Survival and Habitat of Pen-Raised Northern Bobwhites at Camp Robinson Wildlife Demonstration Area, Arkansas (Poster Abstract)

Post-release survival of pen-reared northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is often extremely low. Although predation is usually assumed to cause low survival rates, very little detailed research has been conducted into cause-specific mortality of pen-reared bobwhites in natural settings. Further, little is known about habitat selection by pen-reared bobwhites, and the relationship between habitat and survival. We report results based on 110 radiomarked bobwhites out of 2500 banded and released at Camp Robinson Wildlife Demonstration Area in Arkansas. Birds were released at 125 sites in coveys of 20 birds per site. Release sites were ranked based on habitat quality. In addition, habitat analyses were conducted over each individual’s area of activity. In March 2001, when monitoring of birds ended, 6 birds remained alive. Mortality agents included avian predators (51%, n = 49), mammalian predators (36%, n = 35) and unknown predators (13%, n = 12). Other causes of mortality included radio collars (5%, n = 5) and apparent heat stress (3%, n = 3). Most mortality occurred within 1 month of release (66%, n = 73). Overall mean survival was 36.4 +- 4.3 days. We found no significant difference in length of survival among birds released at good, medium, or poor sites (P = 0.97). Regardless of release site, birds were located most often in shrub cover (50%, n = 388 locations) while the second most common habitat used was herbaceous cover (29%, n = 230 locations). During callback trapping in May 2001, we recaptured 14 bobwhites that were banded and released in August of 2000, and 6 wild birds, suggesting that pen-reared birds actually outnumbered wild birds

Dynamic aperture factor analysis/target transformation (DAFA/TT) for Mg-serpentine and Mg-carbonate mapping on Mars with CRISM near-infrared data

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Lin, H., Tarnas, J. D., Mustard, J. F., Zhang, X., Wei, Y., Wan, W., Klein, F., & Kellner, J. R. Dynamic aperture factor analysis/target transformation (DAFA/TT) for Mg-serpentine and Mg-carbonate mapping on Mars with CRISM near-infrared data. Icarus, 355, (2021): 114168, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114168.Serpentine and carbonate are products of serpentinization and carbonation processes on Earth, Mars, and other celestial bodies. Their presence implies that localized habitable environments may have existed on ancient Mars. Factor Analysis and Target Transformation (FATT) techniques have been applied to hyperspectral data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) to identify possible serpentine and Mg-carbonate-bearing outcrops. FATT techniques are capable of suggesting the presence of individual spectral signals in complex spectral mixtures. Applications of FATT techniques to CRISM data thus far only evaluate whether an entire analyzed image (≈ 3 × 105 pixels) may contain spectral information consistent with a specific mineral of interest. The spatial distribution of spectral signal from the possible mineral is not determined, making it difficult to validate a reported detection and also to understand the geologic context of any purported detections. We developed a method called Dynamic Aperture Factor Analysis/Target Transformation (DAFA/TT) to highlight the locations in a CRISM observation (or any similar laboratory or remotely acquired data set) most likely to contain spectra of specific minerals of interest. DAFA/TT determines the locations of possible target mineral spectral signals within hyperspectral images by performing FATT in small moving windows with different geometries, and only accepting pixels with positive detections in all cluster geometries as possible detections. DAFA/TT was applied to a hyperspectral image of a serpentinite from Oman for validation testing in a simplified laboratory setting. The mineral distribution determined by DAFA/TT application to the laboratory hyperspectral image was consistent with Raman analysis of the serpentinite sample. DAFA/TT also successfully mapped the spatial distribution of Mg-serpentine and Mg-carbonate previously detected in CRISM data using band parameter mapping and extraction of ratioed spectra. We applied DAFA/TT to CRISM images in some olivine-rich regions of Mars to characterize the spatial distribution of Mg-serpentine and Mg-carbonate-bearing outcrops.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 41671360, 41525016, 41902318). JFM and JDT acknowledge NASA support through a subcontract from the Applied Physics Lab for CRISM investigations. H. Lin also acknowledges the support from the key research Program of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, CAS (IGGCAS-201905). The Headwall imaging spectrometer was acquired using funds to JRK from The Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and Brown University. The DAFA/TT codes are available on GitHub (https://github.com/linhoml?tab=repositories)

A systematic review on the diagnosis of pediatric bacterial pneumonia: When gold is bronze

Background: In developing countries, pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in children under five years of age and hence timely and accurate diagnosis is critical. In North America, pneumonia is also a common source of childhood morbidity and occasionally mortality. Clinicians traditionally have used the chest radiograph as the gold standard in the diagnosis of pneumonia, but they are becoming increasingly aware that it is not ideal. Numerous studies have shown that chest radiography findings lack precision in defining the etiology of childhood pneumonia. There is no single test that reliably distinguishes bacterial from non-bacterial causes. These factors have resulted in clinicians historically using a combination of physical signs and chest radiographs as a \u27gold standard\u27, though this combination of tests has been shown to be imperfect for diagnosis and assigning treatment. The objectives of this systematic review are to: 1) identify and categorize studies that have used single or multiple tests as a gold standard for assessing accuracy of other tests, and 2) given the \u27gold standard\u27 used, determine the accuracy of these other tests for diagnosing childhood bacterial pneumonia. Methods and Findings: Search strategies were developed using a combination of subject headings and keywords adapted for 18 electronic bibliographic databases from inception to May 2008. Published studies were included if they: 1) included children one month to 18 years of age, 2) provided sufficient data regarding diagnostic accuracy to construct a 2×2 table, and 3) assessed the accuracy of one or more index tests as compared with other test(s) used as a \u27gold standard\u27. The literature search revealed 5,989 references of which 256 were screened for inclusion, resulting in 25 studies that satisfied all inclusion criteria. The studies examined a range of bacterium types and assessed the accuracy of several combinations of diagnostic tests. Eleven different gold standards were studied in the 25 included studies. Criterion validity was calculated for fourteen different index tests using eleven different gold standards. The most common gold standard utilized was blood culture tests used in six studies. Fourteen different tests were measured as index tests. PCT was the most common measured in five studies each with a different gold standard. Conclusions: We have found that studies assessing the diagnostic accuracy of clinical, radiological, and laboratory tests for bacterial childhood pneumonia have used a heterogeneous group of gold standards, and found, at least in part because of this, that index tests have widely different accuracies. These findings highlight the need for identifying a widely accepted gold standard for diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia in children. © 2010 Lynch et al

Approaches for advancing scientific understanding of macrosystems

The emergence of macrosystems ecology (MSE), which focuses on regional- to continental-scale ecological patterns and processes, builds upon a history of long-term and broad-scale studies in ecology. Scientists face the difficulty of integrating the many elements that make up macrosystems, which consist of hierarchical processes at interacting spatial and temporal scales. Researchers must also identify the most relevant scales and variables to be considered, the required data resources, and the appropriate study design to provide the proper inferences. The large volumes of multi-thematic data often associated with macrosystem studies typically require validation, standardization, and assimilation. Finally, analytical approaches need to describe how cross-scale and hierarchical dynamics and interactions relate to macroscale phenomena. Here, we elaborate on some key methodological challenges of MSE research and discuss existing and novel approaches to meet them

Community-Based Outbreaks in Vulnerable Populations of Invasive Infections Caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotypes 5 and 8 in Calgary, Canada

BACKGROUND: Outbreaks of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) typically occur within institutions. Beginning in 2005, we detected an increase in serotype (ST) 5 and ST8 IPD cases, predominantly in homeless persons living in an open community. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: CASPER (Calgary Area S. pneumoniae Epidemiology Research) surveillance study of all IPD (sterile site isolates) in our region (pop ~1,100,000). Interviews and chart reviews of all cases and all isolates phenotypically analyzed and selected isolated tested by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: During 2005-2007, 162 cases of ST5 IPD and 45 cases of ST8 IPD were identified. The isolates demonstrated phenotypic and genotypic clonality. The ST5 isolates were sequence type (ST) 289 and demonstrated intermediate susceptibility to TMP-SMX. The ST8 isolates were predominantly ST1268, with a susceptible antimicrobial susceptibility profile. Individuals with ST5 IPD were more likely to be middle aged (OR 2.6), homeless (OR 4.4), using illicit drugs(OR 4.8), and asthmatic(OR 2.6). Those with ST8 were more likely to be male (OR 4.4), homeless (OR 2.6), aboriginal (OR7.3), and a current smoker (OR 2.5). Overlapping outbreaks of ST5 and ST8 IPD occurred in an open community in Calgary, Canada and homelessness was a predominant risk factor. Homelessness represents a unique community in which pneumococcal outbreaks can occur

Macrosystems ecology: Understanding ecological patterns and processes at continental scales

Macrosystems ecology is the study of diverse ecological phenomena at the scale of regions to continents and their interactions with phenomena at other scales. This emerging subdiscipline addresses ecological questions and environmental problems at these broad scales. Here, we describe this new field, show how it relates to modern ecological study, and highlight opportunities that stem from taking a macrosystems perspective. We present a hierarchical framework for investigating macrosystems at any level of ecological organization and in relation to broader and finer scales. Building on well-established theory and concepts from other subdisciplines of ecology, we identify feedbacks, linkages among distant regions, and interactions that cross scales of space and time as the most likely sources of unexpected and novel behaviors in macrosystems. We present three examples that highlight the importance of this multiscaled systems perspective for understanding the ecology of regions to continents

Threshold of Toxicological Concern - an update for non-genotoxic carcinogens

The Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) concept can be applied to organic compounds with known chemical structure to derive a threshold for exposure below which a toxic effect on human health by the compound is not expected. The TTC concept distinguishes between carcinogens that may act as genotoxic and non-genotoxic compounds. A positive prediction of a genotoxic mode of action, either by structural alerts or experimental data, leads to the application of the threshold value for genotoxic compounds. Non-genotoxic substances are assigned to the TTC value of their respective Cramer class even though it is recognized that they could test positive in a rodent cancer bioassay. This study investigated the applicability of the Cramer classes specifically to provide adequate protection for non-genotoxic carcinogens. For this purpose, benchmark dose levels based on tumour incidence were compared with no observed effect levels (NOEL) derived from non-, pre- or neoplastic lesions. One key aspect was the categorization of compounds as non-genotoxic carcinogens. The recently finished CEFIC LRI project B18 classified the carcinogens of the CPDB as either non- or genotoxic compounds based on experimental or in silico data. A detailed consistency check resulted in a data set of 137 non-genotoxic organic compounds. For these 137 compounds, NOEL values were derived from high quality animal studies with oral exposure and chronic duration using well known repositories including RepDose, ToxRef and COSMOS DB. Further, an effective tumour dose (ETD10) was calculated and compared to the lower confidence limit on benchmark dose levels (BMDL10) derived by model averaging. Comparative analysis of NOEL/EDT10/BMDL10 values showed that potentially bioaccumulative compounds in humans, as well as steroids, which both belong to the exclusion categories, occur predominantly in region of the 5th percentiles of the distributions. Excluding these 25 compounds resulted in significantly higher, but comparable 5th percentile chronic NOEL and BMDL10 values, while the 5th percentile EDT10 value was slightly higher, but not statistically significant. The comparison of the obtained distributions of NOELs with the existing Cramer classes and their derived TTC values supports the application of Cramer class thresholds to all non genotoxic compounds, including non_genotoxic carcinogens

Approaches to advance scientific understanding of macrosystems ecology

The emergence of macrosystems ecology (MSE), which focuses on regional- to continental-scale ecological pat- terns and processes, builds upon a history of long-term and broad-scale studies in ecology. Scientists face the difficulty of integrating the many elements that make up macrosystems, which consist of hierarchical processes at interacting spatial and temporal scales. Researchers must also identify the most relevant scales and variables to be considered, the required data resources, and the appropriate study design to provide the proper inferences. The large volumes of multi-thematic data often associated with macrosystem studies typically require valida- tion, standardization, and assimilation. Finally, analytical approaches need to describe how cross-scale and hierarchical dynamics and interactions relate to macroscale phenomena. Here, we elaborate on some key methodological challenges of MSE research and discuss existing and novel approaches to meet them

Dramatic pain relief and resolution of bone inflammation following pamidronate in 9 pediatric patients with persistent chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is an inflammatory, non-infectious osteopathy that affects predominantly patients ≤ 18 years of age. There is no uniformly effective treatment. Our objective is to describe clinical, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and bone resorption response to intravenous pamidronate in pediatric CRMO.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We report our prospectively documented experience with all CRMO patients treated with pamidronate between 2003 and 2008 at a tertiary pediatric centre. Pamidronate was administered as intravenous cycles. The dose of pamidronate varied among subjects but was given as monthly to every 3 monthly cycles depending on the distance the patient lived from the infusion center. Maximum cumulative dose was ≤ 11.5 mg/kg/year. Pamidronate treatment was continued until resolution of MRI documented bone inflammation. Visual analog scale for pain (VAS) and bone resorption marker urine N-telopeptide/urine creatinine (uNTX/uCr) were measured at baseline, preceding each subsequent pamidronate treatment, at final follow-up, and/or at time of MRI confirmed CRMO flare. MRI of the affected site(s) was obtained at baseline, preceding every 2^ndtreatment, and with suspected CRMO recurrence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nine patients (5 F: 4 M) were treated, with a median (range) age at treatment of 12.9 (4.5–16.3) years, and median (range) duration of symptoms of 18 (6–36) months. VAS decreased from 10/10 to 0–3/10 by the end of first 3–day treatment for all patients. The mean (range) time to complete MRI resolution of bone inflammation was 6.0 (2–12) months. The mean (confidence interval (CI)) baseline uNTX/uCr was 738.83 (CI 464.25, 1013.42)nmol/mmol/creatinine and the mean (CI) decrease from baseline to pamidronate discontinuation was 522.17 (CI 299.77, 744.56)nmol/mmol/creatinine. Median (range) of follow-up was 31.4 (24–54) months. Four patients had MRI confirmed CRMO recurrence, which responded to one pamidronate re-treatment. The mean (range) uNTX/uCr change as a monthly rate from the time of pamidronate discontinuation to flare was 9.41 (1.38–19.85)nmol/mmol/creatinine compared to -29.88 (-96.83–2.01)nmol/mmol/creatinine for patients who did not flare by the time of final follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Pamidronate resulted in resolution of pain and MRI documented inflammation in all patients. No patient flared while his/her uNTX/uCr remained suppressed. We propose that pamidronate is an effective second-line therapy in persistent CRMO.</p