Red-backed vole brain promotes highly efficient in vitro amplification of abnormal prion protein from macaque and human brains infected with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent.
Julie Nemecek, Nabanita Nag, Christina M. Carlson, Jay R. Schneider, Dennis M. Heisey, Christopher J. Johnson, David M. Asher, Luisa Gregori
2013, PLoS ONE (8)
Rapid antemortem tests to detect individuals with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) would contribute to public health. We investigated a technique known as protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) to amplify abnormal prion protein (PrPTSE) from highly diluted variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)-infected human and macaque brain homogenates, seeking to improve the rapid...
Telemetry-based mortality estimates of juvenile spot in two North Carolina estuarine creeks
Sarah E. Friedl, Jeffery A. Buckel, Joseph E. Hightower, Frederick S. Scharf, Kenneth H. Pollock
2013, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (142) 399-415
We estimated natural mortality rates (M) of age-1 Spot Leiostomus xanthurus by using a sonic telemetry approach. Sonic transmitters were surgically implanted into a total of 123 age-1 Spot in two North Carolina estuarine creeks during spring 2009 and 2010, and the fish were monitored by using a stationary acoustic...
Reliability of fish size estimates obtained from multibeam imaging sonar
Joseph E. Hightower, Kevin J. Magowan, Lori M. Brown, Dewayne A. Fox
2013, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (4) 86-96
Multibeam imaging sonars have considerable potential for use in fisheries surveys because the video-like images are easy to interpret, and they contain information about fish size, shape, and swimming behavior, as well as characteristics of occupied habitats. We examined images obtained using a dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) multibeam sonar for...
Fungal degradation of coal as a pretreatment for methane production
Rizwan Haider, Muhammad A. Ghauri, John R. SanFilipo, Elizabeth J. Jones, William H. Orem, Calin A. Tatu, Kalsoom Akhtar, Nasrin Akhtar
2013, Fuel (104) 717-725
Coal conversion technologies can help in taking advantage of huge low rank coal reserves by converting those into alternative fuels like methane. In this regard, fungal degradation of coal can serve as a pretreatment step in order to make coal a suitable substrate for biological beneficiation. A fungal isolate MW1,...
Polar bear use of a persistent food subsidy: insights from non-invasive genetic sampling in Alaska
Elizabeth L. Peacock, Jason Herreman
2013, Ursus (24) 148-163
Remains of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) harvested by Iñupiat whalers are deposited in bone piles along the coast of Alaska and have become persistent and reliable food sources for polar bears (Ursus maritimus). The importance of bone piles to individuals and the population, the patterns of use, and the number,...
Tamarisk in riparian woodlands: A bird’s eye view
Mark K. Sogge, Eben H. Paxton, Charles van Riper III
Anna Sher, Martin F. Quigley, editor(s)
2013, Book chapter, Tamarix: a case study of ecological change in the American West
This chapter presents a “bird's eye” view of tamarisk and examines some issues surrounding the management of tamarisk in riparian woodlands. The focus on birds is based on the fact that they are a relatively well-studied group that can provide important insights into the role of tamarisk in riparian ecosystems....
Temporal and spatial variation in bird and human use of beaches in southern California
Kevin D. Lafferty, Donald A. Rodriguez, Angela Chapman
2013, SpringerPlus (2) 1-14
Southern California’s beaches can support a remarkable diversity of birds along the Pacific Flyway. We asked whether seasonal, annual, and spatial factors affect bird richness and abundance on public beaches. To do so, we conducted three years of monthly bird surveys on 12 sandy beaches in Ventura California. Across all...
Report A: Fish distribution and population dynamics in Rock Creek, Klickitat County, Washington
Brady Allen, Carrie S. Munz, Elaine Harvey
2013, Report, Rock Creek fish and habitat assessment for prioritization of restoration and protection actions
The U.S. Geological Survey collaborated with the Yakama Nation starting in fall of 2009 to study the fish populations in Rock Creek, a Washington State tributary of the Columbia River 21 kilometers upstream of John Day Dam. Prior to this study, very little was known about the ESA-listed (threatened) Mid-Columbia...
Research strategies for addressing uncertainties
David E. Busch, Levi D. Brekke, Kristen Averyt, Angela Jardine, Leigh Welling
Gregg Garfin, Angela Jardine, Robert W. Merideth, Mary Black, Sarah LeRoy, editor(s)
2013, Book chapter, Assessment of climate change in southwest United States: a report prepared for the National Climate Assessment
Research Strategies for Addressing Uncertainties builds on descriptions of research needs presented elsewhere in the book; describes current research efforts and the challenges and opportunities to reduce the uncertainties of climate change; explores ways to improve the understanding of changes in climate and hydrology; and emphasizes the use of research...
Mercury and selenium concentrations in biofilm, macroinvertebrates, and fish collected in the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho, USA, and their potential effects on fish health
Darren T. Rhea, Aida M. Farag, David D. Harper, Elizabeth McConnell, William G. Brumbaugh
2013, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (64) 130-139
The Yankee Fork is a large tributary of the Salmon River located in central Idaho, USA, with an extensive history of placer and dredge-mining activities. Concentrations of selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) in various aquatic trophic levels were measured in the Yankee Fork during 2001 and 2002. Various measurements of...
Freshwater and drought on Pacific Islands
Scot K. Izuka, Victoria Keener
2013, Book chapter, Climate Change and Pacific Islands: Indicators and Impacts: Report for the 2012 Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment
Strategies for rapid global earthquake impact estimation: the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) system
Kishor Jaiswal, D.J. Wald
2013, Book chapter, Handbook of seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems
This chapter summarizes the state-of-the-art for rapid earthquake impact estimation. It details the needs and challenges associated with quick estimation of earthquake losses following global earthquakes, and provides a brief literature review of various approaches that have been used in the past. With this background, the chapter introduces the operational...
A Method for Telemetry-based Logging of Animal Activity
B. Lardner, J. A. Savidge, R.N. Reed, G.H. Rodda
2013, Herpetological Review
Reactivation of the Archean-Proterozoic suture along the southern margin of Laurentia during the Mazatzal orogeny: Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of ca. 1.63 Ga granite in southeastern Wyoming
Daniel S. Jones, Calvin G. Barnes, Wayne R. Premo, Arthur W. Snoke
2013, Geological Society of America Bulletin (125) 164-183
The presence of ca. 1.63 Ga monzogranite (the “white quartz monzonite”) in the southern Sierra Madre, southeastern Wyoming, is anomalous given its distance from the nearest documented plutons of similar age (central Colorado) and the nearest contemporaneous tectonic margin (New Mexico). It is located immediately south of the Cheyenne belt—a...
Landsat Data Continuity Mission, now Landsat-8: six months on-orbit
Brian L. Markham, James C. Storey, James R. Irons
2013, Conference Paper, SPIE 8866, Earth Observing Systems
The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) with two pushbroom Earth-imaging sensors, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS), was launched on February 11, 2013. Its on-orbit check out period or commissioning phase lasted about 90 days. During this phase the spacecraft and its instruments were activated,...
Re-introduction of tule elk to Point Reyes National Seashore, California, USA
Peter J. Gogan, McCrea A. Cobb, Natalie B. Gates, Reginald H. Barrett
Pritpal S. Soorae, editor(s)
2013, Book chapter, Global Re-introduction Perspectives: 2013. Further case studies from around the globe
Tule elk (Cervus elaphus nannodes), a subspecies endemic to California, was historically found in large herds throughout much of central and coastal California. Market hunting during the California Gold Rush decimated these herds, and by 1895, only two to 10 elk remained. This remnant group was protected and served as...
Genetic structure of the Common Eider in the western Aleutian Islands prior to fox eradication
Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Sandra L. Talbot, Robert E. Wilson, Margaret R. Petersen, Jeffrey C. Williams, G. Vernon Byrd, Kevin G. McCracken
2013, The Condor (115) 28-39
Since the late 18th century bird populations residing in the Aleutian Archipelago have been greatly reduced by introduced arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus). We analyzed data from microsatellite, nuclear intron, and mitochondrial (mtDNA) loci to examine the spatial genetic structure, demography, and gene flow among four Aleutian Island populations of the Common...
Valley plugs, land use, and phytogeomorphic response: Chapter 14
Aaron R. Pierce, Sammy L. King
John F. Shroder, editor(s)
2013, Book chapter, Treatise on Geomorphology: Ecogeomorphology
Anthropogenic alteration of fluvial systems can disrupt functional processes that provide valuable ecosystem services. Channelization alters fluvial parameters and the connectivity of river channels to their floodplains which is critical for productivity, nutrient cycling, flood control, and biodiversity. The effects of channelization can be exacerbated by local geology and land-use...
Diablotin Pterodroma hasitata: a biography of the endangered Black-capped Petrel
Theodore R. Simons, David S. Lee, J. Christopher Haney
2013, Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research and Conservation (41) 1-43
The Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata was believed extinct throughout much of the 20th century. It is the only gadfly petrel currently known to breed in the Caribbean Basin. Now seriously endangered, the species is presumed extirpated from Martinique, Dominica, and Guadeloupe, and breeding populations currently occur only on Hispaniola and perhaps Cuba....
Blending local scale information for developing agricultural resilience in Ethiopia
Christopher C. Funk, Gregory Husak, A.S Mahiny, Gary Eilerts, James Rowland
2013, Book chapter, Understanding and addressing threats to essential resources
This brief article looks at the intersection of climate, land cover/land use, and population trends in the world's most food insecure country, Ethiopia. As a result of warming in the Indian and Western Pacific oceans, Ethiopia has experienced substantial drying over the past 20 years. We intersect the spatial pattern...
Overcoming the momentum of anachronism: American geologic mapping in a twenty-first-century world
Kyle House, Ryan Clark, Joe Kopera
2013, GSA Special Papers (502) 103-125
The practice of geologic mapping is undergoing conceptual and methodological transformation. Profound changes in digital technology in the past 10 yr have potential to impact all aspects of geologic mapping. The future of geologic mapping as a relevant scientific enterprise depends on widespread adoption of new technology and ideas about...
Future climate: Projected average
Daniel Cayan, Mary Tyree, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Chris Castro, Alexander Gershunov, Joseph Barsugli, Andrea Ray, Jonathan Overpeck, Michael Anderson, Joellen Russell, Balaji Rajagopalan, Imtiaz Rangwala, Phil Duffy
Gregg Garfin, Angela Jardine, Robert W. Merideth, Mary Black, Sarah LeRoy, editor(s)
2013, Book chapter, Assessment of climate change in southwest United States: a report prepared for the National Climate Assessment
No abstract available....
Global climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico: Considerations for integrated coastal management
John W. Day, Alejandro Yanez-Arancibia, James H. Cowan, Richard H. Day, Robert R. Twilley, John R. Rybczyk
2013, Book chapter, Gulf of Mexico origin, waters, and biota
Global climate change is important in considerations of integrated coastal management in the Gulf of Mexico. This is true for a number of reasons. Climate in the Gulf spans the range from tropical to the lower part of the temperate zone. Thus, as climate warms, the tropical temperate interface, which...
Tampa Bay
Larry Handley, Kathryn Spear, Lindsay Cross, René Baumstark, Ryan Moyer, Cindy A. Thatcher
2013, Book chapter, Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico 1950-2010
No abstract available....
Broad timescale forcing and geomorphic mediation of tidal marsh flow and temperature dynamics
Christopher Enwright, Steven Culberson, Jon R. Burau
2013, Estuaries and Coasts (36) 1319-1339
Tidal marsh functions are driven by interactions between tides, landscape morphology, and emergent vegetation. Less often considered are the diurnal pattern of tide extremes and seasonal variation of solar insolation in the mix of tidal marsh driver interactions. This work demonstrates how high-frequency hydroperiod and water temperature variability emerges from...
