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Large carnivores are being globally reintroduced with the goal of restoring ecological interactions. However, the extent that competitive interactions are restored within communities is often unclear. In a before–after study within Isle Royale National Park (in the US state of Michigan), we quantified the spatial, behavioral, trophic, and demographic effects of the reintroduction of a large carnivore (gray wolf; Canis lupus) on meso‐carnivores (red fox; Vulpes vulpes) and small carnivores (American marten; Martes americana). The wolf reintroduction produced a phase‐dependent pulse perturbation: wolves constrained the distribution of foxes, thereby benefiting martens, yet foxes altered their behavior, notably using human‐provided resource subsidies (campsites and food) more frequently, which buffered demographic consequences. Once wolf packs coalesced, all observed changes subsided, and competitive interactions returned to their pre‐wolf values. Our results show that some predicted—and often desired—consequences of large carnivore reintroductions may not be permanent due to the transitory dynamics of social carnivores and the presence of humans, even within a "pristine wilderness". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is vital for the art education field to continue defining and redefining its multimodal versatility and malleability in the education of children in this ever-changing organic culture. Marshall (2014) called for art integration to be framed as a transdisciplinary paradigm to meet the current needs of education. This article provides a framework of employing contemporary puppetry as a powerful narrative and transdisciplinary tool in K-12 and adult educational settings. The hybrid nature of puppetry provides many opportunities for the merging of various disciplines, learning styles, and technologies to create contemporary comprehensive learning experiences. In addition, puppetry is a natural bridge to play, imagination, experimentation, storytelling, and collaboration. Puppetry provides multifaceted pedagogical/learning opportunities for (1) narrative pedagogy (Romanski, 2015; Rolling, 2010, 2012; Zander, 2007), (2) transdisciplinary and substantive arts integration (Marshall, 2006, 2014), and (3) a conceptual approach with contemporary art and curriculum built on enduring ideas (Stewart & Walker, 2005). In this article, the author describes a course in which shadow puppetry is investigated and its potential for transformative curriculum approaches is considered, specifically in elementary settings.

We present a case of a tubal ectopic pregnancy (EP) in a patient with an initially undetectable serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) level. A 33-year-old woman in a same-sex relationship underwent timed donor intrauterine insemination. Her serum β-hCG level was <5 mIU/mL 14 days after the intrauterine insemination. She reported menstrual bleeding 3 days after her negative pregnancy test and returned to the office 10 days later to begin a new treatment cycle. Her serum levels of estradiol, progesterone, and β-hCG were 119 pg/mL, 6.1 ng/mL and 1157 mIU/mL, respectively. Transvaginal ultrasonography did not show an intrauterine pregnancy. Her β-hCG level increased to 1420 mIU/mL the next day. She was diagnosed with a pregnancy of unknown location and treated with methotrexate. Her β-hCG levels continued to increase despite 3 methotrexate doses, necessitating laparoscopy. The diagnostic laparoscopy demonstrated approximately 100 mL of hemoperitoneum in the posterior cul-de-sac with an intact right fallopian tube that was dilated at its distal end by the EP. A total right salpingectomy was performed. Her β-hCG level was <5 mIU/mL 3 weeks later. The current case supports that although rare, an undetectable serum β-hCG level does not completely rule out the diagnosis of an EP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 15% of all clinically recognized pregnancies in patients with infertility result in spontaneous abortion. However, despite its potential to have a profound and lasting effect on physical and emotional well-being, the natural history of spontaneous abortion in women with infertility has not been described. Although vaginal bleeding is a common symptom in pregnancies conceived via reproductive technologies, its prognostic value is not well understood. This study aimed to evaluate the combination of early pregnancy bleeding and first-trimester ultrasound measurements to determine spontaneous abortion risk. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with infertility who underwent autologous embryo transfer resulting in singleton intrauterine pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019. Early pregnancy symptoms of bleeding occurring before gestational week 8 and measurements of crown-rump length and fetal heart rate from ultrasounds performed during gestational week 6 (6 0/7 to 6 6/7 weeks of gestation) and gestational week 7 (7 0/7 to 7 6/7 weeks of gestation) were recorded. Modified Poisson regression with robust error variance was adjusted a priori for patient age, embryo transfer day, and transfer of a preimplantation genetic-tested embryo to estimate the relative risk and 95% confidence interval of spontaneous abortion for dichotomous variables. The relative risks and positive predictive values for early pregnancy bleeding combined with ultrasound measurements on the occurrence of spontaneous abortion were calculated for patients who had an ultrasound performed during gestational week 6 and separately for patients who had an ultrasound performed during gestational week 7. The primary outcome was spontaneous abortion in the setting of vaginal bleeding with normal ultrasound parameters. The secondary outcomes were spontaneous abortion with vaginal bleeding and (1) abnormal crown-rump length, (2) abnormal fetal heart rate, and (3) both abnormal crown-rump length and abnormal fetal heart rate. Of the 1858 patients who were included (359 cases resulted in abortions and 1499 resulted in live births), 315 patients (17.0%) reported vaginal bleeding. When combined with ultrasound measurements from gestational week 6, bleeding was significantly associated with increased spontaneous abortion only when accompanied by absent fetal heart rate (relative risk, 5.36; 95% confidence interval, 3.36–8.55) or both absent fetal heart rate and absent fetal pole (relative risk, 9.67; 95% confidence interval, 7.45–12.56). Similarly, when combined with ultrasound measurements from gestational week 7, bleeding was significantly associated with increased spontaneous abortion only when accompanied by an abnormal assessment of fetal heart rate or crown-rump length (relative risk, 5.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.83–14.19) or both fetal heart rate and crown-rump length (relative risk, 14.82; 95% confidence interval, 10.54–20.83). With normal ultrasound measurements, bleeding was not associated with increased spontaneous abortion risk (relative risk: 1.05 [95% confidence interval, 0.61–1.78] in gestational week 6 and 0.80 [95% confidence interval, 0.36–1.74] in gestational week 7), and the live birth rate was comparable with that in patients with normal ultrasound measurements and no bleeding. Patients with a history of infertility who present after embryo transfer with symptoms of vaginal bleeding should be evaluated with a pregnancy ultrasound to accurately assess spontaneous abortion risk. In the setting of normal ultrasound measurements, patients can be reassured that their risk of spontaneous abortion is not increased and that their live birth rate is not decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A hydrogel based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (NIPA) crosslinked with the diacryloyl derivative of cystine (BISS) was synthesized using the free radical polymerization. The NIPA-BISS hydrogel rich in cystine appeared to be a competitive sorbent and has been applied to efficiently remove heavy metal pollutants, mainly cadmium and lead ions, from water. Sorption capacity, kinetics of sorption, swelling behavior and effect of pH on sorption were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and FTIR analysis were employed to monitor the changes that took place in the NIPA-BISS hydrogels after the adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of top predators may contribute to high ungulate population densities and chronic over-browsing of forest ecosystems. However, spatial and temporal variability in the strength of interactions between predators and ungulates occurs over scales that are much shorter than the scales over which forest communities change, making it difficult to characterize trophic cascades in forest ecosystems. We applied the LANDIS- II forest succession model and a recently developed ungulate browsing extension to model how the moose population could interact with the forest ecosystem of Isle Royale National Park, USA, under three different wolf predation scenarios. We contrasted a 100-yr future without wolves (no predation) with two predation scenarios (weak, long-term average predation rates and strong, higher than average rates). Increasing predation rates led to lower peak moose population densities, lower biomass removal rates, and higher estimates of forage availability and landscape carrying capacity, especially during the first 40 yr of simulations. Thereafter, moose population density was similar for all predation scenarios, but available forage biomass and the carrying capacity of the landscape continued to diverge among predation scenarios. Changes in total aboveground live biomass and species composition were most pronounced in the no predation and weak predation scenarios. Consistent with smaller-scale studies, high browsing rates led to reductions in the biomass of heavily browsed Populus tremuloides, Betula papyrifera, and Abies balsamea, and increases in the biomass of unbrowsed Picea glauca and Picea mariana, especially after the simulation year 2050, when existing boreal hardwood stands at Isle Royale are projected to senesce. As a consequence, lower predation rates corresponded with a landscape that progressively shifted toward dominance by Picea glauca and Picea mariana, and lacking available forage biomass. Consistencies with previously documented small-scale successional shifts, and population estimates and trends that approximate those from this and other boreal forests that support moose provide some confidence that these dynamics represent a trophic cascade and therefore provide an important baseline against which to evaluate long-term and large-scale effects of alternative predator management strategies on ungulate populations and forest succession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis) were extirpated from Isle Royale in the 1930s. We conducted a population viability analysis (PVA) of a potential lynx reintroduction to better understand viability, uncertainty, and management options. We estimated that the 544-km2 island can support 30 lynx. The probability of 100-year population persistence was 0.36 for a model that simulated a decadal lynx-hare population cycle. A noncyclic model predicted a 0.73 probability of 100-year persistence. Inbreeding depression had a substantial negative effect on modeled persistence. Historically, periodic immigration of mainland lynx via an ice bridge probably reduced or prevented inbreeding depression on the island. The introduction of one male and one female lynx every 10 years increased the probability of 100-year persistence to 0.98 in the cyclic model. Occasional anthropogenic transfers of lynx to the island might be necessary because the frequency of ice bridge formation has decreased. However, our baseline models might underestimate viability because they used demographic rates from mainland studies where lynx were exposed to anthropogenic mortality. When we removed assumed anthropogenic mortality-which should be negligible on Isle Royale-the probability of 100-year persistence was 0.99 for the cyclic model, even without supplementation. Reintroducing lynx to Isle Royale appears feasible, assuming appropriate monitoring and management. Reintroducing lynx would restore a missing native species to Isle Royale and would increase our understanding of lynx ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1930s, the Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) was extirpated from Isle Royale, a 535-km2 island located in western Lake Superior, 22 km from the Ontario and Minnesota shorelines. The first half of the 20th century was a time of change on Isle Royale as Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) disappeared, Coyotes (Canis latrans) briefly appeared, Moose (Alces americanus), Grey Wolves (Canis lupus), and Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) became established, and the habitat was altered by fire, logging, and over-browsing. Although these changes may have contributed to the demise of the Canada Lynx, our results suggest that over-harvest was a primary cause. Assuming a peak carrying capacity of 75 Canada Lynx and harvest rates comparable to those reported from 1890-1935, a population viability analysis indicated that the island population had a 0% chance of surviving 50 years. The analysis also indicated that, even in the absence of harvest, the population had only a 14% chance of persistence for 250 years. However, when 10 Canada Lynx were added to the modeled population every 10th year, the probability of persistence increased to 100%. Our analyses suggest that the island's Canada Lynx population maintained itself by periodic immigration across an ice bridge; therefore, natural recolonization should be possible. However, the probability of ice-bridge formation has declined from 0.8 in the winter of 1958-59 to 0.1 in 2012-13, likely as a result of climate change. The Isle Royale situation exemplifies another impact of climate change and the possible need to augment populations to mitigate the loss of connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]