Multiscale Analyses of Mammal Species Composition – Environment Relationship in the Contiguous USA

Relationships between species composition and its environmental determinants are a basic objective of ecology. Such relationships are scale dependent, and predictors of species composition typically include variables such as climate, topographic, historical legacies, land uses, human population levels, and random processes. Our objective was to quantify the effect of environmental determinants on U.S. mammal composition at various spatial scales. We found that climate was the predominant factor affecting species composition, and its relative impact increased in correlation with the increase of the spatial scale. Another factor affecting species composition is land-use–land-cover. Our findings showed that its impact decreased as the spatial scale increased. We provide quantitative indication of highly significant effect of climate and land-use–land-cover variables on mammal composition at multiple scales

Há alguma diferença entre as próteses de disco cervicais?

Objetivo: A artroplastia cervical na patologia degenerativa surgiu como alternativa à artrodese anterior com o objetivo de eliminar a “doença do nível adjacente”. As próteses de disco apresentam diferentes materiais, design, técnica e mobilidade. Os autores avaliaram dor, disfunção e complicações para comparar a eficácia de diferentes próteses de disco.Material e Métodos: Foram analisadas retrospectivamente as próteses de disco cervical realizadas entre 2004 e 2010, com o total de 26 próteses em 22 doentes. Os resultados de 5 próteses Baguera® foram comparados com 14 próteses Prestige®, 4 PCM® e 3 Bryan®. Foi utilizada a escala visual analógica da dor (VAS), Neck Disability Index (NDI) e inquirido o grau de satisfação. Imagiologicamente foi determinada estabilidade, mobilidade e alterações degenerativas.Resultados: O follow-up das 5 próteses Baguera® foi 20.2±13.7 meses e nas restantes 21 próteses foi 55.2±15.8 meses (p=0.02). A avaliação da dor não foi diferente. O grupo Baguera® apresenta superioridade na mobilidade (p=0.045), NDI pós-operatório (p=0.009) e melhoria do NDI global (p=0.01). Comparando doentes com disfunção nula/ligeira e severa/completa, a prótese Baguera® tem vantagem sobre as restantes 3 (p=0.04). Ocorreram complicações em 4 (9.5%) doentes do grupo misto, com 2 reintervenções e 2 doentes com ossificação heterotrópica e perda total de mobilidade da prótese.Conclusão: A prótese de disco Baguera® apresenta superioridade em mobilidade e função, e apesar de diferente follow-up não apresenta complicações enquanto as restantes 3 próteses apresentam complicações e perda de mobilidade. Estudos a longo prazo vão determinar se as vantagens teóricas continuam a traduzir benefícios clínicos

Morbidity and mortality of paediatric burns patients at Maputo Central Hospital, Mozambique

Background: The incidence of paediatric burn injuries is increasing in Africa. Paediatric burn injuries are among the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Research on the morbidity and mortality in this setting is much needed.Methods: We conducted a prospective questionnaire-based analysis of paediatric burn patients presenting to the Maputo Central Hospital during a five-month period. Interviews were conducted with the children's caretakers by 2 paediatric surgery residents and 1 paediatrician at the Eduardo Mondlane Medical School in Maputo, with the aid of nursing staff.Results: Questionnaires were completed for 66 patients. Most burns occurred from scald injuries (n = 46), particularly from cooking (n = 27) and bathwater (n = 19), followed by fire injuries (n = 16). Burns occurred more frequently in the afternoon (n = 26) and morning (n = 23). Many patients reported no adult caretaker present at the time of the burn injury (n = 24). Most burns were grade II (n = 49). Nearly half of the patients received a blood transfusion (n = 30). One-third of the patients underwent operative surgical debridement (n = 21). Skin grafting was performed on a subset of these patients (n = 13). A large number of patients developed a wound infection (n = 39). All deaths occurred in patients who were admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit and had sepsis (n = 9). The mean total body surface area (TBSA) of burn deaths was 37% (range 20% to 50%), and many deaths were secondary to fire burns (6 of 9; 66.7%).Conclusions: Most paediatric burn injuries occur in association with domestic activities, such as cooking and bathing. Adult caretakers are frequently not present at the time of the burn injury. Mortality rates are high, especially for large body surface area burns caused by fire. Educational programmes may help reduce the incidence of burns and the associated morbidity and mortality. The improvement and expansion of emergency and intensive burn care services may help to improve survival.Keywords: burns; morbidity; mortality; paediatrics; paediatric surgery; Mozambiqu

Wildfire ignition-distribution modelling: a comparative study in the Huron-Manistee National Forest, Michigan, USA

Abstract. Wildfire ignition distribution models are powerful tools for predicting the probability of ignitions across broad areas, and identifying their drivers. Several approaches have been used for ignition-distribution modelling, yet the performance of different model types has not been compared. This is unfortunate, given that conceptually similar speciesdistribution models exhibit pronounced differences among model types. Therefore, our goal was to compare the predictive performance, variable importance and the spatial patterns of predicted ignition-probabilities of three ignition-distribution model types: one parametric, statistical model (Generalised Linear Models, GLM) and two machine-learning algorithms (Random Forests and Maximum Entropy, Maxent). We parameterised the models using 16 years of ignitions data and environmental data for the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan, USA. Random Forests and Maxent had slightly better prediction accuracies than did GLM, but model fit was similar for all three. Variables related to human population and development were the best predictors of wildfire ignition locations in all models (although variable rankings differed slightly), along with elevation. However, despite similar model performance and variables, the map of ignition probabilities generated by Maxent was markedly different from those of the two other models. We thus suggest that when accurate predictions are desired, the outcomes of different model types should be compared, or alternatively combined, to produce ensemble predictions

Using exclusion rate to unify niche and neutral perspectives on coexistence

The competitive exclusion principle is one of the most influential concepts in ecology. The classical formulation suggests a correlation between competitor species similarity and competition severity, leading to rapid competitive exclusion where species are very similar; yet neutral models show that identical species can persist in competition for long periods. Here, we resolve the conflict by examining two components of similarity – niche overlap and competitive similarity – and modeling the effects of each on exclusion rate (defined as the inverse of time to exclusion). Studying exclusion rate, rather than the traditional focus on binary outcomes (coexistence vs exclusion), allows us to examine classical niche and neutral perspectives using the same currency. High niche overlap speeds exclusion, but high similarity in competitive ability slows it. These predictions are confirmed by a well-known model of two species competing for two resources. Under ecologically plausible scenarios of correlation between these two factors, the strongest exclusion rates may be among moderately similar species, while very similar and highly dissimilar competitors have very low exclusion rates. Adding even small amounts of demographic stochasticity to the model blurs the line between deterministic and probabilistic coexistence still further. Thus, focusing on exclusion rate, instead of on the binary outcome of coexistence versus exclusion, allows a variety of outcomes to result from competitive interactions. This approach may help explain species coexistence in diverse competitive communities and raises novel issues for future work

A review

Women have a number of specificities that differentiate them from men. In particular, the role of sex steroid hormones and the menstrual cycle (MC) significantly impact women’s physiology. The literature has shown nonlinear relationships between MC, exercise, and nutritional intake. Notably, these relationships are bidirectional and less straightforward than one would suppose. For example, the theoretical implications of the MC’s phases on exercise performance do not always translate into relevant practical effects. There is often a disconnect between internal measures (e.g., levels of hormone concentrations) and external performance. Furthermore, it is not entirely clear how nutritional intake varies across the MC’s phases and whether these variations impact on exercise performance. Therefore, a thorough review of the existing knowledge could help in framing these complex relationships and potentially contribute to the optimization of exercise prescription and nutritional intake according to the naturally occurring phases of the MC. Throughout this re-view, an emerging trend is the lack of generalizability and the need to individualize interventions, since the consequences of the MC’s phases and their relationships with exercise and nutritional intake seem to vary greatly from person to person. In this sense, average data are probably not relevant and could potentially be misleading.publishersversionpublishe

a review

Women have a number of specificities that differentiate them from men. In particular, the role of sex steroid hormones and the menstrual cycle (MC) significantly impact women?s physiology. The literature has shown nonlinear relationships between MC, exercise, and nutritional intake. Notably, these relationships are bidirectional and less straightforward than one would suppose. For example, the theoretical implications of the MC?s phases on exercise performance do not always translate into relevant practical effects. There is often a disconnect between internal measures (e.g., levels of hormone concentrations) and external performance. Furthermore, it is not entirely clear how nutritional intake varies across the MC?s phases and whether these variations impact on exercise performance. Therefore, a thorough review of the existing knowledge could help in framing these complex relationships and potentially contribute to the optimization of exercise prescription and nutritional intake according to the naturally occurring phases of the MC. Throughout this review, an emerging trend is the lack of generalizability and the need to individualize interventions, since the consequences of the MC?s phases and their relationships with exercise and nutritional intake seem to vary greatly from person to person. In this sense, average data are probably not relevant and could potentially be misleading.D915-7373-ED16 | Cesar LeaoN/

A geographically flexible approach for mapping the Wildland-Urban Interface integrating fire activity data

The Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) is the area where houses and natural vegetation meet or intermingle. WUI areas are exposed to an increased hazard of wildfires and have significantly expanded worldwide in the past few decades. In this study, we developed a new empirical approach for mapping the WUI by generating a WUI index based on the juxtaposition among buildings, vegetation, and the fire history of the study area. We first calculated the percentage coverage of buildings and three different fuel typologies within circular moving windows with radii of 100, 250, and 500 m, and then acquired the fire history data between 2012 and 2021 for Israel and the West Bank (Palestinian Authority) from the VIIRS active fires remote sensing product. We defined the WUI as cells where the combination of vegetation cover and building cover had more VIIRS fire detections than expected by chance. To assess the effects of using broad vs. local scale parameterizations on resulting WUI maps, we repeated this process twice, first using national-scale data, and then separately in four distinct geographic regions. We assessed the congruence in the amounts and patterns of WUI in regions as mapped by information from these two analysis scales. We found that the WUI in Israel and the West Bank ranged from 0.5% to 1.7%, depending on fuel type and moving window radius. The scale of parameterization (national vs. regional) affected the WUI patterns only in one of the regions, whose characteristics differed markedly than the rest of the country. Our new method differs from existing WUI mapping methods as it is empirical and geographically flexible. These two traits allow it to robustly map the WUI in other countries with different settlement, fuel, climate and wildfire characteristics

Prótese do tornozelo híbrida em um caso de necrose avascular pós-traumática do tálus

As fraturas do astrágalo originam frequentemente artrose pós-traumática tardia. Nestes casos, a utilização de próteses do tornozelo não cimentadas de última geração tem sido evitada pela presença de necrose avascular. Relatamos o caso de um paciente com 65 anos que se apresenta quatro anos após uma fratura do colo do astrágalo. Apresentava uma artrose do tornozelo dolorosa (escala AOFAS do retropé e tornozelo 19) e necrose avascular com colapso de toda a cúpula astragalina. Dada a extensão da necrose, foi decidido cimentar o componente protésico astragalino. Um ano após a cirurgia, o paciente apresenta bom resultado clínico e radiológico (escala AOFAS do retropé e tornozelo 87) e está satisfeito com o procedimento. Não temos conhecimento de nenhum relato semelhante na literatura.Talus fractures often lead to late post-traumatic arthrosis. In such cases, the use of latest generation, cementless prostheses has been hindered by the presence of avascular necrosis. We report the case of a 65-year-old patient who presented four years after a talus neck fracture. He had painful ankle arthrosis (AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score 19) and avascular necrosis, with collapse of the entire talar dome. Given the extent of the necrosis, it was decided to cement the talus prosthetic component. One year after the surgery, the patient shows good clinical and radiological results (AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score 87) and is satisfied with the procedure. We are not aware of any similar reports in the literature

The global wildland–urban interface

The wildland–urban interface (WUI) is where buildings and wildland vegetation meet or intermingle1,2. It is where human–environmental conflicts and risks can be concentrated, including the loss of houses and lives to wildfire, habitat loss and fragmentation and the spread of zoonotic diseases3. However, a global analysis of the WUI has been lacking. Here, we present a global map of the 2020 WUI at 10 m resolution using a globally consistent and validated approach based on remote sensing-derived datasets of building area4 and wildland vegetation5. We show that the WUI is a global phenomenon, identify many previously undocumented WUI hotspots and highlight the wide range of population density, land cover types and biomass levels in different parts of the global WUI. The WUI covers only 4.7% of the land surface but is home to nearly half its population (3.5 billion). The WUI is especially widespread in Europe (15% of the land area) and the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome (18%). Of all people living near 2003–2020 wildfires (0.4 billion), two thirds have their home in the WUI, most of them in Africa (150 million). Given that wildfire activity is predicted to increase because of climate change in many regions6, there is a need to understand housing growth and vegetation patterns as drivers of WUI change