Animal detections increase by using a wide-angle camera trap model but not by periodically repositioning camera traps within study sites

When using camera traps for wildlife studies, determining suitable camera models and deployment methods is essential for achieving study objectives. We aimed to determine if camera trap performance can be increased by (1) using cameras with wider detection angles, and (2) by periodically repositioning cameras within sites. We compared three camera trap groups: stationary Reconyx PC900/HC600 (40° detection angle), and paired, periodically-repositioned Reconyx PC900/HC600 and Swift 3C wide-angle camera traps (110° detection angle). Cameras operated simultaneously at 17 sites over 9 weeks within the Upper Warren region, Western Australia. Swift cameras had significantly higher detection rates, leading to better performance, especially for species 10 kg bodyweight. Reconyx cameras missed 54% of known events, with most being animals that moved within the cameras’ detection zones. Stationary and periodically-repositioned Reconyx camera traps performed similarly, although there were notable differences for some species. The better performance of Swift 3C wide-angle camera traps makes them more useful for community-level and species-level studies. The increased sensitivity of the Swift’s passive infrared sensor along with the wider detection zone played an important role in its success. When choosing camera trap models, detection angle and sensor sensitivity should be considered to produce reliable study results. Periodically repositioning cameras within sites is a technique that warrants further investigation as it may reduce camera placement bias, animal avoidance of camera traps, and increase spatial/habitat information when a limited number of cameras are deployed

Modeling study of infrasonic detection of 1 kT atmospheric blast

A modified version of the ``Pierce code``, which provides a theoretical prediction of acoustic-gravity pressure waveforms generated by explosions in the atmosphere, has been used to simulate detectable signal amplitudes from a 1 kT atmospheric detonation at high latitudes upton distances of about 1,000 kilometers from the source. Realistic prevailing winds and temperature profiles have been included in these simulations and propagation results for with wind and counter wind conditions are presented. En route, the code has been successfully ported from a CRAY/UNICOS platform to a more general UNIX/workstation environment in FORTRAN90. The effects of seasonal variations of winds and temperature at high latitudes will be presented at the symposium

Algebraic approach to time-delay data analysis for LISA

Cancellation of laser frequency noise in interferometers is crucial for attaining the requisite sensitivity of the triangular 3-spacecraft LISA configuration. Raw laser noise is several orders of magnitude above the other noises and thus it is essential to bring it down to the level of other noises such as shot, acceleration, etc. Since it is impossible to maintain equal distances between spacecrafts, laser noise cancellation must be achieved by appropriately combining the six beams with appropriate time-delays. It has been shown in several recent papers that such combinations are possible. In this paper, we present a rigorous and systematic formalism based on algebraic geometrical methods involving computational commutative algebra, which generates in principle {\it all} the data combinations cancelling the laser frequency noise. The relevant data combinations form the first module of syzygies, as it is called in the literature of algebraic geometry. The module is over a polynomial ring in three variables, the three variables corresponding to the three time-delays around the LISA triangle. Specifically, we list several sets of generators for the module whose linear combinations with polynomial coefficients generate the entire module. We find that this formalism can also be extended in a straight forward way to cancel Doppler shifts due to optical bench motions. The two modules are infact isomorphic. We use our formalism to obtain the transfer functions for the six beams and for the generators. We specifically investigate monochromatic gravitational wave sources in the LISA band and carry out the maximisiation over linear combinations of the generators of the signal-to-noise ratios with the frequency and source direction angles as parameters.Comment: 27 Pages, 6 figure

Long-Term Benefit-Risk Profiles of Treatments for Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis : A Network Meta-Analysis

Altres ajuts: AbbVie Inc.Introduction: The long-term benefit-risk profiles of licensed and investigational treatments for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis have not been fully characterized. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of licensed and investigational treatments for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis were identified through a systematic literature review through 2 May 2021. Bayesian network meta-analyses (NMAs) were conducted to compare the efficacy (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [PASI] 75/90/100 [at least a 75/90/100% reduction in PASI score from baseline] response) and safety outcomes (any adverse event [AE], any serious AE [SAE], and AEs leading to treatment discontinuation) of each treatment evaluated between weeks 48 and 56 after baseline. Surfaces under the cumulative ranking curves (SUCRAs) were calculated to evaluate the relative ranking of treatments. The benefit-risk profiles of treatments were assessed by bidimensional plots of the NMA-estimated efficacy and safety outcomes. Results: In the efficacy NMA (N = 14 RCTs), the relative rankings for PASI 75/90/100 responses by weeks 48-56 were the highest for risankizumab (SUCRA: 98.5%) and bimekizumab (83.8% for dosing every 4 weeks [Q4W], 72.7% for dosing Q4W then every 8 weeks). The PASI response rates did not differ significantly between risankizumab and the two bimekizumab regimens. Additionally, risankizumab was associated with significantly higher PASI response rates than brodalumab, guselkumab, ixekizumab, secukinumab, ustekinumab, adalimumab, and etanercept. In the safety NMAs (N = 8 RCTs), risankizumab had the highest relative rankings for all three outcomes (SUCRA: 92.1%, 82.0%, and 91.0% for any AE, any SAE, and AEs leading to treatment discontinuation, respectively). Risankizumab had a significantly lower rate of any AE than bimekizumab, ustekinumab, and secukinumab. Conclusions: Risankizumab was associated with the most favorable long-term benefit-risk profile for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Although ixekizumab and bimekizumab had favorable efficacy profiles, both treatments had lower rankings for safety outcomes

Review and meta-analysis of genetic polymorphisms associated with exceptional human longevity

Background Many factors contribute to exceptional longevity, with genetics playing a significant role. However, to date, genetic studies examining exceptional longevity have been inconclusive. This comprehensive review seeks to determine the genetic variants associated with exceptional longevity by undertaking meta-analyses. Methods Meta-analyses of genetic polymorphisms previously associated with exceptional longevity (85+) were undertaken. For each variant, meta-analyses were performed if there were data from at least three independent studies available, including two unpublished additional cohorts. Results Five polymorphisms, ACE rs4340, APOE ε2/3/4, FOXO3A rs2802292, KLOTHO KL-VS and IL6 rs1800795 were significantly associated with exceptional longevity, with the pooled effect sizes (odds ratios) ranging from 0.42 (APOE ε4) to 1.45 (FOXO3A males). Conclusion In general, the observed modest effect sizes of the significant variants suggest many genes of small influence play a role in exceptional longevity, which is consistent with results for other polygenic traits. Our results also suggest that genes related to cardiovascular health may be implicated in exceptional longevity. Future studies should examine the roles of gender and ethnicity and carefully consider study design, including the selection of appropriate controls

Birthing practices of traditional birth attendants in South Asia in the context of training programmes

Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) training has been an important component of public health policy interventions to improve maternal and child health in developing countries since the 1970s. More recently, since the 1990s, the TBA training strategy has been increasingly seen as irrelevant, ineffective or, on the whole, a failure due to evidence that the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in developing countries had not reduced. Although, worldwide data show that, by choice or out of necessity, 47 percent of births in the developing world are assisted by TBAs and/or family members, funding for TBA training has been reduced and moved to providing skilled birth attendants for all births. Any shift in policy needs to be supported by appropriate evidence on TBA roles in providing maternal and infant health care service and effectiveness of the training programmes. This article reviews literature on the characteristics and role of TBAs in South Asia with an emphasis on India. The aim was to assess the contribution of TBAs in providing maternal and infant health care service at different stages of pregnancy and after-delivery and birthing practices adopted in home births. The review of role revealed that apart from TBAs, there are various other people in the community also involved in making decisions about the welfare and health of the birthing mother and new born baby. However, TBAs have changing, localised but nonetheless significant roles in delivery, postnatal and infant care in India. Certain traditional birthing practices such as bathing babies immediately after birth, not weighing babies after birth and not feeding with colostrum are adopted in home births as well as health institutions in India. There is therefore a thin precarious balance between the application of biomedical and traditional knowledge. Customary rituals and perceptions essentially affect practices in home and institutional births and hence training of TBAs need to be implemented in conjunction with community awareness programmes

Non-Invasive Mouse Models of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis

SummaryAnimal models of osteoarthritis (OA) are essential tools for investigating the development of the disease on a more rapid timeline than human OA. Mice are particularly useful due to the plethora of genetically modified or inbred mouse strains available. The majority of available mouse models of OA use a joint injury or other acute insult to initiate joint degeneration, representing post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). However, no consensus exists on which injury methods are most translatable to human OA. Currently, surgical injury methods are most commonly used for studies of OA in mice; however, these methods may have confounding effects due to the surgical/invasive injury procedure itself, rather than the targeted joint injury. Non-invasive injury methods avoid this complication by mechanically inducing a joint injury externally, without breaking the skin or disrupting the joint. In this regard, non-invasive injury models may be crucial for investigating early adaptive processes initiated at the time of injury, and may be more representative of human OA in which injury is induced mechanically. A small number of non-invasive mouse models of PTOA have been described within the last few years, including intra-articular fracture of tibial subchondral bone, cyclic tibial compression loading of articular cartilage, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture via tibial compression overload. This review describes the methods used to induce joint injury in each of these non-invasive models, and presents the findings of studies utilizing these models. Altogether, these non-invasive mouse models represent a unique and important spectrum of animal models for studying different aspects of PTOA

Constraints on the Nucleon Strange Form Factors at Q^2 ~ 0.1 GeV^2

We report the most precise measurement to date of a parity-violating asymmetry in elastic electron-proton scattering. The measurement was carried out with a beam energy of 3.03 GeV and a scattering angle =6 degrees, with the result A_PV = -1.14 +/- 0.24 (stat) +/- 0.06 (syst) parts per million. From this we extract, at Q^2 = 0.099 GeV^2, the strange form factor combination G_E^s + 0.080 G_M^s = 0.030 +/- 0.025 (stat) +/- 0.006 (syst) +/- 0.012 (FF) where the first two errors are experimental and the last error is due to the uncertainty in the neutron electromagnetic form factor. This result significantly improves current knowledge of G_E^s and G_M^s at Q^2 ~0.1 GeV^2. A consistent picture emerges when several measurements at about the same Q^2 value are combined: G_E^s is consistent with zero while G_M^s prefers positive values though G_E^s=G_M^s=0 is compatible with the data at 95% C.L.Comment: minor wording changes for clarity, updated references, dropped one figure to improve focu