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Ectomycorrhiza formation, survivability, and physiognomic characteristics were assessed for conifer seedlings encountered 1 and 2 years postfire in the Huck burn site near Grand Teton National Park. Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. germinated and was abundant throughout the first growing season. Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. germinated during May and June but was rarely encountered by September. First-year survivorship of P. contorta seedlings was about 50% for east-facing burn and edge and west-facing burn treatments. Mortality was higher in thewest-facing edge treatment at about 64%. Pinus contorta seedlings collected in July and August had allocated approximately 75% more biomass to epicotyl production than to hypocotyl production, whereas by September seedlings had allocated 30--50% of their biomass to hypocotyls, regardless of site or treatment. Few or no ectomycorrhizae were formed until September. By September 100% of surviving seedlings were ectomycorrhizal. The number of ectomycorrhizae was positively correlated with the number of primary needles and the root/shoot ratio. Theseresults highlight the importance of mycorrhizae to conifer seedling survival during the initial growing season and point to alteration ofcarbon allocation as a primary mechanism affecting seedling survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octocorals, also known as gorgonians and soft corals, were previously managed by the U.S. South Atlantic (SAFMC) and Gulf of Mexico (GMFMC) Fishery Management Councils through a joint Coral Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Because octocorals are mostly collected from Florida waters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is currently tasked with managing octocoral collection, including the monitoring of colony landings, in the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) adjacent to Florida. Collection of 70,000 colonies per year total, which applies to both state and EEZ waters off Florida, is permitted under Rule 68B- 42.006 of the Florida Administrative Code, but has never been exceeded according to available landings data. Before octocoral management responsibility was transferred to the State of Florida, the SAFMC was concerned that octocoral landings data, as opposed to population data, were being used to set Acceptable Biological Catch limits and Overfishing limits under the new Federal fishery management standards. An additional concern with the octocoral fishery and other organisms captured for the marine aquarium and ornamental fisheries is that large taxonomic groups are lumped together, including species with potentially different life histories and ecological functions. This study assessed some of the characteristics of the octocoral fishery by evaluating FWC Trip Ticket data, conducting interviews with octocoral collectors, and analyzing octocoral life history information and available fishery-independent data on population densities and sizes. Based on interviews with collectors, a synthesis of trip ticket results, and population abundance estimates, the long-term stability of the octocoral fishery is not likely to change significantly. The social dynamics of the aquarium industry to seek colorful, rare, and exotic marine species for home aquaria places octocorals at the lower end of the list of desired species. Octocoral distribution and abundance information obtained from an extensive search of the literature, along with available age, growth, and habitat data, suggests that current information is comprehensive and definitive, such that stock assessment or population dynamic modeling could be considered but are probably not required to assess the status of collected octocoral species. For multiple sampling periods, over a decadal period (1999-09) in the Florida Keys, where most octocoral collection occurs, abundance estimates presented for 15 species illustrate that population sizes are large (tens of millions to hundreds of millions of colonies, per species) and abundance is stable or increasing. For example, the numbers of colonies collected in the Florida Keys in two of the collector categories represented < 0.004% of the estimated population sizes. The collectors and aquarium hobbyists interviewed stated that they would welcome and use a field guide to help with octocoral identification, which would ultimately provide better fishery-dependent taxonomic resolution for collected species. The collection of octocorals below the State of Florida quota of 70,000 colonies per year threshold, which has yet to be reached according to landings data, likely does not adversely affect the octocoral populations targeted. This conclusion is based upon the large population estimates determined for octocorals relative to the small number of colonies collected. This conclusion assumes that the distribution and population sizes of targeted species will continue to be relatively stable or increase. Information collected by the State of Florida through trip tickets is probably adequate to understand and manage the octocoral fishery. Minor reporting clarifications and better taxonomic resolution in reporting would help improve the accuracy of collecting data, but improved accuracy is not required to assess the current state of the fishery-the octocoral fishery is sustainable and would likely remain sustainable at colony collection levels orders of magnitude larger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Gymnomyces xerophilus sp. nov., a sequestrate species in the Russulaceae, is characterized and described morphologically as a new species from Quercus-dominated woodlands in California. ITS sequences recovered from healthy, ectomycorrhizal roots of Quercus douglasii and Q. wislizeni matched those of G. xerophilus basidiomata, confirming the ectomycorrhizal status of this fungus. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS region places G. xerophilus in a clade with both agaricoid (Russula in the section Polychromae) and sequestrate (Gymnomyces, Cystangium) relatives. We include a dichotomous key to the species of Gymnomyces associated with Quercus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Neurocognitive skills (e.g., processing speed, attention and memory) were hypothesized to be critical for workplace performance and by extension for the work-life balance of employees. Twenty-one employee volunteers underwent a neurocognitive training program - which consisted of an initial pre-test assessment, a six week "boost" or intervention period, and then a re-assessment to track the progress of each participant. A median split of the group created two training groups: a long-training group that averaged 30 hours of total training during the boost period; and a short-training group that averaged 7 hours of training. On pre-training measures of neurocognitive performance, group differences in performance did not reach statistical significance. Following training participants experienced a positive impact from the program as measured in three ways: standardized higher behavioral metrics, improved cognitive state metrics using EEG and positive self-reported data. From a quantitative perspective, participants' cognitive efficiency increased by 12% for the high-training group and 5% for the low-training group (cognitive efficiency refers to a behavioral measure which combines accuracy and speed). Qualitatively, study participants reported improvements in their productivity and mental performance post-study.

Exposure to organophosphorus toxins induces seizures that progress to status epilepticus (SE), which can cause brain damage or death. Seizures are generated by hyperstimulation of muscarinic receptors, subsequent to inhibition of acetylcholinesterase; this is followed by glutamatergic hyperactivity, which sustains and reinforces seizure activity. It has been unclear which muscarinic receptor subtypes are involved in seizure initiation and the development of SE in the early phases after exposure. Here, we show that pretreatment of rats with the selective M 1 receptor antagonist, VU0255035 [N-(3-oxo-3-(4-(pyridine-4-yl)piperazin-1-yl)propyl)-benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-4 sulfonamide], significantly suppressed seizure severity and prevented the development of SE for about 40 minutes after exposure to paraoxon or soman, suggesting an important role of the M 1 receptor in the early phases of seizure generation. In addition, in in vitro brain slices of the basolateral amygdala (a brain region that plays a key role in seizure initiation after nerve agent exposure), VU0255035 blocked the effects produced by bath application of paraoxon-namely, a brief barrage of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents, followed by a significant increase in the ratio of the total charge transferred by spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents over that of the inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Furthermore, paraoxon enhanced the hyperpolarization-activated cation current I h in basolateral amygdala principal cells, which could be one of the mechanisms underlying the increased glutamatergic activity, an effect that was also blocked in the presence of VU0255035. Thus, selective M 1 antagonists may be an efficacious pretreatment in contexts in which there is risk for exposure to organophosphates, as these antagonists will delay the development of SE long enough for medical assistance to arrive., (Copyright © 2016 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.)