Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) chick bioenergetics following round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) invasion and implementation of cormorant population control

As the fish community changed in the Beaver Archipelago (northern Lake Michigan), so has the diet of breeding Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). In 2000, the energetically dense alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) dominated the diet, but more recently, the relatively low quality round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) has become the most common prey item. Additionally, cormorant control measures have been underway in the archipelago. This study investigated decreases in cormorant chick numbers and changes in chick bioenergetics in response to this change in diet, as well as the influence of control efforts, and compared these results to an earlier study. Two colonies, one actively controlled the other only controlled following completion of this study, were investigated to determine changes in colony size throughout the breeding season, document chick diet, measure chick growth, and determine chick survivorship to fledging. The bioenergetics model estimated that in 2010, chicks consumed a greater biomass of prey to reach fledging due to the change in diet, but lower biomass overall due to fewer chicks in the system. Control efforts in combination with the change in diet reduced chick numbers. Overall, the impact of cormorant chicks on available fish biomass has declined in recent years due to control efforts. However, the birds have the potential to consume a greater biomass of round goby in the absence of control. The impact of cormorants on fisheries resources is complicated by the abundance and effects of non-native species.     

Assessment of fish mercury levels in the upper St. Lawrence River,Canada

The stretch of the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, between the Moses–Saunders power dam to the eastern outlet of Lake St. Francis in Québec, is currently listed as an Area of Concern (AOC), and has restrictive fish consumption advisories in place, largely due to high mercury levels. This study examined long-term temporal trends of mercury concentrations in northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye and yellow perch from the St. Lawrence River, including the Cornwall AOC. In addition, differences in fish mercury concentrations among river sections were compared for each species using historical (1975–1979) and recent (2000–2011) data. Statistically significant declines in mercury concentrations were observed in all river sections for yellow perch (~ 40%), as well as in northern pike and walleye in at least one river section. For the river section encompassing the AOC, recent mercury concentrations are 33–59% lower than historical mercury concentrations for all four species. Further, a comparison of recent mercury concentrations between the AOC river section and other Ontario lakes/rivers suggests that AOC mercury values are within the 75th percentile of values for other Ontario water bodies in three of the four species considered. However, current fish mercury values for the AOC river section remain higher than one or more upstream river sections. These results indicate that recovery is still ongoing in this AOC.     

Involvement of Ventral Pallidum in Prefrontal Cortex-Dependent Aspects of Spatial Working Memory.

Ventral pallidum (VP) is an important source of limbic input to medial thalamus. Three studies examined the role of VP in spatial memory tasks impaired by medial thalamic lesions. In the 1st study, rats with VP lesions were impaired performing delayed matching trained with retractable levers (DMRL), a measure sensitive to prefrontal (but not hippocampal) damage. The 2nd study demonstrated dose-dependent DMRL impairment following microinjection of gamma-aminobutyric acidA, glutamate, or mu-opioid agonists in VP. In the 3rd study, VP lesions had no effect on varying choice radial-maze delayed nonmatching, a measure sensitive to hippocampal (but not prefrontal) lesions. These results suggest a common role in spatial memory for VP and other components of prefrontal-ventral striatopallidothalamic circuits distinct from hippocampal function. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

As easy as pie

3-D or perspective pie charts are popular graphical displays, especially now that they are so easy to produce on computers, but they are problematical because they distort the very features that communicate the information about the data. This paper presents evidence to support the hypothesis that such distortions can lead to mis-information being obtained from such graphs. In particular the orientation of the segments is crucial to the interpretation of the data. This evidence comes from an experiment on a large number of subjects from varied backgrounds and ages who were asked to identify the largest and smallest segments in a 3-D pie chart. For some graphs the numbers of respondents who identified the segments incorrectly far exceeded those who identified them correctly. A control group who carried out the same task for 2-D pie charts were all able to correctly identify the largest and smallest segments in each graph.     

Similar features in Z bands of both skeletal and cardiac muscle revealed by image enhancement

We have shown previously that the small square (ss) and basket weave (bw) states of the Z band lattice in cardiac and skeletal muscle are related to the contractile state of the muscle. We have used two-dimensional image processing techniques on digitized electron micrographs to enhance the structural features of each projected lattice form in cardiac and skeletal muscle. Four different processing techniques were employed to assess the effect of enhancement artifacts on the resulting Z band images. We observed only slight differences between enhanced images of a particular Z band form produced by the four different techniques. Every enhanced image showed an approximate four-fold symmetry independent of muscle type or Z band lattice form. Each enhanced image showed four cross-connecting Z-filaments which appeared to connect each axial filament to the four nearest axial filaments. In bw images from both cardiac and skeletal muscle, axial filaments had a greater apparent diameter and a greater interaxial filament spacing than in the ss images. In both muscle types, the cross-connecting Z-filaments appeared to overlap half-way between axial filaments in the ss images while the bw images showed no such overlap. These structural features are consistent with a dynamic Z band lattice that participates in muscle contraction.     

Kinetics of ultrasonic extraction of polyphenols,anthocyanins and tannins from five different New Zealand grape pomaces

Polyphenols were extracted from five kinds of New Zealand grape pomace (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gerwurztraminer, Merlot and Pinot Noir) at 30, 50 and 70 °C in an ultrasonic generator. The extraction kinetics for total phenol, anthocyanin and tannin were determined. The results of dynamics study showed that the extraction of total polyphenols, anthocyanin and tannin followed first-order reaction kinetics during the extraction at 30, 50 and 70 °C. The total phenolic content, anthocyanin conten, and tannin content of water–ethanol extracts from grape pomaces were compared, and the parameters in the extraction kinetics equations were determined. The extraction results showed that the Pinot Noir pomace extract had the highest total phenolic content of 59.95 mg GAE g⁻¹ pomace and tannin content of 79.93 mg EE g⁻¹ pomace. The anthocyanin content in Merlot pomace extract was the highest, which was 4.50 CE g⁻¹ pomace. The results might be of great significance for the development of grape pomace or its polyphenol and/or anthocyanin components as an antioxidant source with natural and inexpensive benefits.     

Defining resilience for the US building industry

ABSTRACT

Initiatives to operationalize the concept of resilience in the building industry are rapidly emerging. The concept of resilience has introduced a way to explore solutions to some important problems in the building industry. However, much of the work that has taken place to date represents activities generally assigned to risk management, which is discussed as being inherently insufficient for sustaining the functions of the built environment under stresses. This commentary considers the opportunities and limitations for mainstreaming resilience into building industry processes and actors. Barriers include indeterminate analytical meaning, event and performance uncertainty, immature regulatory standards setting, and untested enterprise economics. Further, the multiple outcomes of recovery and the relationship between building recovery and adaptation are discussed and, along with economics of resilience investments, a research need highlighted. A simple heuristic is presented to illustrate the complement of resilience to risk management and advance the integration of resilience into existing industry workflows.     

Ice‐Templated Scaffolds with Microridged Pores Direct DRG Neurite Growth

Successful spinal cord repair is thought to be promoted with hierarchically structured scaffolds. These should combine aligned porosity with additional linear features on the micrometer scale to guide axons across multiple length scales. Such scaffolds are generated through the carefully controlled directional solidification of an aqueous biopolymer solution, followed by lyophilization. Under specific freezing conditions this yields a highly regular and aligned lamellar architecture. This architecture exhibits uniform ridges of controlled height and width on the lamellar surface. These ridges run parallel to the pore axis, serving as secondary guidance features. The ridges are capable of linearly aligning 62.4% of chick dorsal root ganglia neurites to within ±10° of the ridge direction. Notably, neurites sprouting perpendicular to the ridge are guided into alignment with these microridged features.