Initial evaluation of the care and rehabilitation success of Cape Cormorants Phalacrocorax capensis rescued from Robben and Jutten islands, South Africa, in January 2021

The population of the endangered Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis more than halved over the last three decades (BirdLife International 2018a). In January 2021, nearly 2 000 Cape Cormorant chicks were found abandoned, suffering from dehydration and heat stress, at two important nesting sites. The chicks were rescued and rehabilitated by the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB, Cape Town, South Africa). About half (53.7%) of the cormorant chicks were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the breeding colonies. This study found a direct link between the initial body mass of cormorant chicks admitted to the rehabilitation centre and their probability of surviving during rehabilitation, with birds that were initially heavier having a greater probability of eventual release. Most cormorant chicks that died (80.7%) did so within the first 5 days of admission. This rescue required SANCCOB to care for and rehabilitate the largest number of Cape Cormorant chicks that has ever been admitted to its rehabilitation centre at one time, making it the first rescue of its kind. Despite the presumably limited positive impact on overall population numbers of Cape Cormorants, the rescue campaign improved SANCCOB’s preparedness to respond successfully to future disaster events and to deal with different species, both locally and globally

Statistische Auswertung der Bruchspannung einaxialer Zugversuche an Textilbeton - Vorschläge für Teilsicherheitsbeiwerte

Im Rahmen umfangreicher experimenteller Untersuchungen wurden die Bruchspannungen für Textilbeton unter einaxialer, einsinniger Zugbelastung ermittelt. Im Ergebnis liegen variierende Daten vor, die auf eine nichtdeterministische (unscharfe) Bruchspannung hinweisen. Die Versuchsergebnisse stellen eine moderate Datenbasis für eine statistische Auswertung und Quantifikation der Unschärfe dar. Zur Berücksichtigung der unscharfen Bruchspannung bei der Bemessung mittels einfacher Handrechnungen muss ein deterministischer Sicherheitsabstand eingeführt werden. Der Sicherheitsabstand wird in den derzeit gültigen Normen mit Teilsicherheitsbeiwerten festgelegt, die ein ebenso normativ vorgegebenes Sicherheitsniveau gewährleisten sollten. In diesem Kontext werden im Beitrag auf der Basis von Zuverlässigkeitsbetrachtungen ermittelte Teilsicherheitsbeiwerte für Textilbeton mit AR-Glas- und Carbon-Bewehrung vorgeschlagen.In the framework of a comprehensive experimental program the ultimate strength of textile reinforced concrete has been determined under consideration of uniaxial tensile load. In result varying data are available which indicate a non-deterministic (uncertain) strength. The experimental results provide a moderate basis for statistical evaluations and the quantification of uncertainty. Furthermore, manual calculation in structural design requires a certain safety distance. For this task, partial safety factors have been defined and incorporated in the design codes to ensure a predefined safety level. In this context, this paper gives suggestions for the definition of partial safety factors for textile reinforced concrete with AR glass and carbon reinforcement

Statistische Auswertung der Bruchspannung einaxialer Zugversuche an Textilbeton - Vorschläge für Teilsicherheitsbeiwerte

Im Rahmen umfangreicher experimenteller Untersuchungen wurden die Bruchspannungen für Textilbeton unter einaxialer, einsinniger Zugbelastung ermittelt. Im Ergebnis liegen variierende Daten vor, die auf eine nichtdeterministische (unscharfe) Bruchspannung hinweisen. Die Versuchsergebnisse stellen eine moderate Datenbasis für eine statistische Auswertung und Quantifikation der Unschärfe dar. Zur Berücksichtigung der unscharfen Bruchspannung bei der Bemessung mittels einfacher Handrechnungen muss ein deterministischer Sicherheitsabstand eingeführt werden. Der Sicherheitsabstand wird in den derzeit gültigen Normen mit Teilsicherheitsbeiwerten festgelegt, die ein ebenso normativ vorgegebenes Sicherheitsniveau gewährleisten sollten. In diesem Kontext werden im Beitrag auf der Basis von Zuverlässigkeitsbetrachtungen ermittelte Teilsicherheitsbeiwerte für Textilbeton mit AR-Glas- und Carbon-Bewehrung vorgeschlagen.In the framework of a comprehensive experimental program the ultimate strength of textile reinforced concrete has been determined under consideration of uniaxial tensile load. In result varying data are available which indicate a non-deterministic (uncertain) strength. The experimental results provide a moderate basis for statistical evaluations and the quantification of uncertainty. Furthermore, manual calculation in structural design requires a certain safety distance. For this task, partial safety factors have been defined and incorporated in the design codes to ensure a predefined safety level. In this context, this paper gives suggestions for the definition of partial safety factors for textile reinforced concrete with AR glass and carbon reinforcement

When, Where, and How Nature Matters for Ecosystem Services: Challenges for the Next Generation of Ecosystem Service Models

Many decision-makers are looking to science to clarify how nature supports human well-being. Scientists\u27 responses have typically focused on empirical models of the provision of ecosystem services (ES) and resulting decision-support tools. Although such tools have captured some of the complexities of ES, they can be difficult to adapt to new situations. Globally useful tools that predict the provision of multiple ES under different decision scenarios have proven challenging to develop. Questions from decision-makers and limitations of existing decision-support tools indicate three crucial research frontiers for incorporating cutting-edge ES science into decision-support tools: (1) understanding the complex dynamics of ES in space and time, (2) linking ES provision to human well-being, and (3) determining the potential for technology to substitute for or enhance ES. We explore these frontiers in-depth, explaining why each is important and how existing knowledge at their cutting edges can be incorporated to improve ES decision-making tools

Standardizing CYP2D6 Genotype to Phenotype Translation: Consensus Recommendations from the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium and Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153095/1/cts12692_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153095/2/cts12692-sup-0001-Supinfo.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153095/3/cts12692.pd

Clinical pharmacogenetics implementation consortium guideline (CPIC) for CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 genotypes and dosing of tricyclic antidepressants: 2016 update

CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 polymorphisms affect the exposure, efficacy and safety of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), with some drugs being affected by CYP2D6 only (e.g., nortriptyline and desipramine) and others by both polymorphic enzymes (e.g., amitriptyline, clomipramine, doxepin, imipramine, and trimipramine). Evidence is presented for CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 genotype-directed dosing of TCAs. This document is an update to the 2012 Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guideline for CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 Genotypes and Dosing of Tricyclic Antidepressants

CoNLL 2017 Shared Task : Multilingual Parsing from Raw Text to Universal Dependencies

The Conference on Computational Natural Language Learning (CoNLL) features a shared task, in which participants train and test their learning systems on the same data sets. In 2017, one of two tasks was devoted to learning dependency parsers for a large number of languages, in a real world setting without any gold-standard annotation on input. All test sets followed a unified annotation scheme, namely that of Universal Dependencies. In this paper, we define the task and evaluation methodology, describe data preparation, report and analyze the main results, and provide a brief categorization of the different approaches of the participating systems.Peer reviewe