Marine protected areas (MPAs) globally serve conservation and fisheries management goals, generating positive effects in some marine ecosystems. Surf zones and sandy beaches, critical ecotones ...bridging land and sea, play a pivotal role in the life cycles of numerous fish species and serve as prime areas for subsistence and recreational fishing. Despite their significance, these areas remain understudied when evaluating the effects of MPAs. We compared surf zone fish assemblages inside and outside MPAs across 3 bioregions in California (USA). Using seines and baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs), we found differences in surf zone fish inside and outside MPAs in one region. Inside south region MPAs, we observed higher abundance (Tukey's honest significant difference HSD = 0.83, p = 0.0001) and richness (HSD = 0.22, p = 0.0001) in BRUVs and greater biomass (HSD = 0.32, p = 0.0002) in seine surveys compared with reference sites. Selected live-bearing, fished taxa were positively affected by MPAs. Elasmobranchs displayed greater abundance in BRUV surveys and higher biomass in seine surveys inside south region MPAs (HSD = 0.35, p = 0.0003 and HSD = 0.23, p = 0.008, respectively). Although we observed no overall MPA signal for Embiotocidae, abundances of juvenile and large adult barred surfperch (Amphistichus argenteus), the most abundant fished species, were higher inside MPAs (K-S test D = 0.19, p < 0.0001). Influence of habitat characteristics on MPA performance indicated surf zone width was positively associated with fish abundance and biomass but negatively associated with richness. The south region had the largest positive effect size on all MPA performance metrics. Our findings underscored the variability in species richness and composition across regions and survey methods that significantly affected differences observed inside and outside MPAs. A comprehensive assessment of MPA performance should consider specific taxa, their distribution, and the effects of habitat factors and geography.
The INT/WFC Photometric Hα Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS) is a 1800 deg2 imaging survey covering Galactic latitudes |b| < 5° and longitudes ℓ = 30°–215° in the r, i, and Hα filters ...using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in La Palma. We present the first quality-controlled and globally calibrated source catalogue derived from the survey, providing single-epoch photometry for 219 million unique sources across 92 per cent of the footprint. The observations were carried out between 2003 and 2012 at a median seeing of 1.1 arcsec (sampled at 0.33 arcsec pixel−1) and to a mean 5σ depth of 21.2 (r), 20.0 (i), and 20.3 (Hα) in the Vega magnitude system. We explain the data reduction and quality control procedures, describe and test the global re-calibration, and detail the construction of the new catalogue. We show that the new calibration is accurate to 0.03 mag (root mean square) and recommend a series of quality criteria to select accurate data from the catalogue. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of the catalogue's unique (r − Hα, r − i) diagram to (i) characterize stellar populations and extinction regimes towards different Galactic sightlines and (ii) select and quantify Hα emission-line objects. IPHAS is the first survey to offer comprehensive CCD photometry of point sources across the Galactic plane at visible wavelengths, providing the much-needed counterpart to recent infrared surveys.
The rover Opportunity has investigated the rim of Endeavour Crater, a large ancient impact crater on Mars. Basaltic breccias produced by the impact form the rim deposits, with stratigraphy similar to ...that observed at similar-sized craters on Earth. Highly localized zinc enrichments in some breccia materials suggest hydrothermal alteration of rim deposits. Gypsum-rich veins cut sedimentary rocks adjacent to the crater rim. The gypsum was precipitated from low-temperature aqueous fluids flowing upward from the ancient materials of the rim, leading temporarily to potentially habitable conditions and providing some of the waters involved in formation of the ubiquitous sulfate-rich sandstones of the Meridiani region.
NASA's Solar Probe Plus (SPP) mission will make the first in situ measurements of the solar corona and the birthplace of the solar wind. The FIELDS instrument suite on SPP will make direct ...measurements of electric and magnetic fields, the properties of in situ plasma waves, electron density and temperature profiles, and interplanetary radio emissions, amongst other things. Here, we describe the scientific objectives targeted by the SPP/FIELDS instrument, the instrument design itself, and the instrument concept of operations and planned data products.
The clinical evaluation of neural transplantation as a potential treatment for Huntington's disease (HD) was initiated in an attempt to replace lost neurons and improve patient outcomes. Two of 3 ...patients with HD reported here, who underwent neural transplantation containing striatal anlagen in the striatum a decade earlier, have demonstrated marginal and transient clinical benefits. Their brains were evaluated immunohistochemically and with electron microscopy for markers of projection neurons and interneurons, inflammatory cells, abnormal huntingtin protein, and host-derived connectivity. Surviving grafts were identified bilaterally in 2 of the subjects and displayed classic striatal projection neurons and interneurons. Genetic markers of HD were not expressed within the graft. Here we report in patients with HD that (i) graft survival is attenuated long-term; (ii) grafts undergo disease-like neuronal degeneration with a preferential loss of projection neurons in comparison to interneurons; (iii) immunologically unrelated cells degenerate more rapidly than the patient's neurons, particularly the projection neuron subtype; (iv) graft survival is attenuated in the caudate in comparison to the putamen in HD; (v) glutamatergic cortical neurons project to transplanted striatal neurons; and (vi) microglial inflammatory changes in the grafts specifically target the neuronal components of the grafts. These results, when combined, raise uncertainty about this potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of HD. However, these observations provide new opportunities to investigate the underlying mechanisms involved in HD, as well as to explore additional therapeutic paradigms.
Influenza viruses are thought to be spread by droplets, but the role of aerosol dissemination is unclear and has not been assessed by previous studies. Oxygen therapy, nebulised medication and ...ventilatory support are treatments used in clinical practice to treat influenzal infection are thought to generate droplets or aerosols.
Evaluation of the characteristics of droplet/aerosol dispersion around delivery systems during non-invasive ventilation (NIV), oxygen therapy, nebuliser treatment and chest physiotherapy by measuring droplet size, geographical distribution of droplets, decay in droplets over time after the interventions were discontinued.
Three groups were studied: (1) normal controls, (2) subjects with coryzal symptoms and (3) adult patients with chronic lung disease who were admitted to hospital with an infective exacerbation. Each group received oxygen therapy, NIV using a vented mask system and a modified circuit with non-vented mask and exhalation filter, and nebulised saline. The patient group had a period of standardised chest physiotherapy treatment. Droplet counts in mean diameter size ranges from 0.3 to > 10 µm were measured with an counter placed adjacent to the face and at a 1-m distance from the subject/patient, at the height of the nose/mouth of an average health-care worker.
NIV using a vented mask produced droplets in the large size range (> 10 µm) in patients (p = 0.042) and coryzal subjects (p = 0.044) compared with baseline values, but not in normal controls (p = 0.379), but this increase in large droplets was not seen using the NIV circuit modification. Chest physiotherapy produced droplets predominantly of > 10 µm (p = 0.003), which, as with NIV droplet count in the patients, had fallen significantly by 1 m. Oxygen therapy did not increase droplet count in any size range. Nebulised saline delivered droplets in the small- and medium-size aerosol/droplet range, but did not increase large-size droplet count.
NIV and chest physiotherapy are droplet (not aerosol)-generating procedures, producing droplets of > 10 µm in size. Due to their large mass, most fall out on to local surfaces within 1 m. The only device producing an aerosol was the nebuliser and the output profile is consistent with nebuliser characteristics rather than dissemination of large droplets from patients. These findings suggest that health-care workers providing NIV and chest physiotherapy, working within 1 m of an infected patient should have a higher level of respiratory protection, but that infection control measures designed to limit aerosol spread may have less relevance for these procedures. These results may have infection control implications for other airborne infections, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and tuberculosis, as well as for pandemic influenza infection.
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