PulseNet: Deep Learning ECG-signal classification using random augmentation policy and continous wavelet transform for canines

Evaluating canine electrocardiograms (ECG) require skilled veterinarians, but current availability of veterinary cardiologists for ECG interpretation and diagnostic support is limited. Developing tools for automated assessment of ECG sequences can improve veterinary care by providing clinicians real-time results and decision support tools. We implement a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) approach for classifying canine electrocardiogram sequences as either normal or abnormal. ECG records are converted into 8 second Lead II sequences and classified as either normal (no evidence of cardiac abnormalities) or abnormal (presence of one or more cardiac abnormalities). For training ECG sequences are randomly augmented using RandomAugmentECG, a new augmentation library implemented specifically for this project. Each chunk is then is converted using a continuous wavelet transform into a 2D scalogram. The 2D scalogram are then classified as either normal or abnormal by a binary CNN classifier. Experimental results are validated against three boarded veterinary cardiologists achieving an AUC-ROC score of 0.9506 on test dataset matching human level performance. Additionally, we describe model deployment to Microsoft Azure using an MLOps approach. To our knowledge, this work is one of the first attempts to implement a deep learning model to automatically classify ECG sequences for canines.Implementing automated ECG classification will enhance veterinary care through improved diagnostic performance and increased clinic efficiency

Landscape of stress: Tree mortality influences physiological stress and survival in a native mesocarnivore

Climate change and anthropogenic modifications to the landscape can have both positive and negative effects on an animal. Linking landscape change to physiological stress and fitness of an animal is a fundamental tenet to be examined in applied ecology. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone that can be used to indicate an animal’s physiological stress response. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, fishers (Pekania pennanti) are a threatened mesocarnivore that have been subjected to rapid landscape changes due to anthropogenic modifications and tree mortality related to a 4-year drought. We measured cortisol concentrations in the hair of 64 fishers (41 females, 23 males) captured and radio-collared in the Sierra National Forest, California. We addressed two main questions: (1) Is the physiological stress response of fishers influenced by anthropogenic factors, habitat type, canopy cover, and tree mortality due to drought in their home range? (2) Does the physiological stress response influence survival, reproduction, or body condition? We examined these factors within a fisher home range at 3 scales (30, 60, 95% isopleths). Using model selection, we found that tree mortality was the principle driver influencing stress levels among individual fishers with female and male fishers having increasing cortisol levels in home ranges with increasing tree mortality. Most importantly, we also found a link between physiological stress and demography where female fishers with low cortisol levels had the highest annual survival rate (0.94), whereas females with medium and high cortisol had lower annual survival rates, 0.78 and 0.81, respectively. We found no significant relationships between cortisol levels and body condition, male survival, or litter size. We concluded that tree mortality related to a 4-year drought has created a “landscape of stress” for this small, isolated fisher population

The trans-ancestral genomic architecture of glycemic traits

Glycemic traits are used to diagnose and monitor type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic health. To date, most genetic studies of glycemic traits have focused on individuals of European ancestry. Here we aggregated genome-wide association studies comprising up to 281,416 individuals without diabetes (30% non-European ancestry) for whom fasting glucose, 2-h glucose after an oral glucose challenge, glycated hemoglobin and fasting insulin data were available. Trans-ancestry and single-ancestry meta-analyses identified 242 loci (99 novel; P < 5 x 10(-8)), 80% of which had no significant evidence of between-ancestry heterogeneity. Analyses restricted to individuals of European ancestry with equivalent sample size would have led to 24 fewer new loci. Compared with single-ancestry analyses, equivalent-sized trans-ancestry fine-mapping reduced the number of estimated variants in 99% credible sets by a median of 37.5%. Genomic-feature, gene-expression and gene-set analyses revealed distinct biological signatures for each trait, highlighting different underlying biological pathways. Our results increase our understanding of diabetes pathophysiology by using trans-ancestry studies for improved power and resolution. A trans-ancestry meta-analysis of GWAS of glycemic traits in up to 281,416 individuals identifies 99 novel loci, of which one quarter was found due to the multi-ancestry approach, which also improves fine-mapping of credible variant sets.Peer reviewe

Characterizing Habitat Associations and the Effects of Competition on Bald Eagle and Osprey Recovery in the Conterminous United States and Wisconsin

As species recover from bottlenecks, during which population size is very low, a swath of new habitat becomes available as the population expands. With increased niche availability, expanding populations may alter their habitat associations leading to the question are habitat associations at population lows good predictors of habitat associations at population highs. I examined occurrences and habitat associations of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) from their near extinction in the conterminous U.S. in 1980 to successful recovery by 2017 to (1) determine if occurrences and colonizations were predictable throughout the recovery (2) examine if their relationships to habitat associations throughout recovery, (3) determine if habitat associations at newly colonized sites were similar to habitat associations at the population low points in the 1980s. I analyzed occurrences of both species from 1980-2017 on 4202 North American Breeding Bird Survey routes. I also calculated the minimum distance to conspecifics in the previous decade. I parameterized logistic regressions for each species to characterize habitat association and evaluated them using the True Skill Statistic. I also attempted to use these models to predict colonizations in each decade and evaluated performance based on Area Under the Curve. Both species expanded their 1 2 distribution in the US considerably since the 1980s. My models of Bald Eagles and Osprey habitat associations for each decade had minimum TSS of 0.3. Bald Eagles altered their habitat associations and by 2017 were occupying areas with less water and more grassland, while Osprey habitat associations remained unchanged. In 2010-2017, Bald Eagles colonized routes with less water (-11%) and more shrubland (+9%) than the routes they occupied in 1980. In the same period, Osprey colonized routes with more agriculture (+4%) than routes they occupied in 1980s. The colonization AUC decreased over four decades from 0.81 to 0.67 for Bald Eagles, and from 0.81 to 0.73 for Osprey. I was able to characterize occurrences for both species, but unable to reliably predict where colonizations would occur. My work highlights how the process of population recovery varies between species with similar ecological niches and showcases the ability of rare species to expand into habitat that is unexpected based on habitat associations apparent during a population low

American council on ECP (ACE): Why now?

Stimulated by the scientific progress in deciphering the principal elements contributing to the clinical efficacy of extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP), the American Council on ECP (ACE) was formed, under the auspices of the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA), to develop a field‐guiding Consensus Report. ACE is composed of thirty nationally recognized ECP experts, clinically spanning cancer, transplantation, and autoimmunity and scientifically bridging immunology, bioengineering, and hematology. The two‐day meeting took place in Manhattan, April 13‐14, 2017, and unanimous consensus on nine pivotal points is herein reported. (1) ECP's clinical evolution must now enter a scientifically driven phase. (2) ECP is currently a bidirectional therapy, both immunizing and tolerizing simultaneously, via a single one‐size‐fits‐all inflexible medical device. (3) To preclude inadvertent tolerization in the cancer setting, or immunization in the transplant rejection setting, polarization of ECP to either immunization or tolerization mode to match the clinical need is now possible and necessary. (4) Cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) is a genetically driven cancer, whose response to ECP is due to enhanced anti‐cancer immunity. (5) ECP is a dendritic antigen‐presenting cell (DC) based therapy. (6) ECP's efficacy can now be tested in a broad array of cancers. (7) ECP's capacity to tolerize to allotransplants via processing of donor leukocytes merits expedited human investigation. (8) UVA‐8‐MOP‐impacted ECP‐induced DC are potent antigen‐specific tolerizing agents, while UVA‐8‐MOP(8‐Methoxypsoralen)‐spared ECP‐induced DC are potent antigen‐specific immunizing agents. (9) Six pilot clinical trial areas (CTCL, graft‐vs.‐host disease, ovarian carcinoma, anti‐graft cytotoxic antibodies, pemphigus vulgaris, and haplotype mismatched stem cell transplants) are advised. ACE will be an ongoing advisory group for the field, with the goal of overseeing coordinated clinical and fundamental research efforts

Hypertension in patients with diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus and hypertension each confer increased cardiovascular risk. That risk is much greater when the diseases coexist and is further magnified by their frequent association with dyslipidemia and central obesity. Insulin resistance appears to be an important common component to these four entities, whether or not the relationship is truly cause and effect. Increased renal tubule absorption of sodium and increased sympathetic nervous system stimulation from insulin have been said to be the mechanisms by which elevated levels of insulin cause hypertension. However, animal experiments suggest that these are short-term effects only and that long-term insulin may actually increase peripheral blood flow and reduce blood pressure. Experiments in humans suggest that the insulin resistant state in obese patients and type II diabetics is associated with a decrease of the usual vasodilatory effect of insulin. Antihypertensive drugs have differing effects on insulin resistance. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, α-adrenergic blockers, and dihydropyridines appear to improve insulin sensitivity. Other calcium channel blockers appear to be neutral, as is furosemide. Thiazide diuretics, spironolactone, and β-adrenergic blockers impair insulin sensitivity. The drugs that increase insulin sensitivity also tend to improve dyslipidemia or remain lipid neutral. In contrast, those drugs that tend to impair insulin sensitivity also tend to worsen dyslipidemia

Landscape use by fishers (\u3ci\u3ePekania pennanti\u3c/i\u3e): core areas differ in habitat than the entire home range

Home ranges have long been studied in animal ecology. Core areas may be used at a greater proportion than the rest of the home range, implying the core contains dependable resources. The Pacific fisher (Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777)) is a rare mesocarnivore occupying a small area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, USA. Once statewide, fishers declined in the 1900s due to trapping, habitat fragmentation, and development. Recently, drought induced by climate change may be affecting this population. We examined space use of fishers in their core versus their home range for levels of anthropogenic modifications (housing density, road density, silvicultural treatments), habitat types, and tree mortality. We found core areas contained more late-successional forest and minimal human activity compared with their territory. Their core had higher levels of dense canopy and higher amounts of conifer cover, while minimizing the amount of buildings, developed habitat, and low canopy cover. Fishers may in effect be seeking refugia by minimizing their exposure to these elements in their core. Conserving landscape components used by fishers in their core areas will be important for the persistence of this isolated population. Les domaines vitaux sont étudiés depuis longtemps en écologie animale. Les aires principales pourraient être utilisées en plus grande proportion que le reste du domaine vital, ce qui sous-entend qu’elles renferment des ressources fiables. Le pékan (Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777)) est un mésocarnivore rare qui occupe une petite région de la chaîne des Sierra Nevada, en Californie (États-Unis). Autrefois présents dans l’ensemble de l’État, les pékans ont connu un déclin au 20e siècle causé par le piégeage, la fragmentation de leurs habitats et l’aménagement du territoire. Des sécheresses récentes induites par les changements climatiques pourraient avoir une incidence sur cette population. Nous avons comparé l’utilisation de l’espace par les pékans dans leurs aires principales et dans leurs domaines vitaux pour différents degrés de modifications d’origine humaine (densité de logement, densité de routes, traitements sylvicoles), types d’habitats et taux de mortalité des arbres. Nous avons constaté que les aires principales des pékans renferment plus de forêts en fin de succession et très peu d’activités humaines comparativement à l’ensemble de leur territoire. Les aires principales présentent de plus grandes proportions de canopée dense et de plus grandes quantités de couvert de conifères, alors que la quantité de bâtiments, les habitats aménagés et le couvert forestier bas y sont très limités. Les pékans pourraient en fait chercher des refuges en minimisant leur exposition à ces éléments dans leur aire principale. La conservation d’éléments du paysage utilisés par les pékans dans leurs aires principales sera importante pour la persistance de cette population isolée