Digital Commons Network^™

Age Estimation And Growth Layer Patterns In Teeth Of Commerson’S Dolphins (Cephalorhynchus C. Commersonii) In Subantarctic Waters, Natalia A. Dellabianca, Aleta A. Hohn, R. Natalie P. Goodall

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The Commerson’s dolphin, Cephalorhynchus c. commersonii, one of the world’s smallest cetaceans, occurs in the southwestern South Atlantic from about 41°30'S to near Cape Horn (56°S), including the central and eastern Strait of Magellan and the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands (Goodall 1978, Goodall et al. 1988). Along the coasts of Patagonia, northern Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, and the eastern Strait of Magellan, Chile, this is the cetacean most often seen near shore, where the animals feed and surf in the breakers. They seldom strand, but are commonly taken incidentally in shore-based gill nets set perpendicular to the coast over the …

Development Of An Enhanced Tropical Cyclone Tracks Database For The Southwest Pacific From 1840 To 2010, H. J. Diamond, A. M. Lorrey, K. R. Knapp, D. H. Levinson

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The ecosystems and economies of small island nation states and territories of the tropical southwest Pacific region are widely agreed to be among the most vulnerable to climate variability and weather extremes anywhere in the world. Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are capable of exacerbating existing hazards and those made more severe by climate change (e.g. local sea level rise). In order to properly understand TC impacts in this region, a comprehensive database of TC tracks is required. This work has collated TC best track data from forecast centres around the globe with the aim of producing a unified global best TC …

Seasonality Of Calving And Predation Risk In Bottlenose Dolphins On Little Bahama Bank, Holly Fearnbach, John Durban, Kim Parsons, Diane Claridge

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Most studies of seasonal reproduction in odontocetes have considered bottom-up forcing through seasonal changes in the physical environment and/or prey availability (Wells et al. 1987, Read 1990, Urian et al. 1996, Mann et al. 2000, McGuire and Aliaga-Rossel 2007,Westgate and Read 2007), which are typically more pronounced in high latitudes. In contrast, there has been little consideration of top-down selection through seasonal changes in predation pressure. Predation pressure by sharks has been shown to affect delphinid habitat use and group size (Norris and Dohl 1980, Wells et al. 1987, Heithaus 2001, Heithaus and Dill 2002), but the influence of predation …

Understanding And Estimating Effective Population Size For Practical Application In Marine Species Management, Matthew P. Hare, Leonard Nunney, Michael K. Schwartz, Daniel E. Ruzzante, Martha Burford, Robin S. Waples, Kristen Ruegg, Friso Palstra

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Effective population size (N_e) determines the strength of genetic drift in a population and has long been recognized as an important parameter for evaluating conservation status and threats to genetic health of populations. Specifically, an estimate of N_e is crucial to management because it integrates genetic effects with the life history of the species, allowing for predictions of a population’s current and future viability. Nevertheless, compared with ecological and demographic parameters, N_e has had limited influence on species management, beyond its application in very small populations. Recent developments have substantially improved N_e estimation; however, some …

A Climatological Analysis Of Heatbursts In Oklahoma (1994–2009), Renee A. Mcpherson, Justin D. Lane, Kenneth C. Crawford, William G. Mcpherson Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Heatbursts are characterized by a sudden and highly localized increase in air temperature, a simultaneous decrease in relative humidity and dewpoint temperature, and strong gusty winds, typically associated with decaying thunderstorms. The small spatial extent and short duration of most heatbursts makes detailed study of these events difficult using the standard federal observation network (e.g. hourly observations) established in most countries. Thus, many discussions of heatbursts note that they are ‘rare’ phenomena. However, observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet indicate that although heatbursts are meso-alpha scale phenomena, they are not rare. Using multi-criteria analysis, 207 heatburst events of various magnitudes, areal …

Estimating The Carrying Capacity Of French Frigate Shoals For The Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal Using Ecopath With Ecosim, Frank A. Parrish, Evan A. Howell, George A. Antonelis, Sara J. Iverson, Charles L. Littnan, James D. Parrish, Jeffrey J. Polovina

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The carrying capacity of the French Frigate Shoals (FFS) region for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal was appraised using an updated version of the original FFS Ecopath model (Polovina 1984). Model parameters were updated using recent literature, and data from surveys of the seal population and its bottom-associated prey. Together they produced a static mass balance model for 1998 when the prey surveys began. The Ecopath-estimated monk seal biomass was 0.0045 t/km², which was in close agreement with the biomass calculated from monk seal field beach counts (0.0046 t/km²). Model simulations through time were done in …

Quality Assessment Of Filtered Smoked Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus Albacares) Steaks, Lori F. Pivarnik, Cameron Faustman, Santiago Rossi, Surendranath P. Suman, Catherine Palmer, Nicole L. Richard, P. Christopher Ellis, Michael Diliberti

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Filtered smoke (FS) has been used to preserve taste, texture, and/or color in tuna and other fish species. This treatment is particularly important in color preservation during frozen storage. The objective of this study was to compare changes in the quality profiles of FS-treated and untreated (UT) yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) steaks stored in 3 ways: room temperature (21 to 22 °C), refrigerated (4 to 5 °C), and iced (0 °C). FS and UT steaks were processed from the same lot of fish and analyzed for chemical, microbiological, lipid oxidation, color, and sensory profiles. Similar trends were seen …

Evaluating The Utility Of Cox1 For Cetacean Species Identification, A. Viricel, P. E. Rosel

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (cox1) gene has been promoted as a universal reference gene, or barcode, to identify organisms to the species level. We evaluated whether cox1 would be appropriate to diagnose cetacean species. The 5' end of cox1 (686 base pairs, bp) was sequenced for 46 of 86 recognized species of cetaceans. In addition, we included 105 sequences from GenBank, increasing our taxonomic coverage to 61 species. Particular focus was placed on sampling two subfamilies that contain closely related taxa: the Delphininae and the Globicephalinae. Species-specific sequences were observed for all but three taxa ( …

Interplay Of Individual Interactions And Turbidity Affects The Functional Response Of Three-Spined Sticklebacks Gasterosteus Aculeatus, K. W. Vollset, K. M, Bailey

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The effects of turbidity, size and the presence of conspecifics on the functional response, feeding latency and activity in the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus were examined. A significant interaction between standard length and presence of conspecifics demonstrated an increase in attack rates of larger individuals in the presence of conspecifics. Attack rate was also higher in turbid water. Feeding latency decreased with prey concentration and presence of conspecifics, but was not affected by turbidity. Activity level did not change with prey levels, but increased with turbidity. These results can help to better understand how individual flexibility in the functional response …

Recovery Of Logbooks And International Marine Data: The Reclaim Project, Clive Wilkinson, Scott D. Woodruff, Philip Brohan, Stefan Claesson, Eric Freeman, Frits Koek, Sandra J. Lubker, Catherine Marzin, Dennis Wheeler

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The RECovery of Logbooks and International Marine data (RECLAIM) project is a concerted, international effort to facilitate and encourage the recovery – through imaging and digitisation – of archived marine weather observations, platform and instrumental metadata and historical documentation, from many different countries. Non-instrumental observations of wind and weather have been recorded in ships’ logbooks for hundreds of years, augmented by systematic instrumental observations of sea surface and air temperatures, barometric pressure and other meteorological (and oceanographic) elements largely since the mid-nineteenth century. Once digitised, these data are widely useful for climate studies and other avenues of scientific research – …

The Evolutionary Origins Of Syngnathidae: Pipefishes And Seahorses, A. B. Wilson, J. W. Orr

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Despite their importance as evolutionary and ecological model systems, the phylogenetic relationships among gasterosteiforms remain poorly understood, complicating efforts to understand the evolutionary origins of the exceptional morphological and behavioural diversity of this group. The present review summarizes current knowledge on the origin and evolution of syngnathids, a gasterosteiform family with a highly developed form of male parental care, combining inferences based on morphological and molecular data with paleontological evidence documenting the evolutionary history of the group. Molecular methods have provided new tools for the study of syngnathid relationships and have played an important role in recent conservation efforts. Despite …

Eddies As Offshore Foraging Grounds For Melon-Headed Whales (Peponocephala Electra), Phoebe A. Woodworth, Gregory S. Schorr, Robin W. Baird, Daniel L. Webster, Daniel J. Mcsweeney, M. Bradley Hanson, Russel D. Andrews, Jeffrey J. Polovina

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Movements of upper trophic level predators in an open ocean environment should be driven, in part, by the distribution, density, and movements of their prey. Surveys have shown that cetacean densities are higher closer to shore around the main Hawaiian Islands than in offshore waters (Barlow 2006), presumably reflecting increased productivity or spatial and temporal predictability of prey associated with island effects (Baird et al. 2008a). A number of high trophic level pelagic species have been shown to concentrate around and/or use mesoscale eddies as foraging habitat (e.g., Davis et al. 2002, Seki et al. 2002, Bakun 2006, Polovina et …

Leading And Managing Those Working And Living In Captive Environments, John T. Eggers, Rebecca I. Porter, James W. Gray

United States Army: Publications

I magine you are the warden of a prison or the administrator of a jail, you enter the facility, and the heavy metal door clangs shut behind you. A riot breaks out and several members of your staff are taken hostage. Fires are set in various locations. The rioting inmates, members of a gang, attack other inmates who want no part in the rebellion and are only concerned for their safety. The decisions you as a leader make are literally matters of life or death, not only for yourself, but also for your staff and those incarcerated. The dynamics of …

A Holistic Approach To Leading In Dangerous Situations, Patrick J. Sweeney, Michael D. Matthews

United States Army: Publications

Dangerous contexts place unique psychological, physical, and social demands on leaders and organizations. To prepare for these unique demands, leaders, group members, and organizations need to develop greater levels of trustworthiness, psychological hardiness, and cohesion and stronger leader-follower partnership relationships compared to leaders and organizations that operate in non-dangerous contexts. Given that the demands of dangerous contexts affect all individuals and their relationships with the group and the organization's systems, a systems-based perspective seems to be a logical foundation for fostering holistic development to prepare for the unique challenges of leading and operating in dangerous situations.

Cross-Species Comparison Of Orthologous Gene Expression In Human Bladder Cancer And Carcinogen-Induced Rodent Models, Yan Lu, Pengyuan Liu, Weidong Wen, Clinton J. Grubbs, Reid R. Townsend, James P. Malone, Ronald A. Lubet, Ming You

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Deep Small Rna Sequencing From The Nematode Ascaris Reveals Conservation, Functional Diversification, And Novel Developmental Profiles, Jianbin Wang, Benjamin Czech, Amanda Crunk, Adam Wallace, Makedonka Mitreva, Gregory J. Hannon, Richard E. Davis

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Fourteen-Genome Comparison Identifies Dna Markers For Severe-Disease- Associated Strains Of Clostridium Difficile, Vincenzo Forgetta, Matthew T. Oughton, Pascale Marquis, Ivan Brukner, Ruth Blanchette, Kevin Haub, Vince Magrini, Elaine R. Mardis, Dale N. Gerding, Vivian G. Loo, Mark A. Miller, Michael R. Mulvey, Maja Rupnik, Andre Dascal, Ken Dewar

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Cell Wall Chitosan Is Necessary For Virulence In The Opportunistic Pathogen Cryptococcus Neoformans, Lorina G. Baker, Charles A. Specht, Jennifer K. Lodge

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

A High-Sugar Diet Produces Obesity And Insulin Resistance In Wild-Type Drosophila, Laura Palanker Musselman, Jill L. Fink, Kirk Narzinski, Prasanna Venkatesh Ramachandran, Sumitha Sukumar Hathiramani, Ross L. Cagan, Thomas J. Baranski

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Accuracy Of Estimating Wolf Summer Territories By Daytime Locations, Dominic J. Demma, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We used locations of 6 wolves (Canis lupus) in Minnesota from Global Positioning System (GPS) collars to compare day-versus-night locations to estimate territory size and location during summer. We employed both minimum convex polygon (MCP) and fixed kernel (FK) methods. We used two methods to partition GPS locations for day-versusnight home-range comparisons: (1) daytime 5 0800–2000 h; nighttime 5 2000–0800 h; and (2) sunup versus sundown. Regardless of location-partitioning method, mean area of daytime MCPs did not differ significantly from nighttime MCPs. Similarly, mean area of daytime FKs (95% probability contour) were not significantly different from nightime FKs. FK core …

Wolves, Canis Lupus, Carry And Cache The Collars Of Radio-Collared White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, They Killed, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Wolves (Canis lupus) in northeastern Minnesota cached six radio-collars (four in winter, two in spring-summer) of 202 radio-collared White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) they killed or consumed from 1975 to 2010. A Wolf bedded on top of one collar cached in snow. We found one collar each at a Wolf den and Wolf rendezvous site, 2.5 km and 0.5 km respectively, from each deer’s previous locations.

Yellowthroat: Wildlife Management Area

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Yellowthroat Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is managed as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System by the Fort Niobrara / Valentine National Wildlife Refuges complex staff. Yellowthroat WMA is a 480-acre area managed for migratory birds. Our goal is to restore this former cropland to native prairie by using management techniques such as prescribed burning, grazing, weed control, water level manipulations, and planting native grasses. A variety of wildlife can be seen in the wetlands and grasslands, including the yellow-throated warbler for which the place is named.

Spatial And Temporal Patterns And The Influence Of Abiotic Factors On Larval Fish Catches In The Lower Niobrara River, Nebraska, Greg A. Wanner, Kristen L. Grohs, Robert A. Klumb

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The Niobrara River has a natural hydrograph and temperature regime with the lower 32 km protected under the National Wild and Scenic River system managed by the National Park Service. The largest threat to this river is decreased instream flows due to water withdrawals for agriculture. The Niobrara River a large tributary to the Missouri River may positively influence fish production. However, no information exists regarding phenology of fish spawning or what abiotic factors may influence spawning. Our objectives were to examine the taxonomic composition and the spatial and temporal patterns of the larval fish assemblage in relation to environmental …

Organotins In Aquatic Biota: Occurrence In Tissue And Toxicological Significance, James P. Meador

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Organotins are organometallic compounds that exhibit complex environmental chemistry and toxicity. The handbook of Chemistry and Physics (CRC 1975) lists more than 250 organotin compounds. Even though a number of these are specific compounds (e.g., triphenyltin [TPT]) that are listed as various salts (e.g., TPT chloride, sulfide, hydroxide, and bromide), there are dozens of unique compounds. Because a number of organotins will be considered here, Table 7.1 lists the compounds and their abbreviations.

The focus for this chapter is the occurrence of organotin compounds in aquatic organisms and the associated toxic responses. For aquatic organisms, we traditionally define the effective …

The Susceptibility Of Trypanosomatid Pathogens To Pi3/Mtor Kinase Inhibitors Affords A New Opportunity For Drug Repurposing, Rosario Diaz-Gonzalez, F. Matthew Kuhlmann, Cristina Galan-Rodriguez, Manuel Saldivia, Caitlin E. Karver, Ana Rodriguez, Stephen M. Beverley, Miguel Navarro, Michael P. Pollastri

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Excitotoxicity Triggered By Neurobasal Culture Medium, Joshua Hogins, Devon C. Crawford, Charles F. Zorumski, Steven Mennerick

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Expression Of The G-Csf Receptor In Monocytic Cells Is Sufficient To Mediate Hematopoietic Progenitor Mobilization By G-Csf In Mice, Matthew J. Christopher, Mahil Rao, Fulu Liu, Jill R. Woloszynek, Daniel C. Link

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Contributions Made By Cdc25 Phosphatases To Proliferation Of Intestinal Epithelial Stem And Progenitor Cells, Gwanghee Lee, Sofia Origanti, Lynn S. White, Jinwu Sun, Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck, Helen Piwnica-Worms

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Helmcop: An Online Resource For Helminth Functional Genomics And Drug And Vaccine Targets Prioritization, Sahar Abubucker, John Martin, Christina M. Taylor, Makedonka Mitreva

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Serum Response Factor Is Required For Cortical Axon Growth But Is Dispensable For Neurogenesis And Neocortical Lamination, Paul P.Y. Lu, Narendrakumar Ramanan

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.