Using the National Land Cover Database as an indicator of shrub-steppe habitat: comparing two large United States federal lands with surrounding regions.

There is a need to assess whether ecological resources are being protected on large, federal lands. The aim of this study was to present a methodology which consistently and transparently determines whether two large Department of Energy (U.S.

Snake Fungal Disease in Free-Ranging Northern Pine Snakes () in New Jersey: Lesions, Severity of Sores and Investigator's Perceptions.

, the fungus causing snake fungal disease (SFD), has been identified in northern pine snakes () in New Jersey. In this paper, we (1) review the positivity rate of SFD on different locations on snakes' bodies, (2) determine the relationship between the sores and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) positivity rates, and (3) explore the relationship between the investigators' clinical evaluation of the severity of sores, their evaluation of the likelihood of the sores being positive, and the qPCR positivity of SFD for the sores. Swabbing the sores was more effective at determining whether the snakes tested positive for than ventrum swabbing alone.

Bioaccumulation of Some Metals and Metalloids in Laughing Gulls (): Increases in Mercury and Decreases in Selenium from 2019 to 2022/2023.

The elements in blood normally reflect the levels in prey, indicating a recent exposure. Laughing gulls () eat mainly horseshoe crab eggs () in the spring in Delaware Bay, New Jersey. The levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and selenium (Se) in the blood of laughing gulls foraging on crab eggs were examined in Delaware Bay to provide information on a species that is normally a generalist, and to determine if the levels of these elements were similar in 2019 and 2022/2023, were intercorrelated, and were related to those in crab eggs.

The importance of recognizing Buffer Zones to lands being developed, restored, or remediated: on planning for protection of ecological resources.

Environmental management relies on many types of information before making decisions regarding remediation, restoration, or other land use decisions, including ecological data, such as risks to species, populations, communities, and ecosystems. The aim of this investigation was to describe the ecological information required within the context of making environmental decisions and providing visual communication tools for regulators, conservationists, and the public to understand the risk to ecological resources on- and off-site. It is suggested that ecological information used in environmental decisions is required to be transparent throughout the planning and execution of a project, which needs to include: 1) ecological information and evaluations within development areas or units (in this case, watersheds), and 2) resources in adjacent areas (Buffer Zones) that might be affected.

Some metals and metalloids in the blood of three species of shorebirds increase while foraging during two-week migratory stopover in Delaware Bay, New Jersey.

Most migratory shorebird species are declining, some are endangered, and some may be vulnerable to contaminants on long distance travel between wintering grounds and high latitude breeding grounds. We examined whether shorebirds accumulated trace elements at the Delaware Bay (New Jersey) stopover by testing the null hypothesis that there was no difference in the levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and selenium in blood of three species of shorebirds collected early in their stopover compared to levels in blood collected about two weeks later near the end of the stopover, before departing for breeding grounds. There were significantly higher levels of all metals and metalloids in the blood of ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres) later in May than earlier.

Comparing land cover and interior forests on contaminated land and the surrounding region: Oak Ridge Reservation as a case study.

Pressure from expanding populations has resulted in a need for protection, reclamation, and restoration of damaged land to productive, beneficial health uses. The objective of this investigation was to 1) compare land cover on the Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) with the surrounding region, 2) select an indicator to evaluate ORR's protection of ecological resources, and 3) develop and implement a method to compare the amount of the indicator on ORR with the regions using National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Data demonstrated that ORR has a higher % of forests (deciduous, coniferous, mixed) than the 10 km and 30 km areas surrounding ORR, suggesting that obligations are being met to protect the ecology and environment.

Prevalence of Ophidiomyces ophidiicola and epizootiology of snake fungal disease in free-ranging Northern Pine Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus) in New Jersey.

Snake fungal disease, caused by Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, is recognized as a potential concern for North American snakes. We tested skin swabs from Northern Pine Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus) in the New Jersey pinelands for the presence of O. ophidiicola before emergence from hibernation.

Post-exercise hypotension time-course is influenced by exercise intensity: a randomised trial comparing moderate-intensity, high-intensity, and sprint exercise.

Reductions in blood pressure (BP) induced by exercise training may be associated with the acute reduction in BP observed minutes to hours following an exercise session, termed post-exercise hypotension (PEH). However, the magnitude and time-course of PEH, including the optimal exercise characteristics to maximise it, are still unclear. Using a randomised crossover design, 16 normotensive participants (median age (range) 22 (19-31) years; 50% female) undertook three different exercise sessions: sprint interval exercise (SIE, 30 × 8-s sprints with 32 s recovery), high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE, 15 × 1-min intervals at 90% peak heart rate (HR) with 1-min recovery), and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE, 48 min at 65% peak HR).

Comparative Utility of Manual versus Automated Segmentation of Hippocampus and Entorhinal Cortex Volumes in a Memory Clinic Sample.

Structural neuroimaging is a useful non-invasive biomarker commonly employed to evaluate the integrity of mesial temporal lobe structures that are typically compromised in Alzheimer's disease. Advances in quantitative neuroimaging have permitted the development of automated segmentation protocols (e.g.

The Clinical Utility of the TYM and RBANS in a One-Stop Memory Clinic in Singapore: A Pilot Study.

Background: We aimed to examine the discriminant validity of a brief self-administered cognitive screening test, the Test Your Memory (TYM) and a brief neuropsychological test, the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), supplemented with executive and language tests (Color Trail Test [CTT] and modified Boston Naming Test [mBNT], respectively), in detecting cognitive impairment (CI) in a one-stop memory clinic in Singapore.

Methods: Ninety patients ≥50 years old with a diagnosis of no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer disease were recruited from memory clinic. They received the TYM, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), RBANS, CTT, mBNT, and a gold-standard formal neuropsychological test battery.

Testing the Hyperarticulation and Prosodic Hypotheses of Child-Directed Speech: Insights From the Perceptual and Acoustic Characteristics of Child-Directed Cantonese Tones.

Purpose: The function of child-directed speech has been debated for decades. This study examined the perceptual and acoustic characteristics of child- and adult-directed Cantonese tones to test the hyperarticulation and prosodic hypotheses that have been proposed to account for the acoustic modifications in child-directed speech.

Method: Sixty-two mother-child dyads participated in the study.

Passive mechanics of muscle tendinous junction of canine diaphragm.

The diaphragmatic muscle tendon is a biaxially loaded junction in vivo. Stress-strain relations along and transverse to the fiber directions are important in understanding its mechanical properties. We hypothesized that 1) the central tendon possesses greater passive stiffness than adjacent muscle, 2) the diaphragm muscle is anisotropic, whereas the central tendon near the junction is essentially isotropic, and 3) a gradient in passive stiffness exists as one approaches the muscle-tendinous junction (MTJ).

Biaxial constitutive relations for the passive canine diaphragm.

Samples of the muscular sheet excised from the midcostal region of dog diaphragms were subjected to biaxial loading. That is, stresses in the direction of the muscle fibers and in the direction perpendicular to the fibers in the plane of the sheet were measured at different combinations of strains in the two directions. Stress-strain relations were obtained by fitting equations to these data.

Respiratory muscle stiffness is age- and muscle-specific.

We investigated the possible contribution of respiratory muscles to the well documented increase in chest wall stiffness with age. Diaphragm and internal intercostal muscle strips were dissected from male Fischer 344 rats of 3, 6, 12, and 24 months of age. Muscles were subjected, in vitro, to stress-strain and yield point tests.

Shortening-length diagram: a new method of modeling skeletal muscle performance.

Muscle shortening is usually characterized in terms of force-velocity and length-active tension properties. We have examined a third relationship, that between shortening and initial length to further characterize muscle performance. This analysis shows that optimal shortening is achieved at a length (Ls) different from the length (Lo) of optimal tension development.

Clomiphene treatment for women with unexplained infertility: placebo-controlled study of hormonal responses and conception rates.

One hundred and eighteen patients with unexplained infertility were treated with clomiphene (Clomid, Merrell) in a randomized placebo-controlled cross-over study lasting up to 3 months with each preparation. Compared with placebo, clomiphene led overall to a 66% increase in mid-luteal serum progesterone levels (from mean 43 nmol/l to 71 nmol/l, p less than 0.001) and a 53% rise in the 3-month cumulative conception rate (from 14.