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Disentangling community responses to multiple stressors in a warming context is one of the most challenging tasks ecologists face. Taking advantage of a long‐term (1989–2017) and intensive fish monitoring survey (N = ~900K from 804 seines‐day), we present a comprehensive analysis on the dynamics of coastal fish communities in Jamaica Bay, New York, by addressing multiple dimensions of community change that although closely related are rarely considered in a single work. Specifically, we tested hypotheses about changes in composition, composition variability and community functional attributes, and the role of environmental drivers acting at different temporal scales. Our analyses suggest two decoupled community dynamics triggered by two different extreme events. First, the 1999 Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation phase switch caused an abrupt shift from a single‐species dominance to intermittent co‐dominance, with species preferring higher temperatures, a shift that has persisted in time but that may be cyclical at a multidecadal scale. Second, the 2012 heat wave promoted an abrupt collapse of rare and cold‐water species, and the sudden arrival of warmer‐water species in a portion of the community that was already increasingly variable due to long‐term warming. Functionally, the entire community subtly shifted toward species with faster turnover and lower trophic levels. Our work sheds light on the complex responses of biological communities to warming in terms of the impacts on composition, its temporal variability, and its functional dimension, by disentangling the interplay of long‐term environmental trends such as warming, multidecadal cycles, and extreme events on different portions (i.e., dominant and rare thermal species) of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The submillimeter optical characteristics of hot pressed hexagonal boron nitride were investigated using Fourier transform spectroscopy. The results showed that the sample exhibited behavior typical of a negatively birefringent crystal. As for absorption characteristics, a modest dichroism was observed for certain grades.

1. Salmonellosis is one of the most important diseases in public health and it is usually associated with poultry product consumption. This study aimed to validate rapid methods to detect Salmonella spp. from poultry samples. 2. A DNA isothermal amplification method, previously developed for other matrices, was applied for the specific detection of Salmonella spp. from various samples, including poultry tissues, drag and boot swabs, faeces and feed. A new procedure was validated with Salmonella spp. serotypes and isolates from other enteric bacterial species, as well as naturally contaminated poultry samples. 3. The study demonstrated the successful development and implementation of a procedure, including a DNA isothermal amplification method, for the detection of Salmonella spp. directly from tissues, drag and boot swabs, faeces and feed. The whole procedure can be performed in less than 24 hours and it has been successfully used in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on measurements of the dielectric behavior in the far infrared and in the microwave regime for the conducting polypyrrole doped with tosylate anion. Conduction mechanisms in polymer systems; Dielectric constants and optical conductivities of conducting polypyrrole; Dependence of the dielectric constants of polypyrrole on doping.

Animals respond to changes in power requirements during locomotion by modulating the intensity of recruitment of their propulsive musculature, but many questions concerning how muscle recruitment varies with speed across modes of locomotion remain unanswered. We measured normalized average burst EMG (aEMG) for pectoralis major and biceps brachii at different flight speeds in two relatively distantly related bat species: the aerial insectivore Eptesicus fuscus, and the primarily fruit-eating Carollia perspicillata. These ecologically distinct species employ different flight behaviors but possess similar wing aspect ratio, wing loading and body mass. Because propulsive requirements usually correlate with body size, and aEMG likely reflects force, we hypothesized that these species would deploy similar speed-dependent aEMG modulation. Instead, we found that aEMG was speed independent in E. fuscus and modulated in a U-shaped or linearly increasing relationship with speed in C. perspicillata. This interspecific difference may be related to differences in muscle fiber type composition and/or overall patterns of recruitment of the large ensemble of muscles that participate in actuating the highly articulated bat wing. We also found interspecific differences in the speed dependence of 3D wing kinematics: E. fuscus modulates wing flexion during upstroke significantly more than C. perspicillata. Overall, we observed two different strategies to increase flight speed: C. perspicillata tends to modulate aEMG, and E. fuscus tends to modulate wing kinematics. These strategies may reflect different requirements for avoiding negative lift and overcoming drag during slow and fast flight, respectively, a subject we suggest merits further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind tunnel studies provide a valuable experimental approach that can be used to investigate the influence of specific environmental parameters and to make generalizations about insect behavior. In this study, we designed an experiment to test the sensitivity of butterflies to isolated environmental parameters in the context of understanding edge responses. We tested the behavior of 21 different butterfly species in response to certain stimuli, including food source, feeder color, temperature, and UV light. Certain butterfly species (e.g. Heliconius melpomene and Papilio polytes) were particularly active in the wind tunnel setup. All butterfly species tested preferred blue feeders over white, yellow or pink. Investigation of the UV content of the different feeders and the butterflies' preferred nectar plant showed a similar wavelength response, which could indicate a UV preference in butterflies. We also observed species-dependent temperature preferences. Papilio lowii had a significant preference for the warm side (36.0°C) of the wind tunnel, whereas Papilio polytes showed a significant preference for the cold side (25.3°C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Most larger individuals of migratory striped bass Morone saxatilis from the two major Atlantic coast stocks, the Chesapeake Bay and Hudson River, appear to winter in mid-Atlantic coastal waters. But it is not known whether they exhibit differential wintertime distributions in accordance with the latitudinal differences in locations of these two estuaries. Mixed-stock analyses were conducted based on mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA genotypic frequencies on wintertime collections of striped bass from coastal waters. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were seen in the proportions of striped bass from the two stocks between collections made from the Delaware Bay mouth and Cape Hatteras in 1997. However, there was a substantially higher Hudson contribution to a 1995 collection from coastal New Jersey (0.349, SD = 0.136) than to the combined 1997 Delaware Bay mouth and Cape Hatteras collection (0.157, SD = 0.072), suggesting this question deserves further study. Additionally, use of the original four reference samples from Chesapeake Bay tributaries (Choptank, Potomac, Rappahannock, Upper Bay) proved adequate alone in characterizing the Chesapeake Bay stock in simulations in which additional tributary collections (Nanticoke, Patuxent, Pocomoke) were added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors for psychiatric hospitalization after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in veterans. SUBJECTS AND PROCEDURES: Medical records of 96 veterans with histories of TBI (17 mild, 33 moderate, and 46 severe) were reviewed for information concerning psychiatric history, including hospitalization and substance misuse. RESULTS: Subjects with a history of problematic drug and alcohol use had a significantly higher probability of psychiatric hospitalization than those without such a history. Gender, age, problematic alcohol use without problematic drug use, injury severity, time since injury, years of follow-up, and a history of psychiatric symptoms (including those attributed to general medical conditions) were not identified as significant risk factors. Ninety-one veterans (95%) had a history of psychiatric difficulty. In addition, the probability of post-TBI problematic drug and alcohol use, given a pre-TBI history of such use, was significantly higher than the probability given no history. CONCLUSIONS: Veterans with problematic drug and alcohol use are at increased risk for psychiatric hospitalization after TBI. In addition, the likelihood of problematic post-TBI drug and alcohol use was significantly greater for those with a preinjury history. Ninety-five percent of veterans in the current sample endorsed lifetime histories of psychiatric difficulty. These findings highlight the need for evidence-based means of psychiatric and/or substance abuse treatment of those with a history of TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are nine acipenseriform species in North America: two on the Pacific Coast, two on the Atlantic Coast, and five purely freshwater forms. Six of these species are subject to commercial harvest and three to aquaculture. The North American sturgeon and paddlefish meat and caviar marketplace is comprised of legally and illegally acquired products from wild and captive populations of indigenous species as well as non-indigenous species from import and/or culture. Overall, at least 11 species can legally occur in the market. Future aquaculture development will most certainly increase this number. Some indigenous species subject to commercial harvest or culture are under partial or complete range protection, adding another layer of monitoring complexity at the population specific level. We identify four primary levels of confusion in the identification of caviar from North American acipenseriforms in North America: among North American species, among populations within a North American species, between wild and farmed specimens of a North American species, and between North American and imported non-North American species. This complexity reveals the need for additional research into forensic tools, species boundaries and population structure if effective enforcement of harvest and market restrictions is to ensue. For species not subject to commercial harvest and trade, research is needed to identify illegal products from the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to improve health care have generally failed. Systems analysis urges addressing processes, such as learning, rather than isolated parts of a system. We apply learning curve theory to health care and then explicate the process of learning. Specific recommendations involve how we learn (and unlearn), who should learn, and what should be learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After describing machine and complex adaptive systems (CASs), we define thinking system as a CAS with two additional, unique characteristics: (1) having goal(s) separate from survival, and (2) having the capability to structure its own learning and to innovate purposefully. Thinking systems always learn. Healthcare can be considered a paradigm of the thinking system and is repeatedly plagued with unintended, adverse outcomes, particularly fixes that fail. Systems thinking can dissolve such dysfunction in healthcare and by extension in any thinking system. Specific recommendations follow from this rationale. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of e-society impacts in sophisticated ways our day-to-day lives. In turn, this affects the provision of social work and social support to communities, including young people. The development and subsequent evaluation in the United Kingdom (UK) of a virtual or on-line social work service for young people provides an opportunity to reflect on how e-provision may require fieldwork and academic staff to re-think the way communication skills are taught to students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retention rate is not simply the inverse of turnover. Retention rate measures what is wanted rather than what is undesirable. It is easy to calculate. For the line manager or workforce planner, retention rate complements the determination of turnover, particularly for highly skilled employees. Additionally, the combination of retention rate and turnover offers a more complete view of worker movement that either does alone. It can tell us exactly who leaves, and from that we learn more about why they leave, what it really costs the organization, and what to do about it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Non-genetic data indicate that Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus ) are substantially dispersive in marine waters, possibly remaining out of their natal rivers for many years at a time. Gulf sturgeon (A. o. desotoi ) only appear to use marine waters during cooler months, summering in rivers. Shortnose sturgeon (A. brevirostrum ) are highly residential in rivers, but do sometimes go to sea and move between rivers. We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequence analysis of a portion of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region to examine stock structure, haplotypic diversity, and gene flow (N fm ) among these taxa, hypothesizing that gene flow would be highest in Atlantic sturgeon. Stock structuring was strong within all three taxa – most river populations supported genetically distinct stocks of sturgeons. Estimates of gene flow among regions were low to moderate in comparison with other anadromous fishes, suggesting that homing fidelity within all three taxa is high. However, average gene flow in Atlantic sturgeon was almost three times higher than in shortnose sturgeon, which somewhat exceeded gene flow values for Gulf sturgeon. Levels and patterns of haplotype diversity differed dramatically between the largely-sympatric Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon. Atlantic sturgeon exhibited a cline in haplotype diversity with monomorphism or very low diversity observed in northern, previously glaciated populations and moderate to high levels of diversity in southern, non-glaciated populations. In contrast, no difference in haplotype diversity and little sharing of haplotypes was observed between northern and southern populations of shortnose sturgeon. We hypothesize that the greater mtDNA diversity in northern populations of shortnose sturgeon resulted from their use of a glacial refugium that was not occupied by Atlantic sturgeon. Gulf sturgeon show much lower gene flow than Atlantic sturgeon. This may be... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]