Anthropogenic resource subsidies determine space use by Australian arid zone dingoes: an improved resource selection modelling approach

Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) were introduced to Australia and became feral at least 4,000 years ago. We hypothesized that dingoes, being of domestic origin, would be adaptable to anthropogenic resource subsidies and that their space use would be affected by the dispersion of those resources. We tested this by analyzing Resource Selection Functions (RSFs) developed from GPS fixes (locations) of dingoes in arid central Australia. Using Generalized Linear Mixed-effect Models (GLMMs), we investigated resource relationships for dingoes that had access to abundant food near mine facilities, and for those that did not. From these models, we predicted the probability of dingo occurrence in relation to anthropogenic resource subsidies and other habitat characteristics over ∼ 18,000 km(2). Very small standard errors and subsequent pervasively high P-values of results will become more important as the size of data sets, such as our GPS tracking logs, increases. Therefore, we also investigated methods to minimize the effects of serial and spatio-temporal correlation among samples and unbalanced study designs. Using GLMMs, we accounted for some of the correlation structure of GPS animal tracking data; however, parameter standard errors remained very small and all predictors were highly significant. Consequently, we developed an alternative approach that allowed us to review effect sizes at different spatial scales and determine which predictors were sufficiently ecologically meaningful to include in final RSF models. We determined that the most important predictor for dingo occurrence around mine sites was distance to the refuse facility. Away from mine sites, close proximity to human-provided watering points was predictive of dingo dispersion as were other landscape factors including palaeochannels, rocky rises and elevated drainage depressions. Our models demonstrate that anthropogenically supplemented food and water can alter dingo-resource relationships. The spatial distribution of such resources is therefore critical for the conservation and management of dingoes and other top predators

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

BACKGROUND: Global development goals increasingly rely on country-specific estimates for benchmarking a nation's progress. To meet this need, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 estimated global, regional, national, and, for selected locations, subnational cause-specific mortality beginning in the year 1980. Here we report an update to that study, making use of newly available data and improved methods. GBD 2017 provides a comprehensive assessment of cause-specific mortality for 282 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2017. METHODS: The causes of death database is composed of vital registration (VR), verbal autopsy (VA), registry, survey, police, and surveillance data. GBD 2017 added ten VA studies, 127 country-years of VR data, 502 cancer-registry country-years, and an additional surveillance country-year. Expansions of the GBD cause of death hierarchy resulted in 18 additional causes estimated for GBD 2017. Newly available data led to subnational estimates for five additional countries-Ethiopia, Iran, New Zealand, Norway, and Russia. Deaths assigned International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for non-specific, implausible, or intermediate causes of death were reassigned to underlying causes by redistribution algorithms that were incorporated into uncertainty estimation. We used statistical modelling tools developed for GBD, including the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm), to generate cause fractions and cause-specific death rates for each location, year, age, and sex. Instead of using UN estimates as in previous versions, GBD 2017 independently estimated population size and fertility rate for all locations. Years of life lost (YLLs) were then calculated as the sum of each death multiplied by the standard life expectancy at each age. All rates reported here are age-standardised

Seven considerations about dingoes as biodiversity engineers: the socioecological niches of dogs in Australia

Australian dingoes have recently been suggested as a tool to aid biodiversity conservation through the reversal or prevention of trophic cascades and mesopredator release. However, at least seven ecological and sociological considerations must be addressed before dog populations are positively managed. 1. Domestication and feralisation of dingoes have resulted in behavioural changes that continue to expose a broad range of native and introduced fauna to predation. 2. Dingoes and other dogs are classic mesopredators, while humans are the apex predator and primary ecosystem engineers in Australia. 3. Anthropogenic landscape changes could prevent modern dingoes from fulfilling their pre-European roles. 4. Dingoes are known to exploit many of the same species they are often presumed to 'protect', predisposing them to present direct risks to many threatened species. 5. The assertion that contemporary dog control facilitates the release of mesopredators disregards the realities of effective dog control, which simultaneously reduces fox and dog abundance and is unlikely to enable increases in fox abundance. 6. The processes affecting threatened fauna are likely a combination of both top-down and bottom-up effects, which will not be solved or reversed by concentrating efforts on managing only predator effects. 7. Most importantly, human social and economic niches are highly variable across the ecosystems where dingoes are present or proposed. Human perceptions will ultimately determine acceptance of positive dingo management. Outside of an adaptive management framework, positively managing dingoes while ignoring these seven considerations is unlikely to succeed in conserving native faunal biodiversity but is likely to have negative effects on ecological, social and economic values

Communicating Ecology Through Art: What Scientists Think

Many environmental issues facing society demand considerable public investment to reverse. However, this investment will only arise if the general community is supportive, and community support is only likely if the issues are widely understood. Scientists often find it difficult to communicate with the general public. The role of the visual and performing arts is often overlooked in this regard, yet the arts have long communicated issues, influenced and educated people, and challenged dominant paradigms. To assess the response of professional ecologists to the role of the arts in communicating science, a series of constructed performances and exhibitions was integrated into the program of a national ecological conference over five days. At the conclusion of the conference, responses were sought from the assembled scientists and research students toward using the arts for expanding audiences to ecological science. Over half the delegates said that elements of the arts program provided a conducive atmosphere for receiving information, encouraged them to reflect on alternative ways to communicate science, and persuaded them that the arts have a role in helping people understand complex scientific concepts. A sizeable minority of delegates (24%) said they would consider incorporating the arts in their extension or outreach efforts. Incorporating music, theatre, and dance into a scientific conference can have many effects on participants and audiences. The arts can synthesize and convey complex scientific information, promote new ways of looking at issues, touch people's emotions, and create a celebratory atmosphere, as was evident in this case study. In like manner, the visual and performing arts should be harnessed to help extend the increasingly unpalatable and urgent messages of global climate change science to a lay audience worldwide

Assessing stress in wild dogs during post-trapping procedures

Wild dogs (including pure dingoes, 'Canis lupus dingo', feral domestic dogs, 'C. lupus familiaris', and their hybrids) are widely distributed throughout Australia and have a significant impact on stock losses. There remains no accurate estimate of the agricultural losses due to wild dog predation. However, wild dog control costs around $7 million / year (Flemming et al, 2001). Wild dogs are trapped frequently across Australia for various reasons e.g. monitoring wild dog activity with GPS collars. There is general consensus that padded leg-hold traps are a humane method of trapping wild dogs for scientific purposes; but scientists disagree over which are the best post-trapping procedures with regards to animal welfare. Some of the post-trapping procedures may be stressful to the animals and scientists currently rely on anecdotal evidence to assist in their efforts to minimise the stress associated with these procedures. We aim to quantify the stress experienced by wild dogs during processing by measuring cortisol levels in hair and saliva, along with heart rate variation and behavioural observations. Data currently being collected includes a comparison between a standardised procedure and a simple variation (with and without the dogs' eyes covered) as there is currently debate as to which is the best practice

Conventional distance sampling versus strip transects and abundance indices for estimating abundance of greater gliders (Petauroides volans) and eastern ringtail possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

Context: Accurate estimates of abundance are extremely useful for wildlife management and conservation. Estimates generated from distance sampling are typically considered superior to strip transects and abundance indices, as the latter do not account for probability of detection, thereby risking significant error. Aims: To compare density estimates generated from conventional distance sampling (CDS) of arboreal marsupials with strip transect density estimates and abundance indices. Methods: Off-track CDS and strip transects were used to estimate densities of P. volans and P. peregrinus across ∼ 2.6 km2 of remnant eucalypt forest at Mt Duval in north-eastern New South Wales. Key Results: CDS density estimates for P. volans (1.36 ha−1, 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.07-1.72 ha−1) and P. peregrinus (0.28 ha−1, 95% CI 0.22-0.35 ha−1) were consistent with densities reported in other studies conducted in open eucalypt forests. A strip transect width of 40m for P. volans resulted in a collective set of values for density (1.35 ha−1), error (s.e. ∓ 0.14), precision (cv 0.10) and 95% CI (1.07–1.62 ha−1) closest to those associated with the CDS-generated density estimate (1.36 ha−1, s.e. ∓ 0.15, cv 0.10, 95% CI 1.07–1.72 ha−1). Strip widths of 10 to 40m resulted in density estimates for P. peregrinus closest to those generated through CDS, but much less precise. Conclusions: Although a 40-m wide strip transect provided a robust density estimate for P. volans at Mt Duval, this is unlikely to be consistent across different study areas. Strip transects provided less precise density estimates, or underestimated P. peregrinus density at Mt Duval, when compared with CDS density estimates. CDS should be favoured over strip transects or abundance indices for estimating P. volans and P. peregrinus abundance, because it is capable of providing more meaningful and robust abundance estimates by accounting for the probability of detection from the transect line across different habitats. Implications: Researchers, conservation managers and decision makers should be aware that common methods for assessing arboreal marsupial abundance have serious potential weaknesses. Thus, it would be prudent to invest in studies that address imperfect detection to improve the quality of monitoring data

Movements of livestock guarding dogs in relation to wild dog exclusion fencing and wild dogs: an application of remote GPS logging technology

In areas where livestock and wild dogs overlap, predation of livestock is a significant economic and psychological burden on producers. To reduce the frequency and severity of attacks on livestock, some landholders are using livestock protection animals to supplement or replace traditional lethal control techniques. Neighbours often question the movement of these large, free-roaming dogs to rural environments already affected by attacks from wild dogs. How maremmas and wild dogs interact and use space and resources near livestock, their movements in relation to dog exclusion fencing, potential threats to maremmas of adjacent wild dog control measures, behavioural variation between individual maremmas and interactions between maremmas and sheep have interest and application to livestock managers. We address the first four of these questions by monitoring wild dogs and maremmas in the Northern Tablelands of NSW where we fitted commercial GPS/ satellite or GPS/ VHF collars to 6 wild dogs, and GPS collars to 6 maremmas. Locational data are presented and analysis and interpretation problems are discussed. Later in 2010, 12 maremmas and 20 sheep will be collared to investigate the final question

Signaling systems in Australian wild dogs: Who's calling and who cares?

Alarm and distress vocalizations are important anti-predator strategies for many species. An alarm call is a particular vocal response to potential or actual danger, whereas a distress call is an involuntary emotional response to a similar situation and/or stimuli. Alarm and distress calls are often associated with prey species. Australian wild dogs (dingoes, feral dogs and their hybrids) have been observed utilizing similar strategies in response to intense human interactions. We analyzed the spectral (frequency and amplitude shifts) and temporal (call length) components of vocalizations recorded from trapped wild dogs and compared these to vocalizations from captive individuals under non-stressful situations. (i) Vocal responses to trapping are not restricted to distress calls. (ii) The structure of wild dog vocalizations differs across sites, suggesting local dialects or individual differences exist. (iii) Age and social status may affect the type of call elicited by an individual. Understanding the differences in vocalizations of wild dogs in varying environments is vital to the success of remote acoustic monitoring endeavors and to the improvement of wildlife management as a proxy for individual stress. Understanding how vocal communication varies across groups will aid in understanding the evolution of the dingo