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Background: Endoscopic ultrasound-directed transgastric ERCP (EDGE) has become standard-of-care therapy at many centers for pancreaticobiliary disease in patients with Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the opinions and practices of endoscopists who perform EDGE. Methods: A 22-question utilization of EDGE survey was sent to 36 advanced endoscopists at tertiary care centers in the United States. The two-section survey included questions regarding advanced endoscopy volume and training at the respective facilities, and questions on specific details of EDGE utilization. Results: Among 36 interventional endoscopists (IE) surveyed, 14 (39%) reported performing > 1000 ERCPs annually. Thirty (83%) offered EDGE as an option for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients with previous cholecystectomy. Other options offered included: 19 (53%) offered Laparoscopy-assisted ERCP (LA-ERCP), 7 (19%) offered Single-Balloon ERCP (SBE), and 10 (28%) offered percutaneous drainage (PTC). Twenty (56%) IE performed 10 or less EDGE procedures, while 16 (44%) performed 11 or more. Single-session EDGE was performed by 7 (19%) IE, while 15 (42%) performed dual session, and 13 (36%) performed both. 19 (53%) actively closed fistulas while 17 (47%) let them close spontaneously. Thirty one (86%) reported a technical success rate of 91% to 100%. The most frequently reported immediate adverse event post-procedurally was abdominal pain, reported by 17 IE (47%). Weight gain was reported by 2 IE (6%). Conclusion: EDGE continues to gain in popularity as an option for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients requiring pancreaticobiliary interventions, with 24/36 IE (67%) believing that it should be the new standard. In addition, most report a low frequency of post-procedural weight gain. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT05041608. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations have recovered to about 30 million animals in the United States, but land cover has changed during the interval of recovery. To address the relationship between deer densities and current land cover at regional scales, I applied random forests and extreme gradient boosting classifiers to model low and high deer density classes, at two different thresholds (5.8 and 11.6 deer/km2), and land classes in three regions during approximately 2003. For low and high deer density classes divided at 5.8 deer/km2, deciduous broadleaf forest overall was the most influential and positive variable in the central east and central regions and crop and pasture were the most influential and negative variables in the southeast region. Deer density increased with area of deciduous and mixed forests, woody wetlands, and shrub in all regions. Deer density decreased with area of crop, developed open space, and developed low and medium residential density in all regions. For density classes divided at 11.6 deer/km2, deer density had the strongest relationship with woody wetlands in the central east region, mixed and deciduous forest in the southeast region, and woody wetlands and herbaceous vegetation in the central region. Deer density increased with deciduous and mixed forests, woody wetlands, and shrub in all regions. Conversely, deer density decreased with herbaceous vegetation, crop, and developed low residential densities in all regions. Therefore, at regional scales, deer overall occurred at greater densities in forests and woody wetlands and lower densities in agricultural and residential development, which did not appear to support more deer. Deer preference for forests does result in damage to forest products, but alternatively, some may consider that deer provide important socioeconomic and ecological services by reducing number of small trees, particularly in the absence of other disturbances that historically controlled tree biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies were conducted to determine the effect of habitat selection and trap placement on catches of Scolytidae and Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) in northeastern U.S. forests. In a nonreplicated case study, four habitat types- closed canopy hardwood stand, closed canopy conifer stand, a low-intensity thinned Pinas strobus L. stand, and a high-intensity thinned P. strobus stand—were surveyed using α-pinene, ethanol, ipsenol, ipsdienol, and lanierone. Average trap catches, species richness, and the number of unique species captured were all highest in at least one of the thinned habitats. A second experiment that was replicated evaluated the placement of traps in relation to habitat patches. Semiochemical-baited traps (α-pinene and ethanol) were placed under a closed canopy forest, along an edge, and in a clearing and tested for effects on Scolytidae and Cerambycidae trap catches. Abundance and species richness were generally higher in the closed canopy and edge placements compared with traps in the open area The highest number of unique species were captured in the edge and clearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Natural edges created by fire are a common component of forest ecosystems with moderate-severity fire regimes and will continue to be important as the frequency of extreme fire events increases due to historical fire suppression throughout North America. The effect of high-severity fires, with and without salvage logging, on adjacent intact forest patches has not been studied. Fourteen years after a wildfire, we examined the structure and composition of vegetation along the gradient from burned stands into the adjacent forest interior at three salvage logged edges and three unsalvaged edges in Douglas-fir/hardwood forests of northwestern California. Natural, unsalvaged edges were characterized by an increase of native, ruderal species, rather than a reduction of forest interior species. Only two forest interior species reacted negatively to the edge environment, both at salvaged edges. Old-growth community types, identified by two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), occurred 30m closer to the edge at unsalvaged sites, compared to salvaged sites. Twenty commonly observed species (>10% frequency) demonstrated significant responses to the edge environment; 11 species had a larger depth of edge influence (DEI) at salvaged edges, three had a larger DEI at unsalvaged edges, and six had an equal DEI. Our results suggest that, compared to unsalvaged stands, the removal of snags and subsequent broadcast burning of salvaged logged stands significantly altered plant composition and structure of the edge environment. By increasing the patch contrast between burned and intact forest stands, salvage logging increased the depth of edge influence of fire-created edges by 15–30m. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]