Identification of novel TTN gene variant in a patient exhibiting severe dilated cardiomyopathy co-occurring with acute fibrinoid organizing pneumonia.

Objectives: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is often hereditary, with 20% to 40% of nonischemic cases showing familial linkage, yet genetic testing is underused. This report describes an unreported pathogenic nonsense variant in the Titin (TTN) gene (NM_001267550.2:c.

Joint species distribution modeling reveals a changing prey landscape for North Pacific right whales on the Bering shelf.

The eastern North Pacific right whale (NPRW) is the most endangered population of whale and has been observed north of its core feeding ground in recent years with low sea ice extent. Sea ice and water temperature are important drivers for zooplankton dynamics within the whale's core feeding ground in the southeastern Bering Sea, seasonally forming stable fronts along the shelf that give rise to distinct zooplankton communities. A northward shift in NPRW distribution driven by changing distribution of prey resources could put this species at increased risk of entanglement and vessel strikes.

Song production by the North Pacific right whale, Eubalaena japonica.

This paper describes song production by the eastern North Pacific right whale (NPRW, Eubalaena japonica) in the southeastern Bering Sea. Songs were localized in real-time to individuals using sonobuoys. Singers whose sex could be determined were all males.

In situ measurements of phytoplankton fluorescence using low cost electronics.

Chlorophyll a fluorometry has long been used as a method to study phytoplankton in the ocean. In situ fluorometry is used frequently in oceanography to provide depth-resolved estimates of phytoplankton biomass. However, the high price of commercially manufactured in situ fluorometers has made them unavailable to some individuals and institutions.

Radiated noise from commercial ships in the Gulf of Maine: implications for whale/vessel collisions.

To understand mysticete acoustic-based detection of ships, radiated noise from high-speed craft, cruise ships, catamarans and fishing vessels was recorded June-September 2009. Calibrated acoustic data (<2500 Hz) from a vertical hydrophone array was combined with ship passage information. A cruise ship had the highest broadband source level, while a fishing vessel had the lowest.

Mutations in a P-type ATPase gene cause axonal degeneration.

Neuronal loss and axonal degeneration are important pathological features of many neurodegenerative diseases. The molecular mechanisms underlying the majority of axonal degeneration conditions remain unknown. To better understand axonal degeneration, we studied a mouse mutant wabbler-lethal (wl).