Intensive professional vehicle-based shooting provides local control of invasive rusa deer in a peri-urban landscape

Non-native deer are becoming increasingly common in peri-urban landscapes, where they pose a risk to the health and wellbeing of people. Professional vehicle-based shooting is commonly used to control deer populations in these complex landscapes, but the effectiveness and cost of this method have seldom been evaluated. We analyzed the effectiveness and cost of using professional vehicle-based shooting to reduce the abundance and impacts of non-native rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) in a peri-urban landscape in Wollongong, eastern Australia, during 2011–2021. We incorporated the results from an independent monitoring program into a Bayesian joint-likelihood framework to model spatio-temporal changes in rusa deer abundance. Finally, we used our findings to assess the effect of the management program on the number of complaints from the residents. After eleven years and the removal of 4701 rusa deer from Wollongong LGA (712 km2), deer abundance did not change in 74.7% of the area, decreased in 19.4% of the area (mostly in and around the sites where the professional shooting occurred), and increased in 5.9% of the area. Shooting was most cost-effective during winter when the longer hours of darkness meant that shooters could visit more sites. In contrast to deer abundance, the probability of residents complaining about deer increased in space and time. Our study shows that professional vehicle-based shooting can locally reduce the abundance of invasive deer in a peri-urban landscape, providing that sufficient control effort is expended. We suggest that shooting effort is currently too thinly spread across this peri-urban landscape, and that concentrating shooting effort on the areas of greatest deer abundance and resident complaints might be a more cost-effective strategy for managing invasive deer in peri-urban landscapes

Estimating deer density and abundance using spatial mark–resight models with camera trap data

Globally, many wild deer populations are actively studied or managed for conservation, hunting, or damage mitigation purposes. These studies require reliable estimates of population state parameters, such as density or abundance, with a level of precision that is fit for purpose. Such estimates can be difficult to attain for many populations that occur in situations that are poorly suited to common survey methods. We evaluated the utility of combining camera trap survey data, in which a small proportion of the sample is individually recognizable using natural markings, with spatial mark–resight (SMR) models to estimate deer density in a variety of situations. We surveyed 13 deer populations comprising four deer species (Cervus unicolor, C. timorensis, C. elaphus, Dama dama) at nine widely separated sites, and used Bayesian SMR models to estimate population densities and abundances. Twelve surveys provided sufficient data for analysis and seven produced density estimates with coefficients of variation (CVs) ≤ 0.25. Estimated densities ranged from 0.3 to 24.6 deer km−2. Camera trap surveys and SMR models provided a powerful and flexible approach for estimating deer densities in populations in which many detections were not individually identifiable, and they should provide useful density estimates under a wide range of conditions that are not amenable to more widely used methods. In the absence of specific local information on deer detectability and movement patterns, we recommend that at least 30 cameras be spaced at 500–1,000 m and set for 90 days. This approach could also be applied to large mammals other than deer

Estimating deer density and abundance using spatial mark–resight models with camera trap data

Globally, many wild deer populations are actively studied or managed for conservation, hunting, or damage mitigation purposes. These studies require reliable estimates of population state parameters, such as density or abundance, with a level of precision that is fit for purpose. Such estimates can be difficult to attain for many populations that occur in situations that are poorly suited to common survey methods. We evaluated the utility of combining camera trap survey data, in which a small proportion of the sample is individually recognizable using natural markings, with spatial mark–resight (SMR) models to estimate deer density in a variety of situations. We surveyed 13 deer populations comprising four deer species (Cervus unicolor, C. timorensis, C. elaphus, Dama dama) at nine widely separated sites, and used Bayesian SMR models to estimate population densities and abundances. Twelve surveys provided sufficient data for analysis and seven produced density estimates with coefficients of variation (CVs) ≤ 0.25. Estimated densities ranged from 0.3 to 24.6 deer km−2. Camera trap surveys and SMR models provided a powerful and flexible approach for estimating deer densities in populations in which many detections were not individually identifiable, and they should provide useful density estimates under a wide range of conditions that are not amenable to more widely used methods. In the absence of specific local information on deer detectability and movement patterns, we recommend that at least 30 cameras be spaced at 500–1,000 m and set for 90 days. This approach could also be applied to large mammals other than deer

Recommendations for selecting drug-drug interactions for clinical decision support

To recommend principles for including drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in clinical decision support

Un espace de formation francophone dédié à l'apprentissage de l'informatique

National audienceL’introduction de l’enseignement de l’informatique au lycée va permettre aux prochaines générations de maîtriser et participer au développement du numérique. Le principal enjeu est alors la formation des enseignantes et des enseignants. Comment relever un tel défi ?D’abord en faisant communauté d’apprentissage et de pratique : depuis des semaines déjà en 2021 l’AEIF et le projet CAI contribuent à l’accueil et l’entraide de centaines de collègues en activité ou en formation, discutant de tous les sujets, partageant des ressources sur un forum dédié et des listes de discussions.Puis, depuis début 2022, en offrant deux formations en ligne :- Une formation aux fondamentaux de l’informatique, avec un ordre de grandeur de 200 heures de travail, avec les ressources de formation d’initiation et de perfectionnement. Plus qu’un simple "MOOC", ce sont les ressources d’une formation complète, et un accompagnement prévu pour permettre de bien les utiliser.- Une formation pour apprendre à enseigner… par la pratique, en co-préparant les activités pédagogiques des cours à venir, en partageant des pratiques didactiques et en prenant un recul pédagogique, y compris du point de vue de la pédagogie de l’égalité.Les personnes désireuses de se préparer au CAPES y trouveront aussi des conseils et des pistes de travail.Si vous n’avez pas envie d’être seul·e relativement à cet enseignement de l’informatique et être accompagné dans les trois ans qui viennent, passez nous voir ce jour-là

Exhaustion of bacteria-specific CD4 T cells and microbial translocation in common variable immunodeficiency disorders.

In the present study, we have investigated the functional profile of CD4 T cells from patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), including production of cytokines and proliferation in response to bacteria and virus-derived antigens. We show that the functional impairment of CD4 T cells, including the reduced capacity to proliferate and to produce IFN-γ and IL-2, was restricted to bacteria-specific and not virus-specific CD4 T cells. High levels of endotoxins were found in the plasma of patients with CVID, suggesting that CD4 T cell dysfunction might be caused by bacterial translocation. Of note, endotoxemia was associated with significantly higher expression of programmed death 1 (PD-1) on CD4 T cells. The blockade of the PD-1-PD-L1/2 axis in vitro restored CD4 T cell proliferation capacity, thus indicating that PD-1 signaling negatively regulates CD4 T cell functions. Finally, we showed that intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) treatment significantly reduced endotoxemia and the percentage of PD-1(+) CD4 T cells, and restored bacteria-specific CD4 T cell cytokine production and proliferation. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that the CD4 T cell exhaustion and functional impairment observed in CVID patients is associated with bacterial translocation and that IVIG treatment resolves bacterial translocation and restores CD4 T cell functions

Amygdala inputs to prefrontal cortex guide behavior amid conflicting cues of reward and punishment

Orchestrating appropriate behavioral responses in the face of competing signals that predict either rewards or threats in the environment is crucial for survival. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) and prelimbic (PL) medial prefrontal cortex have been implicated in reward-seeking and fear-related responses, but how information flows between these reciprocally connected structures to coordinate behavior is unknown. We recorded neuronal activity from the BLA and PL while rats performed a task wherein competing shock- and sucrose-predictive cues were simultaneously presented. The correlated firing primarily displayed a BLA→PL directionality during the shock-associated cue. Furthermore, BLA neurons optogenetically identified as projecting to PL more accurately predicted behavioral responses during competition than unidentified BLA neurons. Finally photostimulation of the BLA→PL projection increased freezing, whereas both chemogenetic and optogenetic inhibition reduced freezing. Therefore, the BLA→PL circuit is critical in governing the selection of behavioral responses in the face of competing signals.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award 1R25-MH092912-01)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (Grant R01- MH102441-01)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Award DP2- DK-102256-01

Case report: Immune response characterization of a pseudoprogression in a PD-L1-negative, TMB-low, KEAP1/STK11 co-mutated metastatic NSCLC

A patient with a PD-L1-negative, TMB-low, KEAP1/STK11 co-mutated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) experienced a multisite radiological progression at 3 months after initiation of chemoimmunotherapy as first-line treatment for metastatic disease. After the radiological progression, while she was not undergoing treatment, the patient had spontaneous lesions shrinkage and further achieved a prolonged complete response. Genomic and transcriptomic data collected at baseline and at the time of pseudoprogression allowed us to biologically characterize this rare response pattern. We observed the presence of a tumor-specific T-cell response against tumor-specific neoantigens (TNAs). Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) expression following chemoimmunotherapy was also observed, concurrent with biological features of an anti-viral-like innate immune response with type I IFN signaling and production of CXCR3-associated chemokines. This is the first biological characterization of a NSCLC pseudoprogression under chemoimmunotherapy followed by a prolonged complete response in a PD-L1-negative, TMB-low, KEAP1/STK11 co-mutated NSCLC. These clinical and biological data underline that even patients with multiple factors of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors could trigger a tumor-specific immune response to tumor neoantigen, leading to complete eradication of the tumor and probably a vaccinal immune response