The Cost of Dispersal: Predation as a Function of Movement and Site Familiarity in Ruffed Grouse

Ecologists often assume that dispersing individuals experience increased predation risk owing to increased exposure to predators while moving. To test the hypothesis that predation risk is a function of movement distance or rate of movement, we used radio-telemetry data collected from 193 ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) during 1996–1999 in southeastern Ohio. Cox’s proportional hazards model was used to examine whether the risk of predation was affected by the rate of movement and site familiarity. We found evidence indicating that increased movement rates may increase the risk of predation for adult birds but not juveniles. We also found juvenile and adult birds inhabiting unfamiliar space were consistently at a much higher risk of predation (three to 7.5 times greater) than those in familiar space. Our results indicate that although movement itself may have some effect on the risk of being preyed upon, moving through unfamiliar space has a much greater effect on risk for ruffed grouse. This supports the hypothesis that increased predation risk may be an important cost of dispersal for birds.This work was funded by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife and supported by the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory at the Ohio State University

Open Science Practices are on the Rise: The State of Social Science (3S) Survey

Has there been meaningful movement toward open sci-ence practices within the social sciences in recent years? Discussions about changes in practices such as posting data and pre-registering analyses have been marked by controversy—including controversy over the extent to which change has taken place. This study, based on the State of Social Science (3S) Survey, provides the first com-prehensive assessment of awareness of, attitudes towards, perceived norms regarding, and adoption of open science practices within a broadly representative sample of scholars from four major social science disciplines: economics, political science, psychology, and so-ciology. We observe a steep increase in adoption: as of 2017, over 80% of scholars had used at least one such practice, rising from one quarter a decade earlier. Attitudes toward research transpar-ency are on average similar between older and younger scholars, but the pace of change di˙ers by field and methodology. According with theories of normal science and scientific change, the timing of increases in adoption coincides with technological innovations and institutional policies. Patterns are consistent with most scholars underestimating the trend toward open science in their discipline

The Use of SM-FRET Spectroscopy to Determine Whether Cooperative Binding is Involved in the Chaperone Function of HIV-1 Nucleocapsid Protein

Human immunodeficiency virus nucleocapsid protein (HIV-1 NC) is known to have both structural and nucleic acid chaperone functions in the replication cycle of the retrovirus. As a nucleic acid chaperone, NC protein interacts with TAR RNA and TAR DNA structures during the minus-strand transfer step of reverse transcription. The aim of this study is to use single molecule florescence resonance energy transfer (SM-FRET) spectroscopy to study biotin-immobilized TAR DNA hairpins at various concentrations of NC protein. The resulting data will subsequently be used to determine whether cooperative binding occurs between the NC protein and the TAR DNA hairpins. The results of this study are inconclusive; however, refinement of the experimental technique may provide conclusive data regarding cooperative binding in NC protein-TAR DNA interactions

Conjuring Creative Citizenship Beyond Rights

A Review of Writing and Righting: Literature in the Age of Human Rights by Lyndsey Stonebridge. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021. Pp. 176. $25 hardcover

Opioid vs Antidepressant Efficacy in Treatment of Comorbid Chronic Pain and Depression in Older Adults: An Integrative Literature Review

Background: Complexity of treatment of older adults frequently suffering from comorbid chronic pain and depression necessitates a further understanding of how best to focus treatment for these conditions to increase functional ability, quality of life, social, physical, and emotional well-being. Nurse practitioners should be aware of how to best treat these patients. The question whether to treat the pain directly, treat the depression, or using combined treatment for both conditions is a barrier to effective treatment by clinicians. Objectives: The purpose of this research is to compare the pharmacological treatment strategies and explore their differences, similarities, and effectiveness in improving comorbid pain and depression in older adults. Method: The framework used for the integrative literature review was established by Whitmore and Knafl (2005). The databases used in the research were CINAHL, PsycInfo, and PubMed. Two separate searches were performed to obtain literature on both opioids and antidepressants in relation to pain and depression. Both literature searches were limited to full text articles, primary sources, research articles, English language, age group 65+, and publication dates 2006 through 2017. A total of seven studies were included in the analysis and met the inclusion and exclusion criteria that focused on mean age 55 or older and treatment with either an opioid or antidepressant. The inclusion of a pain and depression scale was a focus of all seven studies as well. Results: The literature demonstrated support for the use of antidepressants, duloxetine and venlafaxine, for treatment of comorbid chronic pain associated with musculoskeletal conditions, neuropathy, and arthritis in depressed older adults. The research also points to length of medication use and consistency of use as better predictors of positive outcome versus the superiority of a single antidepressant. Although the findings show transdermal opioids as safe and effective for older adults with comorbid chronic pain and depression, the use of oral opioids may actually increases rates of depression in those older adults using them for the pain. Signs of early improvement in pain and depression may be a reliable measure of progress to gauge continued response to treatment. The improvement of pain and depression occurs simultaneously but at different rates and may be affected by the cause of the chronic pain. The effective treatment of both chronic pain and depression can have other benefits such as increased functional ability, better general health, and increased quality of life. Conclusion: Both antidepressants and opioids for the treatment of chronic pain and depression present potential risks but also many benefits making them effective treatment options. Future research should be focused on the exclusive study of older adults with chronic pain and depression, single medication use without adjunct therapies, and comparison studies of antidepressants vs opioids for treatment of older adults with these conditions

Airborne In-Situ Measurements of Formaldehyde Over California: One Year of Results from the Compact Formaldehyde Fluorescence Experiment (COFFEE) Instrument

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is one of the most abundant oxygenated volatile organiccompounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere, playing a role in multiple atmosphericprocesses, such as ozone (O3) production in polluted environments. Due toits short lifetime of only a few hours in daytime, HCHO also serves astracer of recent photochemical activity. While photochemical oxidation ofnon-methane hydrocarbons is the dominant source, HCHO can also be emitteddirectly from fuel combustion, vegetation, and biomass burning. The CompactFormaldehyde FluorescencE Experiment (COFFEE) instrument was built forintegration onto the Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment (AJAX) payload, basedout of NASAs Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, CA). Using Non-ResonantLaser Induced Fluorescence (NR-LIF), trace concentrations of HCHO can bedetected with a sensitivity of 200 parts per trillion.Since its first research flight in December 2015, COFFEE has successfullyflown on more than 20 science missions throughout California and Nevada.Presented here are results from these flights, including boundary layermeasurements and vertical profiles throughout the tropospheric column.Californias San Joaquin Valley is a primary focus, as this region is knownfor its elevated levels of HCHO as well as O3. Measurements collected inwildfire plumes, urban centers, agricultural lands, and on and off shorecomparisons will be presented. In addition, the correlation of HCHO to othertrace gases also measured by AJAX, including O3, methane, carbon dioxide,and water vapor will also be shown. Lastly, the implications of these HCHOmeasurements on calibration and validation of remote sensing data collectedby NASAs OMI (Aura) and OMPS (SuomiNPP) satellites will be addressed

Hidden memories

Using the Cottage Plantation ruins as a vehicle for investigation, this thesis demonstrates how fragments of information can be layered on each other to draw relationships between the past and present, self and space, memory and experience, architecture and nature. And, in turn, how an understanding of these relationships presents a greater perception of the self

Airborne In-Situ Measurements of Formaldehyde Over California: First Results from the Compact Formaldehyde Fluorescence Experiment (COFFEE) Instrument

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is one of the most abundant oxygenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere, playing a role multiple atmospheric processes. Measurements of HCHO can be used to help quantify convective transport, the abundance of VOCs, and ozone production in urban environments. The Compact Formaldehyde FluorescencE Experiment (COFFEE) instrument uses Non-Resonant Laser Induced Fluorescence (NR-LIF) to detect trace concentrations of HCHO as part of the Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment (AJAX) payload. Developed at NASA GSFC, COFFEE is a small, low maintenance instrument with a sensitivity of 100 pptv and a quick response time (1 sec). The COFFEE instrument has been customized to fit in an external wing pod on the Alpha Jet aircraft based at NASA ARC. The instrument can operate over a broad range of altitudes, from boundary layer to lower stratosphere, making it well suited for the Alpha Jet, which can access altitudes from the surface up to 40,000 ft. Results of the first COFFEE science flights preformed over the California's Central Valley will be presented. Boundary layer measurements and vertical profiles in the tropospheric column will both be included. This region is of particular interest, due to its elevated levels of HCHO, revealed in satellite images, as well as its high ozone concentrations. In addition to HCHO, the AJAX payload includes measurements of atmospheric ozone, methane, and carbon dioxide. Formaldehyde is one of the few urban pollutants that can be measured from space. Plans to compare in-situ COFFEE data with satellite-based HCHO observations such as those from OMI (Aura) and OMPS (SuomiNPP) will also be presented

Mutations in the mitochondrial cysteinyl-tRNA synthase gene, CARS2, lead to a severe epileptic encephalopathy and complex movement disorder

Background: Mitochondrial disease is often suspected in cases of severe epileptic encephalopathy especially when a complex movement disorder, liver involvement and progressive developmental regression are present. Although mutations in either mitochondrial DNA or POLG are often present, other nuclear defects in mitochondrial DNA replication and protein translation have been associated with a severe epileptic encephalopathy. Methods: and results We identified a proband with an epileptic encephalopathy, complex movement disorder and a combined mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme deficiency. The child presented with neurological regression, complex movement disorder and intractable seizures. A combined deficiency of mitochondrial complexes I, III and IV was noted in liver tissue, along with increased mitochondrial DNA content in skeletal muscle. Incomplete assembly of complex V, using blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis and complex I, using western blotting, suggested a disorder of mitochondrial transcription or translation. Exome sequencing identified compound heterozygous mutations in CARS2, a mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. Both mutations affect highly conserved amino acids located within the functional ligase domain of the cysteinyl-tRNA synthase. A specific decrease in the amount of charged mt-tRNACys was detected in patient fibroblasts compared with controls. Retroviral transfection of the wild-type CARS2 into patient skin fibroblasts led to the correction of the incomplete assembly of complex V, providing functional evidence for the role of CARS2 mutations in disease aetiology. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that mutations in CARS2 result in a mitochondrial translational defect as seen in individuals with mitochondrial epileptic encephalopathy

Intellectual Property and Public Health – A White Paper

On October 26, 2012, the University of Akron School of Law’s Center for Intellectual Property and Technology hosted its Sixth Annual IP Scholars Forum. In attendance were thirteen legal scholars with expertise and an interest in IP and public health who met to discuss problems and potential solutions at the intersection of these fields. This report summarizes this discussion by describing the problems raised, areas of agreement and disagreement between the participants, suggestions and solutions made by participants and the subsequent evaluations of these suggestions and solutions. Led by the moderator, participants at the Forum focused generally on three broad questions. First, are there alternatives to either the patent system or specific patent doctrines that can provide or help provide sufficient incentives for health-related innovation? Second, is health information being used proprietarily and if so, is this type of protection appropriate? Third, does IP conflict with other non-IP values that are important in health and how does or can IP law help resolve these conflicts? This report addresses each of these questions in turn