Bird Strike Mitigation, Spring 2020

Bird Strike Mitigation Project for Sustainability Exchange, Washington University in St. Louis, Spring 202

PANC Study (Pancreatitis: A National Cohort Study): national cohort study examining the first 30 days from presentation of acute pancreatitis in the UK

Abstract Background Acute pancreatitis is a common, yet complex, emergency surgical presentation. Multiple guidelines exist and management can vary significantly. The aim of this first UK, multicentre, prospective cohort study was to assess the variation in management of acute pancreatitis to guide resource planning and optimize treatment. Methods All patients aged greater than or equal to 18 years presenting with acute pancreatitis, as per the Atlanta criteria, from March to April 2021 were eligible for inclusion and followed up for 30 days. Anonymized data were uploaded to a secure electronic database in line with local governance approvals. Results A total of 113 hospitals contributed data on 2580 patients, with an equal sex distribution and a mean age of 57 years. The aetiology was gallstones in 50.6 per cent, with idiopathic the next most common (22.4 per cent). In addition to the 7.6 per cent with a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, 20.1 per cent of patients had a previous episode of acute pancreatitis. One in 20 patients were classed as having severe pancreatitis, as per the Atlanta criteria. The overall mortality rate was 2.3 per cent at 30 days, but rose to one in three in the severe group. Predictors of death included male sex, increased age, and frailty; previous acute pancreatitis and gallstones as aetiologies were protective. Smoking status and body mass index did not affect death. Conclusion Most patients presenting with acute pancreatitis have a mild, self-limiting disease. Rates of patients with idiopathic pancreatitis are high. Recurrent attacks of pancreatitis are common, but are likely to have reduced risk of death on subsequent admissions. </jats:sec

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Watershed prioritization of Kailali district through morphometric parameters and landuse/landcover datasets using GIS

Watershed prioritization is considered an important tool for soil and watershed management. This study focuses on the watershed prioritization of the Kailali district in terms of soil erosion, considering morphometric parameters and land use/landcover (LULC) datasets using GIS. ALOS DEM of 30 m resolution was used to delineate sub-watersheds and calculate linear, areal, and relief morphometric parameters. Similarly, Esri LULC 2021 (Sentinel-2 imagery at 10 m resolution) was used to calculate LULC parameters. An integrated approach of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Weighted Sum Analysis (WSA) was used for prioritization. PCA was used to reduce selected parameters, calculate the correlation matrix, and define the significant parameters. WSA was used to define weightage value, and Compound Value (CV) was calculated for the ranking of sub-watersheds. 22 sub-watersheds with at least 3rd order stream and 15 parameters were selected for prioritization. PCA integrated with WSA was found to be effective for prioritization. The findings showed that about 61.58% of the watershed area is in the high-priority category, suggesting those areas are at a higher risk of erosion. Therefore, different land rehabilitation programs and bioengineering techniques should be focused on the sub-watershed of high-priority categories followed by medium and low-priority categories to control further soil erosion. The adopted methodology of prioritization can also be performed for multi-hazard mapping

Data from: Examining human-carnivore interactions using a socio-ecological framework: sympatric wild canids in India as a case study

Many carnivores inhabit human-dominated landscapes outside protected reserves. Spatially explicit assessments of carnivore distributions and livestock depredation patterns in human-use landscapes are crucial for minimising negative interactions and fostering coexistence between people and predators. India harbors 23% of the world’s carnivore species that share space with 1.3 billion people in ~2.3% of the global land area. We examined carnivore distributions and human-carnivore interactions in a multi-use forest landscape in central India. We focused on five sympatric carnivore species: Indian gray wolf Canis lupus pallipes, dhole Cuon alpinus, Indian jackal C. aureus indicus, Indian fox Vulpes bengalensis and striped hyena Hyaena hyaena. Carnivore occupancy ranged from 12% for dholes to 86% for jackals, mostly influenced by forests, open scrublands, and terrain ruggedness. Livestock/poultry depredation probability in the landscape ranged from 21% for dholes to >95% for jackals, influenced by land cover and livestock- or poultry-holding. The five species also showed high spatial overlap with free-ranging dogs, suggesting potential competitive interactions and disease-risks, with consequences for human health and safety. Our study provides insights on factors that facilitate and impede co-occurrence between people and predators. Spatial prioritisation of carnivore-rich areas and conflict-prone locations could facilitate human-carnivore coexistence in shared habitats. Our framework is ideally suited for making socio-ecological assessments of human-carnivore interactions in other multi-use landscapes and regions, worldwide

Effects of β-mercaptoethanol on in vitro maturation and glutathione level of buffalo oocytes

Aim: The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of supplementation of β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME) on in vitro maturation rate and glutathione (GSH) level of buffalo oocytes. Materials and Methods: Oocytes were recovered from buffalo’s ovaries collected from government approved slaughter house (near Kamela darwaza, Surat) of Surat Municipal Corporation. The obtained oocytes were in vitro matured in maturation media supplemented with 0 μM (117 oocytes), 100 μM (46 oocytes) and 200 μM (42 oocytes) concentration of β-ME. After 24 h of incubation, maturation rate of oocytes and intra-cellular GSH level were determined. Results: The results showed that the presence of β-ME did not influence (p>0.05) the oocyte maturation rate. However, GSH level increased significantly (p<0.05) in matured oocytes when supplemented with 100 μM and 200 μM β-ME (6.19±0.10 and 6.37±0.20 pmol/oocyte) as compared to control media (4.68±0.26 pmol/oocyte). Conclusion: It was concluded that β-ME may have a potential to increase the meiotic maturation of in vitro cultured oocytes and protect it from oxidative damage