Local Abundance Patterns of Noctuid Moths in Olive Orchards: Life-History Traits, Distribution Type and Habitat Interactions

Local species abundance is related to range size, habitat characteristics, distribution type, body size, and life-history variables. In general, habitat generalists and polyphagous species are more abundant in broad geographical areas. Underlying this, local abundance may be explained from the interactions between life-history traits, chorological pattern, and the local habitat characteristics. The relationship within taxa between life-history traits, distribution area, habitat characteristics, and local abundance of the noctuid moth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) assemblage in an olive orchard, one of the most important agro-ecosystems in the Mediterranean basin, was analyzed. A total of 66 species were detected over three years of year-round weekly samplings using the light-trap method. The life-history traits examined and the distribution type were found to be related to the habitat-species association, but none of the biological strategies defined from the association to the different habitats were linked with abundance. In contrast to general patterns, dispersal ability and number of generations per year explained differences in abundance. The relationships were positive, with opportunistic taxa that have high mobility and several generations being locally more abundant. In addition, when the effect of migrant species was removed, the distribution type explained abundance differences, with Mediterranean taxa (whose baricenter is closer to the studied area) being more abundant

Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty

This study explores how researchers’ analytical choices affect the reliability of scientific findings. Most discussions of reliability problems in science focus on systematic biases. We broaden the lens to emphasize the idiosyncrasy of conscious and unconscious decisions that researchers make during data analysis. We coordinated 161 researchers in 73 research teams and observed their research decisions as they used the same data to independently test the same prominent social science hypothesis: that greater immigration reduces support for social policies among the public. In this typical case of social science research, research teams reported both widely diverging numerical findings and substantive conclusions despite identical start conditions. Researchers’ expertise, prior beliefs, and expectations barely predict the wide variation in research outcomes. More than 95% of the total variance in numerical results remains unexplained even after qualitative coding of all identifiable decisions in each team’s workflow. This reveals a universe of uncertainty that remains hidden when considering a single study in isolation. The idiosyncratic nature of how researchers’ results and conclusions varied is a previously underappreciated explanation for why many scientific hypotheses remain contested. These results call for greater epistemic humility and clarity in reporting scientific findings

The Crowdsourced Replication Initiative: Investigating Immigration and Social Policy Preferences. Executive Report.

In an era of mass migration, social scientists, populist parties and social movements raise concerns over the future of immigration-destination societies. What impacts does this have on policy and social solidarity? Comparative cross-national research, relying mostly on secondary data, has findings in different directions. There is a threat of selective model reporting and lack of replicability. The heterogeneity of countries obscures attempts to clearly define data-generating models. P-hacking and HARKing lurk among standard research practices in this area.This project employs crowdsourcing to address these issues. It draws on replication, deliberation, meta-analysis and harnessing the power of many minds at once. The Crowdsourced Replication Initiative carries two main goals, (a) to better investigate the linkage between immigration and social policy preferences across countries, and (b) to develop crowdsourcing as a social science method. The Executive Report provides short reviews of the area of social policy preferences and immigration, and the methods and impetus behind crowdsourcing plus a description of the entire project. Three main areas of findings will appear in three papers, that are registered as PAPs or in process

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Conversations-Lexicon oder Hand-Wörterbuch für die gebildeten Stände über die in der gesellschaftlichen Unterhaltung und bei der Lectüre vorkommendenen Gegenstände, Namen und Begriffe in Beziehung auf Völker- und Menschengeschichte ... : mit besonderer Rücksicht auf die älteren und neuesten merkwürdigen Zeitereignisse / [begr. von Renatus Gotthelf Loebel und Chr. W. Franke]

CONVERSATIONS-LEXICON ODER HAND-WÖRTERBUCH FÜR DIE GEBILDETEN STÄNDE ÜBER DIE IN DER GESELLSCHAFTLICHEN UNTERHALTUNG UND BEI DER LECTÜRE VORKOMMENDENEN GEGENSTÄNDE, NAMEN UND BEGRIFFE IN BEZIEHUNG AUF VÖLKER- UND MENSCHENGESCHICHTE ... : MIT BESONDERER RÜCKSICHT AUF DIE ÄLTEREN UND NEUESTEN MERKWÜRDIGEN ZEITEREIGNISSE / [BEGR. VON RENATUS GOTTHELF LOEBEL UND CHR. W. FRANKE] Conversations-Lexicon oder Hand-Wörterbuch für die gebildeten Stände über die in der gesellschaftlichen Unterhaltung und bei der Lectüre vorkommendenen Gegenstände, Namen und Begriffe in Beziehung auf Völker- und Menschengeschichte ... : mit besonderer Rücksicht auf die älteren und neuesten merkwürdigen Zeitereignisse / [begr. von Renatus Gotthelf Loebel und Chr. W. Franke] Von Flibustier bis Göthe (Bd. 3

Von Flibustier bis Göthe

VON FLIBUSTIER BIS GÖTHE Conversations-Lexicon oder Hand-Wörterbuch für die gebildeten Stände über die in der gesellschaftlichen Unterhaltung und bei der Lectüre vorkommendenen Gegenstände, Namen und Begriffe in Beziehung auf Völker- und Menschengeschichte ... : mit besonderer Rücksicht auf die älteren und neuesten merkwürdigen Zeitereignisse / [begr. von Renatus Gotthelf Loebel und Chr. W. Franke] (-) Von Flibustier bis Göthe (Bd. 3) (1) Einband (1) Titelseite (3) Titelseite (7) Vorrede (9) Verzeichniß der im Anhang enth. Artikel (11) Fli - For (13) Fof - Foy (51) Fra (62) Fre (139) Fri (184) Fro - Fust (237) G. - Gan (267) Gar - Geg (309) Geh - Gen (365) Geo - Ger (414) Ges - Gich (452) Gie - Göt (510) Anhang (589) Adoption - Bor (591) Bos - Cor (615) Cru - Geb (664) Freibriefe (691