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Two critical problems in environmental management are a lack of primary data and the difficulty of assessing the environmental impacts of human activities. Producing the information necessary to address these twin challenges is often difficult and expensive, which impedes decisions in environmental management. I focus here on the possibility of making data collection more powerful and more cost-effective with a suite of analyses made tractable by emerging technology for genetic analysis. More, better, cheaper, and faster information about the planet's living resources promises to influence a wide range of legal and policy processes-from Clean Water Act compliance and related public health initiatives, tofishery stock assessments, to National Environmental Policy Act compliance-and could help to make valueladen resource decisions more transparent in the bargain. As gathering data becomes cheaper, we may observe downstream effects to the incentives and behaviors of public agencies. Moreover, if in the future primary data is less of a limiting factor in environmental decisions, it becomes increasingly important to understand the process of developing useful knowledge from raw data, and the processes by which such information may lead to action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabarcoding of environmental DNA (eDNA) samples holds new promise to increase our ability to measure changes in biodiversity and community composition over time. It can allow the characterization of large groups of organisms where traditional sampling may be impractical or not cost-effective. However, it is still unclear how best to compare and combine this information with morphological counts in order to inform policies and biodiversity metrics that are based on traditional sampling results. Under the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) initiative, multiple taxonomic marker genes (16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), and 12S rRNA) have been used concurrently to examine the phylogenetic diversity of samples across trophic levels from microbes to vertebrates. Marker genes and their amplification primers target a different (and sometimes overlapping) group of organisms. Just as with traditional sampling methods, each have biases towards detecting certain organisms over others. Though eDNA metabarcoding often detects many more species than can be identified through microscopic or macroscopic net tow counts, processing and relating sequence data to traditional counts and biodiversity measures is an ongoing challenge. For samples collected within the MBON project, an analysis pipeline has been adapted to standardize sequence analysis of each marker gene. The pipeline processes reads from quality control and trimming through clustering of sequences into Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Taxonomic identification of OTUs uses publically available sequence databases. Finally, the results of the analysis pipeline are combined into a Biological Observation Matrix (BIOM) file with metadata pertaining to the biological sample, PCR processing, and bioinformatic analysis. BIOM files can be used in downstream analysis to analyze biodiversity patterns within the samples. Monterey Bay in California, USA, is a hot spot of biodiversity and productivity fed by nutrient-rich upwelling water along the coast. A local time-series of samples has been collected by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute at coastal stations within the bay, providing several decades of contextual environmental data. Samples taken from this time series are ideal for testing the ability of eDNA sequencing to show variability in taxonomic groups over time. For metabarcoding analysis, samples were chosen representing different seasons corresponding to spring (early) upwelling, summer (late) upwelling, fall oceanic regime, and a winter (Davidson) regime from the years 2013-2016. Samples were analyzed across four taxonomic marker genes: two small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes targeting prokaryotic (16S rRNA) and eukaryotic (18S rRNA) organisms and two mitochondrial genes targeting eukaryotes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI)) and vertebrates (mitochondrial small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene (12S)). In order to combine data from multiple markers, species occupancy modeling was used to determine the probability that an OTU is truly present in a sample (as described in Kelly et al. 2017 and Lahoz-Monfort et al. 2015). Many taxonomic groups show seasonal trends in species abundance and diversity in Monterey Bay. Together this work illustrates the rewards and challenges of applying multiple genetic markers to eDNA sequencing analysis of an environmental time series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Complete revascularization (CR) has been suggested to provide benefits to both early and long-term outcomes, but the magnitude of the benefit and frequency of incomplete revascularization (IR) after coronary artery bypass graft operations is rarely explored and is the subject of the present study. Methods All patients who underwent isolated bypass operations (March 1995 to September 2007) at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center (Halifax, NS, Canada) were identified. Revascularization was considered complete if each significantly diseased territory received at least 1 graft. Clinical characteristics of the CR and IR groups were examined to determine barriers of CR. A nonparsimonious Cox proportion model and survival curves were constructed to examine the association of CR and death after adjusting for clinically relevant covariates. Results A total of 8,570 patients underwent isolated nonredo bypass operations. IR, based on our strict definition, occurred in 19% of the patients. The territories most commonly affected were the right coronary and circumflex coronary territories. After adjustment for relevant clinical differences, IR was a significant independent predictor of long-term mortality (hazard ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 1.3). IR was also a significant independent predictor of hospital readmission for cardiac reasons after discharge (hazard ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 1.3). Conclusions Despite advances in surgical revascularization, IR can occur in up to 19% of patients. IR significantly affects long-term death and readmission to hospital for cardiac reasons, and avoiding IR should therefore be a priority for surgeons during preoperative planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can have significant effects on forest understory vegetation, especially in parks where hunting is not permitted. The DePauw Nature Park is a large (210 ha) private park located in west-central Indiana; hunting was prohibited in the park when the park was established in 2003. The park is mostly forest habitat but is surrounded by a rural landscape consisting of a mix of agricultural fields and forest fragments. We assessed the effects of deer on forest understory vegetation in the park using exclosures and control plots and estimated the size of the deer population in the park using infrared digital game cameras. There were almost no changes in forest understory vegetation during the first four years after the exclosures were established. The estimated population size of deer in the park ranged from 46 to 66 deer per km². Although no observations were made outside park boundaries, we believe that the deer often move in and out of the park, feeding in surrounding fields and returning to the park for shelter. Effects of a large population of deer on forest understory vegetation are mediated by movement of deer in and out of the park as well as hunting pressure outside the park. We conclude that deer are having minimal effects on forest understory vegetation in the park at this time, but we will remain vigilant by continuing to monitor vegetation in the exclosures and control plots during future years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Relations between interpartner psychological conflict (IPC) and the sleep of men and women were examined, and depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed as intervening variables of these associations. Method: Participants were 135 cohabiting or married couples. The mean age was 36.50 (SD = 5.93) for women and 39.37 (SD = 7.33) for men. Most women (76%) and men (78%) were European American (EA) and the rest were predominantly African American (AA); there was a wide socioeconomic representation. Men and women reported on IPC used by their partner against them. Sleep was examined objectively with actigraphs, and multiple sleep quantity and quality measures were derived. Results: Dyadic path analysis in which both actor and partner effects were assessed was conducted. For women, greater IPC by the partner was related to elevated levels of anxiety, which in turn was associated with shorter sleep duration and worse sleep efficiency; anxiety was an intervening variable. For men, IPC by the partner was related to greater symptoms of anxiety and depression; the latter was an intervening variable linking IPC with sleep quality (lower efficiency, longer latency). Some partner effects were observed and indicate that for both men and women, one's perpetration of IPC is related to increased anxiety in the partner, which in turn is related to longer sleep latency for the actor. Conclusion: Results build on this scant literature, and using objective well-validated measures of sleep highlight the importance of relationship processes and mental health for the sleep of men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a new approach employing the Dancoff correction method to model the TRISO-based fuel form used by the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR) design concept. The Dancoff correction method is used to perform isotope depletion analysis using the TRITON sequence of SCALE and is verified by code-to-code comparisons. The current AHTR fuel design has TRISO particles concentrated along the edges of a slab fuel element. This geometry prevented the use of the DOUBLEHET treatment, previously developed in SCALE to model spherical and cylindrical fuel. The new method permits fuel depletion on complicated geometries that traditionally can be handled only by continuous-energy-based depletion code systems. The method was initially tested on a fuel configuration typical of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant, where DOUBLEHET treatment is possible. A confirmatory study was performed on the AHTR reference core geometry using the VESTA code, which uses the continuous-energy MCNP5 code as a transport solver and ORIGEN2.2 code for depletion calculations. Comparisons of the results indicate good agreement of whole-core characteristics, such as the multiplication factor and the isotopics, including their spatial distribution. Key isotopes analyzed included 235U, 239Pu, 240Pu, and 241Pu. The results from this study indicate that the Dancoff factor method can generate estimates of core characteristics with reasonable precision for scoping studies of configurations where DOUBLEHET treatment cannot be performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the lessons of environmental monitoring for considering the future of public resources management under the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976. It discusses the development of the science of environmental monitoring and its legal applications with reference to the Management Indicator Species (MIS) provision of the 1982 NFMA regulations. It informs about implementation of the National Ocean Policy which was announced in 2010 which contains many elements for the management of the ocean and coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP). It addresses to the laws and regulatory regimes which are responsible for the governance of the U.S. vast territorial waters.

The ocean is becoming more acidic worldwide as a result of increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide ("CO2") and other pollutants. This fundamental change is likely to have substantial ecological and economic consequences globally. In this Article, we provide a toolbox for understanding and addressing the drivers of ocean acidification. We begin with an overview of the relevant science, highlighting known causes of chemical change in the coastal ocean. Because of the difficulties associated with controlling diffuse atmospheric pollutants such as CO2, we then focus on controlling smaller-scale agents of acidification, discussing ten legal and policy tools that state government agencies can use to mitigate the problem. This bottom-up approach does not solve the global CO2 problem, but instead offers a more immediate means of addressing the challenges of a rapidly changing ocean. States have ample legal authority to address many of the causes of ocean acidification; what remains is to implement that authority to safeguard our iconic coastal resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of arterial grafting on long-term coronary artery bypass grafting mortality. Methods: Consecutive coronary artery bypass grafting surgeries performed at a single tertiary care center between 1995 and 2007 were reviewed. Long-term survival was compared among patients according to the type of arterial grafts used: no internal thoracic artery, single internal thoracic artery, single internal thoracic artery with other arterial graft, or bilateral internal thoracic artery. Cox proportional hazard models were generated to examine the association of arterial grafting with mortality. Results: A total of 8264 isolated coronary artery bypass grafting operations were performed and followed for a median time of 4.7 years (interquartile range, 2.1–7.5). A single internal thoracic artery was used in the majority of patients (79%), multiple arterial grafts were used in 24% of patients, and bilateral internal thoracic artery grafts were used in 13% of patients. Patients who received multiple arterial grafts were more likely to be younger, to be male, and to undergo non-urgent surgery. After adjusting for these differences, patients who received bilateral internal thoracic artery grafts were found to have a significant survival advantage when compared with all other patients, including those who received a single internal thoracic artery plus other arterial grafts (hazard ratio, 0.818; confidence interval, 0.672–0.996). Survival at 10 years was 71% for patients with bilateral internal thoracic artery grafts compared with 66% for patients with single internal thoracic artery grafts and 58% for patients with no internal thoracic artery graft. Patients with bilateral internal thoracic artery grafts had significantly better freedom from readmission for acute coronary syndrome (hazard ratio, 0.802; confidence interval, 0.668–0.963). Conclusions: After adjusting for relevant clinical differences, only multiple arterial grafting using the bilateral internal thoracic artery was able to offer a long-term survival advantage over single internal thoracic artery grafting in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Symptom burden has been identified as a predictor of medication adherence, but little is known about which symptoms are most strongly implicated. This study examines self-reported medical adherence in relation to demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics among 302 adults living with HIV. Only 12% reported missing medication during the 3-day assessment, but 75% gave at least one reason for missing it in the previous month. Poor adherence was associated with higher viral load and greater symptom burden. Trouble sleeping and difficulty concentrating were strongly associated with poor adherence. Given that “forgetting” was the most common reason for missing medication and nearly one third reported sleeping through dose time, future research should examine the influence of sleep disturbance on adherence. Effective management of common symptoms, such as sleep disturbance, fatigue, and gastrointestinal side-effects of medications may result in better adherence, as well as improved clinical outcomes and quality of life. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: To assess the role of massage therapy in the cardiac surgery postoperative period. Specific aims included determining the difference in pain, anxiety, tension, and satisfaction scores of patients before and after massage compared with patients who received standard care. Design: A randomized controlled trial comparing outcomes before and after intervention in and across groups. Setting: Saint Marys Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Subjects: Patients undergoing cardiovascular surgical procedures (coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valvular repair or replacement) (N =58). Interventions: Patients in the intervention group received a 20-minute session of massage therapy intervention between postoperative days 2 and 5. Patients in the control group received standard care and a 20-minute quiet time between postoperative days 2 and 5. Outcome measures: Linear Analogue Self-assessment scores for pain, anxiety, tension, and satisfaction. Results: Statistically and clinically significant decreases in pain, anxiety, and tension scores were observed for patients who received a 20-minute massage compared with those who received standard care. Patient feedback was markedly positive. Conclusions: This pilot study showed that massage can be successfully incorporated into a busy cardiac surgical practice. These results suggest that massage may be an important therapy to consider for inclusion in the management of postoperative recovery of cardiovascular surgical patients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Integrative therapies such as massage have gained support as interventions that improve the overall patient experience during hospitalization. Cardiac surgery patients undergo long procedures and commonly have postoperative back and shoulder pain, anxiety, and tension. Given the promising effects of massage therapy for alleviation of pain, tension, and anxiety, we studied the efficacy and feasibility of massage therapy delivered in the postoperative cardiovascular surgery setting. Patients were randomized to receive a massage or to have quiet relaxation time (control). In total, 113 patients completed the study (massage, n =62; control, n =51). Patients receiving massage therapy had significantly decreased pain, anxiety, and tension. Patients were highly satisfied with the intervention, and no major barriers to implementing massage therapy were identified. Massage therapy may be an important component of the healing experience for patients after cardiovascular surgery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The arc of reception for a new technology or method - like the reception of new information itself - can pass through predictable stages, with audiences' responses evolving from 'I don't believe it', through 'well, maybe' to 'yes, everyone knows that' to, finally, 'old news'. The idea that one can sample a volume of water, sequence DNA out of it, and report what species are living nearby has experienced roughly this series of responses among biologists, beginning with the microbial biologists who developed genetic techniques to reveal the unseen microbiome. 'Macrobial' biologists and ecologists - those accustomed to dealing with species they can see and count - have been slower to adopt such molecular survey techniques, in part because of the uncertain relationship between the number of recovered DNA sequences and the abundance of whole organisms in the sampled environment. In this issue of Molecular Ecology Resources, Evans et al. (2015) quantify this relationship for a suite of nine vertebrate species consisting of eight fish and one amphibian. Having detected all of the species present with a molecular toolbox of six primer sets, they consistently find DNA abundances are associated with species' biomasses. The strength and slope of this association vary for each species and each primer set - further evidence that there is no universal parameter linking recovered DNA to species abundance - but Evans and colleagues take a significant step towards being able to answer the next question audiences tend to ask: 'Yes, but how many are there?' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The relationship between malocclusion and quality of life (QoL) is complex and not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether malocclusion and its treatment influence an adolescent''s general and oral health-related QoL. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional design with a longitudinal component was used. Clinical and self-reported data were collected from 293 participants aged 11 to 14. The children were recruited from orthodontic and pediatric dental clinics at the University of Washington and a community health clinic in Seattle. The participants were classified into precomprehensive orthodontic (n = 93), postinterceptive orthodontic (n = 44), and nonorthodontic comparison (n = 156) groups. Assessments of dental esthetics and occlusion were evaluated with the Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need. Three QoL questionnaires were completed: Youth Quality of Life to assess general QoL, Children''s Oral Health-Related Quality of Life to assess oral health QoL, and Treatment Expectations and Experiences to evaluate participants'' expectations for changes in specific aspects of their lives. Nonparametric tests were used for all analyses. Results: In general, overall and oral health QoL were high in this population. The instruments were correlated so that when oral health QoL improved, so did general QoL. No differences were found in these measurements between the university and community health clinics. Nor were there differences between the 3 study groups on general QoL and oral health QoL. There was little effect of malocclusion complexity on any QoL measure. Both preorthodontic and postorthodontic participants expected improvements in their health, oral function, appearance, and social well-being after orthodontic treatment; the postinterceptive sample''s posttreatment experiences were consistent with their pretreatment expectations in all domains. Conclusions: Malocclusion and orthodontic treatment do not appear to affect general or oral health QoL to a measurable degree, despite subjective and objective evidence for improved appearance, oral function, health, and social well-being. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: There has been a growing emphasis on evaluating and improving the experience of the hospitalized patient. In 2004, the Cardiovascular Surgery team at Mayo Clinic Rochester, though achieving a high level of technical expertise and clinical outcomes, recognized that patients were not rating their overall hospital experience as highly as was expected. After a systematic evaluation of the hospital experience, tension, stress, pain, and anxiety were identified as key challenges for patients. A multidisciplinary team was created to evaluate pain management practices and explore methods for reducing pain, anxiety, and tension. An extensive review of the literature and site visits to other institutions provided the foundation for the program. The term “Healing Enhancement” was coined to identify the goals of this emerging paradigm that focused on all aspects of the patient''s experience—mind, body, and spirit. Integrated therapies such as music, massage, guided imagery, and relaxation training were explored to measure their role in patient care. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients exhibit depletion of the intracellular antioxidant glutathione and downstream activation of the metabolic sensor, mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). Since reversal of glutathione depletion by the amino acid precursor, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), is therapeutic in SLE, its mechanism of impact on the metabolome was examined within the context of a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Quantitative metabolome profiling of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was performed in 36 SLE patients and 42 healthy controls matched for age, gender, and ethnicity of patients using mass spectrometry that covers all major metabolic pathways. mTOR activity was assessed by western blot and flow cytometry. Metabolome changes in lupus PBL affected 27 of 80 KEGG pathways at FDR p < 0.05 with most prominent impact on the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). While cysteine was depleted, cystine, kynurenine, cytosine, and dCTP were the most increased metabolites. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) logistic regression approach identified kynurenine (AUC = 0.859), dCTP (AUC = 0.762), and methionine sulfoxide (AUC = 0.708), as top predictors of SLE. Kynurenine was the top predictor of NAC effect in SLE (AUC = 0.851). NAC treatment significantly reduced kynurenine levels relative to placebo in vivo (raw p = 2.8 × 10−7, FDR corrected p = 6.6 × 10−5). Kynurenine stimulated mTOR activity in healthy control PBL in vitro. Metabolome changes in lupus PBL reveal a dominant impact on the PPP that reflect greater demand for nucleotides and oxidative stress. The PPP-connected and NAC-responsive accumulation of kynurenine and its stimulation of mTOR are identified as novel metabolic checkpoints in lupus pathogenesis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11306-015-0772-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.