An Evaluation of Laminated Offset Jawed Traps for Reducing Injuries to Coyotes

Increasing public concern about injuries caused by foothold traps has resulted in a considerable amount of research for more humane traps. Much of this research effort has focused on evaluating the Victor No. 3 Soft-Catch trap manufactured by Woodstream Corporation, Lititz, Pennsylvania (Linhart and Dasch 1992). Research has concentrated on two major areas: (1) efficiency and selectivity of different trap types and modifications used for capturing coyotes (Canis latrans) and (2) reducing animal injuries associated with trapping (Phillips and Mullis 1991). The Soft-Catch trap has been shown to reduce foot injury sustained by most captured furbearers (Tullar 1984, Olsen et al. 1986, Linhart et al. 1988, Olsen et al. 1988, Onderka et al. 1990)

Use of coping strategies in MND/ALS:association with demographic and disease-related characteristics

Objective Understanding the use of coping strategies and which factors are associated with strategy utilization might help clinical staff anticipate which coping strategies individuals are more likely to utilize. In this study, we assess coping strategy use in the motor neuron disease (MND, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS]) population and examine associations of demographic and disease variables with individual coping strategies. Participants and Methods A total of 233 participants with MND/ALS were recruited into the ongoing Trajectories of Outcomes in Neurological Conditions study from MND clinics across the United Kingdom. Participants completed a questionnaire pack collecting data on demographics and a range of patient‐reported measures including the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced scale. Associations between demographic and clinical characteristics and coping strategies were examined by simple and multiple ordinal logistic regression. Results The most commonly used strategy was Acceptance, followed by Active Coping, Planning and Positive Re‐interpretation and Growth. The least used strategies were Substance Use, Turning to Religion and Denial. Ten out of the fifteen strategies showed statistically significant associations with demographic and clinical characteristics. Most markedly, females were found to utilize many strategies more than males, namely Restraint, Seeking Instrumental Social Support, Seeking Emotional Social Support, Focus on and Venting of Emotions, Behavioural Disengagement and Mental Disengagement. Conclusion Clinical staff should be aware that coping strategy use is associated with several demographic and disease characteristics. Targeted advice on coping may improve coping capacity and facilitate psychosocial adjustment

Report of an ad-hoc international task force to develop an expert-based opinion on early and short-term rehabilitative interventions (after the acute hospital setting) in covid-19 survivors

No abstract available.publishe

Paper Session II-B - The Advanced Camera for the Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) will have a high throughput, wide field, optical and I-band camera (WFC), a critically sampled high resolution camera (HRC), and a high throughput, moderate field of view far ultraviolet, solar-blind camera (SBC). The key characteristics of the ACS are listed in Table 1. The throughputs include the geometrical, scattering, and reflectivity losses from the HST optical telescope assembly (Burrows, HST OTA Handbook). Two figures are listed for the ACS efficiencies. The first is the efficiency using the quantum efficiency (QE) of the Scientific Imaging Technologies (SITe) 2K x 4K WFC CCDs and the SITe HRC 1K ´ 1K CCDs selected for the first build of the flight cameras. The second and higher efficiencies are those achieved with SITe CCDs processed and anti-reflection coated at Steward Observatory by Dr. Michael Lesser. We plan to use these better CCDs for the second build of the flight cameras

Vocal Tract Images Reveal Neural Representations of Sensorimotor Transformation During Speech Imitation

Imitating speech necessitates the transformation from sensory targets to vocal tract motor output, yet little is known about the representational basis of this process in the human brain. Here, we address this question by using real-time MR imaging (rtMRI) of the vocal tract and functional MRI (fMRI) of the brain in a speech imitation paradigm. Participants trained on imitating a native vowel and a similar nonnative vowel that required lip rounding. Later, participants imitated these vowels and an untrained vowel pair during separate fMRI and rtMRI runs. Univariate fMRI analyses revealed that regions including left inferior frontal gyrus were more active during sensorimotor transformation (ST) and production of nonnative vowels, compared with native vowels; further, ST for nonnative vowels activated somatomotor cortex bilaterally, compared with ST of native vowels. Using test representational similarity analysis (RSA) models constructed from participants' vocal tract images and from stimulus formant distances, we found that RSA searchlight analyses of fMRI data showed either type of model could be represented in somatomotor, temporal, cerebellar, and hippocampal neural activation patterns during ST. We thus provide the first evidence of widespread and robust cortical and subcortical neural representation of vocal tract and/or formant parameters, during prearticulatory ST

Mental Health Promotion and Intervention in Occupational Settings: Protocol for a Pilot Study of the MENTUPP Intervention

Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental health difficulties in the EU, causing immense suffering and costing the global economy EUR 1 trillion each year in lost productivity. Employees in construction, health and information and communications technology have an elevated risk of mental health difficulties. Most mental health interventions for the workplace have been targeted at larger companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often overlooked despite most people being employed in SMEs. The MENTUPP intervention aims to improve mental health and wellbeing and reduce depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviour. The MENTUPP project involves the development, implementation, and evaluation of a multilevel intervention targeting both clinical and non-clinical mental health issues and combating the stigma of mental (ill-)health, with a specific focus on SMEs. The intervention is underpinned by a framework of how to create a mentally healthy workplace by employing an integrated approach and has been informed by several systematic reviews designed to understand organisational mental health interventions and a consultation survey with key experts in the area. The intervention is facilitated through the MENTUPP Hub, an online platform that presents interactive psychoeducational materials, toolkits, and links to additional resources in an accessible and user-friendly manner. This paper presents the pilot study protocol for delivering the MENTUPP intervention in eight European countries and Australia. Each intervention country will aim to recruit at least 23 participants in 1–3 SMEs in one of the three high-risk sectors. The central aim of the pilot study will be to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and uptake of the MENTUPP intervention across the target SMEs. The findings will contribute to devising the protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT) of the MENTUPP intervention. Findings from this study will also be used to inform the optimisation phase of the MENTUPP intervention which will aim to improve the materials and the implementation of the intervention as well as enhancing the evaluation strategy which will be employed for the cRCT.Additional co-authors: Laura Cox, Lars de Winter, Naim Fanaj, Birgit A. Greiner, Ulrich Hegerl, Sharna Mathieu, Ana Moreno-Alcázar, Wendy Orchard, György Purebl, Gentiana Qirjako, Hanna Reich, and Paul Corcora

Safety and Reactogenicity of an MSP-1 Malaria Vaccine Candidate: A Randomized Phase Ib Dose-Escalation Trial in Kenyan Children

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of an investigational malaria vaccine. DESIGN: This was an age-stratified phase Ib, double-blind, randomized, controlled, dose-escalation trial. Children were recruited into one of three cohorts (dosage groups) and randomized in 2:1 fashion to receive either the test product or a comparator. SETTING: The study was conducted in a rural population in Kombewa Division, western Kenya. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were 135 children, aged 12–47 mo. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects received 10, 25, or 50 μg of falciparum malaria protein 1 (FMP1) formulated in 100, 250, and 500 μL, respectively, of AS02A, or they received a comparator (Imovax® rabies vaccine). OUTCOME MEASURES: We performed safety and reactogenicity parameters and assessment of adverse events during solicited (7 d) and unsolicited (30 d) periods after each vaccination. Serious adverse events were monitored for 6 mo after the last vaccination. RESULTS: Both vaccines were safe and well tolerated. FMP1/AS02A recipients experienced significantly more pain and injection-site swelling with a dose-effect relationship. Systemic reactogenicity was low at all dose levels. Hemoglobin levels remained stable and similar across arms. Baseline geometric mean titers were comparable in all groups. Anti-FMP1 antibody titers increased in a dose-dependent manner in subjects receiving FMP1/AS02A; no increase in anti-FMP1 titers occurred in subjects who received the comparator. By study end, subjects who received either 25 or 50 μg of FMP1 had similar antibody levels, which remained significantly higher than that of those who received the comparator or 10 μg of FMP1. A longitudinal mixed effects model showed a statistically significant effect of dosage level on immune response (F(3,1047) = 10.78, or F(3, 995) = 11.22, p < 0.001); however, the comparison of 25 μg and 50 μg recipients indicated no significant difference (F(1,1047) = 0.05; p = 0.82). CONCLUSIONS: The FMP1/AS02A vaccine was safe and immunogenic in malaria-exposed 12- to 47-mo-old children and the magnitude of immune response of the 25 and 50 μg doses was superior to that of the 10 μg dose

The effect of artificial selection on phenotypic plasticity in maize

Remarkable productivity has been achieved in crop species through artificial selection and adaptation to modern agronomic practices. Whether intensive selection has changed the ability of improved cultivars to maintain high productivity across variable environments is unknown. Understanding the genetic control of phenotypic plasticity and genotype by environment (G × E) interaction will enhance crop performance predictions across diverse environments. Here we use data generated from the Genomes to Fields (G2F) Maize G × E project to assess the effect of selection on G × E variation and characterize polymorphisms associated with plasticity. Genomic regions putatively selected during modern temperate maize breeding explain less variability for yield G × E than unselected regions, indicating that improvement by breeding may have reduced G × E of modern temperate cultivars. Trends in genomic position of variants associated with stability reveal fewer genic associations and enrichment of variants 0–5000 base pairs upstream of genes, hypothetically due to control of plasticity by short-range regulatory elements