Animal mass mortality events (MMEs) will increase with weather and climate extremes. MMEs can add significant stress to ecosystems through extraordinary nutrient pulses or contribute to potential disease transmission risks. Given their efficient removal of carrion biomass from landscapes, we argue here for the potential of scavenger guilds to be a key nature-based solution to mitigating MME effects. However, we caution that scavenger guilds alone will not be a silver bullet. It is critical for further research to identify how the composition of scavenger guilds and the magnitude of MMEs will determine when scavengers will buffer the impacts of such events on ecosystems and when intervention might be required. Some MMEs are too large for scavengers to remove efficiently, and there is a risk of MMEs subsidizing pest species, altering nutrient cycling or leading to disease spread. Prioritizing native scavenger taxa in conservation management policies may help to boost ecosystem resilience through preserving their key ecological services. This should be part of a multi-pronged approach to MME mitigation that combines scavenger conservation with practices such as carcass dispersal or removal when exceeding a threshold quantity. Policymakers are urged to identify such thresholds and to recognize both the insects and the vertebrate scavengers that could act as allies for mitigating the emerging problem of climate-driven MMEs.

Background: Standardized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidelines published in 2015 by the Europoean MAGNIMS group and in 2016 by the CMSC are important for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and for the appropriate use of MRI in routine clinical practice. Methods: Two panels of experts convened to update existing guidelines for a standardized MRI protocol. The MAGNIMS panel convened in Graz, Austria in April 2019. The CMSC NAIMS panel met separately and independently in Newark, USA in October 2019. Subsequently, the MAGNIMS, NAIMS, and CMSC working groups combined their efforts to reach an international consensus Results: The revised guidelines on MRI in MS merges recommendations from MAGNIMS, CMSC, and NAIMS to improve the use of MRI for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of individuals with MS. 3D acquisitions are emphasized for optimal comparison over time. Core brain sequences include a 3D-T2wFLAIR for lesion identification and monitoring treatment effectiveness. Gadolinium-based contrast is recommended for diagnostic studies and judicious use for routine monitoring of MS patients. DWI sequences are recommended for PML safety monitoring. Conclusions: The international consensus guidelines strive for global acceptance of a useful and usable standard of care for patients with MS.

Two introduced carnivores, the European red fox Vulpes vulpes and domestic cat Felis catus, have had extensive impacts on Australian biodiversity. In this study, we collate information on consumption of Australian birds by the fox, paralleling a recent study reporting on birds consumed by cats. We found records of consumption by foxes on 128 native bird species (18% of the non-vagrant bird fauna and 25% of those species within the fox’s range), a smaller tally than for cats (343 species, including 297 within the fox’s Australian range, a subset of that of the cat). Most (81%) bird species eaten by foxes are also eaten by cats, suggesting that predation impacts are compounded. As with consumption by cats, birds that nest or forage on the ground are most likely to be consumed by foxes. However, there is also some partitioning, with records of consumption by foxes but not cats for 25 bird species, indicating that impacts of the two predators may also be complementary. Bird species ≥3.4 kg were more likely to be eaten by foxes, and those <3.4 kg by cats. Our compilation provides an inventory and describes characteristics of Australian bird species known to be consumed by foxes, but we acknowledge that records of predation do not imply population-level impacts. Nonetheless, there is sufficient information from other studies to demonstrate that fox predation has significant impacts on the population viability of some Australian birds, especially larger birds, and those that nest or forage on the ground.

The late Quaternary in North America was marked by highly variable climate and considerable biodiversity loss including a megafaunal extinction event at the terminal Pleistocene. Here, we focus on changes in body size and diet in Neotoma (woodrats) in response to these ecological perturbations using the fossil record from the Edwards Plateau (Texas) across the past 20,000 years. Body mass was estimated using measurements of fossil teeth and diet was quantified using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen from fossil bone collagen. Prior to ca. 7000 cal yr BP, maximum mass was positively correlated to precipitation and negatively correlated to temperature. Independently, mass was negatively correlated to community composition, becoming more similar to modern over time. Neotoma diet in the Pleistocene was primarily sourced from C3 plants, but became progressively more reliant on C4 (and potentially CAM) plants through the Holocene. Decreasing population mass and higher C4/CAM consumption was associated with a transition from a mesic to xeric landscape. Our results suggest that Neotoma responded to climatic variability during the terminal Pleistocene through changes in body size, while changes in resource availability during the Holocene likely led to shifts in the relative abundance of different Neotoma species in the community.

Objectives: Blast explosions are the most frequent mechanism of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in recent wars, but little is known about their long-term effects. Methods: Functional connectivity (FC) was measured in 17 veterans an average of 5.46 years after their most serious blast related TBI, and in 15 demographically similar veterans without TBI or blast exposure. Subcortical FC was measured in bilateral caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. The default mode and fronto-parietal networks were also investigated. Results: In subcortical regions, between-groups t tests revealed altered FC from the right putamen and right globus pallidus. However, following analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with age, depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), and posttraumatic stress disorder symptom (PTSD Checklist – Civilian version) measures, significant findings remained only for the right globus pallidus with anticorrelation in bilateral temporal occipital fusiform cortex, occipital fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, and cerebellum, as well as the right occipital pole. No group differences were found for the default mode network. Although reduced FC was found in the fronto-parietal network in the TBI group, between-group differences were nonsignificant after the ANCOVA. Conclusions: FC of the globus pallidus is altered years after exposure to blast related TBI. Future studies are necessary to explore the trajectory of changes in FC in subcortical regions after blast TBI, the effects of isolated versus repetitive blast-related TBI, and the relation to long-term outcomes in veterans. (JINS, 2016, 22, 631–642)

Outcome of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) includes impaired emotion regulation. Emotion regulation has been associated with amygdala and rostral anterior cingulate (rACC). However, functional connectivity between the two structures after injury has not been reported. A preliminary examination of functional connectivity of rACC and right amygdala was conducted in adolescents 2 to 3 years after moderate to severe TBI and in typically developing (TD) control adolescents, with the hypothesis that the TBI adolescents would demonstrate altered functional connectivity in the two regions. Functional connectivity was determined by correlating fluctuations in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal of the rACC and right amygdala with that of other brain regions. In the TBI adolescents, the rACC was found to be significantly less functionally connected to medial prefrontal cortices and to right temporal regions near the amygdala (height threshold T = 2.5, cluster level p < .05, FDR corrected), while the right amygdala showed a trend in reduced functional connectivity with the rACC (height threshold T = 2.5, cluster level p = .06, FDR corrected). Data suggest disrupted functional connectivity in emotion regulation regions. Limitations include small sample sizes. Studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to characterize the persistent neural damage resulting from moderate to severe TBI during development. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–14)

Convection from an isolated heat source in a chamber has been previously studied numerically, experimentally and analytically. These have not covered long time spans for wide ranges of Rayleigh number Ra and Prandtl number Pr. Numerical calculations of constant viscosity convection partially fill the gap in the ranges $\mathit{Ra}= 1{0}^{3} {{\unicode{x2013}}}1{0}^{6} $ and $\mathit{Pr}= 1, 10, 100, 1000$ and $\infty $. Calculations begin with cold fluid everywhere and localized hot temperature at the centre of the bottom of a square two-dimensional chamber. For $\mathit{Ra}\gt 20\hspace{0.167em} 000$, temperature increases above the hot bottom and forms a rising plume head. The head has small internal recirculation and minor outward conduction of heat during ascent. The head approaches the top, flattens, splits and the two remnants are swept to the sidewalls and diffused away. The maximum velocity and the top centre heat flux climb to maxima during head ascent and then adjust toward constant values. Two steady cells are separated by a vertical thermal conduit. This sequence is followed for every value of $Pr$ number, although lower Pr convection lags in time. For $\mathit{Ra}\lt 20\hspace{0.167em} 000$ there is no plume head, and no streamfunction and heat flux maxima with time. For sufficiently large Ra and all values of Pr, an oscillation develops at roughly $t= 0. 2$, with the two cells alternately strengthening and weakening. This changes to a steady flow with two unequal cells that at roughly $t= 0. 5$ develops a second oscillation.

People often imbue their surroundings, including tools, with a “life essence” that makes them active objects. A growing number of archaeologists are beginning to study how such “living” beings impact human behavior. These archaeologists use the term “object agency,” but employ many different ontologicai approaches. We explore this variation, and present a framework comparing different ontologicai models archaeologists use. We adopt an animistic perspective, and evaluate its applicability to the Southwest using ethnographic and archaeological data. We further propose that it is applicable throughout the New World. Puebloan potters consider pots living beings with a spiritual essence that is affected by and that impacts humans. Pottery manufacture is a mutual negotiation between the potter and the clay to create a “Made Being” with its own spiritual and material aspects. We conclude that a similar ontology is reflected in effigy pots and globular jars from the Casas Grandes region. Ultimately we conclude that this perspective provides useful insights into the placement, decoration, and discard of many vessels that have puzzled Southwestern archaeologists for decades.

Explosive blast is a frequent cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among personnel deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with an event-related stimulus-response compatibility task was used to compare 15 subjects with mild, chronic blast-related TBI with 15 subjects who had not experienced a TBI or blast exposure during deployment. Six TBI subjects reported multiple injuries. Relative to the control group, TBI subjects had slightly slower responses during fMRI and increased somatic complaints and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. A between-group analysis indicated greater activation during stimulus-response incompatibility in TBI subjects within the anterior cingulate gyrus, medial frontal cortex, and posterior cerebral areas involved in visual and visual-spatial functions. This activation pattern was more extensive after statistically controlling for reaction time and symptoms of PTSD and depression. There was also a negative relationship between symptoms of PTSD and activation within posterior brain regions. These results provide evidence for increased task-related activation following mild, blast-related TBI and additional changes associated with emotional symptoms. Limitations of this study include no matching for combat exposure and different recruitment strategies so that the control group was largely a community-based sample, while many TBI subjects were seeking services. (JINS, 2012, 18, 89–100)

The present work has been done within the IAEA Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety Programme. EMRAS-II aims to improve the capabilities in the field of environmental radiation dose assessment by means of acquisition of improved data for model testing, comparison, reaching consensus on modelling philosophies, approaches and parameter values, development of improved methods and exchange of information.

A dispersal chamber (body box) technique has been used to compare bacterial dispersal from the skin of subjects carrying out a stepping test under controlled conditions while wearing four differing garment systems namely:

(a) basic underwear, cotton ‘blues’ (standard pyjama style jacket and trousers for men or dress for women), ankle socks, boots for men and shoes for women, mask and theatre hat; (b) the basic set covered with a cotton gown; (c) the basic set covered by a gown with a front made from GORE-TEX fabric in which an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane is sandwiched between layers of woven or knitted polyester; (d) the basic set covered with a fully enclosed suit of the same fabric.

A slit sampler was used to measure the number of bacteria liberated in a downward current of air. Six subjects (three female and three male) were studied. Males liberated more bacteria. Covering the ‘blues’ with a cotton gown increased the bacterial count; a gown of the new material reduced the increase by 50%, and the suit cut the dispersal to virtually zero.

Preliminary work suggests that GORE-TEX garments survive laundering better than cotton, and may be cost-effective, but are not yet as comfortable. Research is presently in progress to improve this aspect.

We have previously documented the exquisite motion sensitivity of neurons in extrastriate area MT by studying the relationship between their responses and the direction and strength of visual motion signals delivered to their receptive fields. These results suggested that MT neurons might provide the signals supporting behavioral choice in visual discrimination tasks. To approach this question from another direction, we have now studied the relationship between the discharge of MT neurons and behavioral choice, independently of the effects of visual stimulation. We found that trial-to-trial variability in neuronal signals was correlated with the choices the monkey made. Therefore, when a directionally selective neuron in area MT fires more vigorously, the monkey is more likely to make a decision in favor of the preferred direction of the cell. The magnitude of the relationship was modest, on average, but was highly significant across a sample of 299 cells from four monkeys. The relationship was present for all stimuli (including those without a net motion signal), and for all but the weakest responses. The relationship was reduced or eliminated when the demands of the task were changed so that the directional signal carried by the cell was less informative. The relationship was evident within 50 ms of response onset, and persisted throughout the stimulus presentation. On average, neurons that were more sensitive to weak motion signals had a stronger relationship to behavior than those that were less sensitive. These observations are consistent with the idea that neuronal signals in MT are used by the monkey to determine the direction of stimulus motion. The modest relationship between behavioral choice and the discharge of any one neuron, and the prevalence of the relationship across the population, make it likely that signals from many neurons are pooled to form the data on which behavioral choices are based.

Three hypotheses concerning negative social interaction in later life were evaluated in this study. First, it was predicted that greater personal economic difficulty is associated with more frequent negative social interaction with social network members in general. Secondly, it was proposed that more frequent negative social interaction exacerbates the undesirable effect of personal financial strain on change in self-rated health during late life. Thirdly, an effort was made to see if some types of negative social interaction, but not others, accentuate the undesirable effects of personal economic problems on self-rated health. Data from two nationwide longitudinal surveys that were conducted in the United States revealed that greater personal financial difficulty is associated with more interpersonal conflict. The findings further indicate that the undesirable effects of personal economic difficulty on change in self-rated health are more pronounced at progressively higher levels of negative social interaction. Finally, the data suggest that one form of negative social interaction (not getting help when it is expected) is more likely to intensify the unwanted effects of personal financial strain on self-rated health than other types of negative social interaction.

The Suazoid period lasted some three hundred years (c. AD 1100–1400) in a small geographic area in the Lesser Antilles from Tobago to Southern Martinique. Defined by a relatively narrow ceramic series, the people represented by this material are still poorly understood. Deriving from peoples from mainland South America, they evolved a marine-based settlement area of some 35,000 square miles including six main islands and many smaller ones. This paper discusses the economic basis for one Suazoid group based on evidence from test-pitting an extensive site at Heywoods, Barbados. Formerly a mangrove swamp, the site yielded extensive evidence for a marine-based economy. In addition, the first evidence on Barbados for an Archaic presence (c. 2000 BC) was located, together with Saladoid (c. 2.00 BC–AD 650) and Troumassoid (c. AD 650–1100) activity.