Role of predation and hunting on eastern cottontail mortality at Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
pp. 918-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly M. Boland ◽  
John A. Litvaitis
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Sylvilagus Floridanus ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Mortality Factors ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
Eastern Cottontail ◽  
Partial Compensation ◽  
National Seashore

The degree that hunting may influence game populations depends on whether hunting mortality is additional to (additive) or replaces (compensatory) natural-caused mortalities. In response to limited information on the effects of exploitation on eastern cottontail ( Sylvilagus floridanus (J.A. Allen, 1890)) populations within Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS), we initiated an investigation of cause-specific mortality using transmitter-equipped cottontails in hunted and nonhunted areas as a way to examine the additive versus compensatory aspect of hunting. Predation caused >70% of all deaths, whereas hunting caused 10% of deaths in the areas sampled. Survival rate was substantially lower among hunted sites (0.05) than at nonhunted sites (0.19) during the winter–spring of year 1, but there was no difference between hunted (0.33) and nonhunted (0.40) sites during year 2. Lower survival in year 1 was likely due to deep and persistent snow that increased vulnerability to predation and probably reduced the prospect for hunting mortalities to be compensated by reductions among other mortality factors. However, at least partial compensation apparently occurred during year 2 when winter weather was less severe. Cottontails at CCNS are near the northern edge of their geographic range and therefore may be ultimately limited by severe weather conditions. Compared with predation, we do not believe that the current levels and distributions of hunting influence cottontail populations at CCNS.

Juvenile xanthogranuloma of the subdural spaces mimicking chronic hematoma with positive FDG uptake on PET: case report

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-453
Author(s):  
Jacob A. Kahn ◽  
Jeffrey T. Waltz ◽  
Ramin M. Eskandari ◽  
Cynthia T. Welsh ◽  
Michael U. Antonucci
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Juvenile Xanthogranuloma ◽  
Imaging Features ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Advanced Imaging ◽  
Systemic Involvement ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Infancy And Early Childhood

The authors report an unusual presentation of juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG), a non–Langerhans cell histiocytosis of infancy and early childhood. This entity typically presents as a cutaneous head or neck nodule but can manifest with more systemic involvement including in the central nervous system. However, currently there is limited information regarding specific imaging features differentiating JXG from other neuropathological entities, with diagnosis typically made only after tissue sampling. The authors reviewed the initial images of a young patient with shunt-treated hydrocephalus and enlarging, chronic, extraaxial processes presumed to reflect subdural collections from overshunting, and they examine the operative discovery of a mass lesion that was pathologically proven to be JXG. Their results incorporate the important associated histological and advanced imaging features, including previously unreported metabolic activity on FDG PET. Ultimately, the case underscores the need to consider JXG in differential diagnoses of pediatric intracranial masses and highlights the potential role of PET in the initial diagnosis and response to treatment.

scholarly journals Small Noncoding RNAs in Knee Osteoarthritis: The Role of MicroRNAs and tRNA-Derived Fragments

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5711
Author(s):  
Julian Zacharjasz ◽  
Anna M. Mleczko ◽  
Paweł Bąkowski ◽  
Tomasz Piontek ◽  
Kamilla Bąkowska-Żywicka
Keyword(s):  
Knee Osteoarthritis ◽  
Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Pathological Process ◽  
Joint Disease ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Small Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Knee Oa ◽  
Cartilage Homeostasis

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative knee joint disease that results from the breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone, affecting about 3.3% of the world's population. As OA is a multifactorial disease, the underlying pathological process is closely associated with genetic changes in articular cartilage and bone. Many studies have focused on the role of small noncoding RNAs in OA and identified numbers of microRNAs that play important roles in regulating bone and cartilage homeostasis. The connection between other types of small noncoding RNAs, especially tRNA-derived fragments and knee osteoarthritis is still elusive. The observation that there is limited information about small RNAs different than miRNAs in knee OA was very surprising to us, especially given the fact that tRNA fragments are known to participate in a plethora of human diseases and a portion of them are even more abundant than miRNAs. Inspired by these findings, in this review we have summarized the possible involvement of microRNAs and tRNA-derived fragments in the pathology of knee osteoarthritis.

scholarly journals Akt signaling is activated by TGFβ2 and impacts tenogenic induction of mesenchymal stem cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophia K. Theodossiou ◽  
Jett B. Murray ◽  
LeeAnn A. Hold ◽  
Jeff M. Courtright ◽  
Anne M. Carper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Cell Alignment ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Akt Inhibitor ◽  
Tenogenic Differentiation

Abstract Background Tissue engineered and regenerative approaches for treating tendon injuries are challenged by the limited information on the cellular signaling pathways driving tenogenic differentiation of stem cells. Members of the transforming growth factor (TGF) β family, particularly TGFβ2, play a role in tenogenesis, which may proceed via Smad-mediated signaling. However, recent evidence suggests some aspects of tenogenesis may be independent of Smad signaling, and other pathways potentially involved in tenogenesis are understudied. Here, we examined the role of Akt/mTORC1/P70S6K signaling in early TGFβ2-induced tenogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and evaluated TGFβ2-induced tenogenic differentiation when Smad3 is inhibited. Methods Mouse MSCs were treated with TGFβ2 to induce tenogenesis, and Akt or Smad3 signaling was chemically inhibited using the Akt inhibitor, MK-2206, or the Smad3 inhibitor, SIS3. Effects of TGFβ2 alone and in combination with these inhibitors on the activation of Akt signaling and its downstream targets mTOR and P70S6K were quantified using western blot analysis, and cell morphology was assessed using confocal microscopy. Levels of the tendon marker protein, tenomodulin, were also assessed. Results TGFβ2 alone activated Akt signaling during early tenogenic induction. Chemically inhibiting Akt prevented increases in tenomodulin and attenuated tenogenic morphology of the MSCs in response to TGFβ2. Chemically inhibiting Smad3 did not prevent tenogenesis, but appeared to accelerate it. MSCs treated with both TGFβ2 and SIS3 produced significantly higher levels of tenomodulin at 7 days and morphology appeared tenogenic, with localized cell alignment and elongation. Finally, inhibiting Smad3 did not appear to impact Akt signaling, suggesting that Akt may allow TGFβ2-induced tenogenesis to proceed during disruption of Smad3 signaling. Conclusions These findings show that Akt signaling plays a role in TGFβ2-induced tenogenesis and that tenogenesis of MSCs can be initiated by TGFβ2 during disruption of Smad3 signaling. These findings provide new insights into the signaling pathways that regulate tenogenic induction in stem cells.

Who Are the Stalking Victims? Exploring the Victimization Experiences and Psychosocial Characteristics of Young Male and Female Adults in Hong Kong

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan ◽  
Lorraine Sheridan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Psychosocial Characteristics ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Lifetime Prevalence Rate ◽  
Victimization Experience ◽  
Stalking Victims ◽  
Stalking Victimization

Most stalking studies are conducted in the West. Limited information is available on victims of stalking from the Asian continent. This study specifically explored the victimization experiences of young male and female adults in Hong Kong. Using a large sample of university students ( N = 2,496) aged between 18 and 40 years, the gender distribution of stalking incident characteristics was examined, along with prevalence of various stalking behaviors, and victim–offender relationships by types of stalking behaviors. The differential role of demographic and psychosocial characteristics in stalking victimization experience was also explored. The lifetime prevalence rate of stalking victimization was 8.2%, with a higher estimate in females than males (11.6% vs. 3.8%). The sample analyzed in this study was 196 stalking victims. Although surveillance-oriented behaviors were most frequently reported by both males and females, significant gender differences in types of stalking behaviors were noted. Multivariate analyses indicated that increases in age and levels of self-esteem were correlated with an increased probability of experiencing stalking victimization, while being a male and higher levels of life satisfaction were related to a lower likelihood of falling prey to stalking victimization. This study concludes with a call for anti-stalking legislation in Hong Kong given the devastating nature and consequences of stalking victimization.

Dietary Selenium or Zinc Supplementation Restores Brain Lipid Composition and Membrane Fluidity in Protein-Undernourished Rats

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 397-406
Author(s):  
Olusegun L. Adebayo ◽  
Bamidele A. Salau ◽  
Rajat Sandhir ◽  
Gbenga A. Adenuga
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Fluidity ◽  
Lipid Composition ◽  
Zinc Supplementation ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Membrane Lipid ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Total Lipids ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Membrane Lipid Composition

Studies have shown that protein undernutrition (PU) modifies the membrane lipid composition in the intestine and liver, as well as in plasma and other areas. However, there is limited information on the effect of PU on synaptosomal membrane lipid composition and fluidity and the protective role of selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn), which is a major focus of the present study. For 10 weeks, rats were fed diets containing 16% casein, which constituted the adequate protein diet, or 5% casein, representing the PU diet. The animals were supplemented with Se and Zn at a concentration of 0.15 and 227 mg L-1, respectively, in drinking water for 3 weeks. The results showed a significant increase in total lipids, glycolipids, triglycerides, cholesterol, and the cholesterol/phospholipid (Chol/PL) ratio, and a significant reduction in phospholipids and membrane fluidity. Se and Zn supplementation to PU rats, however, significantly lowered total lipids, glycolipids, triglycerides, cholesterol, and the Chol/PL ratio, while phospholipids and membrane fluidity were significantly restored. It is concluded that a perturbed lipid composition induced by PU affects the membrane structure and fluidity, which in turn influences membrane functions. The study suggests that Se and Zn supplementation might be beneficial in restoring the lipid dyshomeostasis associated with PU.

SPECIES OCCURRENCE OF MARSH BIRDS AT CAPE COD NATIONAL SEASHORE, MASSACHUSETTS

2002 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Michael Erwin ◽  
Courtney J. Conway ◽  
Steven W. Hadden
Keyword(s):  
Cape Cod ◽  
Species Occurrence ◽  
Marsh Birds ◽  
National Seashore

“Henry's brilliant sister”: The Pivotal Role of Sophia Thoreau in Her Brother's Posthumous Publications

2016 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-256
Author(s):  
Kathy Fedorko
Keyword(s):  
Ralph Waldo Emerson ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Maine Woods

Ever since the publication of Henry Thoreau's four posthumous essay collections, bibliographers and biographers have credited Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the case of Excursions (1863), or William Ellery Channing, in the case of The Maine Woods (1864), Cape Cod (1865), and A Yankee in Canada (1866), with either editing the collections or co-editing them with Sophia Thoreau, Henry's younger sister. This essay provides evidence from letters, books, diaries, and articles, as well as from the essay manuscripts themselves, that Sophia Thoreau alone edited her brother's essay collections for publication after his death from tuberculosis in 1862. She alone also chose the editor for her brother's Journal before her death in 1876.

Cape Cod National Seashore 2019 shorebird monitoring and management report

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Whitmore ◽  
Carolyn Campbell ◽  
Kelly Medeiros
Keyword(s):  
Cape Cod ◽  
Management Report ◽  
National Seashore

scholarly journals Production choices with water markets and risk aversion: the role of initial allocations and forward trading

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 579-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Bontems ◽  
Céline Nauges
Keyword(s):  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Water Markets ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Production Risk ◽  
Net Returns ◽  
Murray Darling Basin ◽  
Forward Trading ◽  
Allocation Decisions

Abstract We develop a theoretical model that describes risk-averse farmers’ decisions when facing production risk due to uncertain weather conditions and when irrigation water can be traded on a market. We focus on the role of initial water allocations granted to irrigated farms at the start of the season. The presence of water markets makes the future water price uncertain and hence the value of initial water allocations uncertain. We analyse the properties of this background risk and study how initial water allocations impact farmers’ land allocation decisions between an irrigated crop and a non-irrigated crop, both characterised by random expected net returns. We then extend the model by permitting irrigation water to be traded ex-ante at a known price (forward market). Finally, we illustrate our main theoretical findings using simulations. We calibrate distributions of the random variables based on observed data from the Murray–Darling Basin in Australia where a water market has been in place for several decades.

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