Sites In California Research Articles

Gradual increase in sweat chloride concentration is associated with a higher risk of CRMS/CFSPID to CF reclassification.

Universal implementation of cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening (NBS) has led to the diagnostic dilemma of infants with CF screen-positive, inconclusive diagnosis (CFSPID), with limited guidance regarding prognosis and standardized care. Rates of reclassification from CFSPID to CF vary and risk factors for reclassification are not well established. We investigated whether clinical characteristics are associated with the risk of reclassification from CFSPID to a CF diagnosis. Children with a positive CF NBS were recruited from two sites in California. Retrospective, longitudinal, and cross-sectional data were collected. A subset of subjects had nasal epithelial cells collected for CF transmembrane conductance regulator(CFTR) functional assessment. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the risk of reclassification. A total of 112 children completed the study (CF = 53, CFSPID = 59). Phenotypic characteristics between groups showed differences in pancreatic insufficiency prevalence, immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT) levels, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PSA) colonization. Spirometry measures were not different between groups. Nasal epithelial cells from 10 subjects showed 7%-30% of wild-type (WT)-CFTR (wtCFTR) function in those who reclassified and 27%-67% of wtCFTR function in those who retained the CFSPID designation. Modeling revealed that increasing sweat chloride concentration (sw[Cl- ]) and PSA colonization were independent risk factors for reclassification to CF. Increasing sw[Cl- ] and a history of PSA colonization are associated with the risk of reclassification from CFSPID to CF in a population with high IRT and two CFTR variants. A close follow-up to monitor phenotypic changes remains critical in this population. The role of CFTR functional assays in this population requires further exploration.

Perinatal outcomes and time-in-range on continuous glucose monitoring for type 1 diabetes

To examine the association between perinatal outcomes and time-in-range (TIR) as assessed on continuous glucose monitors (CGM) used by pregnant individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). We hypothesized improved perinatal outcomes with higher TIR. This multicenter study included all gravidas with T1DM using CGM who delivered in 2020-2022 at 3 University of California sites. Only those with CGM target range set to 70-140 mg/dL (±10 mg/dL) were included. TIR (%) was recorded at 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32 weeks. The primary maternal and neonatal outcomes were preeclampsia and large for gestational age (LGA), defined as birthweight (BW) ≥ 95th percentile. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare median TIR in those with and without the primary outcomes. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (OR), with adjustment for microvascular disease and years with T1DM. A total of 54 patients were included. The majority were nulliparous (54%) and white (74%). Most used an insulin pump (83%) and did not have diabetic microvascular disease (71%). Median time since diagnosis of T1DM was 14.5 years, and median periconception A1c was 7.0. Compared to those with preeclampsia, normotensive gravidas had significantly higher TIR at nearly every time point (Figure). A similar pattern was seen for those with normal BW infants compared to LGA infants. On adjusted analyses, every 5-unit increase in TIR at 12 weeks was associated with a 47% and 45% reduction in the odds of preeclampsia and LGA, respectively. Higher TIR is associated with lower preeclampsia and LGA. This association is seen early in gestation, when each 5-unit increase in TIR is associated with ∼50% reduction in the odds of these complications. TIR provides a more nuanced understanding of glycemia than traditional markers, such as A1c. Larger studies are needed to further explore these findings and to identify optimal TIR to reduce perinatal complication rates.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

Know Before You Go: Data-Driven Beach Water Quality Forecasting.

Forecasting environmental hazards is critical in preventing or building resilience to their impacts on human communities and ecosystems. Environmental data science is an emerging field that can be harnessed for forecasting, yet more work is needed to develop methodologies that can leverage increasingly large and complex data sets for decision support. Here, we design a data-driven framework that can, for the first time, forecast bacterial standard exceedances at marine beaches with 3 days lead time. Using historical data sets collected at two California sites, we train nearly 400 forecast models using statistical and machine learning techniques and test forecasts against predictions from both a naive "persistence" model and a baseline nowcast model. Overall, forecast models are found to have similar sensitivities and specificities to the persistence model, but significantly higher areas under the ROC curve (a metric distinguishing a model's ability to effectively parse classes across decision thresholds), suggesting that forecasts can provide enhanced information beyond past observations alone. Forecast model performance at all lead times was similar to that of nowcast models. Together, results suggest that integrating the forecasting framework developed in this study into beach management programs can enable better public notification and aid in proactive pollution and health risk management.

Sex-Biased Differences in Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy at Síi Túupentak , an Ancestral Ohlone Village in Central California (ca. 540–145 cal. BP)

ABSTRACT: Síi Túupentak (CA-SCA-565/H) is a late precontact ancestral Ohlone village and cemetery site in Central California (ca. 540–145 cal. BP). Integration of proteomic, genomic, and osteological analyses provided highly confident biological sex estimates for remains of most individuals at this site (65 of 76), spanning all age groups, from perinatal infants to aged adults. Based on these relatively comprehensive data, it was possible to generate sex-specific Kaplan-Meier survival curves for this burial population of sedentary hunter-gatherers. As was common among societies predating modern Western medicine and antibiotics, infant mortality was high for both males and females. However, male infants (from birth to 5 years of age) appear to have died at nearly twice the rate of female infants (10 of 33 males vs. 5 of 32 females) and had a mean age of survival at birth of only 19 years, compared to 30 years for females. The difference in male and female survival was statistically significant by log-rank test ( p = 0.005). Compared to survival curves for other societies predating modern Western medicine and antibiotics, including American-era historical deaths recorded for a cemetery in San Francisco, this bias is larger than might be expected. We suspect the pattern of sex-biased infant mortality at Síi Túupentak could relate to an intrinsic survival advantage for female infants, combined with extrinsic factors such as environmental pathogens, nutritional stress, and gendered differences in weaning patterns detected through stable isotope analyses. Using isotopic data on weaning ages and ethnographic accounts of gendered foraging activities, we focus on the potential role of sex-biased differences in weaning patterns and highlight potential demographic and social implications. Broader application of proteomic and genomic sex estimation would allow sex-biased differences in nutrition and health, as well as social and cultural aspects of male and female life histories, to be compared across a wide range of archaeologically known hunter-gatherer societies.

Measurements of Mesospheric Water Vapor From 1992 to 2021 at Three Stations From the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change

AbstractWe present ground‐based microwave measurements of mesospheric water vapor made by the Water Vapor Millimeter‐wave Spectrometer (WVMS) instruments since the early 1990s from sites in California, Hawaii, and New Zealand. These measurements are compared with coincident measurements from the Halogen Occultation Experiment, the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder, and Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry; all of which combine to cover the entire time period of the ground‐based measurements. Comparisons are presented both on ∼weekly timescales in order to better identify discontinuities in the relative differences and on annual timescales in order to better study geophysical variations. The WVMS retrievals shown here are available on the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change database. The range of WVMS trends and the differences from the satellite trends, with the latter varying over a range of ∼3%/decade, provide an estimate of how accurately it would be possible to determine multidecadal trends using ground‐based microwave instruments in a postsatellite era. This uncertainty is comparable to the trend in mesospheric water vapor that is expected to have occurred since the early 1990s.

Dust Storms and Respiratory Emergency Department Visits in the Southwestern United States

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Climate change is projected to increase the risk of dust storms, particularly in the southwestern US. Research on dust storm impacts is hindered by challenges in dust storm identification. This study assesses the potential link between dust storms and respiratory-related emergency department (ED) visits in the southwestern US. METHODS: We acquired data for 2005-2016 from IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Environments) monitoring sites in California (n=2), Arizona (n=5), Nevada (n=2), and Utah (n=1). Applying a validated algorithm that identifies dust events of natural origin, dust storm days at each IMPROVE site were identified. We acquired patient-level ED visit data from state agencies and selected visits for respiratory diseases, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among patients residing within 50 km of a monitoring site. Using a case-crossover design, we estimated associations of ED visits and dust storms, controlling for meteorology, ozone, and holidays. RESULTS: During 2005-2016, 37 dust storm days occurred at the 10 IMPROVE sites. Mean PM10 and PM2.5 levels were 3-6 times greater on dust compared to non-dust storm days. We observed associations of respiratory ED visits and dust storms, with strongest associations at lag 3 [odds ratio of 1.049 (95% confidence interval: 1.002-1.098)]. Results were driven by Arizona, with an odds ratio for respiratory ED visits of 1.068 (95% confidence interval: 1.008-1.133). Associations for asthma were similar, although with larger uncertainty given fewer ED visits. Associations for COPD were consistent with the null. CONCLUSIONS: Using a monitoring-based exposure metric, we observed associations among respiratory ED visits and dust storms. The results add to growing evidence of the health threat posed by dust storms. The dust storm metric was limited by lack of daily monitoring data; future research will incorporate satellite and models for enhanced dust storm characterization. KEYWORDS: Climate, Dust, PM, Morbidity

Quantifying phenology and migratory behaviours of hummingbirds using single-site dynamics and mark-detection analyses.

Nuanced understanding of seasonal movements of partially migratory birds is paramount to species and habitat conservation. Using nascent statistical methods, we identified migratory strategies of birds outfitted with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags detected at RFID feeders in two sites in California, USA. We quantified proportions of migrants and residents and the seasonal phenology for each movement strategy in Allen’s and Anna’s hummingbirds; we also validated our methodology by fitting our model to obligate migratory black-chinned hummingbirds. Allen’s and Anna’s hummingbirds exhibited characteristics of facultative migratory behaviour. We also quantified apparent annual survival for each migratory strategy and found that residents had significantly higher probabilities of apparent survival. Low survival estimates for migrants suggest that a high proportion of birds in the migrant group permanently emigrated from our study sites. Considered together, our analyses suggest that hummingbirds in both northern and southern California sites partake in diverse and highly plastic migratory behaviours. Our assessment elucidates the dynamics underlying idiosyncratic migratory behaviours of two species of hummingbirds, in addition to describing a framework for similar assessments of migratory behaviours using the multi-state open robust design with state uncertainty model and single-site dynamics.

Abstract 19 Cleveland Cord Blood Center (CCBC) Best Practices Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic and How It Impacted Collection of Cord Blood Units

IntroductionOur commitment to provide quality cord blood units (CBUs) to patients in need was challenged with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the pandemics continued impact through early 2022. We continually monitored the ever-evolving COVID-19 public health threat to make adjustments to our practices to achieve optimal collections while maintaining the safety and quality of our CBUs.ObjectiveThe CCBC continued collections at all five collection sites with a brief mandated pause at our California site due to hospital restrictions. We maintained minimal staffing at the cord blood center to reduce the number of employees impacted should an exposure occur. Donors were screened upon admission for symptoms, exposure, positive testing, and recent vaccination, and donors with identified risks were excluded from collection.MethodsOur study design takes a retrospective look at data collected from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic through December 2021 compared to data from 2018-2019. Factors included were birth numbers, number of patients testing positive for COVID-19, and staffing shortages due to coordinator illness with COVID-19.ResultsWe saw limited impact to our collection staff at the hospital or on site at the CCBC. Our biggest reduction of donors consented was between 2019 and 2020, which we attribute to the COVID peak and introduction of vaccinations. Most sites were trending downward for consenting on a yearly basis before COVID-19 at a rate of 6%-10% per year; during 2019-2020 we saw 19%, but the trend has returned to 8% from 2020-2021. This same trending occurred during the ZIKA outbreak. There was no further data review to determine if these mothers would have been excluded for other reasons. We collected a total of 15,561 units between 2018 and 2019 and a total of 10,121 units between 2020 and 2021.DiscussionOverall productivity of the collections was not dramatically affected by our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research at time of pre-consent, to determine if the mother would have been ineligible to donate for reasons other than COVID-19, would have given us a more accurate count of donors lost for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Return of the pika: American pikas re-occupy long-extirpated, warm locations.

American pikas (Ochotona princeps), small mammals related to rabbits, occur in mountainous regions of western North America, where they live in shattered‐rock habitats (talus). Aspects of their physiology and life history create situations that appear to put pikas at risk from warming climates. Some low‐elevation, warm sites that historically harbored pikas have become extirpated, and the assumption is that these will not be re‐colonized under current climate trends. Unexpectedly, in 2021, we found that pikas had re‐colonized two very warm, low‐elevation, dry sites in eastern California, USA, in the Bodie Mountains and Mono Craters. Resident pikas appear to have been absent at both sites for ≥10 years. These findings suggest that pikas, which are normally diurnally active, are able to overcome thermal dispersal barriers and re‐colonize long‐extirpated sites, perhaps by moving during cool nights. Our data also highlight the often unrecognized suitability of pika habitat in warm regions where the interiors of taluses can remain stably cool even when external air temperatures are hot.

Indoor contribution to PM2 .5 exposure using all PurpleAir sites in Washington, Oregon, and California.

Low-cost monitors have made it possible for the first time to measure indoor PM2.5 concentrations over extended periods of time (months to years). Coupled with concurrent outdoor measurements, these indoor measurements can be divided into particles entering the building from outdoors and particles generated from indoor activities. Indoor-generated particles are not normally considered in epidemiological studies, but they can have health effects (e.g., passive smoking and high-temperature cooking). We employed The Random Component Superposition (RCS) regression model to estimate infiltration factors for up to 790 000 matched indoor and outdoor sites. The median infiltration factors for subgroups in the 3-state region ranged between 0.22 and 0.24, with an interquartile range (IQR) of 0.13-0.40. These infiltration factors allowed calculation of both the indoor-generated and outdoor-infiltrated PM2.5 . Indoor-generated particles contributed, on average, 46%-52% of total indoor PM2.5 concentrations. However, the site-specific fractional contribution of these indoor sources to total indoor PM2.5 ranged from near-zero to nearly 100%. The influence of indoor-generated particles on potential exposures varied widely relative to outdoor concentrations. The greatest influence of indoor-generated particles occurred at low-to-moderate daily mean outdoor PM2.5 levels around 6μg/m3 and was negligible at outdoor concentrations >20 μg/m3 . Epidemiological studies incorporating only estimated exposures due to the particles of ambient origin may benefit from the newly available knowledge of long-term indoor-generated particle concentrations.

Revised Earthquake Recurrence Intervals in California, U.S.A.: New Paleoseismic Sites and Application of Event Likelihoods

AbstractRecurrence intervals for ground rupturing earthquakes are critical data for assessing seismic hazard. Recurrence intervals are presented here for 38 paleoseismic sites in California. Eleven of these include new or updated data; the remainder use data previously included in the Unified California Earthquake Rupture Forecast Version 3 (UCERF3). The methods and results are consistent with UCERF3. In addition, revised recurrence intervals are presented at every site. The revised recurrence intervals incorporate uncertainty in the interpretation of paleoseismic evidence, which is expressed as event likelihood. Event likelihood is the probability that the evidence has been correctly interpreted as a unique earthquake. Event likelihoods are estimated here for 85 inferred past earthquakes at eight paleoseismic sites in California, using a single, consistent methodology. The average event likelihood is 0.85. The revised recurrence intervals are 16% longer, on average, than conventional estimates, and their confidence intervals are disproportionately wider. These recurrence intervals are suitable for inclusion in a “grand inversion” rupture forecast, and they may be important for addressing a systematic misfit in the UCERF3 grand inversion. The revised recurrence intervals may also be important for assessing the unusually long earthquake hiatus in California. Other applications may not need to consider event likelihoods because the effects are small relative to typical uncertainties.

Design and evaluation of short-term monitoring campaigns for long-term air pollution exposure assessment.

Short-term mobile monitoring campaigns to estimate long-term air pollution levels are becoming increasingly common. Still, many campaigns have not conducted temporally-balanced sampling, and few have looked at the implications of such study designs for epidemiologic exposure assessment. We carried out a simulation study using fixed-site air quality monitors to better understand how different short-term monitoring designs impact the resulting exposure surfaces. We used Monte Carlo resampling to simulate three archetypal short-term monitoring sampling designs using oxides of nitrogen (NOx) monitoring data from 69 regulatory sites in California: a year-around Balanced Design that sampled during all seasons of the year, days of the week, and all or various hours of the day; a temporally reduced Rush Hours Design; and a temporally reduced Business Hours Design. We evaluated the performance of each design's land use regression prediction model. The Balanced Design consistently yielded the most accurate annual averages; while the reduced Rush Hours and Business Hours Designs generally produced more biased results. A temporally-balanced sampling design is crucial for short-term campaigns such as mobile monitoring aiming to assess long-term exposure in epidemiologic cohorts. Short-term monitoring campaigns to assess long-term air pollution trends are increasingly common, though they rarely conduct temporally balanced sampling. We show that this approach produces biased annual average exposure estimates that can be improved by collecting temporally-balanced samples.

From data to interpretable models: machine learning for soil moisture forecasting

Soil moisture is critical to agricultural business, ecosystem health, and certain hydrologically driven natural disasters. Monitoring data, though, is prone to instrumental noise, wide ranging extrema, and nonstationary response to rainfall where ground conditions change. Furthermore, existing soil moisture models generally forecast poorly for time periods greater than a few hours. To improve such forecasts, we introduce two data-driven models, the Naive Accumulative Representation (NAR) and the Additive Exponential Accumulative Representation (AEAR). Both of these models are rooted in deterministic, physically based hydrology, and we study their capabilities in forecasting soil moisture over time periods longer than a few hours. Learned model parameters represent the physically based unsaturated hydrological redistribution processes of gravity and suction. We validate our models using soil moisture and rainfall time series data collected from a steep gradient, post-wildfire site in southern California. Data analysis is complicated by rapid landscape change observed in steep, burned hillslopes in response to even small to moderate rain events. The proposed NAR and AEAR models are, in forecasting experiments, shown to be competitive with several established and state-of-the-art baselines. The AEAR model fits the data well for three distinct soil textures at variable depths below the ground surface (5, 15, and 30 cm). Similar robust results are demonstrated in controlled, laboratory-based experiments. Our AEAR model includes readily interpretable hydrologic parameters and provides more accurate forecasts than existing models for time horizons of 10–24 h. Such extended periods of warning for natural disasters, such as floods and landslides, provide actionable knowledge to reduce loss of life and property.

Red turpentine beetle primary attraction to β‐pinene or 3‐carene (with and without ethanol) varies in western US pine forests

Abstract Lure attraction strength for red turpentine beetle, Dendroctonus valens (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) observed previously in US Pacific Northwest ponderosa pine forests is (−)‐β‐pinene+ethanol > (+)‐3‐carene+ethanol, but untested elsewhere in its western US range. Thus, both were tested with (−)‐β‐pinene, (+)‐3‐carene, ethanol, and a blank in Oregon and California sites burned by wildfire, whereas in Arizona the first four lures were tested in a thinned‐unburned site. The D. valens responses in burned Oregon and California sites were similar, (−)‐β‐pinene+ethanol > (−)‐β‐pinene > 3‐carene = 3‐carene+ethanol > ethanol > blank, whereas in the cut‐unburned Arizona site it was 3‐carene+ethanol > 3‐carene = (−)‐β‐pinene+ethanol > (−)‐β‐pinene. Whether this variation was influenced by beetle genetic differences, or chemical and physical parameters in the different environments and remaining stressed host resources 1‐year post disturbance warrants additional study. Responses to (−)‐β‐pinene varied, from a stronger attractant than (+)‐3‐carene in Oregon and California, to a weaker lure than (+)‐3‐carene in Arizona. This (−)‐β‐pinene variability was minimized when released in combination with ethanol, making (−)‐β‐pinene+ethanol the most consistent attractant of those tested across the three states, and a reliable lure for detection, monitoring, and management projects for D. valens in western US pine forests.

Understanding US Physician and Pharmacist Attitudes Toward Biosimilar Products: A Qualitative Study.

Biosimilars account for 30-40% of biologic medications dispensed in the United States (US), yet healthcare providers in relevant medical specialties have limited awareness of biosimilars and their characteristics. Likewise, many providers perceive biosimilars as less safe and effective than original biologics and are more comfortable prescribing original biologics to patients. We conducted in-person focus groups at three clinical sites in California and Texas (n = 49) to explore the reasons behind US healthcare providers' limited understanding of, cautious attitudes toward, and reluctance to prescribe biosimilars. We conducted thematic analysis by having three researchers independently analyze verbatim transcripts and identify patterns in provider responses. Providers' limited knowledge of and cautious attitudes toward biosimilars are driven by uncertainty about how biosimilarity is defined and operationalized as well as negative past experiences with generic drugs that did not perform as well as branded counterparts. Additionally, healthcare providers are unfamiliar with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) approval pathway for biosimilars and are skeptical that an abbreviated approval process is rigorous enough to ensure biosimilars deliver the same efficacy and have the same side effect profiles as original biologics. Physicians also expressed concerns about pharmacy substitution of biosimilars and interchangeables, explaining they would be unaware of which medication was ultimately given to their patients. Educating physicians and pharmacists about biosimilars-including how biosimilarity is defined and operationalized, the structure of the biosimilar approval process, and how analytical data can ensure biosimilar safety and efficacy-will be important for reducing healthcare providers' concerns and increasing biosimilar adoption in the US.

Eutrophication thresholds associated with protection of biological integrity in California wadeable streams

Eutrophication is one of the most pervasive stressors impacting streams, often leading to loss of biodiversity or change in natural functions. To protect against these adverse effects, managers can set targets for environmental indicators to limit eutrophication that are likely to maintain high biological integrity. To identify protective management targets, we evaluated the responses of three bioassessment indices (one for benthic macroinvertebrates and two for benthic algae assemblages) to five eutrophication indicators (total nitrogen [TN], total phosphorus [TP], benthic chlorophyll-a [chl-a], benthic ash-free dry mass [AFDM], and percent macroalgal cover [% cover] of the streambed). First, we used a bioassessment data set of 1249 sites in California to create logistic regression models of the likelihood of achieving several biointegrity goals for each index along increasing gradients of each indicator. Then, we evaluated eutrophication thresholds at concentrations corresponding to several relative probabilities (from 50 to 95 %), reflecting a range of policy makers’ potential tolerance for risk of failing to meet biointegrity goals. Finally, we validated the thresholds with relative risk assessment, and identified the lowest validated threshold across the three indices. All eutrophication indicators were significantly associated with increased risks to biointegrity, resulting in a set of validated thresholds for each biointegrity goal. For example, thresholds of 0.24 mg/L TN, 0.05 mg/L TP, 44 mg/m2 benthic chl-a, 2.5 mg/cm2 AFDM, and 26 % cover would achieve index scores above the 10th percentile of reference (a biointegrity goal that has been used in certain regulatory applications) with an 80 % probability. If these thresholds were applied ambient monitoring statewide dataset, TN was the most pervasively exceeded threshold (37 % of sites), particularly within the highly agricultural Central Valley (76 %), although exceedances of TN and AFDM were also common in the urbanized South Coast region (68 % and 72 % of sites, respectively).

Colorado Tick Fever Virus in the Far West: Forgotten, but Not Gone.

In the past few decades, reported human cases of Colorado tick fever in the western United States have decreased dramatically. The goal of this study was to conduct surveillance for Colorado tick fever virus (CTFV) in Dermacentor ticks in recreational sites in Colorado, Wyoming, and California to determine whether the virus is still present in Dermacentor ticks from these states. Surveillance focused on regions where surveys had been conducted in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Adult Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni), Pacific Coast ticks (Dermacentor occidentalis), and winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) were tested by PCR. A subset of PCR-positive D. andersoni ticks (n = 7) were cultured in Vero cells. CTFV-positive Rocky Mountain wood ticks were found in all states: Colorado (58% prevalence), Wyoming (21%), and California (4%). Although no winter ticks tested positive, Pacific Coast ticks tested positive in one county (Siskiyou County, 15% prevalence) and were positive only in a location that also maintained Rocky Mountain wood ticks and golden mantled ground squirrels, a known CTFV host. In summary, CTFV is prevalent in D. andersoni and D. occidentalis in regions where they are sympatric in California and in D. andersoni in Colorado and Wyoming. Although the number of human CTFV cases has declined dramatically, this decrease in reported disease does not appear to be due to the disappearance or even the decline in prevalence of this virus in ticks in historically endemic regions of the country.

Kelp Patch-Specific Characteristics Limit Detection Capability of Rapid Survey Method for Determining Canopy Biomass Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Kelp forests dominate autotrophic biomass and primary productivity of approximately 30,000 to 60,000 km of shallow temperate and Arctic rocky reef coastline globally and contribute significantly to carbon cycling in the coastal ocean. Rapid biomass turnover is driven by very high growth rates and seasonal environmental drivers. As a result, kelp biomass varies greatly with time, space, and by species. In the northeast Pacific region, bull kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana) and giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) form extensive floating surface canopies with a distinct spectral signature compared to the surrounding water. Studies have shown that remote sensing is advantageous for deriving large-scale estimates of floating surface canopy biomass, which comprises more than 90% of bull and giant kelp standing stock. However, development and validation of remotely derived kelp canopy biomass is lacking because existing approaches are time intensive and costly. This study attempted to close that gap by developing a rapid survey design utilizing diver and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery across six sites in northern and central California. Kelp sporophytes were collected and measured for morphometric characteristics and genera-specific allometry to canopy biomass. Kelp density was measured using in situ diver surveys and coupled with UAV imagery to quantify kelp canopy biomass at a range of ground sampling distances. We successfully estimated kelp canopy biomass from UAV imagery at 33% (2/6) of the survey sites, but consistently determining canopy biomass via this approach was challenged by both survey design and kelp patch-specific spatial characteristics. The morphologies of bull kelp in Monterey were significantly different than other regions measured, but further work should be conducted to fully characterize differences in canopy biomass at the regional and sub-regional scale. We use this opportunity to suggest survey design strategies that will increase the success of future methodological development of UAV biomass retrieval. We also recommend developing long-term, annual genera-specific monitoring programs across the northeast Pacific region and beyond to validate remote sensing derived biomass estimates beyond the small number of existing well-characterized sites.

Umbilicaria phaea var. coccinea: conservation status, variety rank, and secondary chemistry

Originally described from a single collection in northern California, Umbilicaria phaea var. coccinea has since been reported from additional sites in California, Oregon and Washington. Although relatively rare in all three states, there is currently no conservation status for U. phaea var. coccinea in California. Developing conservation strategies and status ranks requires a sound understanding of distribution, frequency, habitat requirements and taxonomic placement. Therefore, we evaluated distributions and constructed climate envelope models for both varieties of U. phaea. Umbilicaria phaea var. coccinea appears to be restricted to relatively small habitats within the range of U. phaea var. phaea and is only locally common in portions of the Klamath River watershed. To assess evolutionary relationships between the varieties, we evaluated four molecular loci: ITS2, LSU, Mcm7, and mtSSU. A combined phylogeny using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference indicated that U. phaea is monophyletic. Within the U. phaea clade, var. coccinea and var. phaea do not form mutually exclusive, monophyletic clades; instead, individuals are intermixed. Based on variation in pigment production, morphology, and geographic distribution, we recommend continued designation of U. phaea var. coccinea as a variety. To better understand the chemical diversity within U. phaea, we compared qualitative differences between secondary metabolite profiles of U. phaea var. phaea and U. phaea var. coccinea acetone extracts using ultraperformance-liquid chromatography high resolution tandem mass spectrometry in negative ion mode. UV spectroscopy, thin-layer chromatography and chemical spot testing were used to further characterize the compounds present. Overall, ten compounds were detected in extracts of U. phaea var. phaea and U. phaea var. coccinea. Five previously known chemical substances were identified in both U. phaea varieties including: orsellinic acid, lecanoric acid, hiascic acid, gyrophoric acid, and orsellinylgyrophorate, along with four unknown metabolites. One additional unknown substance whose chemical properties are consistent with a polyhydroxylated anthraquinone pigment was detected only in U. phaea var. coccinea. Given its rarity, chemical uniqueness, and distinct ecological association, U. phaea var. coccinea warrants a protected status throughout its range.

Can camera traps be used to differentiate species of North American flying squirrels?

AbstractCamera traps are becoming an increasingly important tool to survey wildlife populations. However, the application of camera trapping for reliable species identification between nondistinctive, morphologically similar sympatric species is untested for most small mammals, including North American flying squirrels (Glaucomys spp.). Camera traps are a successful monitoring technique where flying squirrel species are allopatric, however there are zones of sympatry between Humboldt's flying squirrel (HFS, G. oregonensis) and northern flying squirrel (NFS, G. sabrinus) in the Pacific Northwest and NFS and southern flying squirrels (SFS, G. volans) in eastern North America. We used camera trap data collected during flying squirrel surveys in 2013–2020 at 59 sites in California, North Carolina, and Virginia, USA, to determine if a reliable method could be used to differentiate the species. With a subset of 100 high‐quality, independent capture events per species (50 of dorsal views, 50 of lateral views), we used body measurements and pelage characteristics to differentiate species using random forest classification models. Our models predicted species identification accuracy rates of 90.9% for dorsal views and 68.2% for lateral views. Species misclassification rates between HFS and NFS were 23.5% for dorsal views and 26.5% for lateral views, whereas misclassification rates between NFS and SFS were 16.6% for dorsal views and 5.7% for lateral views. Although misclassification rates were lower than we expected between NFS and SFS, we are cautious about recommending camera trapping as opposed to ultrasonic acoustics for North American flying squirrel species identification, especially in areas of species sympatry due to potential false positive rates and high numbers of unusable images. However, camera trap settings and white‐flash photography should be explored to determine their potential for improving flying squirrel species classification rates and the percentage of usable photos.