertise in behavioural game theory), stable, and extremely flexible with respect to the user-resource model running in the background. Here we present the motivation for the development of OGUMI and we discuss its main features with an example application. PMID:28582457

OGUMI-A new mobile application to conduct common-pool resource experiments in continuous time.

PubMed

Brandt, Gunnar; Kulesz, Micaela M; Nissen, Dennis; Merico, Agostino

2017-01-01

OGUMI is an Android-based open source mobile application for conducting Common-Pool Resource Experiments, Choice Experiments, and Questionnaires in the field, in the laboratory, and online. A main feature of OGUMI is its capacity to capture real-time changes in human behaviour in response to a dynamically varying resource. OGUMI is simple (for example, likewise other existing software, it does not require expertise in behavioural game theory), stable, and extremely flexible with respect to the user-resource model running in the background. Here we present the motivation for the development of OGUMI and we discuss its main features with an example application.

Common-path biodynamic imaging for dynamic fluctuation spectroscopy of 3D living tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhe; Turek, John; Nolte, David D.

2017-03-01

Biodynamic imaging is a novel 3D optical imaging technology based on short-coherence digital holography that measures intracellular motions of cells inside their natural microenvironments. Here both common-path and Mach-Zehnder designs are presented. Biological tissues such as tumor spheroids and ex vivo biopsies are used as targets, and backscattered light is collected as signal. Drugs are applied to samples, and their effects are evaluated by identifying biomarkers that capture intracellular dynamics from the reconstructed holograms. Through digital holography and coherence gating, information from different depths of the samples can be extracted, enabling the deep-tissue measurement of the responses to drugs.

Layer stacking: A novel algorithm for individual forest tree segmentation from LiDAR point clouds

Treesearch

Elias Ayrey; Shawn Fraver; John A. Kershaw; Laura S. Kenefic; Daniel Hayes; Aaron R. Weiskittel; Brian E. Roth

2017-01-01

As light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology advances, it has become common for datasets to be acquired at a point density high enough to capture structural information from individual trees. To process these data, an automatic method of isolating individual trees from a LiDAR point cloud is required. Traditional methods for segmenting trees attempt to isolate...

Mechatronics in monitoring, simulation, and diagnostics of industrial and biological processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golnik, Natalia; Dobosz, Marek; Jakubowska, Małgorzata; Kościelny, Jan M.; Kujawińska, Małgorzata; Pałko, Tadeusz; Putz, Barbara; Sitnik, Robert; Wnuk, Paweł; Woźniak, Adam

2013-10-01

The paper describes a number of research projects of the Faculty of Mechatronics of Warsaw University of Technology in order to illustrate the use of common mechatronics and optomechatronics approach in solving multidisciplinary technical problems. Projects on sensors development, measurement and industrial control systems, multimodal data capture and advance systems for monitoring and diagnostics of industrial processes are presented and discussed.

Teacher Professional Development and Student Achievement: Analysis of Trends from Grade 8 TIMSS 2003, 2007 and 2011 Math Data for the Kingdom of Bahrain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ajjawi, Samah

2015-01-01

It is a common knowledge that student achievement is a product of multiple individual and environmental factors. The literature developed various models to organize and explain the relationship between some of these variables and student learning which translates into student achievement. Yet, no comprehensive model is able to capture all possible…

A Construct for Describing Software Development Risks

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-07-01

consequences during any risk identification process. It is more important and expedient to capture the conditions since the basic statement of conse ...chain of causal events. The contrast between the exploration of conditions rather than conse - quences in risk identification is similar to that of...extent that a general con - dition has a multiplicity of individual characteristics. In the CTC representation, these distinct risks can share common

Acquisition of Maternal Education and Its Relation to Single-Word Reading in Middle Childhood: An Analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Thomas; McKean, Cristina; Rush, Robert; Westrupp, Elizabeth M.; Mensah, Fiona K.; Reilly, Sheena; Law, James

2017-01-01

Maternal education captured at a single time point is commonly employed as a predictor of a child's cognitive development. In this article, we ask what bearing the acquisition of additional qualifications has upon reading performance in middle childhood. This was a secondary analysis of the United Kingdom's Millennium Cohort Study, a cohort of…

Efficacy of traps, lures, and repellents for Xylosandrus compactus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and other ambrosia beetles on Coffea arabica plantations and Acacia koa nurseries in Hawaii

Treesearch

E. G. Burbano; M.G. Wright; N.E. Gillette; S. Mori; N. Dudley; N. Jones; M. Kaufmann

2012-01-01

The black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is a pest of coffee and many endemic Hawaiian plants. Traps baited with chemical attractants commonly are used to capture ambrosia beetles for purposes of monitoring, studying population dynamics, predicting outbreaks, and mass trapping to reduce damage...

Acceptance of Safety and Mission Success Risks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groen, Frank

2015-01-01

NASA has developed an objectives based hierarchy for guiding Reliability and Maintainability (RM) activities. This presentation overviews the hierarchy and proposes to the international trilateral partners to formulate a task force to consider the elements of the NASA RM framework, as captured in the hierarchy of RM considerations, to identify commonalities and differences in the way RM is addressed by the flight projects among the partners.

Charters and the Common Good: The Spillover Effects of Charter Schools in New York City

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cordes, Sarah A.

2018-01-01

Charter Schools represent a small share of the national education market: just 6.2 percent of all public schools and 4.6 percent of all students. But their rapid growth over the past two decades has captured an outsized measure of public attention, especially in communities where district and charter schools operate side by side. At New York…

TARGET: Rapid Capture of Process Knowledge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ortiz, C. J.; Ly, H. V.; Saito, T.; Loftin, R. B.

1993-01-01

TARGET (Task Analysis/Rule Generation Tool) represents a new breed of tool that blends graphical process flow modeling capabilities with the function of a top-down reporting facility. Since NASA personnel frequently perform tasks that are primarily procedural in nature, TARGET models mission or task procedures and generates hierarchical reports as part of the process capture and analysis effort. Historically, capturing knowledge has proven to be one of the greatest barriers to the development of intelligent systems. Current practice generally requires lengthy interactions between the expert whose knowledge is to be captured and the knowledge engineer whose responsibility is to acquire and represent the expert's knowledge in a useful form. Although much research has been devoted to the development of methodologies and computer software to aid in the capture and representation of some types of knowledge, procedural knowledge has received relatively little attention. In essence, TARGET is one of the first tools of its kind, commercial or institutional, that is designed to support this type of knowledge capture undertaking. This paper will describe the design and development of TARGET for the acquisition and representation of procedural knowledge. The strategies employed by TARGET to support use by knowledge engineers, subject matter experts, programmers and managers will be discussed. This discussion includes the method by which the tool employs its graphical user interface to generate a task hierarchy report. Next, the approach to generate production rules for incorporation in and development of a CLIPS based expert system will be elaborated. TARGET also permits experts to visually describe procedural tasks as a common medium for knowledge refinement by the expert community and knowledge engineer making knowledge consensus possible. The paper briefly touches on the verification and validation issues facing the CLIPS rule generation aspects of TARGET. A description of efforts to support TARGET's interoperability issues on PCs, Macintoshes and UNIX workstations concludes the paper.

In-well time-of-travel approach to evaluate optimal purge duration during low-flow sampling of monitoring wells

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harte, Philip T.

2017-01-01

A common assumption with groundwater sampling is that low (<0.5 L/min) pumping rates during well purging and sampling captures primarily lateral flow from the formation through the well-screened interval at a depth coincident with the pump intake. However, if the intake is adjacent to a low hydraulic conductivity part of the screened formation, this scenario will induce vertical groundwater flow to the pump intake from parts of the screened interval with high hydraulic conductivity. Because less formation water will initially be captured during pumping, a substantial volume of water already in the well (preexisting screen water or screen storage) will be captured during this initial time until inflow from the high hydraulic conductivity part of the screened formation can travel vertically in the well to the pump intake. Therefore, the length of the time needed for adequate purging prior to sample collection (called optimal purge duration) is controlled by the in-well, vertical travel times. A preliminary, simple analytical model was used to provide information on the relation between purge duration and capture of formation water for different gross levels of heterogeneity (contrast between low and high hydraulic conductivity layers). The model was then used to compare these time–volume relations to purge data (pumping rates and drawdown) collected at several representative monitoring wells from multiple sites. Results showed that computation of time-dependent capture of formation water (as opposed to capture of preexisting screen water), which were based on vertical travel times in the well, compares favorably with the time required to achieve field parameter stabilization. If field parameter stabilization is an indicator of arrival time of formation water, which has been postulated, then in-well, vertical flow may be an important factor at wells where low-flow sampling is the sample method of choice.

Cucumber Lure Trapping of Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Hawaii and Taiwan: Longevity and Nontargets Captures.

PubMed

Jang, Eric B; Carvalho, Lori A F N; Chen, Chung-Chien; Siderhurst, Matthew S

2017-02-01

The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious pest of tropical horticulture, causing damage to cucurbits, tree fruits, and fruiting vegetables. Melon flies are especially attractive to freshly sliced cucumber, and this has led to the identification of a nine-compound kairomone lure that can be used to trap both female and male flies. In this study, a seven-compound lure, containing (Z)-6-nonenal, (Z)-6-nonen-1-ol, 1-octen-3-ol, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, (E)-2-nonenal, hexanal, and 1-hexanol, was formulated into PVC plugs (100 or 300 mg/plug) for field testing in wet traps. In Hawaii, 100 mg of the seven-compound cucumber lure, loaded in either plugs or glass capillaries, attracted more flies than traps containing Solulys protein over a 9-wk period. However, both cucumber lure formulations showed marked declines in the number of flies trapped after 3 wk. Similar results were obtained during a 6-wk field trial using 100 mg cucumber lure plugs in Taiwan. Increasing the cucumber lure loading rate to 300 mg/lure increased the effective trapping life of the attractant during a second 9-wk field trial conducted in Hawaii. The synthetic cucumber lure showed female-biased sex ratios in trap captures in the Taiwanese and second Hawaiian field trials. Protein lures captures were female-biased in all three field trials. Wet traps in Hawaii containing the cucumber lure were found to capture 25-30 nontarget insects/trap/week, less than half that captured with Solulys. Captured nontarget insects represented 37 families in 10 orders. The most common families caught were Ceratopogonidae (∼9 flies/trap) and Gryllidae (∼7 crickets/trap). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2016. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.