Population dynamics of house mice in Queensland grain-growing areas

Context. Irregular plagues of house mice cause high production losses in grain crops in Australia. If plagues can be forecast through broad-scale monitoring or model-based prediction, then mice can be proactively controlled by poison baiting. Aims. To predict mouse plagues in grain crops in Queensland and assess the value of broad-scale monitoring. Methods. Regular trapping of mice at the same sites on the Darling Downs in southern Queensland has been undertaken since 1974. This provides an index of abundance over time that can be related to rainfall, crop yield, winter temperature and past mouse abundance. Other sites have been trapped over a shorter time period elsewhere on the Darling Downs and in central Queensland, allowing a comparison of mouse population dynamics and cross-validation of models predicting mouse abundance. Key results. On the regularly trapped 32-km transect on the Darling Downs, damaging mouse densities occur in 50% of years and a plague in 25% of years, with no detectable increase in mean monthly mouse abundance over the past 35 years. High mouse abundance on this transect is not consistently matched by high abundance in the broader area. Annual maximum mouse abundance in autumn–winter can be predicted (R2 = 57%) from spring mouse abundance and autumn–winter rainfall in the previous year. In central Queensland, mouse dynamics contrast with those on the Darling Downs and lack the distinct annual cycle, with peak abundance occurring in any month outside early spring.Onaverage, damaging mouse densities occur in 1 in 3 years and a plague occurs in 1 in 7 years. The dynamics of mouse populations on two transects ~70 km apart were rarely synchronous. Autumn–winter rainfall can indicate mouse abundance in some seasons (R2 = ~52%). Conclusion. Early warning of mouse plague formation in Queensland grain crops from regional models should trigger farm-based monitoring. This can be incorporated with rainfall into a simple model predicting future abundance that will determine any need for mouse control. Implications. A model-based warning of a possible mouse plague can highlight the need for local monitoring of mouse activity, which in turn could trigger poison baiting to prevent further mouse build-up

Scalable Circuits for Preparing Ground States on Digital Quantum Computers: The Schwinger Model Vacuum on 100 Qubits

The vacuum of the lattice Schwinger model is prepared on up to 100 qubits of IBM's Eagle-processor quantum computers. A new algorithm to prepare the ground state of a gapped translationally-invariant system on a quantum computer is presented, which we call Scalable Circuits ADAPT-VQE (SC-ADAPT-VQE). This algorithm uses the exponential decay of correlations between distant regions of the ground state, together with ADAPT-VQE, to construct quantum circuits for state preparation that can be scaled to arbitrarily large systems. SC-ADAPT-VQE is applied to the Schwinger model, and shown to be systematically improvable, with an accuracy that converges exponentially with circuit depth. Both the structure of the circuits and the deviations of prepared wavefunctions are found to become independent of the number of spatial sites, $L$. This allows for a controlled extrapolation of the circuits, determined using small or modest-sized systems, to arbitrarily large $L$. The circuits for the Schwinger model are determined on lattices up to $L=14$ (28 qubits) with the qiskit classical simulator, and subsequently scaled up to prepare the $L=50$ (100 qubits) vacuum on IBM's 127 superconducting-qubit quantum computers ibm_brisbane and ibm_cusco. After applying an improved error-mitigation technique, which we call Operator Decoherence Renormalization, the chiral condensate and charge-charge correlators obtained from the quantum computers are found to be in good agreement with classical Matrix Product State simulations.Comment: 14 pages + appendices. 16 figures, 12 table

Cucurbit[n]uril binding of platinum anticancer complexes

The encapsulation of cisplatin by cucurbit[7]uril (Q[7]) and multinuclear platinum complexes linked via a 4,4′-dipyrazolylmethane (dpzm) ligand by Q[7] and cucurbit[8]uril (Q[8]) has been studied by NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling. The NMR studies suggest that some cisplatin binds in the cucurbituril cavity, while cis-[PtCl(NH3)2(H2O)]+ only binds at the portals. Alternatively, the dpzm-linked multinuclear platinum complexes are quantitatively encapsulated within the cavities of both Q[7] and Q[8]. Upon encapsulation, the non-exchangeable proton resonances of the multinuclear platinum complexes show significant upfield shifts in 1H NMR spectra. The H3/H3* resonances shift upfield by 0.08 to 0.55 ppm, the H5/H5* shift by 0.9 to 1.6 ppm, while the methylene resonances shift by 0.74 to 0.88 ppm. The size of the resonance shift is dependent on the cavity size of the encapsulating cucurbituril, with Q[7] encapsulation producing larger shifts than Q[8]. The upfield shifts of the dpzm resonances observed upon cucurbituril encapsulation indicate that the Q[7] or Q[8] is positioned directly over the dpzm linking ligand. The terminal platinum groups of trans-[{PtCl(NH3)2}2μ-dpzm]2+ (di-Pt) and trans-[trans-{PtCl(NH3)2}2-trans-{Pt(dpzm)2(NH3)2}]4+ (tri-Pt) provide a barrier to the on and off movement of cucurbituril, resulting in binding kinetics that are slow on the NMR timescale for the metal complex. Although the dpzm ligand has relatively few rotamers, encapsulation by the larger Q[8] resulted in a more compact di-Pt conformation with each platinum centre retracted further into each Q[8] portal. Encapsulation of the hydrolysed forms of di-Pt and tri-Pt is considerably slower than for the corresponding Cl forms, presumably due to the high-energy cost of passing the +2 platinum centres through the cucurbituril portals. The results of this study suggest that cucurbiturils could be suitable hosts for the pharmacological delivery of multinuclear platinum complexe

Self-management education for cystic fibrosis

Background: Self-management education may help patients with cystic fibrosis and their families to choose, monitor and adjust treatment requirements for their illness, and also to manage the effects of illness on their lives. Although self-management education interventions have been developed for cystic fibrosis, no previous systematic review of the evidence of effectiveness of these interventions has been conducted. Objectives: To assess the effects of self-management education interventions on improving health outcomes for patients with cystic fibrosis and their caregivers. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group Trials Register (date of the last search: 22 August 2013). We also searched databases through EBSCO (CINAHL; Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Collection; PsychInfo; SocINDEX) and Elsevier (Embase) and handsearched relevant journals and conference proceedings (date of the last searches: 01 February 2014 ). Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials, quasi-randomised controlled trials or controlled clinical trials comparing different types of self-management education for cystic fibrosis or comparing self-management education with standard care or no intervention. Data collection and analysis: Two authors assessed trial eligibility and risk of bias. Three authors extracted data. Main results: Four trials (involving a total of 269 participants) were included. The participants were children with cystic fibrosis and their parents or caregivers in three trials and adults with cystic fibrosis in one trial. The trials compared four different self-management education interventions versus standard treatment: (1) a training programme for managing cystic fibrosis in general; (2) education specific to aerosol and airway clearance treatments; (3) disease-specific nutrition education; and (4) general and disease-specific nutrition education. Training children to manage cystic fibrosis in general had no statistically significant effects on weight after six to eight weeks, mean difference -7.74 lb (i.e. 3.51 kg) (95% confidence interval -35.18 to 19.70). General and disease-specific nutrition education for adults had no statistically significant effects on: pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume at one second), mean difference -5.00 % (95% confidence interval -18.10 to 8.10) at six months and mean difference -5.50 % (95% confidence interval -18.46 to 7.46) at 12 months; or weight, mean difference - 0.70 kg (95% confidence interval -6.58 to 5.18) at six months and mean difference -0.70 kg (95% confidence interval -6.62 to 5.22) at 12 months; or dietary fat intake scores, mean difference 1.60 (85% confidence interval -2.90 to 6.10) at six months and mean difference 0.20 (95% confidence interval -4.08 to 4.48) at 12 months. There is some limited evidence to suggest that self-management education may improve knowledge in patients with cystic fibrosis but not in parents or caregivers. There is also some limited evidence to suggest that self-management education may result in positively changing a small number of behaviours in both patients and caregivers. Authors' conclusions: The available evidence from this review is of insufficient quantity and quality to draw any firm conclusions about the effects of self-management education for cystic fibrosis. Further trials are needed to investigate the effects of self-management education on a range of clinical and behavioural outcomes in children, adolescents and adults with cystic fibrosis and their caregivers

Self-management education for cystic fibrosis

Self-management education may help patients with cystic fibrosis and their families to choose, monitor and adjust treatment requirements for their illness, and also to manage the effects of illness on their lives. Although self-management education interventions have been developed for cystic fibrosis, no previous systematic review of the evidence of effectiveness of these interventions has been conducted

COVID-19 Pneumothorax in the United Kingdom: a prospective observational study using the ISARIC WHO clinical characterisation protocol.

Population level data from 131 679 patients show that COVID-19 pneumothorax occurs in 0.97% of admitted patients, especially males and smokers, and is associated with increased mortality

High-Load Reovirus Infections Do Not Imply Physiological Impairment in Salmon

The recent ubiquitous detection of PRV among salmonids has sparked international concern about the cardiorespiratory performance of infected wild and farmed salmon. Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) has been shown to create substantial viremia in salmon by targeting erythrocytes for principle replication. In some instances, infections develop into heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) or other pathological conditions affecting the respiratory system. Critical to assessing the seriousness of PRV infections are controlled infection studies that measure physiological impairment to critical life support systems. Respiratory performance is such a system and here multiple indices were measured to test the hypothesis that a low-virulence strain of PRV from Pacific Canada compromises the cardiorespiratory capabilities of Atlantic salmon. Contrary to this hypothesis, the oxygen affinity and carrying capacity of erythrocytes were unaffected by PRV despite the presence of severe viremia, minor heart pathology and transient cellular activation of antiviral response pathways. Similarly, PRV-infected fish had neither sustained nor appreciable differences in respiratory capabilities compared with control fish. The lack of functional harm to salmon infected with PRV in this instance highlights that, in an era of unprecedented virus discovery, detection of viral infection does not necessarily imply bodily harm and that viral load is not always a suitable predictor of disease within a host organism

Integrated computational prediction and experimental validation identifies promiscuous T cell epitopes in the proteome of Mycobacterium bovis

The discovery of novel antigens is an essential requirement in devising new diagnostics or vaccines for use in control programmes against human tuberculosis (TB) and bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Identification of potential epitopes recognised by CD4+ T cells requires prediction of peptide binding to MHC class-II, an obligatory prerequisite for T cell recognition. To comprehensively prioritise potential MHC-II-binding epitopes from Mycobacterium bovis, the agent of bTB and zoonotic TB in humans, we integrated three binding prediction methods with the M. bovisproteome using a subset of human HLA alleles to approximate the binding of epitope-containing peptides to the bovine MHC class II molecule BoLA-DRB3. Two parallel strategies were then applied to filter the resulting set of binders: identification of the top-scoring binders or clusters of binders. Our approach was tested experimentally by assessing the capacity of predicted promiscuous peptides to drive interferon-γ secretion from T cells of M. bovis infected cattle. Thus, 376 20-mer peptides, were synthesised (270 predicted epitopes, 94 random peptides with low predictive scores and 12 positive controls of known epitopes). The results of this validation demonstrated significant enrichment (>24 %) of promiscuously recognised peptides predicted in our selection strategies, compared with randomly selected peptides with low prediction scores. Our strategy offers a general approach to the identification of promiscuous epitopes tailored to target populations where there is limited knowledge of MHC allelic diversity

The effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of cytisine versus varenicline for smoking cessation in an Australian population: a study protocol for a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial

Smoking cessation medications are effective but often underutilised because of costs and side effects. Cytisine is a plant-based smoking cessation medication with over 50 years of use in Central and Eastern Europe. While cytisine has been found to be well-tolerated and more effective than nicotine replacement therapy, direct comparison with varenicline have not been conducted. This study evaluates the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of cytisine compared with varenicline.Two arm, parallel group, randomised, non-inferiority trial, with allocation concealment and blinded outcome assessment.Australian population-based study.Adult daily smokers (N=1266) interested in quitting will be recruited through advertisements and Quitline telephone-based cessation support services.Eligible participants will be randomised (1:1 ratio) to receive either cytisine capsules (25-day supply) or varenicline tablets (12-week supply), prescribed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommended dosing regimen. The medication will be mailed to each participant's nominated residential address. All participants will also be offered standard Quitline behavioural support (up to six 10-12 minute sessions).Assessments will be undertaken by telephone at baseline, 4- and 7-months post-randomisation. Participants will also be contacted twice (two and four weeks post-randomisation) to ascertain adverse events, treatment adherence and smoking status. The primary outcome will be self-reported 6-month continuous abstinence from smoking, verified by carbon monoxide at 7-month follow-up. We will also evaluate the relative safety and cost-effectiveness of cytisine compared with varenicline. Secondary outcomes will include self-reported continuous and 7-day point prevalence abstinence and cigarette consumption at each follow-up interview.If cytisine is as effective as varenicline, its lower cost and natural plant-based composition may make it an acceptable and affordable smoking cessation medication that could save millions of lives worldwide