Microbiomes associated with avian malaria survival differ between susceptible Hawaiian honeycreepers and sympatric malaria-resistant introduced birds.

Of the estimated 55 Hawaiian honeycreepers (subfamily Carduelinae) only 17 species remain, nine of which the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers endangered. Among the most pressing threats to honeycreeper survival is avian malaria, caused by the introduced blood parasite Plasmodium relictum, which is increasing in distribution in Hawai'i as a result of climate change. Preventing further honeycreeper decline will require innovative conservation strategies that confront malaria from multiple angles.

Rarity patterns of woody plant species are associated with life form and diversification rates in Pacific islands forests.

Premise: Rarity is a complex and central concept in ecology and conservation biology. Yet, it is still poorly understood why some species are rare and others common. Here, we aimed to understand the drivers of species rarity patterns in woody plant communities.

Loss of cultural song diversity and the convergence of songs in a declining Hawaiian forest bird community.

The effects of population decline on culturally transmitted behaviours in animals have rarely been described, but may have major implications to population viability. Learned vocal signals in birds are of critical importance to behaviours associated with reproduction, intrasexual interactions and group cohesion, and the complexity of vocal signals such as song can serve as an honest signal of an individual's quality as well as the viability of a population. In this study, we examined how rapid population declines recently experienced by Hawaiian honeycreepers on the island of Kaua'i (USA) may have influenced the diversity, complexity and similarity of learned honeycreeper songs.

The Evaluation of Single-Sided Total Knee Arthroplasty Versus Simultaneous Bilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty Improvements and Postoperative Progression Based on Patient-Based Outcome Scoring: A Rural Retrospective Clinical Orthopaedic Study.

Introduction: Both graduated single-sided total knee arthroplasty (SSTKA) and simultaneous bilateral total knee arthroplasty (SBTKA) are viable options for bilateral knee arthritis, and deciding which option to pursue is still debated. We aim to compare the two modalities using the patient-based oxford knee score and Visual analog pain scores in micropolitan settings.

Methods: Oxford knee score and Visual analog pain scores were administered preoperatively and postoperatively 1, 6, and 12 months to 115 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty.

The effect of isolation, fragmentation, and population bottlenecks on song structure of a Hawaiian honeycreeper.

Little is known about how important social behaviors such as song vary within and among populations for any of the endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers. Habitat loss and non-native diseases (e.g.

Missing link between the Hayward and Rodgers Creek faults.

The next major earthquake to strike the ~7 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area will most likely result from rupture of the Hayward or Rodgers Creek faults. Until now, the relationship between these two faults beneath San Pablo Bay has been a mystery. Detailed subsurface imaging provides definitive evidence of active faulting along the Hayward fault as it traverses San Pablo Bay and bends ~10° to the right toward the Rodgers Creek fault.

4-D ICE: A 2-D Array Transducer With Integrated ASIC in a 10-Fr Catheter for Real-Time 3-D Intracardiac Echocardiography.

We developed a 2.5 ×6.6 mm 2 -D array transducer with integrated transmit/receive application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for real-time 3-D intracardiac echocardiography (4-D ICE) applications.

Bioacoustics for species management: two case studies with a Hawaiian forest bird.

The management of animal endangered species requires detailed information on their distribution and abundance, which is often hard to obtain. When animals communicate using sounds, one option is to use automatic sound recorders to gather information on the species for long periods of time with low effort. One drawback of this method is that processing all the information manually requires large amounts of time and effort.

Cicadas impact bird communication in a noisy tropical rainforest.

Many animals communicate through acoustic signaling, and "acoustic space" may be viewed as a limited resource that organisms compete for. If acoustic signals overlap, the information in them is masked, so there should be selection toward strategies that reduce signal overlap. The extent to which animals are able to partition acoustic space in acoustically diverse habitats such as tropical forests is poorly known.

Positive relationships between association strength and phenotypic similarity characterize the assembly of mixed-species bird flocks worldwide.

Competition theory predicts that local communities should consist of species that are more dissimilar than expected by chance. We find a strikingly different pattern in a multicontinent data set (55 presence-absence matrices from 24 locations) on the composition of mixed-species bird flocks, which are important subunits of local bird communities the world over. By using null models and randomization tests followed by meta-analysis, we find the association strengths of species in flocks to be strongly related to similarity in body size and foraging behavior and higher for congeneric compared with noncongeneric species pairs.

Knemidokoptic mange in Hawai'i' Amakihi (Hemignathus virens) on the island of Hawai'i.

Lesions resembling knemidokoptic mange on the feet and tarsometatarsi of two Hawai'i' Amakihi (Hemignathus virens) were observed while the researchers were mist-netting wild passerines at Manuka Natural Area Reserve on the island of Hawai'i between 14 June 2007 and 19 June 2007. During subsequent mist-netting from September 2007 through February 2008, we found 26% (7/27) of the Hawai'i' Amakihi caught were similarly affected. Microscopic examination of skin scrapings from lesions of affected individuals revealed Knemidokoptes jamaicensis (Acari: Knemidokoptidae).

Genetic structure along an elevational gradient in Hawaiian honeycreepers reveals contrasting evolutionary responses to avian malaria.

Background: The Hawaiian honeycreepers (Drepanidinae) are one of the best-known examples of an adaptive radiation, but their persistence today is threatened by the introduction of exotic pathogens and their vector, the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. Historically, species such as the amakihi (Hemignathus virens), the apapane (Himatione sanguinea), and the iiwi (Vestiaria coccinea) were found from the coastal lowlands to the high elevation forests, but by the late 1800's they had become extremely rare in habitats below 900 m. Recently, however, populations of amakihi and apapane have been observed in low elevation habitats.

Multi-trophic invasion resistance in Hawaii: bioacoustics, field surveys, and airborne remote sensing.

We used airborne imaging spectroscopy and scanning light detection and ranging (LiDAR), along with bioacoustic recordings, to determine how a plant species invasion affects avian abundance and community composition across a range of Hawaiian submontane ecosystems. Total avian abundance and the ratio of native to exotic avifauna were highest in habitats with the highest canopy cover and height. Comparing biophysically equivalent sites, stands dominated by native Metrosideros polymorpha trees hosted larger native avian communities than did mixed stands of Metrosideros and the invasive tree Morella faya.

Genetic structure and evolved malaria resistance in Hawaiian honeycreepers.

Infectious diseases now threaten wildlife populations worldwide but population recovery following local extinction has rarely been observed. In such a case, do resistant individuals recolonize from a central remnant population, or do they spread from small, perhaps overlooked, populations of resistant individuals? Introduced avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) has devastated low-elevation populations of native birds in Hawaii, but at least one species (Hawaii amakihi, Hemignathus virens) that was greatly reduced at elevations below about 1000 m tolerates malaria and has initiated a remarkable and rapid recovery. We assessed mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers from amakihi and two other Hawaiian honeycreepers, apapane (Himatione sanguinea) and iiwi (Vestiaria coccinea), at nine primary study sites from 2001 to 2003 to determine the source of re-establishing birds.

Detection of deoxynivalenol based on a single-chain fragment variable of the antideoxynivalenol antibody.

Immunological detection of low molecular weight toxins, such as deoxynivalenol using single-chain antibody fragment (scFv), is a potentially novel and safe method of diagnosing fungal infection and food contamination. To develop a deoxynivalenol detection procedure based on scFv, deoxynivalenol was first conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for immunoassay. Deoxynivalenol was initially activated using N-[p-maleimidophenyl] isocyanate and subsequently conjugated to S-acetyl thioglycolic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide-activated HRP.

Deletion of a Chromosome Arm Altered Wheat Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight and Deoxynivalenol Accumulation in Chinese Spring.

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, is an important disease of wheat worldwide. Production of deoxynivalenol (DON) in infected wheat grain by F. graminearum is a major safety concern when considering use of the grain as feed for livestock or for human consumption.

Host population persistence in the face of introduced vector-borne diseases: Hawaii amakihi and avian malaria.

The past quarter century has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of new and emerging infectious diseases throughout the world, with serious implications for human and wildlife populations. We examined host persistence in the face of introduced vector-borne diseases in Hawaii, where introduced avian malaria and introduced vectors have had a negative impact on most populations of Hawaiian forest birds for nearly a century. We studied birds, parasites, and vectors in nine study areas from 0 to 1,800 m on Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaii from January to October, 2002.

Rural hospital HIPAA readiness and resource needs.

rural hospitals with fewer than 50 beds were most in need of assistance and resources to prepare for HIPAA indicating that the Small Hospital Improvement Program chose well in making HIPAA readiness one of three purposes for grants to those hospitals.

Molecular Cloning and Expression of Recombinant Phage Antibody against Fumonisin B.

Bacteriophage expression systems offer promise for the development of novel antibody reagents applicable to detection of microbial agents and their toxins in foods. In this study, fumonisin B (FB)-specific antibodies, composed of a single chain containing a variable heavy (V) and light (V) chain fragments (ScFv), were cloned using mRNA from either spleen cells of mice immunized with FB-BSA conjugate or from an existing hybridoma cell line that produces anti-FB antibody. The approach consisted of (i) reverse transcription of isolated mRNA, (ii) polymerase chain reaction amplification of V and V cDNAs, (iii) ligation of V and V chains, and (iv) expression of ScFv proteins on the surface of a filamentous bacteriophage or as a soluble fragment.

Detection of Fumonisins in Fusarium Cultures, Corn, and Corn Products by Polyclonal Antibody-Based ELISA: Relation to Fumonisin B Detection by Liquid Chromatography.

A specific sheep polyclonal antiserum was applied to the competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CD-ELISA) of fumonisins in Fusarium cultures, fresh corn, animal feed, and human foods, and the results were related to fumonisin B (FB) levels determined by liquid chromatography (LC). The limit of detection of FB for the CD-ELISA was 0.1 ng/ml.

Application of ELISA to Retail Survey of Aflatoxin B in Peanut Butter.

A simple procedure was devised for the routine screening of aflatoxin B (AFB) in peanut butter using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Peanut butter samples (5 g) were artificially contaminated with AFB and extracted by blending with 25 ml of 55% methanol and 10 ml of hexane. The extract was filtered and aqueous filtrate analyzed by a direct competitive ELISA.

Comparison of Deoxynivalenol (Vomitoxin) Production by Fusarium graminearum Isolates in Corn Steep-Supplemented Fries Medium.

Four out of nine North American Fusarium graminearum isolates produced deoxynivalenol (DON) and 15-monoacetyl deoxynivalenol (15-ADON) when grown in stationary cultures of modified Fries medium supplemented with 4% corn steep liquor. Strains R-6576, Van Wert A-l and Stuckey produced primarily DON after 20 d of incubation at 28°C. In these strains, low levels of 15-ADON accumulated after 5 d but then declined over time.