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Intraspecific interactions between mesocarnivores are not commonly observed and consequentially not well understood, particularly for species inhabiting wilderness regions. Using a remote camera, we captured interactions between a Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and wolverine (Gulo gulo) scavenging on the remains of a bison (Bison bison). Over a 23‐min period representing nine photographic sequences (1–3 photographs per sequence), we observed (1) a wolverine approach the remains that were being fed on by a lynx, (2) the two animals feeding on the remains at the same time for about 19 min, (3) the wolverine chasing the lynx off of the carcass and, thereafter, (4) the wolverine excluding the lynx from the carcass. Our observation is of potential scientific value because it sheds light on behavioral interactions between these two species, particularly at a rich food source. Intraguild interactions between these species appear to include tolerance toward one another, as well as interference competition, with the wolverine being the dominant species. Our observation highlights the new information on interactions between mesocarnivores that are becoming illuminated with the use of remote cameras, revealing that these interactions may be more complex than once thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In 2019, one point six million Americans had opioid use disorder (OUD), yet only 18% of those patients received treatment with evidence‐based medications. Office‐based opioid treatment (OBOT) is the provision of care for OUD with buprenorphine, in various formulations including combination with naloxone, and naltrexone. Currently, there are few reports of physician‐pharmacist collaborative practice models for OBOT. The purpose of this study was to identify common roles, clinical backgrounds, and barriers of pharmacists within four pharmacist‐integrated OBOT services in one community. Methods: Four pharmacists implemented OBOT services in a family medicine (FM) residency, obstetrics‐gynecology residency, a physician‐owned FM practice, and a Federally Qualified Health Center. Each pharmacist detailed the evolution of OBOT models at their respective sites. Using a 21‐item questionnaire comprised of closed and open‐ended questions, the four pharmacists describe: the setting's OBOT; the pharmacist's OUD‐related training; pharmacist‐related OBOT activities; and barriers to implementation. Results: One pharmacist spends 10 to 20 h/wk on OBOT, while the others spend less than 10 h. In terms of patient care, two pharmacists conducted intake, group visits, collected vitals, and ensured naloxone access. All pharmacists counseled patients and conducted follow‐up visits. For nonpatient care activities, three pharmacists developed OBOT policies/procedures, and four coordinated care and consulted on OBOT cases. To prepare for this, two pharmacists learned about OUD in pharmacy school, two pharmacists completed the buprenorphine waiver‐training course, two pharmacists learned about OUD in residency, and three pharmacists attended continuing education. Barriers identified were lack of designated time, funding, and ability to prescribe buprenorphine. Conclusion: Pharmacists can effectively integrate into many OBOT settings. Future work should standardize the optimal role of the pharmacist, expand OUD pharmacy education, and advocate for pharmacists as waivered providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most forecasts for the future state of ecological systems are conducted once and never updated or assessed. As a result, many available ecological forecasts are not based on the most up‐to‐date data, and the scientific progress of ecological forecasting models is slowed by a lack of feedback on how well the forecasts perform.Iterative near‐term ecological forecasting involves repeated daily to annual scale forecasts of an ecological system as new data becomes available and regular assessment of the resulting forecasts. We demonstrate how automated iterative near‐term forecasting systems for ecology can be constructed by building one to conduct monthly forecasts of rodent abundances at the Portal Project, a long‐term study with over 40 years of monthly data. This system automates most aspects of the six stages of converting raw data into new forecasts: data collection, data sharing, data manipulation, modelling and forecasting, archiving, and presentation of the forecasts.The forecasting system uses R code for working with data, fitting models, making forecasts, and archiving and presenting these forecasts. The resulting pipeline is automated using continuous integration (a software development tool) to run the entire pipeline once a week. The cyberinfrastructure is designed for long‐term maintainability and to allow the easy addition of new models. Constructing this forecasting system required a team with expertise ranging from field site experience to software development.Automated near‐term iterative forecasting systems will allow the science of ecological forecasting to advance more rapidly and provide the most up‐to‐date forecasts possible for conservation and management. These forecasting systems will also accelerate basic science by allowing new models of natural systems to be quickly implemented and compared to existing models. Using existing technology, and teams with diverse skill sets, it is possible for ecologists to build automated forecasting systems and use them to advance our understanding of natural systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Community and ecosystem changes are happening in the pristine boreal forest ecosystem of the Yukon for 2 reasons. First, climate change is affecting the abiotic environment (temperature, rainfall and growing season) and driving changes in plant productivity and predator–prey interactions. Second, simultaneously change is occurring because of mammal species reintroductions and rewilding. The key ecological question is the impact these faunal changes will have on trophic dynamics. Primary productivity in the boreal forest is increasing because of climatic warming, but plant species composition is unlikely to change significantly during the next 50–100 years. The 9–10‐year population cycle of snowshoe hares will persist but could be reduced in amplitude if winter weather increases predator hunting efficiency. Small rodents have increased in abundance because of increased vegetation growth. Arctic ground squirrels have disappeared from the forest because of increased predator hunting efficiency associated with shrub growth. Reintroductions have occurred for 2 reasons: human reintroductions of large ungulates and natural recolonization of mammals and birds extending their geographic ranges. The deliberate rewilding of wood bison (Bison bison) and elk (Cervus canadensis) has changed the trophic structure of this boreal ecosystem very little. The natural range expansion of mountain lions (Puma concolor), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and American marten (Martes americana) should have few ecosystem effects. Understanding potential changes will require long‐term monitoring studies and experiments on a scale we rarely deem possible. Ecosystems affected by climate change, species reintroductions and human alteration of habitats cannot remain stable and changes will be critically dependent on food web interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effects of major asphaltene deposition model parameters, particle-particle collision, and particle-wall sticking efficiencies as well as asphaltene content in a hydrocarbon fluid on asphaltene deposition in both a Taylor-Couette device and production tubing are numerically studied. The possibility of an increase in asphaltene deposition rate as a result of adding asphaltene inhibitors is investigated. The computations show that this critical effect is achievable in a Taylor-Couette device operating in a batch regime only if the particle collision and the particle-wall sticking efficiencies are more than an order of magnitude higher than those identified for asphaltenes present in hydrocarbon fluids. Calculations of deposition in the Taylor-Couette device show also that an increase in the asphaltene content causes an increase in the rate of fluid depletion of particles able to deposit. The deposition calculations for a vertical pipe demonstrate that, due to continuous precipitation of primary particles along the tubing, a hydrocarbon fluid cannot be depleted of particles able to deposit; therefore the maximum deposit thickness always increases with an increase either in the major model parameters or the asphaltene content. Thus, the model parameter values indicating critical deposition regimes are different from those inherent to real hydrocarbon fluids; therefore, these regimes cannot be achieved in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation and deposition of asphaltenes and other organic substances in formation rock causes formation damage and reduces effective hydrocarbon mobility, which can result in significant production losses. The development of reliable experimental, analytical, and modelling methods improves the understanding of asphaltene-induced formation damage and provides tools for preventing and/or controlling formation damage due to asphaltenes in oil-bearing formations. To make further advancements in understanding asphaltene impairment, it is important to analyze the current state of technology and research in this area. In addition to analyses of known experimental data and models of reservoir impairment by asphaltenes, prospective directions of future research in this area are also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2 DM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) has increased in the United States over the past 40 years. These conditions, long linked with many cardiovascular complications, have recently been linked with androgen or testosterone deficiency in men. Several pathophysiologic hypotheses exist regarding this association, with the most widely reported a relationship to obesity and insulin resistance. Several randomized trials have confirmed that when testosterone replacement therapy is given to patients with T2 DM, MetS, or both, metabolic parameters such as waist circumference, hemoglobin A1c, and systolic blood pressure are significantly reduced by up to 11 cm, 1.9%, and 23 mm Hg, respectively. This has not, however, resulted in improved cardiovascular outcomes, as evidenced in studies that found increased rates of cardiovascular events following testosterone replacement therapy. In this review, we summarize the relevant literature regarding the pathophysiology and management of androgen deficiency in men with T2 DM, MetS, or both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of currently available antihyperglycemic agents can be limited by contraindications; cost; renal and hepatic dosage adjustments; dosing schedules; and adverse effects such as gastrointestinal upset, weight gain, and hypoglycemia. These limitations have led the pharmaceutical industry to identify and pursue alternative therapies. Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 ( SGLT-2) inhibitors belong to a new class of diabetes drugs and have a novel mechanism of action. These agents are unique in that they increase glucose excretion, independent of insulin secretion, by inhibiting the renal reabsorption of glucose, inducing glycosuria. To summarize the current evidence for SGLT-2 inhibitor therapy, we reviewed abstracts and published data from human trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of dapagliflozin, canagliflozin, and empagliflozin through February 2013. Data from these trials suggest that SGLT-2 inhibitors are able to lower hemoglobin A1c and fasting blood glucose when used as either monotherapy or combination therapy. Cardiometabolic benefits included a reduction in systolic blood pressure, reduction in triglycerides, and weight loss of up to 3 kg. Common and serious adverse effects including infections, cancer, and pollakiuria were identified and reviewed. Although these agents have generally demonstrated efficacy, the adverse effects associated with dapagliflozin have caused a delay in its regulatory approval. Continued research in this area will determine the risk:benefit ratio of SGLT-2 inhibitor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenology, the timing of cyclical and seasonal natural phenomena such as flowering and leaf out, is an integral part of ecological systems with impacts on human activities like environmental management, tourism, and agriculture. As a result, there are numerous potential applications for actionable predictions of when phenological events will occur. However, despite the availability of phenological data with large spatial, temporal, and taxonomic extents, and numerous phenology models, there have been no automated species‐level forecasts of plant phenology. This is due in part to the challenges of building a system that integrates large volumes of climate observations and forecasts, uses that data to fit models and make predictions for large numbers of species, and consistently disseminates the results of these forecasts in interpretable ways. Here, we describe a new near‐term phenology‐forecasting system that makes predictions for the timing of budburst, flowers, ripe fruit, and fall colors for 78 species across the United States up to 6 months in advance and is updated every four days. We use the lessons learned in developing this system to provide guidance developing large‐scale near‐term ecological forecast systems more generally, to help advance the use of automated forecasting in ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large‐scale observational data from citizen science efforts are becoming increasingly common in ecology, and researchers often choose between these and data from intensive local‐scale studies for their analyses. This choice has potential trade‐offs related to spatial scale, observer variance, and interannual variability. Here we explored this issue with phenology by comparing models built using data from the large‐scale, citizen science USA National Phenology Network (USA‐NPN) effort with models built using data from more intensive studies at Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites. We built statistical and process based phenology models for species common to each data set. From these models, we compared parameter estimates, estimates of phenological events, and out‐of‐sample errors between models derived from both USA‐NPN and LTER data. We found that model parameter estimates for the same species were most similar between the two data sets when using simple models, but parameter estimates varied widely as model complexity increased. Despite this, estimates for the date of phenological events and out‐of‐sample errors were similar, regardless of the model chosen. Predictions for USA‐NPN data had the lowest error when using models built from the USA‐NPN data, while LTER predictions were best made using LTER‐derived models, confirming that models perform best when applied at the same scale they were built. This difference in the cross‐scale model comparison is likely due to variation in phenological requirements within species. Models using the USA‐NPN data set can integrate parameters over a large spatial scale while those using an LTER data set can only estimate parameters for a single location. Accordingly, the choice of data set depends on the research question. Inferences about species‐specific phenological requirements are best made with LTER data, and if USA‐NPN or similar data are all that is available, then analyses should be limited to simple models. Large‐scale predictive modeling is best done with the larger‐scale USA‐NPN data, which has high spatial representation and a large regional species pool. LTER data sets, on the other hand, have high site fidelity and thus characterize inter‐annual variability extremely well. Future research aimed at forecasting phenology events for particular species over larger scales should develop models that integrate the strengths of both data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]