A puzzling migratory detour : are fueling conditions in Alaska driving the movement of juvenile sharp-tailed sandpipers?

Making a detour can be advantageous to a migrating bird if fuel-deposition rates at stopover sites along the detour are considerably higher than at stopover sites along a more direct route. One example of an extensive migratory detour is that of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata), of which large numbers of juveniles are found during fall migration in western Alaska. These birds take a detour of 1500-3400 km from the most direct route between their natal range in northeastern Siberia and nonbreeding areas in Australia. We studied the autumnal fueling rates and fuel loads of 357 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers captured in western Alaska. In early September the birds increased in mass at a rate of only 0.5% of lean body mass day^-1. Later in September, the rate of mass increase was about 6% of lean body mass day^-1, among the highest values found among similar-sized shorebirds around the world. Some individuals more than doubled their body mass because of fuel deposition, allowing nonstop flight of between 7100 and 9800 km, presumably including a trans-oceanic flight to the southern hemisphere. Our observations indicated that predator attacks were rare in our study area, adding another potential benefit of the detour. We conclude that the most likely reason for the Alaskan detour is that it allows juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpipers to put on large fuel stores at exceptionally high rates.

Visual impairment and eye care among Alaska native people

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of visual impairment, eye disease and eye care in the Alaska Native (AN) population, by demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Methods: Population-based cross-sectional study of 3,793 AN adults aged 18–94 years enrolled in the Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) Study from March 2004–March 2006. Data on self-reported visual impairment, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and previous dilated eye examinations were collected using audio computer-assisted self-administered questionnaires.

Results: The unadjusted prevalence of self-reported visual impairment was 8.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.9–9.7), cataract 5.9% (95% CI: 5.2–6.7), glaucoma 2.5% (95% CI: 2.0–3.0) and diabetic eye disease 1.3% (95% CI: 0.9–1.7). In all cases, age-sex adjusted prevalence estimates for the AN population were greater than available estimates for the general U.S. population. Prevalence of visual impairment and each eye disease increased with age (P < 0.01). Additional factors associated with visual impairment were education and annual household income. Overall, 70.0% (95% CI: 68.5–71.6) of participants reported a dilated eye examination within the previous two years. Dilated eye examination within the previous two years was associated with increasing age (P < 0.001). However, men and participants with lower formal education were less likely to report recent dilated eye examination. Among those with diabetes, only 67.7% (95% CI: 60.8–74.1) reported a dilated eye examination within the recommended previous one year.

Conclusions: Self-reported visual impairment, cataract, glaucoma and diabetic eye disease are prevalent in the AN population. These data may be useful in healthcare planning and education programs.

Chronic disease and impairment among Alaska native elders : the Alaska Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) study

Background: Chronic diseases and impairments are prevalent among older Americans. However, prevalence data for Alaska Native (AN) elders are limited, with estimates usually extrapolated from national studies in which AN elders may not be well-represented. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of selected chronic diseases, impairments, and measured medical risk factors among a large community sample of AN elders.

Methods: Design, setting, and participants. A community-based cross-sectional study of baseline information from 656 AN elders aged 55 years or over who participated in the Alaska Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) Study, March 2004 to August 2006. Measurements. Self-reported lifetime prevalence of 17 doctor-diagnosed chronic diseases, and point prevalence of vision, hearing, oral, and general health impairment were estimated from data collected using audio computer-assisted self-administered questionnaires. In addition, height, weight, blood pressure, fasting blood lipids, and fasting blood glucose levels were measured.

Results: The four most prevalent chronic diseases among AN elders were high blood pressure (55%), arthritis (49%), high cholesterol (42%), and adult bone fracture/break (35%). The median number of chronic diseases reported was three (inter-quartile range, 2 to 5). The prevalence of self-reported vision impairment was 15%, hearing impairment 18%, and having had all natural teeth removed 25%. Almost 50% were obese. High blood pressure (systolic ≥ 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic ≥ 90 mm Hg) was measured in 23%, high low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (≥ 130 mg/dL) in 39%, and high fasting plasma glucose (> 125 mg/dL) in 9%. Obesity was more prevalent among women than men. There were also significant regional differences in rates of obesity and high LDL cholesterol.

Conclusion: These data may be useful in public health programs and health services planning.

Roadian – Wordian (Guadalupian, Middle Permian) global palaeobiogeography of brachiopods

A database of 4471 Roadian–Wordian (Guadalupian, Middle Permian) occurrences of 381 brachiopod genera in 44 different operational geographical units (stations) was analyzed by both Q-mode and R-mode quantitative methods. Four distinct brachiopod biogeographical realms and nine provinces, and 11 brachiopod associations are recognized. The Boreal Realm in the Northern Hemisphere includes the Verkolyman Province in the northern and northeastern Siberian Platform and the eastern European Province in the Ural seaway between the European and Siberian platforms. Both provinces are characterized by containing typical Boreal cold-water brachiopod associations. The Gondwanan Realm in the south also includes two provinces. The Austrazean Province in eastern Australia and New Zealand is probably the most stable province throughout the Permian and characterized by typical Gondwanan brachiopod associations. The Westralian Province centered in Western Australia is also characterized by typical Gondwanan brachiopods, but also demonstrates biogeographical links with the Tethyan stations. The Palaeoequatorial Realm located mainly in the palaeotropical zone contains highly diverse and abundant brachiopod faunas. Two regions/subrealms and four provinces are recognized within this realm. The North America Subrealm contains a distinct Grandian Province characterized by many endemic brachiopod genera and a few coldwater genera. East-central Alaska and Yukon Territory may constitute another brachiopod province. All the stations in the Tethyan Ocean (both Palaeotethys and Neotethys) constitute a distinct Asian–Tethyan Region/ Subrealm and incorporate three different provinces. The Cathaysian Province is comprised of the stations in South China and its surrounding terranes/blocks and a few stations in the northern and western margin of the Palaeotethys. Two transitional provinces (Sino–Mongolian–Japanese Province and Cimmerian Province) in the northern and southern temperate zones are also recognizable. The brachiopod fauna from the Mino Belt in Japan is well distinguished from those from other regions, and is hence assigned to the palaeoceanic Panthalassan Realm. Principal coordinates analysis and minimum spanning tree analysis suggest that a latitude-related thermal gradient was the major control for the palaeobiogeography of Roadian–Wordian global brachiopod faunas and for the latitudinal of pattern of decreasing brachiopod generic diversities from the equator to the poles. In addition, geographic separation and oceanic currents may also have played some role in the spatial distribution of brachiopods during Roadian–Wordian times.

Values in science, environmental education and teacher education

The aim of this chapter is to establish values as a key component of science and environmental education, consistent with the troika framework, and to explore the implications of this for teacher education. In the chapter, we review research that has increasingly placed values at the centre of the process of learning science, and central also in framing students' responses to school science. We then present findings from three projects that explore the relationship of values to teaching and learning science: first, an exploration of the pedagogies of effective teachers of science; second,an environmental education project in which students explore science and sustainability ideas in the context of a community exchange program in Mexico and Alaska; and, third, a teachcr education initiative focused on place-based education. In the chapter, we argue that learning science and engaging with the environment entails pedagogies that link conceptual learning, values and community.

Seasonal winds drive water temperature cycle and migration patterns of Southern Australian giant crab Pseudocarcinus gigas

The giant crab Pseudocarcinus gigas occurs along the continental shelf break of southern Australia. During the summer alongshore winds cause cooler water to upwell onto the shelf, and the crabs move from deeper water onto the shelf where there is more food. The combination of a preferred thermal niche and a depth-stratified food supply defines the favorable foraging environments that enhance the growth of P. gigas. Climate change is expected to cause a southerly shift of the austral subtropical high-pressure belt, and modelers have predicted more upwelling-favorable winds. The associated increase in the circulation of cooler water across the shelf is likely to provide P. gigas with an increased access to benthic food resources and their growth rate may increase in some regions.