Locating large insects using automated VHF radio telemetry with a multi‐antennae array

We describe an automated radio telemetry system (ARTS) designed for estimating the location of 0.50 g butterflies which was constructed with commercially available materials. Previously described systems were not designed to estimate fine‐scale locations of large insects within approximately 200 m2 study areas. The ARTS consists of four receiving stations. Each receiving station has four 3‐element, directional Yagi antennae (separated by 60) connected to an automated receiver that records detected power sequentially from each antenna. To develop and evaluate the ARTS performance, four receiving stations were installed in the corners of 4 and 6.25‐ha square fields with varying heights of vegetative cover. The location of a 0.22 g transmitter was estimated with a statistical method implementing both distance‐and angle‐power relationships. Calibrated model parameters were based on power detected from transmitters at known locations. Using independently collected data, model performance was evaluated based on estimated locations of a georeferenced stationary transmitter, a moving transmitter with a known georeferenced path and a transmitter attached to a monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus. Estimated locations were calculated as frequently as every 5 s, which is at least 12 times greater than the sampling frequency previously reported for tracking insects. When sufficient power data were received, the median estimated locations of a transmitter attached to an investigator\u27s hat were95% confidence ellipse was 18.3 m for stationary targets and 15.9 m for a moving transmitter. Greater error in location estimation was expected when the transmitter was attached to a monarch butterfly due to interference from vegetation and variability in antenna orientation and transmitter height. As such, the median distance between the estimated and true locations was 72 m. After applying a correction for the effect of vegetation, median location error was reduced by 12 m. While our ARTS has likely reached the limit of current technology, the system is still a substantial methodological advancement for locating butterflies. Our efforts should provide a benchmark as technology improves

The effect of regular walks on various health aspects in older people with dementia: protocol of a randomized-controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical activity has proven to be beneficial for physical functioning, cognition, depression, anxiety, rest-activity rhythm, quality of life (QoL), activities of daily living (ADL) and pain in older people. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of walking regularly on physical functioning, the progressive cognitive decline, level of depression, anxiety, rest-activity rhythm, QoL, ADL and pain in older people with dementia.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>This study is a longitudinal randomized controlled, single blind study. Ambulatory older people with dementia, who are regular visitors of daily care or living in a home for the elderly or nursing home in the Netherlands, will be randomly allocated to the experimental or control condition. Participants of the experimental group make supervised walks of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, as part of their daily nursing care. Participants of the control group will come together three times a week for tea or other sedentary activities to control for possible positive effects of social interaction. All dependent variables will be assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks, and 3, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months of intervention.</p> <p>The dependent variables include neuropsychological tests to assess cognition, physical tests to determine physical functioning, questionnaires to assess ADL, QoL, level of depression and anxiety, actigraphy to assess rest-activity rhythm and pain scales to determine pain levels. Potential moderating variables at baseline are: socio-demographic characteristics, body mass index, subtype of dementia, apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype, medication use and comorbidities.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study evaluates the effect of regular walking as a treatment for older people with dementia. The strength of this study is that 1) it has a longitudinal design with multiple repeated measurements, 2) we assess many different health aspects, 3) the intervention is not performed by research staff, but by nursing staff which enables it to become a routine in usual care. Possible limitations of the study are that 1) only active minded institutions are willing to participate creating a selection bias, 2) the drop-out rate will be high in this population, 3) not all participants will be able to perform/understand all tests.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p><a href="http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=1482">NTR1482</a></p

Pollinator-flower interactions in gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020

During the main COVID-19 global pandemic lockdown period of 2020 an impromptu set of pollination ecologists came together via social media and personal contacts to carry out standardised surveys of the flower visits and plants in gardens. The surveys involved 67 rural, suburban and urban gardens, of various sizes, ranging from 61.18° North in Norway to 37.96° South in Australia, resulting in a data set of 25,174 rows, with each row being a unique interaction record for that date/site/plant species, and comprising almost 47,000 visits to flowers, as well as records of flowers that were not visited by pollinators, for over 1,000 species and varieties belonging to more than 460genera and 96plant families. The more than 650 species of flower visitors belong to 12 orders of invertebrates and four of vertebrates. In this first publication from the project, we present a brief description of the data and make it freely available for any researchers to use in the future, the only restriction being that they cite this paper in the first instance. The data generated from these global surveys will provide scientific evidence to help us understand the role that private gardens (in urban, rural and suburban areas) can play in conserving insect pollinators and identify management actions to enhance their potential

The complete gene sequence of titin, expression of an unusual approximately 700-kDa titin isoform, and its interaction with obscurin identify a novel Z-line to I-band linking system

Abstract—Titin is a giant vertebrate striated muscle protein with critical importance for myofibril elasticity and structural integrity. We show here that the complete sequence of the human titin gene contains 363 exons, which together code for 38 138 residues (4200 kDa). In its central I-band region, 47 novel PEVK exons were found, which contribute to titin’s extensible spring properties. Additionally, 3 unique I-band titin exons were identified (named novex-1 to-3). Novex-3 functions as an alternative titin C-terminus. The novex-3 titin isoform is �700 kDa in size and spans from Z1-Z2 (titin’s N-terminus) to novex-3 (C-terminal exon). Novex-3 titin specifically interacts with obscurin, a 721-kDa myofibrillar protein composed of 57 Ig/FN3 domains, followed by one IQ, SH3, DH, and a PH domain at its C-terminus. The obscurin domains Ig48/Ig49 bind to novex-3 titin and target to the Z-line region when expressed as a GFP fusion protein in live cardiac myocytes. Immunoelectron microscopy detected the C-terminal Ig48/Ig49 obscurin epitope near the Z-line edge. The distance from the Z-line varied with sarcomere length, suggesting that the novex-3 titin/obscurin complex forms an elastic Z-disc to I-band linking system. This system could link together calcium-dependent, SH3-, and GTPase-regulated signaling pathways in close proximity to the Z-disc, a structure increasingly implicated in the restructuring of sarcomeres during cardiomyopathies. (Circ Res. 2001;89:1065-1072.) Key Words: striated muscle myofibrils � cardiac myopathies � titin/connectin � obscurin � Z-disc signaling Titin is a giant filamentous protein that forms a separat

Methotrexate-induced myelopathy responsive to substitution of multiple folate metabolites

Methotrexate (MTX)-associated myelopathy is a rare but serious subacute complication of MTX-based chemotherapy. We report the case of a woman with breast cancer and meningeal carcinomatosis who developed severe progressive myelopathy after four cycles of intrathecal MTX administration. We substituted high doses of the key metabolites of the methyl-transfer pathway: S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), 200 mg three times daily i.v.; folinate, 20 mg four times daily i.v.; cyanocobalamin, 100 mug once daily i.v.; and methionine, 5 g daily p.o. The patient's paraparesis improved rapidly thereafter, and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed resolution of the intramedullary lesions. Genetic analyses revealed homozygosity for the A allele of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) c.1298A>C (p.E429A), whereas other genetic variants of folate/methionine metabolism associated with MTX neurotoxicity were not present. Substitution with multiple folate metabolites may be a promising strategy for the treatment of MTX-induced neurotoxicity

Locating large insects using automated VHF radio telemetry with a multi‐antennae array

We describe an automated radio telemetry system (ARTS) designed for estimating the location of 0.50 g butterflies which was constructed with commercially available materials. Previously described systems were not designed to estimate fine-scale locations of large insects within approximately 200 m2 study areas. The ARTS consists of four receiving stations. Each receiving station has four 3-element, directional Yagi antennae (separated by 60) connected to an automated receiver that records detected power sequentially from each antenna. To develop and evaluate the ARTS performance, four receiving stations were installed in the corners of 4 and 6.25-ha square fields with varying heights of vegetative cover. The location of a 0.22 g transmitter was estimated with a statistical method implementing both distance-and angle-power relationships. Calibrated model parameters were based on power detected from transmitters at known locations. Using independently collected data, model performance was evaluated based on estimated locations of a georeferenced stationary transmitter, a moving transmitter with a known georeferenced path and a transmitter attached to a monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus. Estimated locations were calculated as frequently as every 5 s, which is at least 12 times greater than the sampling frequency previously reported for tracking insects. When sufficient power data were received, the median estimated locations of a transmitter attached to an investigator\u27s hat were \u3c16 m from the true location. The median effective radius of the 95% confidence ellipse was 18.3 m for stationary targets and 15.9 m for a moving transmitter. Greater error in location estimation was expected when the transmitter was attached to a monarch butterfly due to interference from vegetation and variability in antenna orientation and transmitter height. As such, the median distance between the estimated and true locations was 72 m. After applying a correction for the effect of vegetation, median location error was reduced by 12 m. While our ARTS has likely reached the limit of current technology, the system is still a substantial methodological advancement for locating butterflies. Our efforts should provide a benchmark as technology improves

Population-Based Microcephaly Surveillance in the United States, 2009 to 2013: An Analysis of Potential Sources of Variation

Background: Congenital microcephaly has been linked to maternal Zika virus infection. However, ascertaining infants diagnosed with microcephaly can be challenging. Methods: Thirty birth defects surveillance programs provided data on infants diagnosed with microcephaly born 2009 to 2013. The pooled prevalence of microcephaly per 10,000 live births was estimated overall and by maternal/infant characteristics. Variation in prevalence was examined across case finding methods. Nine programs provided data on head circumference and conditions potentially contributing to microcephaly. Results: The pooled prevalence of microcephaly was 8.7 per 10,000 live births. Median prevalence (per 10,000 live births) was similar among programs using active (6.7) and passive (6.6) methods; the interdecile range of prevalence estimates was wider among programs using passive methods for all race/ethnicity categories except Hispanic. Prevalence (per 10,000 live births) was lowest among non-Hispanic Whites (6.5) and highest among non- Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics (11.2 and 11.9, respectively); estimates followed a U-shaped distribution by maternal age with the highest prevalence among mothers \u3c20 years (11.5) and \u3e/= 40 years (13.2). For gestational age and birth weight, the highest prevalence was among infants varied; 41.8% of cases had an HC \u3e/= the 10th percentile for sex and gestational age. Conclusion: Differences in methods, population distribution of maternal/infant characteristics, and case definitions for microcephaly can contribute to the wide range of observed prevalence estimates across individual birth defects surveillance programs. Addressing these factors in the setting of Zika virus infection can improve the quality of prevalence estimates