The Fire and Tree Mortality Database, for empirical modeling of individual tree mortality after fire.

Wildland fires have a multitude of ecological effects in forests, woodlands, and savannas across the globe. A major focus of past research has been on tree mortality from fire, as trees provide a vast range of biological services. We assembled a database of individual-tree records from prescribed fires and wildfires in the United States. The Fire and Tree Mortality (FTM) database includes records from 164,293 individual trees with records of fire injury (crown scorch, bole char, etc.), tree diameter, and either mortality or top-kill up to ten years post-fire. Data span 142 species and 62 genera, from 409 fires occurring from 1981-2016. Additional variables such as insect attack are included when available. The FTM database can be used to evaluate individual fire-caused mortality models for pre-fire planning and post-fire decision support, to develop improved models, and to explore general patterns of individual fire-induced tree death. The database can also be used to identify knowledge gaps that could be addressed in future research.

Strain Relaxation in Misfitting Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayer Superlattices: Wrinkling vs Misfit Dislocation Formation.

Two-dimensional (2D) superlattices composed of chemically heterogeneous transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been proposed as key components in next-generation optoelectronic devices. For potential applications, coherent, defect-free compositional interfaces are usually required. In this paper, a combination of scaling theory and numerical analysis is employed to investigate strain relaxation mechanisms in misfitting, chemically heterogeneous TMDs. We demonstrate that, in free-standing superlattices, wrinkling of the monolayer is asymptotically preferred over misfit dislocation formation in both binary and ternary superlattices. For substrate-supported monolayers, however, misfit dislocation formation is thermodynamically favored above a critical superlattice width, implying the presence of an upper limit to the thermodynamic stability of coherent, misfitting 2D superlattices. Finally, it is shown numerically that the critical superlattice width is only weakly dependent on the misfit.

Using cell sheets to regenerate mouse submandibular glands.

Temperature-responsive polymer grafted tissue culture dishes release cells as confluent living sheets in response to small changes in temperature, with recovered cell sheets retaining cell-cell communications, functional extracellular matrices and tissue-like behaviors. These features promote tissue regeneration and improve transplantation efficacy in various tissues including cartilage, heart, kidney, liver, endometrium, cornea, middle ear, periodontium, and esophageal living sheet transplants. However, the functional effects of cell sheets for salivary gland regeneration to treat hyposalivation have not yet been studied. Thus, the present study aims to both establish the viability of thermoresponsive cell sheets for use in salivary glands and then explore the delivery option (i.e., single vs. multiple layers) that would result in the most complete tissue growth in terms of cell differentiation and recovered tissue integrity. Results indicate that single cell sheets form polarized structures that maintain cell-cell junctions and secretory granules in vitro while layering of two-single cell sheets forms a glandular-like pattern in vitro. Moreover, double layer cell sheets enhance tissue formation, cell differentiation and saliva secretion in vivo. In contrast, single cell sheets demonstrated only modest gains relative to the robust growth seen with the double layer variety. Together, these data verify the utility of thermoresponsive cell sheets for use in salivary glands and indicates the double layer form to provide the best option in terms of cell differentiation and recovered tissue integrity, thereby offering a potential new therapeutic strategy for treating hyposalivation.

Distribution and Habitat of Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) and Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in Utah.

Knowledge about the distribution and abundance of the western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus Cooley and Kohls, in Utah is limited. Recent concerns over tick-borne diseases in Utah, primarily Lyme disease, have reinvigorated the need to understand the distribution and habitats favored by this tick species. We surveyed 157 sites throughout Utah to examine the distribution, abundance, and habitat of I. pacificus. In total, 343 adult ticks were collected from 2011 to 2013. Specifically, 119 I. pacificus, 217 Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, six D. albipictus Packard, and one D. hunteri Bishopp were collected. Overall, tick abundance was relatively low in the areas evaluated in Utah. I. pacificus collections were limited to sites above 1700 m. Ninety-two percent of I. pacificus were captured in the Sheeprock Mountains in Tooele County. I. pacificus positive collection sites were characterized by Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii Nuttall), juniper (Juniperus spp. L.), big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nuttall) and black sagebrush (A. nova Nelson), and mixed grass habitat. All I. pacificus ticks were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi (Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt, and Brenner, sensu stricto) using real-time PCR. All ticks tested negative for B. burgdorferi. The likelihood of encountering I. pacificus and acquiring Lyme disease in the areas evaluated in Utah is considerably low due to low tick abundance and limited distribution, as well as low prevalence (or absence) of B. burgdorferi in Utah.

The retention of liquid by columnar nanostructured surfaces during quartz crystal microbalance measurements and the effects of adsorption thereon.

HYPOTHESIS: A surface comprising spatially coherent columnar nanostructures is expected to retain intercolumnar liquid during a quartz crystal microbalance measurement due to the surface structure. Part of the liquid retained by the nanostructures may then be displaced by adsorbate. EXPERIMENTS: Slanted columnar nanostructure thin films were designed to vary in height but remain structurally similar, fabricated by glancing angle deposition, and characterized by generalized ellipsometry. A frequency overtone analysis, introduced here, was applied to analyze quartz crystal microbalance data for the exchange of isotope liquids over the nanostructured surfaces and determine the areal inertial mass of structure-retained liquid. The adsorption of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide onto nanostructures was investigated by simultaneous quartz crystal microbalance and generalized ellipsometry measurements. FINDINGS: The areal inertial mass of structure-retained liquid varies linearly with nanostructure height. The proportionality constant is a function of the surface topography and agrees with the generalized ellipsometry-determined nanostructure film porosity, implying that nearly all intercolumnar liquid is retained. We report that for adsorption processes within porous nanostructured films, the quartz crystal microbalance is sensitive not to the combined areal inertial mass of adsorbate and retained liquid but rather to the density difference between adsorbate and liquid due to the volume exchange within the nanostructure film.

A quantitative approach for integrating multiple lines of evidence for the evaluation of environmental health risks.

Decision analysis often considers multiple lines of evidence during the decision making process. Researchers and government agencies have advocated for quantitative weight-of-evidence approaches in which multiple lines of evidence can be considered when estimating risk. Therefore, we utilized Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo to integrate several human-health risk assessment, biomonitoring, and epidemiology studies that have been conducted for two common insecticides (malathion and permethrin) used for adult mosquito management to generate an overall estimate of risk quotient (RQ). The utility of the Bayesian inference for risk management is that the estimated risk represents a probability distribution from which the probability of exceeding a threshold can be estimated. The mean RQs after all studies were incorporated were 0.4386, with a variance of 0.0163 for malathion and 0.3281 with a variance of 0.0083 for permethrin. After taking into account all of the evidence available on the risks of ULV insecticides, the probability that malathion or permethrin would exceed a level of concern was less than 0.0001. Bayesian estimates can substantially improve decisions by allowing decision makers to estimate the probability that a risk will exceed a level of concern by considering seemingly disparate lines of evidence.

Predictions of phase separation in three-component lipid membranes by the MARTINI force field.

The phase behavior of the coarse-grained MARTINI model for three-component lipid bilayers composed of dipalmytoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesterol (Chol), and an unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) was systematically investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The aim of this study is to understand which types of unsaturated PC induce the formation of thermodynamically stable coexisting phases when added to mixtures of DPPC and Chol and to unravel the mechanisms that drive phase separation in such three-component mixtures. Our simulations indicate that the currently used MARTINI force field does not induce such phase separation in mixtures of DPPC, Chol, and unsaturated PCs with a low unsaturation level, such as palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) or dioleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC). Also, we found that phase separation does occur in mixtures of DPPC, Chol, and polyunsaturated PCs, such as dilinoleyl-phosphatidylcholine (DUPC) and diarachidonoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DAPC). Through systematic tweaking of the interactions between the hydrophobic groups of the PC molecules, we show that the appearance of phase separation in three-component lipid bilayers, as modeled through the MARTINI force field, is primarily due to the interactions between the coarse-grained molecules, i.e., the beads, rather than due to the differences between the conformations of saturated and unsaturated lipid acyl chains, namely entropy driven.

Mortality risk in insects.

Understanding how and why insect numbers fluctuate through time and space has been a central theme in ecological research for more than a century. Life tables have been used to understand temporal and spatial patterns in insect numbers. In this study, we estimated cause-of-death probabilities for phytophagous insects using multiple decrement life tables and the irreplaceable mortality analytic technique. Multiple decrement life tables were created from 73 insect life tables published from 1954 to 2004. Irreplaceable mortality (the portion of mortality that cannot be replaced by another cause) from pathogens, predators, and parasitoids was 8.6 +/- 7.2, 7.8 +/- 4.9, and 6.2 +/- 1.6%, respectively. In contrast, the mean irreplaceable mortality from all non-natural enemy mortality factors (mortality from factors other than natural enemies) was 35.1 +/- 4.4%. Irreplaceable mortality from natural enemies was significantly lower compared with non-natural enemy factors. Our results may partially explain cases of unsuccessful efficacy in classical biological control, after successful establishment, by showing low irreplaceable mortality for natural enemies, including 5.2 +/- 1.6% for introduced natural enemies. We suggest that the environment (i.e., the degree of environmental stability) influences the magnitude of the irreplaceable mortality from natural enemies. Our results lead to several testable hypotheses and emphasize that it is not possible to estimate the effect of any mortality factor without considering its interaction with competing mortality factors, which has far-reaching consequences for population biology and applied ecology.

A probabilistic risk assessment for deployed military personnel after the implementation of the "Leishmaniasis Control Program" at Tallil Air Base, Iraq.

Leishmaniasis has been of concern to the U.S. military and has re-emerged in importance because of recent deployments to the Middle East. We conducted a retrospective probabilistic risk assessment for military personnel potentially exposed to insecticides during the "Leishmaniasis Control Plan" (LCP) undertaken in 2003 at Tallil Air Base, Iraq. We estimated acute and subchronic risks from resmethrin, malathion, piperonyl butoxide (PBO), and pyrethrins applied using a truck-mounted ultra-low-volume (ULV) sprayer and lambda-cyhalothrin, cyfluthrin, bifenthrin, chlorpyrifos, and cypermethrin used for residual sprays. We used the risk quotient (RQ) method for our risk assessment (estimated environmental exposure/toxic endpoint) and set the RQ level of concern (LOC) at 1.0. Acute RQs for truck-mounted ULV and residual sprays ranged from 0.00007 to 33.3 at the 95th percentile. Acute exposure to lambda-cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, and chlorpyrifos exceeded the RQ LOC. Subchronic RQs for truck-mounted ULV and residual sprays ranged from 0.00008 to 32.8 at the 95th percentile. Subchronic exposures to lambda-cyhalothrin and chlorpyrifos exceeded the LOC. However, estimated exposures to lambda-cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, and chlorpyrifos did not exceed their respective no observed adverse effect levels.

Effects of single and multiple applications of mosquito insecticides on nontarget arthropods.

Mosquito management plans have been implemented in the United States and globally to manage mosquito vectors of West Nile virus and many other diseases. However, there is public concern about ecological risks from using insecticides to manage mosquitoes. Two studies were conducted during the late summers of 2004 through 2006 at Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Great Falls, MT. The first experiment was conducted in 2004 and 2005 to assess acute impacts of mosquito adulticides (permethrin and d-phenothrin) and larvicides (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and methoprene) on nontarget aquatic and terrestrial arthropods after a single application. The second experiment was conducted in 2005 and 2006 to assess longer-term impacts of permethrin on nontarget terrestrial arthropods after multiple repeated applications. For aquatic samples, in the first study, no overall treatment effects were observed despite a potentially deleterious effect on amphipods on sample date 1 in 2004. During the same study, 1 of 54 responses had a significant overall treatment effect for sticky-card samples. Many of the responses for sticky-card samples suggested significant time effects and time x treatment effects. Three response variables were associated with fewer individuals present in the insecticide-treated plots in a multivariate analysis. For the multiple-spray study conducted in 2005 and 2006, 6 of the response variables collected via sticky cards exhibited significant overall treatment effects, but none was associated with fewer individuals in the insecticide-treated plots. None of the responses collected using sweep-net sampling suggested overall treatment effects. Time and time x treatment effects were prevalent in 2005, but no discernable pattern was evident. In general, nearly all of the responses evaluated for either study indicated few, if any, deleterious effects from insecticide application.

Risk assessments for exposure of deployed military personnel to insecticides and personal protective measures used for disease-vector management.

Infectious diseases are problematic for deployed military forces throughout the world, and, historically, more military service days have been lost to insect-vectored diseases than to combat. Because of the limitations in efficacy and availability of both vaccines and therapeutic drugs, vector management often is the best tool that military personnel have against most vector-borne pathogens. However, the use of insecticides may raise concerns about the safety of their effects on the health of the military personnel exposed to them. Therefore, our objective was to use risk assessment methodologies to evaluate health risks to deployed U.S. military personnel from vector management tactics. Our conservative tier-1, quantitative risk assessment focused on acute, subchronic, and chronic exposures and cancer risks to military personnel after insecticide application and use of personal protective measures in different scenarios. Exposures were estimated for every scenario, chemical, and pathway. Acute, subchronic, and chronic risks were assessed using a margin of exposure (MOE) approach. Our MOE was the ratio of a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) to an estimated exposure. MOEs were greater than the levels of concern (LOCs) for all surface residual and indoor space spraying exposures, except acute dermal exposure to lambda-cyhalothrin. MOEs were greater than the LOCs for all chemicals in the truck-mounted ultra-low-volume (ULV) exposure scenario. The aggregate cancer risk for permethrin exceeded 1 x 10(-6), but more realistic exposure refinements would reduce the cancer risk below that value. Overall, results indicate that health risks from exposures to insecticides and personal protective measures used by military personnel are low.

An ecological risk assessment for insecticides used in adult mosquito management.

West Nile virus (WNV) has been a concern for people across the United States since the disease was initially observed in the summer of 1999. Since 1999, WNV has caused the largest arboviral encephalitis epidemic in US history. Vector control management programs have been intensively implemented to control mosquitoes that carry WNV. Our deterministic ecological risk assessment focused on 6 common mosquito adulticides used in vector control, including 3 pyrethroids (d-phenothrin, resmethrin, and permethrin), pyrethrins, and 2 organophosphates (malathion and naled). Piperonyl butoxide, a synergist for the pyrethroids, was also assessed. Both aquatic and terrestrial nontarget organisms were considered for acute and chronic exposures to the adulticides. Tier I exposure estimates were derived from ISCST3 and AERMOD for deposition and air concentrations affecting terrestrial organisms and PRZM-EXAMS for standard pond concentrations affecting aquatic organisms. Nontargets exposed to adulticides included small mammals, birds, as well as aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates in a pond subject to receiving the chemical via drift and runoff. Risk quotients were obtained by comparing exposures to toxic endpoints. All risk quotients were low indicating that risks to ecological receptors most likely were small.

A human-health risk assessment for West Nile virus and insecticides used in mosquito management.

West Nile virus (WNV) has been a major public health concern in North America since 1999, when the first outbreak in the Western Hemisphere occurred in New York City. As a result of this ongoing disease outbreak, management of mosquitoes that vector WNV throughout the United States and Canada has necessitated using insecticides in areas where they traditionally have not been used or have been used less frequently. This has resulted in concerns by the public about the risks from insecticide use. The objective of this study was to use reasonable worst-case risk assessment methodologies to evaluate human-health risks for WNV and the insecticides most commonly used to control adult mosquitoes. We evaluated documented health effects from WNV infection and determined potential population risks based on reported frequencies. We determined potential acute (1-day) and subchronic (90-day) multiroute residential exposures from each insecticide for several human subgroups during a WNV disease outbreak scenario. We then compared potential insecticide exposures to toxicologic and regulatory effect levels. Risk quotients (RQs, the ratio of exposure to toxicologic effect) were < 1.0 for all subgroups. Acute RQs ranged from 0.0004 to 0.4726, and subchronic RQs ranged from 0.00014 to 0.2074. Results from our risk assessment and the current weight of scientific evidence indicate that human-health risks from residential exposure to mosquito insecticides are low and are not likely to exceed levels of concern. Further, our results indicate that, based on human-health criteria, the risks from WNV exceed the risks from exposure to mosquito insecticides.

Substrate specificity, metal binding properties, and spectroscopic characterization of the DapE-encoded N-succinyl-L,L-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase from Haemophilus influenzae.

The catalytic and structural properties of divalent metal ion cofactor binding sites in the dapE-encoded N-succinyl-L,L-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase (DapE) from Haemophilus influenzae were investigated. Co(II)-substituted DapE enzyme was 25% more active than the Zn(II)-loaded form of the enzyme. Interestingly, Mn(II) can activate DapE, but only to approximately 20% of the Zn(II)-loaded enzyme. The order of the observed k(cat) values are Co(II) > Zn(II) > Cd(II) > Mn(II) >Ni(II) approximately equal Cu(II) approximately equal Mg(II). DapE was shown to only hydrolyze L,L-N-succinyl-diaminopimelic acid (L,L-SDAP) and was inactive toward D,L-, L,D-, and D,D-SDAP. DapE was also inactive toward several acetylated amino acids as well as D,L-succinyl aminopimelate, which differs from the natural substrate, L,L-SDAP, by the absence of the amine group on the amino acid side chain. These data imply that the carboxylate of the succinyl moiety and the amine form important interactions with the active site of DapE. The affinity of DapE for one versus two Zn(II) ions differs by nearly 2.2 x 10(3) times (K(d1) = 0.14 microM vs K(d2) = 300 microM). In addition, an Arrhenius plot was constructed from k(cat) values measured between 16 and 35 degrees C and was linear over this temperature range. The activation energy for [ZnZn(DapE)] was found to be 31 kJ/mol with the remaining thermodynamic parameters calculated at 25 degrees C being DeltaG(++) = 64 kJ/mol, DeltaH(++) = 28.5 kJ/mol, and DeltaS(++) = -119 J mol(-1) K(-1). Electronic absorption and EPR spectra of [Co_(DapE)] and [CoCo(DapE)] indicate that the first Co(II) binding site is five-coordinate, while the second site is octahedral. In addition, any spin-spin interaction between the two Co(II) ions in [CoCo(DapE)] is very weak. The kinetic and spectroscopic data presented herein suggest that the DapE from H. influenzae has similar divalent metal binding properties to the aminopeptidase from Aeromonas proteolytica (AAP), and the observed divalent metal ion binding properties are discussed with respect to their catalytic roles in SDAP hydrolysis.