Modern North American Research Articles

Mahler’s Symphonic Sonatas. By Seth Monahan

There can be little doubt that Seth Monahan’s Mahler’s Symphonic Sonatas is the most important book-length analytical study of Mahler’s music in English. That might as well be faint praise: it is also one of surprisingly few books of its kind. As the author emphasizes in his introduction, serious analytical work on Mahler still is something of a rarity, and some of the best of that work comes from outside the discipline of music theory.1 One of the many merits of this monograph, therefore, is that it firmly (and finally!) embeds Mahler in the highly sophisticated discourse of modern North American music theory—more specifically the wave of theoretical and analytical work on musical form that is now commonly referred to as the “new Formenlehre.” Against the mainstream of Mahler studies, Monahan convincingly argues that sonata form is not an ossified remnant of the symphonic tradition that the composer nolens volens inherited, but an essential component of his art, at least up to Symphony No. 6. This does not mean that the music’s technical aspect is Monahan’s sole interest: through the analysis of musical form, he strives for a higher level of hermeneusis; “form itself,” he writes, “can be a vital source of meaning” (5). Nor would it be correct to assume that the hermeneusis is any more the outcome of the analysis than that it is the driving force behind it: one of the book’s distinctive characteristics is that both aspects are closely intertwined.

Postcranial diversity and recent ecomorphic impoverishment of North American gray wolves.

Recent advances in genomics and palaeontology have begun to unravel the complex evolutionary history of the gray wolf, Canis lupus Still, much of their phenotypic variation across time and space remains to be documented. We examined the limb morphology of the fossil and modern North American gray wolves from the late Quaternary (<ca 70 ka) to better understand their postcranial diversity through time. We found that the late-Pleistocene gray wolves were characterized by short-leggedness on both sides of the Cordilleran-Laurentide ice sheets, and that this trait survived well into the Holocene despite the collapse of Pleistocene megafauna and disappearance of the 'Beringian wolf' from Alaska. By contrast, extant populations in the Midwestern USA and northwestern North America are distinguished by their elongate limbs with long distal segments, which appear to have evolved during the Holocene possibly in response to a new level or type of prey depletion. One of the consequences of recent extirpation of the Plains (Canis lupus nubilus) and Mexican wolves (C. l. baileyi) from much of the USA is an unprecedented loss of postcranial diversity through removal of short-legged forms. Conservation of these wolves is thus critical to restoration of the ecophenotypic diversity and evolutionary potential of gray wolves in North America.

EXPERIENCE OF NORTH AMERICAN SPECIALISTS ON RESEARCHES OF PHOTOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AS OBJECTS OF THE COPYRIGHT

In the modern epoch of digital techniques the photographic works gained considerable popularity and widespread use through the Internet. Because of easy access to the high- quality digital copies of photographs, unfair individuals in their business activities often use copyrighted photographic works without a license from the authors or copyright holders. Taking into account the actuality of this problem for the Ukrainian authors and national legal system, considering the prospect of establishing the High Specialized Court for Intellectual Property, and also in view of the urgent need of creating an adequate official technique for the research of photographic works as intellectual property objects, the experience of the United States specialists who studied the materials of court cases concerning infringement of copyright to the photographic works, has a significant practical value to the forensic experts of our country. Review study of the high profile case «Shepard Fairey v the Associated Press», known as «The Hope Poster case», as well as the conclusions of the expert commission, allows to consider main analytical techniques of research on photographic works as intellectual property objects, which have entered into the range of research means of modern North American court experts. The expert committee for this case reached the following conclusions: the photograph of B. Obama, created by photographers from the agency «Associated Press», cannot be considered as an original work; the graphic work under the title «The Hope Poster» authored by Sh. Fairey was found to be a variation of the photographic work of «The Associated Press»; in consideration of the low level of creative «transformativeness» of the image in the work of Sh. Fairey, his poster does not meet the conditions of the «Fair Use Doctrine». The findings of the experts forced the parties of court case to sign a conciliation agreement on such terms which are still not disclosed.

New remains of Chambius kasserinensis from the Eocene of Tunisia and evaluation of proposed affinities for Macroscelidea (Mammalia, Afrotheria)

Chambius kasserinensis from the late Early or early Middle Eocene Chambi locality, central Tunisia, is undoubtedly the oldest known macroscelidid and possibly the basalmost representative of the order Macroscelidea. Hence, since its discovery in 1986, Chambius has played a key role in analyses focusing on afrotherian and eutherian phylogeny; for instance, as early as 1995, Butler’s review of fossil macroscelideans highlighted the central position of Chambius in the origin of the order. Despite this, Chambius remained poorly known until recently. Here based on new mandibular fragments, well-preserved upper molars and CT scan analysis of the holotype maxilla, Chambius is revised. Its dentition is first described in detail, providing a precise characterization of the genus. Chambius is notably defined by a submolariform P4 with a three-cusped talonid, a reduced talonid on M2, and a prominent metaconule on M1−2. Interestingly, the two transverse lophs of the upper molars are basically formed by preconulecristae, evoking the recently defined peculiar bilophodonty of paenungulates. Comparisons with other Paleogene and modern macroscelidids, European Louisinidae, and North American Apheliscidae are also made, allowing the various hypotheses about the origin and early evolution of macroscelidids to be reviewed.

Can latitudinal richness gradients be measured in the terrestrial fossil record?

AbstractStudying the deep-time origins of macroecological phenomena can help us to understand their long-term drivers. Given the considerable spatiotemporal bias of the terrestrial fossil record, it behooves us to understand how much biological information is lost. The aim of this study is to establish whether latitudinal diversity gradients are detectable in a biased terrestrial fossil record. I develop a simulated fossilization approach, weighting the probability of terrestrial mammal species appearing in the fossil record based on body size and geographic-range size; larger species with larger range sizes are more likely to enter the fossil record. I create simulated fossil localities from the modern North American mammal record. I vary the percentage of species successfully fossilized and estimate the magnitude of the latitudinal diversity gradient (slope of the richness gradient and degree of species turnover). I find that estimates of the latitudinal diversity gradient are sensitive to the loss of species with small body size and geographic-range sizes. In some cases, simulated fossil-record bias completely obliterates evidence of declining richness with latitude, a phenomenon that is not ameliorated by the application of nonparametric richness estimation. However, if the rate of preservation is medium (50% of species) to high (75% of species), the magnitude of the latitudinal diversity gradient can be reliably estimated. Similarly, changes in the diversity gradient estimates are largely explained by differences in the diversity–climate relationship among iterations, suggesting that these relationships may be measurable in the fossil record.

A Bayesian Approach to Age-at-Death Estimation from Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder in Modern North Americans.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a marker of degeneration within the skeleton, frequently associated with age. This study quantifies the correlation between OA and age-at-death and investigates the utility of shoulder OA as a forensic age indicator using a modern North American sample of 206 individuals. Lipping, surface porosity, osteophyte formation, eburnation, and percentage of joint surface affected were recorded on an ordinal scale and summed to create composite scores that were assigned a specific phase. Spearman's correlation indicated a positive relationship between each composite score and age (right shoulder=0.752; left shoulder=0.734). Transition analysis revealed a tendency toward earlier degeneration of the right shoulder. Bayesian statistics generated phase-related age estimates based on highest posterior density regions. Best age estimates were into the seventh decade at the 90th and 50th percentile. The proposed method supplements traditional techniques by providing age estimates beyond a homogenous 50+ age cohort.

The Effects of Both Recent and Long-Term Selection and Genetic Drift Are Readily Evident in North American Barley Breeding Populations.

Barley was introduced to North America ∼400 yr ago but adaptation to modern production environments is more recent. Comparisons of allele frequencies among growth habits and spike (inflorescence) types in North America indicate that significant genetic differentiation has accumulated in a relatively short evolutionary time span. Allele frequency differentiation is greatest among barley with two-row vs. six-row spikes, followed by spring vs. winter growth habit. Large changes in allele frequency among breeding programs suggest a major contribution of genetic drift and linked selection on genetic variation. Despite this, comparisons of 3613 modern North American cultivated barley breeding lines that differ for spike-type and growth habit permit the discovery of 142 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) outliers putatively linked to targets of selection. For example, SNPs within the Cbf4, Ppd-H1, and Vrn-H1 loci, which have previously been associated with agronomically adaptive phenotypes, are identified as outliers. Analysis of extended haplotype sharing identifies genomic regions shared within and among breeding populations, suggestive of a number of genomic regions subject to recent selection. Finally, we are able to identify recent bouts of gene flow between breeding populations that could point to the sharing of agronomically adaptive variation. These results are supported by pedigrees and breeders’ understanding of germplasm sharing.

Private Security: Implications for Social Control

Private security has become a pervasive feature of modern North American policing, both because of its rapid growth since 1960 and because it has invaded the traditional domain of the public police. Because this development has been viewed as an addendum to the criminal justice system, its significance for social control has not been recognized. This paper traces the development of private security in Canada and the United States since 1960, examines the reasons for its present pervasiveness, and explores its essential features: it is non- specialized, victimoriented, and relies on organizational resources as sanctions. We conclude that private security is having a major impact on the nature of social control.

A burrowing frog from the late Paleocene of Mongolia uncovers a deep history of spadefoot toads (Pelobatoidea) in East Asia.

Fossils are indispensible in understanding the evolutionary origins of the modern fauna. Crown-group spadefoot toads (Anura: Pelobatoidea) are the best-known fossorial frog clade to inhabit arid environments, with species utilizing a characteristic bony spade on their foot for burrowing. Endemic to the Northern Hemisphere, they are distributed across the Holarctic except East Asia. Here we report a rare fossil of a crown-group spadefoot toad from the late Paleocene of Mongolia. The phylogenetic analysis using both morphological and molecular information recovered this Asian fossil inside the modern North American pelobatoid clade Scaphiopodidae. The presence of a spade and the phylogenetic position of the new fossil frog strongly support its burrowing behavior. The late Paleocene age and other information suggestive of a mild climate cast doubt on the conventional assertion that burrowing evolved as an adaptation to aridity in spadefoot toads. Temporally and geographically, the new fossil provides the earliest record of Scaphiopodidae worldwide, and the only member of the group in Asia. Quantitative biogeographic analysis suggests that Scaphiopodidae, despite originating in North America, dispersed into East Asia via Beringia in the Early Cenozoic. The absence of spadefoot toads in East Asia today is a result of extinction.

Toward a More Inclusive Definition of Chinese Painting

Toward a More Inclusive Definition of Chinese Painting Lothar von Falkenhausen (bio) Craig Clunas. Chinese Painting and Its Audiences. The A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts, Bollingen Series XXXV: vol. 61. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2017. x, 288 pp. Hardcover $60.00, isbn 978-0-691-17193-7. The annual A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., are the Holy Grail of art historians. To be invited to present them signifies admission into an extremely select circle of practitioners deemed to be "of exceptional ability, achievement, and reputation."1 Ever since [End Page 27] the philosopher Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) inaugurated the series in 1952, most Mellon lecturers have focused, unsurprisingly, on issues in traditional European (and, to a much lesser extent, modern North American) art history, esthetics, and art theory.2 But lately there have been signs of openness toward other fields. In 1998, the China specialist Lothar Ledderose (b. 1942) was the first invitee to lecture on a non-Western topic,3 and that auspicious precedent has since been followed by lecture cycles on the art of ancient Mesopotamia (Irene J. Winter, 2005), the Precolumbian New World (Mary Miller, 2010), and medieval India (Vidya Dehejia, 2016).4 Craig Clunas's 2012 Mellon lectures, attractively published in the volume under review, constitute the second such cycle devoted to China—the first and so far only time a "non-Western" tradition has made an appearance more than once. Arguably, this may be taken as a sign of three encouraging tendencies. (1) The intrinsic importance of extra-European art-producing traditions is being increasingly recognized by the mainstream art-historical discipline. (2) The formerly marginal "non-Western" fields of art history are reaching maturity, generating more and more exciting scholarship. And (3) specialists in those fields have been developing the ability to communicate ideas that are of interest to the wider community of art historians and to the Humanities at large. Elegantly written and lavishly illustrated with high-quality color illustrations, Chinese Paintings and Its Audiences is a resoundingly successful case in point: it exhibits Clunas's masterful command of both his subject matter and current discipline-wide theoretical paradigms. Resisting the temptation of taking his Mellon Lectures as an opportunity for a popularizing synthesis of what still remains, to the audience of these lectures, an arcane and exotic field, Clunas commendably deemphasizes his subject's foreignness and delivers an analytical argument that is new and highly original. Rather than taking Chinese painting back to its origins, he zeroes in on the last 500 years. Adducing many unfamiliar artworks and leaving out most of the familiar ones, he takes an exhilaratingly fresh look at the diverse panoply of cultural products that have historically been called "Chinese painting." Through a series of unexpected juxtapositions, he arrives at some quite unsettling conclusions, and he ends up questioning the very definition of his subject that is currently taken for granted by most scholars. The resulting book has all the markings of a classic; it is, and will probably remain for a long time, a must-read for specialists and non-specialists alike. Even though Chinese Painting and Its Audiences is replete with compelling visual observations on the individual artworks discussed therein, Clunas departs from normal art-historical practice in that he deemphasizes their materiality as artifacts. Transferring the late Ernst H. Gombrich's (1909-2001) concept of the "beholder's share" from the perceptual/aesthetic to the sociological realm, he argues, instead, that the very notion of "Chinese [End Page 28] painting" is a creation of its viewers; and that such a notion only became a possibility in early modern times, when viewers—or at least some viewers—were beginning to have a choice of paintings from various places and traditions to relate to. (Indeed, the availability of a smörgåsbord of cultural possibilities of different time-depths and geographical origins constitutes one essential defining ingredient of modernity.) Before that time, in China and adjacent countries under Chinese cultural influence, painting was simply hua 畫, "painting," without any need to specify the "Chinese" characteristics of its media, techniques, iconography...

The Culture of Business Education and its Place in the Modern University

Many researchers believe that the modern university is in a state of crisis like never before. One of the main reasons cited for this decline is that the modern university has a closer resemblance to a transnational corporation than to a traditional scholarly institution (Lewis, 2005). This paper attempts to define the term “university” from a classical perspective and to describe the gradual incorporation of vocational pursuits into its scope. Focusing on modern North American university models, it asks whether business schools, in particular, should be operating within academia. An alternative is discussed, which focuses on the vocational attributes of business rather than theoretical knowledge. I draw on secondary sources as well as my own personal experience as a student and researcher to make suggestions on how interdepartmental tension developed and how it can be reduced. The paper finds that the business school does have a place in the modern university; however, the classical representation of the university must be abandoned for it to be fully embraced.&#x0D;

Population-Level Immune-Mediated Adaptation in HIV-1 Polymerase during the North American Epidemic.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I-associated polymorphisms in HIV-1 that persist upon transmission to HLA-mismatched hosts may spread in the population as the epidemic progresses. Transmission of HIV-1 sequences containing such adaptations may undermine cellular immune responses to the incoming virus in future hosts. Building upon previous work, we investigated the extent of HLA-associated polymorphism accumulation in HIV-1 polymerase (Pol) through comparative analysis of linked HIV-1/HLA class I genotypes sampled during historic (1979 to 1989; n = 338) and modern (2001 to 2011; n = 278) eras from across North America (Vancouver, BC, Canada; Boston, MA; New York, NY; and San Francisco, CA). Phylogenies inferred from historic and modern HIV-1 Pol sequences were star-like in shape, with an inferred most recent common ancestor (epidemic founder virus) sequence nearly identical to the modern North American subtype B consensus sequence. Nevertheless, modern HIV-1 Pol sequences exhibited roughly 2-fold-higher patristic (tip-to-tip) genetic distances than historic sequences, with HLA pressures likely driving ongoing diversification. Moreover, the frequencies of published HLA-associated polymorphisms in individuals lacking the selecting HLA class I allele was on average ∼2.5-fold higher in the modern than in the historic era, supporting their spread in circulation, though some remained stable in frequency during this time. Notably, polymorphisms restricted by protective HLA alleles appear to be spreading to a greater relative extent than others, though these increases are generally of modest absolute magnitude. However, despite evidence of polymorphism spread, North American hosts generally remain at relatively low risk of acquiring an HIV-1 polymerase sequence substantially preadapted to their HLA profiles, even in the present era. HLA class I-restricted cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) escape mutations in HIV-1 that persist upon transmission may accumulate in circulation over time, potentially undermining host antiviral immunity to the transmitted viral strain. We studied >600 experimentally collected HIV-1 polymerase sequences linked to host HLA information dating back to 1979, along with phylogenetically reconstructed HIV-1 sequences dating back to the virus' introduction into North America. Overall, our results support the gradual spread of many-though not all-HIV-1 polymerase immune escape mutations in circulation over time. This is consistent with recent observations from other global regions, though the extent of polymorphism accumulation in North America appears to be lower than in populations with high seroprevalence, older epidemics, and/or limited HLA diversity. Importantly, the risk of acquiring an HIV-1 polymerase sequence at transmission that is substantially preadapted to one's HLA profile remains relatively low in North America, even in the present era.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Fungal Peritonitis in a Modern North American Cohort

Peritonitis remains a common complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Although representing only 1 - 12% of overall peritonitis in dialysis patients, fungal peritonitis (FP) is associated with serious complications, including technique failure and death. Only scarce data have been published regarding FP outcomes in modern cohorts in North America. In this study we evaluated the rates, characteristics and outcomes of FP in a major North American PD center. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all fungal peritonitis episodes among peritoneal dialysis patients followed in a large PD center between January 2000 and February 2013. Our pre-specified endpoints included rates of FP, characteristics, outcomes and determinants of death. Thirty-six episodes of FP were identified during the follow-up period (one episode per 671 patient-months), representing 4.5% of the total peritonitis events. Patients' mean age and peritoneal dialysis vintage were 61.3 ± 15.5 and 2.9 (1.5 - 4.8) years, respectively. Of the 36 episodes of FP, seven (19%) resulted in death and 17 (47%) led to technique failure with permanent transfer to hemodialysis. Surprisingly, PD was eventually resumed in 33% of cases with a median delay of 15 weeks (interquartile range 8 - 23) between FP and catheter reinsertion. In a univariable analysis, a higher Charlson comorbidity index (Odds ratio [OR] 3.25 per unit increase, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23 - 8.58) and PD fluid white blood cell (WBC) count greater than 3,000/mm(3) at presentation (OR 6.56, 95% CI 1.05 - 40.95) predicted death. While fungal peritonitis is still associated with a high frequency of death and technique failure, one third of our patients eventually returned to PD. Patients with a high burden of comorbidities appear at higher risk of death. We postulate that the high mortality associated with FP is partially related to the severity of comorbidity among patients with FP, rather than the infection per se. Importantly, PD can be resumed in a significant proportion of cases.

Generation and preservation of continental crust in the Grenville Orogeny

Detrital zircons from modern sediments display an episodic temporal distribution of U-Pb crystallization ages forming a series of ‘peaks’ and ‘troughs’. The peaks are interpreted to represent either periods of enhanced generation of granitic magma perhaps associated with mantle overturn and superplume events, or preferential preservation of continental crust during global collisional orogenesis. The close association of those peaks with the assembly of supercontinents implies a causal relationship between collisional orogenesis and the presence of zircon age peaks. Here these two end-member models (episodic periodicity of increased magmatism versus selective preservation during collisional orogenesis) are assessed using U-Pb, Hf, and O analysis of detrital zircons from sedimentary successions deposited during the ∼1.3–1.1 Ga accretionary, ∼1.1–0.9 Ga collisional, and < 0.9 Ga extensional collapse phases of the Grenville orogenic cycle in Labrador and Scotland. The pre-collisional, accretionary stage provides a baseline of continental crust present prior to orogenesis and is dominated by Archean and Paleoproterozoic age peaks associated with pre-1300 Ma Laurentian geology. Strata deposited during the Grenville Orogeny display similar Archean and Paleoproterozoic detrital populations along with a series of broad muted peaks from ∼1500 to 1100 Ma. However, post-collisional sedimentary successions display a dominant age peak between 1085 and 985 Ma, similar to that observed in modern North American river sediments.Zircons within the post-orogenic sedimentary successions have progressively lower ɛHf and higher δ18O values from ∼1800 to ∼1200 Ma whereupon they have higher ɛHf and δ18O within the dominant 1085–985 Ma age peak. Furthermore, the Lu-Hf isotopic profile of the Grenville-related age peak is consistent with significant assimilation and contamination by older crustal material. The timing of this dominant age peak coincides with the peak of metamorphism and magmatism associated with the Grenville Orogeny, which is a typical collisional orogenic belt. The change from broad muted age peaks in the syn-orogenic strata to a single peak in the post-orogenic sedimentary successions and in the modern river sediments implies a significant shift in provenance following continental collision. This temporal change in provenance highlights that the source(s), from which detrital zircons within syn-orogenic strata were derived, was no longer available during the later stages of the accretionary and collisional stages of the orogenic cycle. This may reflect some combination of tectonic burial, erosion, or possibly recycling into the mantle by tectonic erosion of the source(s). During continental collision, the incorporated continental crust is isolated from crustal recycling processes operative at subduction margins. This tectonic isolation combined with sedimentary recycling likely controls the presence of the isotopic signature associated with the Grenville Orogeny in the modern Mississippi and Appalachian river sediments. These results imply that zircon age peaks, which developed in conjunction with supercontinents, are the product of selective crustal preservation resulting from collisional orogenesis.

Sacralizing Reality Digitally: YouTruths, Kennewick Claims and the First Americans

Marshalling scientific arguments and methods for religious ends is certainly not a new trend in religious expressions, but new modes of writing scientifically legitimated myths has developed online. Computer-mediated communication provides new tools for such a fusing of religion and science, and the present article asks what this entails for categories of religious authority and authenticity. Taking online expressions of the Neo-Pagan faith called Asatrú, a 9,500 year-old skeleton and an associated modern North American conspiracy theory as the starting points, a configuration of religious authenticity derived from scientific sources is analysed. The case is made that through hyperlinks, YouTube videos and discussion forums, religious communities such as the online Asatrú groups strategically assemble religious authority on a foundation of science, tapping into non-religious ecologies of knowledge available online. This puts into question theoretical premises such as notions of the secular and differentiation of rationalities. Research in CMC and religion, it is argued, must take into consideration the specific hybrid knowledges facilitated by online structures and technologies.

Paired oxygen isotope records reveal modern North American atmospheric dynamics during the Holocene.

The Pacific North American (PNA) teleconnection has a strong influence on North American climate. Instrumental records and century-scale reconstructions indicate an accelerating tendency towards the positive PNA state since the mid-1850s, but much less is known about long-term PNA variability. Here we reconstruct PNA-like climate variability during the mid- and late Holocene using paired oxygen isotope records from two regions in North America with robust, anticorrelated isotopic response to the modern PNA. We identify mean states of more negative and positive PNA-like climate during the mid- and late Holocene, respectively. Superimposed on the secular change between states is a robust, quasi-200-year oscillation, which we associate with the de Vries solar cycle. These findings suggest the persistence of PNA-like climate variability throughout the mid- and late Holocene, provide evidence for modulation of PNA over multiple timescales and may help researchers de-convolve PNA pattern variation from other factors reflected in palaeorecords.

Notes on Contributors

Notes on Contributors

Long-term Cardiovascular Outcomes in Survivors of Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) may result in coronary aneurysm formation, but there is incomplete knowledge regarding its long-term effects. Our objective was to quantify the longer-term rates of adverse cardiac events in a modern North American KD cohort. Using the Kaiser Permanente Northern California population, we performed a retrospective cohort study in patients with a history of KD versus matched patients without KD. Chart review was used to confirm the diagnosis of KD and all outcomes of interest, including acute coronary syndrome, coronary revascularization, heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia, valve disease, aortic aneurysm, and all-cause mortality. All outcomes occurring at age ≥15 years were included in the primary analysis. Outcome rates were compared between the 2 groups by using Cox proportional hazards analysis. The study included 546 KD patients and 2218 matched patients without KD. Seventy-nine percent of the KD patients received intravenous immunoglobulin and 5% had persistent coronary aneurysm. The average follow-up time was 14.9 years. Only 2 KD patients experienced outcomes after age 15 (0.246 events per 1000 person-years) compared with 7 events in the non-KD group (0.217 events per 1000 person-years), a nonsignificant difference (hazard ratio: 0.81; 95% confidence interval: 0.16-4.0). Within the KD subgroup, persistent coronary aneurysm predicted the occurrence of adverse events (P = .007). This is the largest US study of longer-term cardiac outcomes after KD and reveals a low rate of adverse cardiovascular events through age 21. Additional validation studies, including studies with longer-term follow-up, should be performed.

Recovery of wolverines in the Western United States: Recent extirpation and recolonization or range retraction and expansion?

ABSTRACTWolverines were greatly reduced in number and possibly extirpated from the contiguous United States (U.S.) by the early 1900s. Wolverines currently occupy much of their historical range in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, but are absent from Utah and only single individuals are known to occur in California and Colorado. In response, the translocation of wolverines to California and Colorado is being considered. If wolverines are to be reintroduced, managers must identify appropriate source populations based on the genetic affinities of historical and modern wolverine populations. We amplified the mitochondrial control region of 13 museum specimens dating from the late 1800s to early 1900s and 209 wolverines from modern populations in the contiguous U.S. and Canada and combined results with previously published haplotypes. Collectively, these data indicated that historical wolverine populations in the contiguous U.S. were extirpated by the early 20th century, and that modern populations in the contiguous U.S. are likely the descendants of recent immigrants from the north. The Cali1 haplotype previously identified in California museum specimens was also common in historical samples from the southern Rocky Mountains, and likely evolved in isolation in the southern ice‐free refugium that encompassed most of the contiguous U.S. during the last glaciation. However, when southern populations were extirpated, these matrilines were eliminated. Several of the other haplotypes found in historical specimens from the contiguous U.S. also occur in modern North American populations, and belong to a group of haplotypes that are associated with the rapid expansion of northern wolverine populations after the last glacial retreat. Modern wolverines in the contiguous U.S. are primarily haplotype A, which is the most common and widespread haplotype in Canada and Alaska. For the translocation of wolverines to California, Colorado, and other areas in the western U.S., potential source populations in the Canadian Rocky Mountains may provide the best mix of genetic diversity and appropriate learned behavior. © 2014 The Wildlife Society.

A Steep Hill to Climb: Reconciling the Expanding Demands of Marriage

Finkel, Hui, Carswell, and Larson make a persuasive and interesting case that modern North American marriages are being asked to carry a considerable burden, satisfying an ever widening set of pers...