Monthly variation in the probability of presence of adult Culicoides populations in nine European countries and the implications for targeted surveillance

Background: Biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are small hematophagous insects responsible for the transmission of bluetongue virus, Schmallenberg virus and African horse sickness virus to wild and domestic ruminants and equids. Outbreaks of these viruses have caused economic damage within the European Union. The spatio-temporal distribution of biting midges is a key factor in identifying areas with the potential for disease spread. The aim of this study was to identify and map areas of neglectable adult activity for each month in an average year. Average monthly risk maps can be used as a tool when allocating resources for surveillance and control programs within Europe. Methods : We modelled the occurrence of C. imicola and the Obsoletus and Pulicaris ensembles using existing entomological surveillance data from Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Poland. The monthly probability of each vector species and ensembles being present in Europe based on climatic and environmental input variables was estimated with the machine learning technique Random Forest. Subsequently, the monthly probability was classified into three classes: Absence, Presence and Uncertain status. These three classes are useful for mapping areas of no risk, areas of high-risk targeted for animal movement restrictions, and areas with an uncertain status that need active entomological surveillance to determine whether or not vectors are present. Results: The distribution of Culicoides species ensembles were in agreement with their previously reported distribution in Europe. The Random Forest models were very accurate in predicting the probability of presence for C. imicola (mean AUC = 0.95), less accurate for the Obsoletus ensemble (mean AUC = 0.84), while the lowest accuracy was found for the Pulicaris ensemble (mean AUC = 0.71). The most important environmental variables in the models were related to temperature and precipitation for all three groups. Conclusions: The duration periods with low or null adult activity can be derived from the associated monthly distribution maps, and it was also possible to identify and map areas with uncertain predictions. In the absence of ongoing vector surveillance, these maps can be used by veterinary authorities to classify areas as likely vector-free or as likely risk areas from southern Spain to northern Sweden with acceptable precision. The maps can also focus costly entomological surveillance to seasons and areas where the predictions and vector-free status remain uncertain

Archaeologu up to date:Recommendations for adjustments

Report from the Dutch Council for Culture (Raad voor Culture) as part of the evaluation of the Dutch Heritage Law (Erfgoedwet

A ciência na primeira página: análise das capas de três jornais brasileiros Science on the front page: an analysis of the covers of three Brazilian newspapers

Diversos estudos se dedicaram a compreender como temas relacionados a ciência e tecnologia (C&T) são cobertos pela mídia, mas poucos analisaram a presença desses temas na primeira página dos jornais. Neste estudo, fizemos uma análise de conteúdo das chamadas de capa relativas a temas de C&T veiculadas em 2006, em um jornal de elite nacional (Folha de S.Paulo) e dois jornais regionais (Jornal do Commercio, de Pernambuco, e Zero Hora, do Rio Grande do Sul). Observamos que os três jornais, embora com intensidade diferente, deram espaço a C&T na capa. Folha de S.Paulo levou o tema às capas com maior frequência, ao passo que Zero Hora foi o jornal que lhe deu mais destaque na capa.<br>Many studies have tried to understand how the media covers topics related to science and technology (S&T) but few have examined the presence of these topics on the front pages of newspapers. This study analyzes the content of front-page leads about S&T in 2006, focusing on one elite national paper (Folha de S.Paulo) and two regional papers (Jornal do Commercio, from Pernambuco, and Zero Hora, from Rio Grande do Sul). It was noted that all three papers devoted front-page space to S&T, although to differing degrees. Folha de S.Paulo featured the topic more often, while Zero Hora highlighted it the most on its front pages

Global rain-fed, irrigated, and paddy croplands: a new high resolution map derived from remote sensing, crop inventories and climate data

Irrigation accounts for 70% of global water use by humans and 33–40% of global food production comes from irrigated croplands. Accurate and timely information related to global irrigation is therefore needed to manage increasingly scarce water resources and to improve food security in the face of yield gaps, climate change and extreme events such as droughts, floods, and heat waves. Unfortunately, this information is not available for many regions of the world. This study aims to improve characterization of global rain-fed, irrigated and paddy croplands by integrating information from national and sub-national surveys, remote sensing, and gridded climate data sets. To achieve this goal, we used supervised classification of remote sensing, climate, and agricultural inventory data to generate a global map of irrigated, rain-fed, and paddy croplands. We estimate that 314 million hectares (Mha) worldwide were irrigated circa 2005. This includes 66 Mha of irrigated paddy cropland and 249 Mha of irrigated non-paddy cropland. Additionally, we estimate that 1047 Mha of cropland are managed under rain-fed conditions, including 63 Mha of rain-fed paddy cropland and 985 Mha of rain-fed non-paddy cropland. More generally, our results show that global mapping of irrigated, rain-fed, and paddy croplands is possible by combining information from multiple data sources. However, regions with rapidly changing irrigation or complex mixtures of irrigated and non-irrigated crops present significant challenges and require more and better data to support high quality mapping of irrigation