Nantucket Research Articles

Evolution of Intelligent Shipboard Piloting Systems: A Distributed System for the St Lawrence Seaway

Safe navigation in restricted waters continues to be a perennial concern for ship owners, operators, navigators, and citizens. The Nieuw Amsterdam, a cruise ship which ran aground in Southeast Alaska in August 1994; the Royal Majesty, another cruise ship which ran aground 10 miles east of Nantucket Island in June 1995; and the Regent Star, which caught fire in Prince William Sound, Alaska on 22 July, 1995, are just a few of the recent incidents which remind us of the importance of safe navigation in restricted waters. Clearly, the Braer, the World Prodigy, and the Exxon Valdez provide other examples of the importance of safe navigation in close waters. Fire, collision, allisions and groundings can result if vessels navigating in such waters stray.

The Contributions of Nitrogen-Fixing Symbioses to Coastal Heathland Succession

-Nutrient availability has been linked to successional change in the extremely Nlimited coastal heathland ecosystem. A study was conducted on Nantucket Island (Massachusetts) to determine if plants with N-fixing symbioses affect nutrient availability and community succession in coastal heathland ecosystems. N-availability was no different in soils collected beneath N-fixing species than in soils collected away from N-fixing species. Furthermore there was no difference in nitrogen content of grasses and soils found in association with N-fixing species than those located away from N-fixers. The 15N content of soils and plants distributed within and without the canopy of N-fixing species was no different. The annual height and weight increments of pines growing within and away from patches of the N-fixing shrub Myrica pensylvanica were not significantly different, indicating that nitrogen derived from N-fixing symbioses did not contribute to the growth of pines. The lack of noticeable effects of N-fixing species on neighboring plants may be the result of leaching in these sandy soils, which would minimize lateral plant-to-plant N transfers via the soil.

The Late Woodland Diet on Nantucket Island and the Problem of Maize in Coastal New England

Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of (1) bone collagen from six burials of the Late Woodland Period at Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, and (2) a wide range of potential dietary materials provide data for evaluating coastal diets. Archaeological and historical data give evidence for the availability and use of dietary items. The bases of the food chains and trophic levels define the possible food groups: terrestrial C3 and C4 plants and their consumers, marine C3 and C4-like plants and their consumers, and marine carnivores. From these data, computer analysis of multiple linear mixing equations relating isotope ratios of human bone collagen to those of dietary food groups shows allowable ranges of these food groups in the diet. The results argue for a diet of 40–65 percent oceanic animals, with the rest consisting of substantial amounts of animals from salt marsh and eelgrass meadows or of maize, and minor amounts of C3 plants and their consumers.

Parasites of Small Mammals in Grand Teton National Park: Babesia and Hepatozoon

The role of parasitism, whether macro- or microparasites, and whether endo- or ectoparasites, in the demographic machinery of microtines is poorly understood. In a review of the parasites of Microtus, Timm (1985) lists no protozoan endoparasites whatsoever for this genus and observes that one of the most challenging and fruitful directions of future research with Microtus will be the statistical quantification of the cost of parasitism. Babesia microti, a parasitic protozoan, is transmitted by a tick vector and reproduces in the erythrocytes of its mammalian host. Initially, Babesia was thought to be restricted to small mammals, however, in 1970 the first human cases were diagnosed in residents of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts (Western et al. 1970). In the United States, human babesiosis is caused by B. microti. As hunians insert themselves into places where they have historically been present only occasionally, they often contract new diseases. A second protozoan parasite, Hepatozoon sp., which is widespread in small mammals in Europe, is also found in reptiles throughout the world. The record of Hepatozoon in North American small mammals is not extensive. Like Babesia, Hepatozoon is a two-host parasite. Unlike Babesia, for which the intermediate host is always a tick, the intermediate host of Hepatozoon may be a tick, a mite, a flea, or a mosquito. The method of transmission by the vector also differs in the two parasites. Babesia is transmitted in the tick's saliva when it bites, whereas Hepatozoon infection requires the vertebrate host to swallow the vector. In our 1995 studies, we sought more data on these two parasites. The objectives for 1995 were: to sample specific populations of M. montanus, in which we have previously documented Hepatozoon infections, to determine whether there were differences in the infection rates at different study sites in the park, and to search for any additional vectors of Hepatozoon sp. infections in M. montanus by examining ectoparasites. Our long-term objectives are to document the effects and cost of parasitism on M. montanus populations.

Acute respiratory failure in patients treated for babesiosis.

Babesiosis is a tick-borne protozoal disease with infrequent clinical complications. We report three cases of noncardiogenic pulmonary edema in patients from Nantucket Island, MA, with a history of Lyme disease and review the clinical presentation of babesiosis and its treatment. Respiratory complications in our patients, as well as in the four previously reported cases in the literature, occurred a few days after initiation of medical therapy. We hypothesize that the pathophysiology of the pulmonary edema is multifactorial, due to decreased deformability of the infected erythrocytes, increased cytoadherence of red blood cells in capillaries and venules, and a possible role of excessive production of certain cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1.

Spring sapping origin of the enigmatic relict valleys of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Islands, Massachusetts

Steep-sided, flat-floored linear valleys that lack well developed tributaries and end in amphitheater-like heads are eroded on the outwash plains of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island. The valleys are restricted from the mid to the distal ends of the outwash plains and show no connection to possible water sources at the updip end of the plains. Their distribution and morphology lead us to propose that they were eroded by groundwater seeps fed by proglacial lakes (the high hydrostatic heads of the lakes led to the elevation of the water table) dammed by the outwash plains and associated moraines. The valleys on Cape Cod were initiated by seeps along the foreset surfaces of sandy deltas emplaced in lakes in Nantucket Sound and Cape Cod Bay after these lakes drained. Those on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket islands were either eroded by seeps at the distal ends of outwash plain wedges emplaced atop the subareal continental shelf south of the islands or along the foreset surfaces of sandy deltas emplaced on a lake behind a peripheral crustal bulge south of the glacial front. Valley erosion terminated after the lakes were drained and the water table dropped.

Feline Tularemia on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts

Feline Tularemia on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts

Parasites of Small Mammals in Grand Teton National Park: Babesia and Hepatozoon

In a review of the parasites of Microtus, Timm (1985) lists no protozoan endoparasites whatsoever for this genus. The role of parasitism, whether macro- or microparasites, and whether endo- or ectoparasites, in the demographic machinery of microtines is poorly understood. Timm (1985) astutely observes that one of the most challenging and fruitful directions of future research with Microtus will be the statistical quantification of the cost of parasitism. In addition, since humans in the Grand Teton National Park may encounter protozoon parasites that are potentially pathogenic to humans, it is useful to characterize the occurrence and biology of such organisms in the parko Babesia microti, a parasitic protozoon, is transmitted by a tick vector and reproduces in the erythrocytes of its mammalian host. Initially, Babesia was thought to be restricted to small mammals; however, in 1970 the first human cases were diagnosed in residents of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts (Western et al, 1970). Over 200 cases of human babesiosis have been documented worldwide. In the United States, human babesiosis is caused by B. microti. Most of these cases have occurred in the eastern United States. The earliest report of an organism that fits the description of Babesia in human erythrocytes is that of Wilson et al. (1904), who found an unknown organism in human erythrocytes while investigating the cause of Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. Documented cases of babesiosis in many areas of the United States are increasing (Steketee et al, 1985). As humans insert themselves into places where they have historically been present only occasionally, they often contract new diseases. A second protozoon parasite, Hepatozoon sp., which is widespread in small mammals in Europe, is also found in reptiles throughout the world. The record of Hepatozoon in North American small mammals is not extensive. Fewer than 10 species of mammals have been shown to harbor Hepatozoon parasites. Like Babesia, Hepatozoon is a two-host parasite. Unlike Babesia, for which the intermediate host is always a tick, the intermediate host in the Hepatozoon may be a tick, a mite, a flea, or a mosquito. The method of transmission by the vector also differs in the two parasites. Babesia is transmitted in saliva when the tick bites, whereas Hepatozoon infection requires the vertebrate host to swallow the vector. In our 1994 studies, we sought to extend knowledge of these two parasites. The specific objectives for 1994 were: to sample specific populations of M. molltanus, in which we have previously documented Hepatozoon infections, to determine whether there are differences in the infection rates at different study sites in the park; to search for the vector of Hepatozoon sp. infections in M. montanus by examining ectoparasites; to collect and rear ticks from M. montanus for use in R microti transmission studies; and to complete a comparison of the spleen histology of babesiosis in infected and uninfected laboratory animals, with inclusion of data from wild animals, as available. Our long-term objectives are to document the effects and cost of parasitism on vole populations and to determine the potential of small mammals of Grand Teton National Park to serve as reservoirs of human parasites.

"Every Wave Is a Fortune": Nantucket Island and the Making of an American Icon

tucket Island was mentioned repeatedly in the halls of Parliament. From the testimonies of a Nantucket whaling captain by the name of Seth Jenkins, British legislators learned that this tiny island thirty miles off the coast of New England annually sent out more than two hundred sailing vessels on voyages that took them as far as the Falkland Islands. Robert Barclay, a London merchant and Quaker, testified that Nantucket's whale oil was shipped directly to London and Bristol, bypassing altogether the politically suspect port of Boston. To disrupt the flow of this valuable commodity would not only hurt British merchants but needlessly destroy a nonbelligerent trading partner. Jenkins's and Barclay's portrayals of Nantucket as a self-sufficient yet economically fragile Quaker, loyalist enclave helped win the island a much needed exemption from the Restraining Act that would severely curtail trade and fishing throughout the region.' Jenkins's and Barclay's testimonies had another, perhaps even more profound, impact on the future of Nantucket, for they provided the inspiration and source material for a critical portion of Edmund Burke's famous speech Conciliation with the Colonies, delivered before the House of Commons that March. While Jenkins and Barclay had done all they could to paint NanI would like to thank the Friends of the Nantucket Atheneum for providing me with the opportunity to deliver an earlier version of this essay in the same hall in which Emerson spoke in 1847. Thanks also to the staffs of the Nantucket Historical Association's Research Center and the Nantucket Atheneum for their help in researching this article.

Nantucket, United States: a silent sentinel

(1992). Nantucket, United States: a silent sentinel. Museum International: Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 243-246.

Human babesiosis in New York State: an epidemiological description of 136 cases.

Epidemiological data on 136 cases of human babesiosis reported from laboratories and clinicians in the state of New York from 1982 to 1991 were reviewed. All but two patients, who had traveled to Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, acquired disease in Suffolk County, Long Island. The highest average age-group-specific annual incidence rates occurred among men > or = 80 years of age (7.72 per 100,000) and among women 70-79 years of age (3.61 per 100,000). Seven patients (5%) had previously undergone splenectomy, and 31 (23%) had evidence of concurrent Lyme disease. One hundred three patients (76%) were hospitalized, and seven (5%) died. Although the geographic distribution of this disease has remained constant, the recent introduction of babesiosis in mainland Connecticut and the spread of Lyme disease in New York suggest that the geographic distribution of babesiosis could also spread in New York.

Nitrification and nitrate reductase activity along a secondary successional gradient

The control of nitrification was studied in a secondary successional gradient on Nantucket Island, MA. It was hypothesized that 1) variability in nitrification along the gradient is controlled by litter primary and secondary chemistry, and 2) differences in nitrate availability along the gradient are reflected in potential nitrate assimilation rates in plant tissue. Nitrification varied significantly (p<0.05) by successional stage in all study sites, generally increasing with successional age. The ratio of nitrification to total N mineralization did not vary significantly between successional stages, suggesting substrate limitation of nitrification. Litter terpenoid resin concentration was a significant predictor (p<0.05) of nitrification rate, but soil %C, %N, and water content also contributed significantly to a stepwise regression model predicting nitrification. Nitrate reductase activity (NRA), an index of potential nitrate assimilation, was measured in an assay species (Schizachyrium scoparium). Although there was no significant correlation with nitrification, NRA was significantly (p<0.05) negatively correlated with soil ammonium concentration along the successional gradient at one site, suggesting that plants preferentially utilized ammonium in this system.

Detection of Babesia microti by polymerase chain reaction.

Human babesiosis, which is caused by infection with the intraerythrocytic malarialike protozoan Babesia microti, has recently been diagnosed with increasing frequency in residents of New England. Diagnosis is difficult because of the small size of the parasite and the sparse parasitemia that is characteristic of most infections with this pathogen. We generated B. microti-specific DNA sequence information by universal primer amplification of a portion of the eukaryotic 16S-like gene; this was followed by direct DNA sequence analysis. Specific primers were synthesized on the basis of this sequence information for use in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR-based system demonstrates a strong bias for detection of B. microti as opposed to Babesia gibsoni and does not amplify vertebrate DNA. The analytical sensitivity of the system is approximately three merozoites. Blood specimens from 12 patients with clinically diagnosed and parasitologically confirmed babesiosis from Nantucket Island, Mass., were PCR positive in a blinded test of this procedure. Thus, DNA amplification may provide an adjunct to conventional methods for the diagnosis of human babesiosis and may provide a new means of monitoring therapy or enhancing epidemiological surveillance for this emerging pathogen.

A comprehensive multiple matrix model representing the life cycle of the tick that transmits agent of lyme disease

An extension of Leslie matrix methodology was developed to describe the life cycle of Ixodes dammini, the tick that transmits the agent of Lyme disease in eastern North America. Thereby, we described the seasonally changing pattern of interactions of the tick with its various hosts in a well-studied site on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Particular numerical values representing the site were estimated mainly on the basis of published values and interpreted on the basis of experience. The model was used to predict seasonal abundance and annual rate of increase of this vector tick. Although these ticks quest for hosts during two consecutive feeding seasons, all but a few feed during the first such season. The relative distribution of developmental stages of the tick stabilized after 35 years. Abundance of the simulated population increased exponentially and doubled every 6 years. The simulations produced realistic seasonal feeding distributions of the ticks in its various developmental stages.

A Brugia Species Infecting Rabbits in the Northeastern United States

Brugia sp. microfilariae were observed in more than 60% of wild rabbits collected on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The microfilariae measured 294-344 microns in length and had the characteristic subterminal and terminal nuclei observed in other Brugia microfilariae. The microfilaria is similar to those described for Brugia leporis in rabbits in Louisiana. This may be the Brugia species responsible for 21 documented cases of human infection in the northeastern United States.

Transfusion‐transmitted babesiosis

TransfusionVolume 31, Issue 4 p. 296-298 Free Access Transfusion-transmitted babesiosis Mark A. Popovsky MD, Mark A. Popovsky MD American Red Cross-Northeast Region Dedham, MA Harvard Medical School Boston, MASearch for more papers by this author Mark A. Popovsky MD, Mark A. Popovsky MD American Red Cross-Northeast Region Dedham, MA Harvard Medical School Boston, MASearch for more papers by this author First published: May 1991 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1537-2995.1991.31491213290.xCitations: 25AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL References 1 Mintz ED, Anderson JF, Cable RG, Hadler JL. Transfusion-transmitted babesiosis: a case report from a new endemic area. Transfusion 1991; 31: 365– 8. 2 Healy GR. Babcsia infections in man. Hosp Pract 1979; 14: 107– 11, 115–6. 3 Popovsky MA. Babesiosis and Lyme disease: a transfusion medicine perspective. In: RG Westphal, KB Carlson, JM Turc, eds. Emerging global patterns in transfusion-transmitted infections. Arlington: American Association of Blood Banks, 1990: 45– 64. 4 Spielman A., Wilson ML, Levine JF, Piesman J. Ecology of lxodes dammini-borne human babesiosis and Lyme disease. Annu Rev Entomol 1985; 30: 439– 60. 5 Ruebush TK, Juranek DD, Chisholm ES, et al. Human babesiosis on Nantucket Island. Evidence for self-limited and subclinical infections. N Engl J Med 1977; 297: 825– 7. 6 Gombert ME, Goldstein EJ, Benach JL, et al. Human babesiosis. Clinical and therapeutic considerations. JAMA 1982; 248: 3005– 7. 7 Smith RP, Evans AT, Popovsky MA, Mills L., Spielman A. Transfusion-acquired babesiosis and failure of antibiotic treatment. JAMA 1986; 256: 2726– 7. 8 Wittner M., Rowin KS, Tanovitz HB, et al. Successful chemotherapy of transfusion babesiosis. Ann Intern Med 1982; 96: 601– 4. 9 Krause PJ, Telford SR, Ryan R., et al. Geographical and temporal distribution of Babesia infection in Connecticut. J Clin Microbiol 1991; 29: 1– 4. 10 Popovsky MA, Lindberg LE, Syrek AL, Page PL. Prevalence of Babesia antibody in a selected blood donor population. Transfusion 1988; 28: 59– 61. 11 AABB makes recommendations regarding blood donor history questioning, Lyme disease and babesiosis. News Briefs 1989; 12(7): 1. Citing Literature Volume31, Issue4May 1991Pages 296-298 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Comparisons of Aboveground Arthropods in Burned, Mowed and Untreated Sites in Sandplain Grasslands on Nantucket Island

-Arthropod abundance and vegetation composition were studied in four 0.25ha grassland plots on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Treatments included burning in April, burning in August and mowing in August, in 1983 and again in 1985. Cover and frequency of plants in 1985 was little changed from pretreatment levels. Arthropods were sampled in July, August and September of 1985. In the April burn plot, numbers of Arachnida were lower and Orthoptera were higher throughout the season than in an untreated reference plot. Other orders showed little consistent change. In the August burn and mow plots, total numbers of arthropods, especially Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, and Lepidoptera, were higher early in the season in 1985 compared to the reference plot. Following treatments in August, most orders declined in abundance compared to the reference plot, with the exception of the Homoptera, which increased.

Non-breeding season diet of Northern Saw-whet Owls, Aegolius acadicus, on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts

Non-breeding season diet of Northern Saw-whet Owls, Aegolius acadicus, on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts

Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in Ixodes dammini ticks with the polymerase chain reaction

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify DNA sequences of the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, and was applied to the detection of the spirochete in its tick vector. The target for PCR amplification was the OSP-A gene of strain B31; analysis of isolates from different geographical areas indicated that this gene could be used to identify most North American isolates. These methods were extended to the analysis of colony-derived and field-collected Ixodes dammini. OSP-A-specific sequences were identified in 15 of 15 colony-derived nymphal ticks that had fed previously on an infected animal; no such amplification products were detected in 8 control ticks. Segregated midgut tissues of field-collected adult and nymphal ticks from Nantucket Island, Mass., and the Crane Reserve, Ipswich, Mass., were examined by both direct fluorescent-antibody (DFA) staining and PCR. The DFA technique identified 16 infected ticks of 30 paired specimens; 15 of these specimens were positive by PCR. One specimen was positive by PCR that was DFA negative. Both live whole ticks and desiccated dead specimens were suitable for this analysis. Because only five ticks are suitable for DFA analysis, the use of PCR may extend the range of specimens that can be analyzed for the presence of the Lyme spirochete.

Forest and Heath: The Shaping of the Vegetation on Nantucket Island

Forest and Heath: The Shaping of the Vegetation on Nantucket Island