Forest or meadow: the consequences of habitat on female arctic ground squirrel condition

Body condition of animals influences the likelihood of surviving harsh environmental conditions, successfully reproducing and resisting disease. The sum of these individual components of fitness, in turn, have consequences for the growth and persistence of wildlife populations. Here we compared the body mass and condition of adult female arctic ground squirrels, Urocitellus parryii (Richardson, 1825) (an obligate hibernator) in source and sink habitats. We tested the hypothesis that adult females would be in poorer condition in the boreal forest than in adjacent meadows. We found that, during spring, postpartum females in forests weighed less (405 ± 7g (SE) vs. 437 ± 11g) and were in poorer condition (mean residual of mass over structural size = -11.0 ± 10.2g vs. 20.5 ± 6.1g) compared to females in meadow source habitat. However, by the onset of entrance into hibernation in August, forest squirrels had reached parity with meadow squirrels and no difference was found in mass (519 ± 13g vs. 520 ± 15g) or condition (residual index = -0.01 ±0.01 vs. 0.03 ±0.01). We suggest that, for squirrels in formerly occupied boreal forests a) poor spring body condition decreased reproductive success, and b) achieving compensatory growth, via increased foraging, comes at the costs of higher predation risk. These costs likely contributed to the recent local extinction of AGS in boreal forest habitat.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

The impact of national vaccination policy changes on influenza incidence in the Netherlands.

Background We assessed the impact of two major modifications of the Dutch National Influenza Prevention Programme - the introduction in 1997 of free of charge vaccination to persons aged ≥65 years and to high-risk groups (previously only advised, and not free of charge), and the lowering of the eligible age to 60 years in 2008 - on the estimated incidence of influenza infection leading to influenza-like illness (ILI). Methods Additive negative-binomial segmented regression models were fitted to ILI data from GP sentinel surveillance in two eight-season intervals (1993/4 to 2000/1, 2004/5 to 2011/12, comparing pre- and post-policy-change periods within each interval), with laboratory virological reporting of samples positive for influenza or other ILI-causing pathogens as covariates. Results For the 2008 policy change, there was a significant step decrease in influenza contribution considering all ages (= -111 per 100 positives; 95% CI: -162, -65.0), <60 years, and 60-64 years age-groups (B = -92.1 per 100; 95% CI: -134, -55.5; B = -5.2; 95% CI: -10.3, -1.2, respectively). There was no evidence for a decrease associated with the 1997 policy change targetting the ≥65 years age-group. Conclusions In the Netherlands a 56% reduction in influenza contribution was associated with the 2008 policy targeting 60-64 year-olds, but there was no effect of the earlier policy targetting ≥65 year-olds, for whom vaccination coverage was already rising before the policy change. (aut. ref.

Twelve years of circulatory extracorporeal life support at the University Medical Centre Utrecht

INTRODUCTION: Circulatory extracorporeal life support (ECLS) has been performed at the University Medical Centre Utrecht for 12 years. During this time, case mix, indications, ECLS set-ups and outcomes seem to have substantially changed. We set out to describe these characteristics and their evolution over time. METHODS: All patients receiving circulatory ECLS between 2007 and 2018 were retrospectively identified and divided into six groups according to a 2-year period of time corresponding to the date of ECLS initiation. General characteristics plus data pertaining to comorbidities, indications and technical details of ECLS commencement as well as in-hospital, 30-day, 1‑year and overall mortality were collected. Temporal trends in these characteristics were examined. RESULTS: A total of 347 circulatory ECLS runs were performed in 289 patients. The number of patients and ECLS runs increased from 8 till a maximum of 40 runs a year. The distribution of circulatory ECLS indications shifted from predominantly postcardiotomy to a wider set of indications. The proportion of peripheral insertions with or without application of left ventricular unloading techniques substantially increased, while in-hospital, 30-day, 1‑year and overall mortality decreased over time. CONCLUSION: Circulatory ECLS was increasingly applied at the University Medical Centre Utrecht. Over time, indications as well as treatment goals broadened, and cannulation techniques shifted from central to mainly peripheral approaches. Meanwhile, weaning success increased and mortality rates diminished

A Perspective on Human Movement Variability With Applications in Infancy Motor Development

Movement variability is considered essential to typical motor development. However, multiple theoretical perspectives and measurement tools have limited interpretation of the importance of movement variability in biological systems. The complementary use of linear and nonlinear measures have recently allowed for the evaluation of not only the magnitude of variability but also the temporal structure of variability. As a result, the theoretical model of optimal movement variability was introduced. The model suggests that the develop-ment of healthy and highly adaptable systems relies on the achievement of an optimal state of variability. Alternatively, abnormal development may be characterized by a narrow range of behaviors, some of which may be rigid, inflexible, and highly predictable or, on the contrary, random, unfocused, and unpredictable. In the present review, this theoretical model is described as it relates to motor development in infancy and specifically the development of sitting posture