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Human-driven environmental changes shape ecological communities from local to global scales. Within cities, landscape-scale patterns and processes and species characteristics generally drive local-scale wildlife diversity. However, cities differ in their structure, species pools, geographies and histories, calling into question the extent to which these drivers of wildlife diversity are predictive at continental scales. In partnership with the Urban Wildlife Information Network, we used occurrence data from 725 sites located across 20 North American cities and a multi-city, multi-species occupancy modelling approach to evaluate the effects of ecoregional characteristics and mammal species traits on the urbanization-diversity relationship. Among 37 native terrestrial mammal species, regional environmental characteristics and species traits influenced within-city effects of urbanization on species occupancy and community composition. Species occupancy and diversity were most negatively related to urbanization in the warmer, less vegetated cities. Additionally, larger-bodied species were most negatively impacted by urbanization across North America. Our results suggest that shifting climate conditions could worsen the effects of urbanization on native wildlife communities, such that conservation strategies should seek to mitigate the combined effects of a warming and urbanizing world.

For many sociolinguists, the issue of shyness and hesitation phenomenon has been problematic for Japanese L1 and L2 speakers, particularly in gendered interactions. Over the past decade, more Japanese are shunning conversations, relationships, and isolating themselves, which is accelerating the demographic crisis in Japan. Thus, this paper focuses on the variables concerning fluency, syntactical and lexical complexity to see if there are significant differences between gendered and same-sex interactions. It seeks to answer questions such as 'is hesitation phenomenon more marked in gendered discourse than in same-sex interactions,' and 'which gender exhibits the most fluency and dysfluency?' Results showed a significant difference in the speech between males and females in regard to speaking rates and number of words, but no significance was noted between gendered and same-sex interactions, or for the variables in lexical and syntactical complexity.

This study focused on the grammatical accuracy of Japanese students who were learning English. The database for the errors came from the Japanese University Student Corpus (JUSC) comprising 61 transcripts containing 51,061 words. An inventory, containing 400 errors in context, was taken from this corpus. The first research question related to the most common errors Japanese L2 learners made in spontaneous speech whereas the second question focused on the interpretability and recognition of errors as being intralingual or interlingual. Results showed that the primary errors were articles, verb tense, prepositions, omission, modifier errors, and subject-verb agreement. These results indicate that L1 is a factor in grammatical accuracy. We concluded that this data highlights the need for language teachers to focus on getting students to use the grammatical forms in actual dialogues.

The longevity of a single 22.4 Mg * [ha.sup.-1] application of dolomitic limestone at four northern hardwood stands was evaluated over 30 years (1986-2016) to determine whether changes in soils, foliage, and tree growth were sustained on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau in northern Pennsylvania, USA. In limed plots, soils, sampled to 45-55 cm depth, and sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) foliage had significantly (P [less than or equal to] 0.05) greater concentrations of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) through 2016 compared with samples from unlimed plots. Ca and Mg capitals (g * [m.sup.-2]) in the Oi through A horizons combined were greater on limed plots than unlimed plots, largely due to increases in the thickness and nutrient concentration in the A horizon. Over 30 years, sugar maple basal area increment ([cm.sup.2] * [year.sup.-1] BAINC) was greater in limed plots (30.6 [cm.sup.2] * [year.sup.-1] vs unlimed 13.3), American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) BAINC was unaffected by lime application, and black cherry BAINC was reduced in limed plots compared with unlimed plots. The sustained effect of this one-time lime treatment shows the strong role of efficient nutrient cycling in forests and suggests that the benefits over a substantial portion of a stand rotation may increase the feasibility of operational liming. Key words: forest liming, base cations, exchangeable calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), percent carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), basal area increment, sugar maple, American beech, black cherry. La longevite d'une application unique de 22,4 Mg * [ha.sup.-1] de calcaire dolomitique dans quatre peuplements de feuillus nordiques situes dans la partie non glaciere du plateau des Alleghany dans le nord de la Pennsylvanie, aux Etats-Unis, a ete evaluee sur une periode de 30 ans (1986-2016) pour determiner si les changements dans le sol, le feuillage et la croissance des arbres ont persiste. Dans les parcelles qui avaient ete chaulees, les sols echantillonnes jusqu'a une profondeur de 45-55 cm, ainsi que le feuillage de l'erable a sucre (Acer saccharum Marsh.) et du cerisier tardif (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), avaient des concentrations de calcium (Ca) et de magnesium (Mg) significativement plus elevees (P [less than or equal to] 0,05) jusqu'en 2016 comparativement aux echantillons provenant de parcelles non chaulees. Les capitaux en Ca et Mg (g * [m.sup.-2]) dans les horizons Oi a A combines etaient plus eleves dans les parcelles chaulees que dans les parcelles non chaulees, surtout a cause de l'augmentation de l'epaisseur et de la concentration des nutriments dans l'horizon A. Sur 30 ans, l'accroissement de la surface terriere (AST [cm.sup.2] * [an.sup.-1]) de l'erable a sucre etait plus eleve dans les parcelles chaulees (30,6 contre 13,3 [cm.sup.2] * [an.sup.-1] dans les parelles non chaulees). L'application de chaux n'a pas eu d'effet sur l'AST du hetre d'Amerique (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.) et a reduit l'AST du cerisier tardif dans les parcelles chaulees comparativement aux parcelles non chaulees. L'effet persistant de cette application unique de chaux illustre le role majeur du recyclage efficace des nutriments dans les forets et indique que les benefices qui perdurent pendant une partie importante de la periode de revolution d'un peuplement peuvent augmenter la faisabilite du chaulage operationnel. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : chaulage en foret, cations basiques, calcium (Ca) et magnesium (Mg) echangeables, pourcentage de carbone (C) et d'azote (N), accroissement de la surface terriere, erable a sucre, hetre d'Amerique, cerisier tardif., Introduction Forest liming is used to alter soil acidity, counter effects of long-term acidic inputs, and improve the growth and health of trees (Long et al. 2011; Court et al. [...]

Liming, the application of carbonate materials (e.g., CaC[O.sub.3], CaMg[(C[O.sub.3]).sub.2]) to soils and surface waters, has been used extensively in Europe, and to a lesser extent in Canada and the United States, to mitigate the effects of acid deposition on forest and aquatic ecosystems. This literature review was conducted to assess the effects of liming on ecologically and economically important sugar maple dominated ecosystems of northeastern North America, where it is increasingly used to treat sugar maple dieback. Potential direct and indirect effects were considered to determine whether the use of liming to revitalize these forests could negatively affect other ecological parameters, including those in adjacent aquatic habitats. Based on current scientific literature, it is not anticipated that liming at rates of 1-3 t [ha.sup.-1] would have major detrimental effects on these ecosystems. However, liming could have negative effects on northern hardwood forests with regard to earthworm invasions. The choice of liming as a mitigation tool should be made not only after weighing the potentially negative effects against the benefits of restoring sugar maple dominated stands in poorly buffered soils, but also after considering ecological components that could be lost or never recovered if an acidified forest ecosystem is not limed. Key words: acidification, acid rain, mitigation, liming, sugar maple, restoration, ecosystem, forest, aquatic habitat. Le chaulage, l'application de materiel carbonate (par exemple: CaC[O.sub.3], CaMg[(C[O.sub.3]).sub.2]) sur les sols et les eaux de surface, a ete largement utilise en Europe, et dans une moindre mesure au Canada et aux Etats-Unis, afin d'attenuer les effets des depots acides sur les ecosystemes forestiers et aquatiques. Cette revue de litterature a ete effectuee afin d'evaluer les effets du chaulage sur les ecosystemes forestiers domines par l'erable a sucre, qui sont importants au plan ecologique et economique dans le nord-est de l'Amerique du Nord, dans lesquels il est de plus en plus utilise pour traiter le deperissement de l'erable a sucre. Les effets potentiels directs et indirects ont ete consideres afin de determiner si l'utilisation du chaulage pour revitaliser ces forets pourrait avoir des effets negatifs sur d'autres composantes ecologiques, incluant celles des habitats aquatiques situes a proximite. Sur la base de la litterature scientifique actuelle, il n'est pas prevu que le chaulage a des taux de 1 a 3 t [ha.sup.- 1] ait des effets nefastes importants sur ces ecosystemes. Cependant, les erablieres chaulees pourraient etre sujettes aux effets negatifs lies a l'invasion de vers de terre. La decision finale d'utiliser le chaulage comme outil de mitigation doit non seulement tenir compte des effets potentiellement positifs et negatifs de ce traitement dans les erablieres situees sur des sols a faible pouvoir tampon, mais aussi des composantes ecologiques qui pourraient etre perdues ou ne jamais etre recuperees si un ecosysteme forestier acidifie n'est pas chaule. Mots-cles: acidification, pluie acide, mitigation, chaulage, erable a sucre, restauration, foret, habitat aquatique, ecosysteme., 1. Acid deposition and the need for liming Acid deposition (acid rain) emerged as one of the most publicly visible environmental issues during the 1970s and 1980s (Driscoll et al. [...]

Cotton is a highly variable natural material that is routinely blended during textile processing to create a uniform product. Harvesting and ginning can introduce some blending before the mill. Blending earlier in the supply chain could produce a more consistent and predictable product. There has been limited research on the benefits of in-field blending of cotton cultivars, especially from a textile perspective. Experiments were conducted over two seasons to determine the economic and performance impacts of in-field blending. The seed of three cultivars with different quality parameters were blended in combinations of two cultivars at 25% increments before planting. Crop maturity, lint yield, fiber quality, and textile processing were evaluated for both years. Some combinations resulted in differences in micronaire, fineness (linear density), and fiber length, which mostly followed the blend rates of the constituent cultivars. Although there were some statistical differences, no functional differences were observed for yield, textile processing, or textile quality. The most significant result was the movement of one set of blends from the base range of micronaire to the premium range. The results showed that infield blending of cultivars could be done without harming quality or resultant textiles, as long as the cultivars are carefully selected for similar seed characteristics and maturation timing. Individual producers will have to determine if the benefits and risks are worthwhile for their specific situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cleavitt et al. (2018, Can. J. For. Res. 48(1): 23-31, doi:10.1139/cjfr-2017-0233) report a lack of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) regeneration in Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), Watershed 5 (W5), following whole-tree clearcut harvesting and purport that harvesting-induced soil calcium depletion contributed to regeneration failure of this species. In New England, clearcutting is a silvicultural strategy used to promote less tolerant species, especially birch (Betula spp.; Marquis (1969), Birch Symposium Proceedings, USDA Forest Service; Leak et al. (2014), doi:10.2737/NRS-GTR-132), which is just the outcome that the authors report. While this study reports an impressive, long-term data set, given broad interest in sugar maple and sustainability of forest management practices, we feel that it is critical to more fully explore the role of nutrition on sugar maple dynamics, both prior to and during the experiment, and to more fully review the scientific record on the role of whole-tree clearcutting in nutrient-induced sugar maple dynamics. Key words: sugar maple, whole-tree harvest, management implications, regeneration, calcium. Cleavitt et al. (2018, Can. J. For. Res. 48(1): 23-31, doi:10.1139/cjfr-2017-0233) indiquent qu'il y a un probleme de regeneration de l'erable a sucre (Acer saccharum Marsh.) a la foret experimentale de Hubbard Brook dans le bassin versant 5 a la suite d'une coupe a blanc par arbre entier et pretendent que l'appauvrissement du sol en calcium cause par la recolte a contribue a l'echec de la regeneration de cette espece. En Nouvelle-Angleterre, la coupe a blanc est une strategie sylvicole utilisee pour favoriser les especes moins tolerantes, particulierement le bouleau (Betula spp.; Marquis (1969), Birch Symposium Proceedings, USDA Forest Service; Leak et al. (2014), doi:10.2737/NRS-GTR-132), ce qui correspond justement au resultat que rapportent les auteurs. Alors que cette etude presente un ensemble impressionnant de donnees a long terme, etant donne qu'il y a un vaste interet pour l'erable a sucre et la durabilite des pratiques d'amenagement forestier, nous croyons qu'il est essentiel d'explorer davantage le role de la nutrition sur la dynamique de l'erable a sucre, tant avant que durant l'experience, et de revoir en profondeur les donnees scientifiques sur le role de la coupe a blanc par arbre entier sur la dynamique de l'erable a sucre engendree par les elements nutritifs. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: erable a sucre, recolte par arbre entier, consequences de l'amenagement, regeneration, calcium., Cleavitt et al. (2018) report a lack of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) regeneration in Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), Watershed 5 (W5), following whole-tree clearcut harvesting and purport that [...]

Preeclampsia complicates 2-8% of pregnancies and is associated with prematurity and intrauterine growth restriction. Cholesterol and sterol transport is a key function of the placenta and it is elicited through ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters. ABCA1 expression changes during trophoblast cell fusion, a process required to form the placental syncytium that enables maternal-fetal nutrient transfer. ABCA1 expression is dysregulated in preeclamptic placentas. But whether ABC transporters expression during trophoblast fusion is disrupted in preeclampsia remains unknown. We investigated if cholesterol and sterol ABC transporters are altered in term and preterm preeclampsia placentas and during human cytotrophoblast syncytialization. Human placental biopsies were collected from healthy term (≥37 weeks; n = 11) and term preeclamptic (≥36 6/7 weeks; n = 8) and pre-term preeclamptic (28-35 weeks; n = 8) pregnancies. Both, protein and mRNA expression for ABCA1, ABCG1, ABCG5, and ABCG8 were evaluated. Primary cytotrophoblasts isolated from a subset of placentas were induced to syncytialize for 96 h and ABCA1, ABCG1 and ABCG8 mRNA expression evaluated at 0 h and 96 h. Protein and gene expression of ABC transporters were not altered in preeclamptic placentas. In the healthy Term group, ABCA1 expression was similar before and after syncytialization. After 96 h of syncytialization, mRNA expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 increased significantly, while ABCG8 decreased significantly in term-preeclampsia, but not pre-term preeclampsia. While placental expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 remained unaltered in term preeclampsia, the disruption in their dynamic expression pattern during cytotrophoblast syncytialization suggests that cholesterol transport may contribute to the pathophysiologic role of the placenta in preeclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomalous dark rings found in black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) sawlogs have been anecdotally related to defoliations from cherry scallop shell moth (CSSM) (Hydria prunivorata Ferguson). Using six timber harvest sites on the Allegheny National Forest and a thinning on the Kane Experimental Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania, we documented the occurrence of dark rings in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, concurrent with historical CSSM defoliations. Thirty cross-sections sampled from six Allegheny National Forest sites showed that dark rings formed on 18 sections in the 1970s, 17 sections in the 1980s, and 5 sections in the 1990s. Fourteen cross-sections had multiple (2–4) dark rings. Anatomical studies show the dark rings formed in these three decades have similar characteristics: darkened and thinner (>50 percent) fiber cell walls than normal-colored fiber cell walls. A long-term Kane Experimental Forest study was thinned in 2011–12, and dark ring frequency on recently cut stumps ranged from 48 percent to 68 percent across three replications. Dark rings in 12 of 20 cross-sections were associated with a ≥50 percent growth reduction in mean ring width during 1982–84. These results show that dark rings are associated with CSSM defoliation and that growth may be significantly reduced by defoliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments in ground-test facilities are required to develop and mature aero-optic platforms. However, structural vibrations of the facility can introduce significant error in optical experiments, making it difficult to separate wind-tunnel dynamics from the aero-optic measurements of interest. As a means of performing this separation, a Kalman filtering scheme, tuned using the autocovariance least-squares method, is implemented to measure the dynamic motion of a generalized aero-optic model geometry. An example is presented for the case of a laser diode mounted on a flexible post undergoing vibration. Using a single three-axis accelerometer, combined with a priori knowledge of the system's structural dynamics, pitch angle fluctuations on the order of 0.01 deg were successfully estimated within 0.002 deg uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Otitis externa secondary to irritant or chemical exposure is well documented; however, specifically secondary to jet fuel exposure and its associated toxicology is not. Over 2 million military and civilian personnel per year are occupation ally exposed to aviation fuels. CASE REPORT: An aircraft maintainer presented with noninfectious acute otitis externa secondary to external ear canal exposure to JP-5 jet fuel. Proper exposure guidelines were followed, but it was not realized that the external ear canal was involved The first symptoms to emerge were vertigo, dizziness, and disequilibrium; however, on physical exam it appeared that there was no middle ear involvement. DISCUSSION: Otitis externa normally does not present w ith vestibular symptoms as th e pathology affects the external ear canal dermal tissue. Upon review of JP-5's toxicology profile, dermal absorption is a route of entry and can cause general neurological symptoms, including loss of coordination. This case highlights potential deficiencies in th e standardized safety data sheets th a t are used after exposure. W ithout mention of possible auricular exposure one may focus on the logical protection of the eyes, mouth, and visible skin. This is concerning due to potential delayed exposure symptoms, dermal absorption, high level of dermal destruction, and the close proximity to th e sensory system. The goal of this case report is to improve the knowledge of providers caring for personnel w ho may be exposed and to suggest possible revisions to the Safety Data Sheets for jet fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased burden on healthcare systems with subsequent reductions in non-emergent hospitalizations and procedures. While there are widespread reports of intentional reductions in elective hospitalizations, trends in urgent or emergent hospitalizations including heart failure (HF) hospitalizations have not been adequately characterized.Methods: We evaluated trends of HF hospitalizations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Mississippi Medical Center using electronic health records and discharge database. We also compared HF hospitalization trends during the same time frame in 2019 to account for seasonal variation in HF presentations.Results: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in our medical center, a mean of 30 patients per week were admitted with a principal diagnosis of HF. After the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in Mississippi, there was a sharp 50% decline in the number of HF hospitalizations that declined even further after a "state of emergency" was declared in Mississippi.Conclusions: Based on observations from a large academic medical center, there has been a significant reduction in the number of patients hospitalized for HF during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further investigation of these trends is warranted to determine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term HF outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]