Predicting Nesting Habitat of Northern Goshawks in Mixed Aspen-Lodgepole Pine Forests in a High-Elevation Shrub-Steppe Dominated Landscape

We developed a habitat suitability model for predicting nest locations of breeding Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) in the high-elevation mixed forest and shrub-steppe habitat of south-central Idaho, USA. We used elevation, slope, aspect, ruggedness, distance-to-water, canopy cover, and individual bands of Landsat imagery as predictors for known nest locations with logistic regression. We found goshawks prefer to nest in gently-sloping, east-facing, non-rugged areas of dense aspen and lodgepole pine forests with low reflectance in green (0.53 - 0.61 μm) wavelengths during the breeding season. We used the model results to classify our 43,169 hectare study area into nesting suitability categories: well suited (8.8%), marginally suited (5.1%), and poorly suited (86.1%). We evaluated our model’s performance by comparing the modeled results to a set of GPS locations of known nests (n = 15) that were not used to develop the model. Observed nest locations matched model results 93.3% of the time for well suited habitat and fell within poorly suited areas only 6.7% of the time. Our method improves on goshawk nesting models developed previously by others and may be applicable for surveying goshawks in adjacent mountain ranges across the northern Great Basin

Variable Shifts in the Autumn Migration Phenology of Soaring Birds in Southern Spain

While alteration of the migratory habits of birds is widely regarded as one of the most evident ecological effects of climate change, studies reporting shifts in migration phenology for long-lived, long-distance migrants have been few. Using time series of count data collected in southern Spain during autumn migration, we examined the magnitude and direction of phenological shifts for six common species of soaring birds. Many current methods for investigating phenological change rely on continuous data sets; however, these data may be unavailable for a variety of reasons. We used a cross-correlation analysis, which allowed us to compare recent data on the timing of migration from 1999–2011 to a historic data set collected during 1976–1977. The direction of phenological shifts for autumn migration was species-specific. White Storks Ciconia ciconia and Black Kites Milvus migrans appeared to have delayed passage, Black Storks Ciconia nigra and European Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus have advanced their migratory timing, and we found no clear phenological change for Short-toed Eagles Circaetus gallicus or Booted Eagles Hieraaetus pennatus

Effects of Prey Abundance on Breeding Season Diet of Northern Goshawks (\u3cem\u3eAccipiter gentilis\u3c/em\u3e) Within an Unusual Prey Landscape

A critical element of diet analysis is species adaptability to alternative prey sources. The breeding-season diet of Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) includes both mammalian and avian species, varies geographically, and is often dependent upon tree squirrels of the genera Sciurus andTamiasciurus. We studied alternative prey sources of Northern Goshawks in the South Hills of south-central Idaho, an area where tree squirrels are naturally absent and other prey frequently important in the diet of goshawks, such as smaller corvids, are uncommon. We quantified the diet of goshawks using nest cameras and surveyed abundance of prey using line transects. We found that goshawks consumed roughly 18.5% birds and 78.7% mammals by biomass, with diet dominated by the Belding\u27s ground squirrel (Urocitellus beldingi, also known as Spermophilus beldingi; 74.8% of total biomass consumed); however, the percentages of mammals and birds in the diet varied between years. The diet was low in diversity, with high overlap among nests, indicating a strong local dependence on the dominant food item. Lastly, the proportion of mammalian prey in the diet was greater in larger broods than in smaller broods. This study provides new insight into the adaptability of the goshawk, particularly in areas with unique prey assemblages

Editorial Board

Source at http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1345-8 Background: The duration of untreated psychosis is determined by both patient and service related factors. Few studies have considered the geographical accessibility of services in relation to treatment delay in early psychosis. To address this, we investigated whether treatment delay is co-determined by straight-line distance to hospital based specialist services in a mainly rural mental health context. Methods: A naturalistic cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of recent onset psychosis patients in northern Norway (n = 62). Data on patient and service related determinants were analysed. Results: Half of the cohort had a treatment delay longer than 4.5 months. In a binary logistic regression model, straight-line distance was found to make an independent contribution to delay in which we controlled for other known risk factors. Conclusions: The determinants of treatment delay are complex. This study adds to previous studies on treatment delay by showing that the spatial location of services also makes an independent contribution. In addition, it may be that insidious onset is a more important factor in treatment delay in remote areas, as the logistical implications of specialist referral are much greater than for urban dwellers. The threshold for making a diagnosis in a remote location may therefore be higher. Strategies to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis in rural areas would benefit from improving appropriate referral by crisis services, and the detection of insidious onset of psychosis in community based specialist services

Precommitment low-level Neurog3 expression defines a long-lived mitotic endocrine-biased progenitor pool that drives production of endocrine-committed cells

The current model for endocrine cell specification in the pancreas invokes high-level production of the transcription factor Neurogenin 3 (Neurog3) in Sox9(+) bipotent epithelial cells as the trigger for endocrine commitment, cell cycle exit, and rapid delamination toward proto-islet clusters. This model posits a transient Neurog3 expression state and short epithelial residence period. We show, however, that a Neurog3(TA.LO) cell population, defined as Neurog3 transcriptionally active and Sox9(+) and often containing nonimmunodetectable Neurog3 protein, has a relatively high mitotic index and prolonged epithelial residency. We propose that this endocrine-biased mitotic progenitor state is functionally separated from a pro-ductal pool and endows them with long-term capacity to make endocrine fate-directed progeny. A novel BAC transgenic Neurog3 reporter detected two types of mitotic behavior in Sox9(+) Neurog3(TA.LO) progenitors, associated with progenitor pool maintenance or derivation of endocrine-committed Neurog3(HI) cells, respectively. Moreover, limiting Neurog3 expression dramatically increased the proportional representation of Sox9(+) Neurog3(TA.LO) progenitors, with a doubling of its mitotic index relative to normal Neurog3 expression, suggesting that low Neurog3 expression is a defining feature of this cycling endocrine-biased state. We propose that Sox9(+) Neurog3(TA.LO) endocrine-biased progenitors feed production of Neurog3(HI) endocrine-committed cells during pancreas organogenesis

Loss of Endocan tumorigenic properties after alternative splicing of exon 2

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Endocan was originally described as a dermatan sulfate proteoglycan found freely circulating in the blood. Endocan expression confers tumorigenic properties to epithelial cell lines or accelerate the growth of already tumorigenic cells. This molecule is the product of a single gene composed of 3 exons. Previous data showed that endocan mRNA is subject to alternative splicing with possible generation of two protein products. In the present study we identified, and functionally characterized, the alternative spliced product of the endocan gene: the exon 2-deleted endocan, called endocanΔ2.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Stable, endocanΔ2-overexpressing cell lines were generated to investigate the biological activities of this new alternatively spliced product of endocan gene. Tumorigenesis was studied by inoculating endocan and endocanΔ2 expressing cell lines subcutaneously in SCID mice. Biochemical properties of endocan and endocanΔ2 were studied after production of recombinant proteins in various cell lines of human and murine origin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results showed that the exon 2 deletion impairs synthesis of the glycan chain, known to be involved in the pro-tumoral effect of endocan. EndocanΔ2 did not promote tumor formation by 293 cells implanted in the skin of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results emphasize the key role of the polypeptide sequence encoded by the exon 2 of endocan gene in tumorigenesis, and suggest that this sequence could be a target for future therapies against cancer.</p

Application of a Colorimetric Assay to Identify Putative Ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-Phosphate Synthase Genes Expressed with Activity in Escherichia coli

Tetrahydromethanopterin (H(4)MPT) is a tetrahydrofolate analog originally discovered in methanogenic archaea, but later found in other archaea and bacteria. The extent to which H(4)MPT occurs among living organisms is unknown. The key enzyme which distinguishes the biosynthetic pathways of H(4)MPT and tetrahydrofolate is ribofuranosylaminobenzene 5'-phosphate synthase (RFAP synthase). Given the importance of RFAP synthase in H(4)MPT biosynthesis, the identification of putative RFAP synthase genes and measurement of RFAP synthase activity would provide an indication of the presence of H(4)MPT in untested microorganisms. Investigation of putative archaeal RFAP synthase genes has been hampered by the tendency of the resulting proteins to form inactive inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. The current work describes a colorimetric assay for measuring RFAP synthase activity, and two modified procedures for expressing recombinant RFAP synthase genes to produce soluble, active enzyme. By lowering the incubation temperature during expression, RFAP synthase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus was produced in E. coli and purified to homogeneity. The production of active RFAP synthase from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus was achieved by coexpression of the gene MTH0830 with a molecular chaperone. This is the first direct biochemical identification of a methanogen gene that codes for an active RFAP synthase

Mercury in Nelson's Sparrow Subspecies at Breeding Sites

Background: Mercury is a persistent, biomagnifying contaminant that can cause negative effects on ecosystems. Marshes are often areas of relatively high mercury methylation and bioaccumulation. Nelson’s Sparrows (Ammodramus nelsoni) use marsh habitats year-round and have been documented to exhibit tissue mercury concentrations that exceed negative effects thresholds. We sought to further characterize the potential risk of Nelson’s Sparrows to mercury exposure by sampling individuals from sites within the range of each of its subspecies

Exogenous Addition of a C-Xylopyranoside Derivative Stimulates Keratinocyte Dermatan Sulfate Synthesis and Promotes Migration

As C-Xyloside has been suggested to be an initiator of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis, and GAGs such as Dermatan sulfate (DS) are potent enhancers of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) - 10 action, we investigated if a C-Xylopyranoside derivative, (C-β-D-xylopyranoside-2-hydroxy-propane, C-Xyloside), could promote DS production by cultured normal human keratinocytes, how this occurs and if C-Xyloside could also stimulate FGF-dependent cell migration and proliferation. C-Xyloside-treated keratinocytes greatly increased secretion of total sulfated GAGs. Majority of the induced GAG was chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS) of which the major secreted GAG was DS. Cells lacking xylosyltransferase enzymatic activity demonstrated that C-Xyloside was able to stimulate GAG synthesis without addition to core proteins. Consistent with the observed increase in DS, keratinocytes treated with C-Xyloside showed enhanced migration in response to FGF-10 and secreted into their culture media GAGs that promoted FGF-10-dependent cellular proliferation. These results indicate that C-Xyloside may enhance epithelial repair by serving as an initiator of DS synthesis

Telomeric circles are abundant in the stn1-M1 mutant that maintains its telomeres through recombination

Some human cancers maintain their telomeres using the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism; a process thought to involve recombination. Different types of recombinational telomere elongation pathways have been identified in yeasts. In senescing yeast telomerase deletion (ter1-Δ) mutants with very short telomeres, it has been hypothesized that copying a tiny telomeric circle (t-circle) by a rolling circle mechanism is the key event in telomere elongation. In other cases more closely resembling ALT cells, such as the stn1-M1 mutant of Kluyveromyces lactis, the telomeres appear to be continuously unstable and routinely reach very large sizes. By employing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and electron microscopy, we show that stn1-M1 cells contain abundant double stranded t-circles ranging from ∼100 to 30 000 bp in size. We also observed small single-stranded t-circles, specifically composed of the G-rich telomeric strand and tailed circles resembling rolling circle replication intermediates. The t-circles most likely arose from recombination events that also resulted in telomere truncations. The findings strengthen the possibility that t-circles contribute to telomere maintenance in stn1-M1 and ALT cells