A review of the introduced smooth-billed ani Crotophaga ani in Galápagos

The smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani) is a widespread introduced bird species in the biologically important archipelago of Galápagos. Many scientists and local people consider it to be a damaging invasive, and it is possible that it impacts native species and ecosystems via multiple mechanisms. However, evidence for this is largely anecdotal and research on smooth-billed anis in Galápagos is limited. Despite this, there have been repeated attempts to control or eradicate the population over the past few decades, all without long-term success. These attempts continue, but no official plan of action regarding this species currently exists.This review brings together all available information on smooth-billed anis in Galápagos. We use both published and unpublished research to answer the following questions:1.What is known about the history of the smooth-billed anis' introduction to Galápagos?2.What are the possible impacts of smooth-billed anis in Galápagos?3.What attempts have been undertaken to control or eradicate smooth-billed anis in Galápagos and what were their outcomes?In answering these questions, we highlight numerous knowledge gaps, in both the current understanding of the impacts of this introduced species and the effectiveness of potential control or eradication methods. We find an urgent need for further research before considered, resource-efficient decisions can be made regarding smooth-billed anis in Galápagos

The spatial ecology of invasive feral cats Felis catus on San Cristóbal, Galápagos: first insights from GPS collars

AbstractThe dangers posed by invasive species for endemic island wildlife are well recognised. Introduced domestic cats (Felis catus) represent a significant threat to several endemic species of the Galápagos archipelago—including hatchling marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) and potentially green turtles (Chelonia mydas)—yet little is known about their spatial ecology and habitat use on these islands. Here, we describe a pilot study using GPS collars to track the movements of three feral cats at a site of conservation interest on San Cristóbal Island. Based on 175 days of GPS data, we undertook spatial analyses to ascertain home ranges, and to investigate the overlap of ranges between the cats and potential prey species. Average home range was 1.27 km2 (1.12–1.46 km2), which—though small for feral cats—is in keeping with previous findings in Galápagos. We found the cats did use the habitat of a small marine iguana population but did not change their spatial habits before and after iguana hatchlings appeared. Changes over time in the daily movements of one cat indicated a possible response of the individual to the presence of hatchling green turtles (Chelonia mydas); though the data here are insufficient to show whether the cat was hunting these hatchlings. We recommend similar work be undertaken in areas with larger marine iguana populations, where hatchlings could represent a potentially important food source for invasive feral cats, as well as further work to determine the threat posed by cats to turtle hatchlings in Galápagos.</jats:p

A Data Driven Approach to Audiovisual Speech Mapping

The concept of using visual information as part of audio speech processing has been of significant recent interest. This paper presents a data driven approach that considers estimating audio speech acoustics using only temporal visual information without considering linguistic features such as phonemes and visemes. Audio (log filterbank) and visual (2D-DCT) features are extracted, and various configurations of MLP and datasets are used to identify optimal results, showing that given a sequence of prior visual frames an equivalent reasonably accurate audio frame estimation can be mapped

SCAMP:standardised, concentrated, additional macronutrients, parenteral nutrition in very preterm infants: a phase IV randomised, controlled exploratory study of macronutrient intake, growth and other aspects of neonatal care

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infants born <29 weeks gestation are at high risk of neurocognitive disability. Early postnatal growth failure, particularly head growth, is an important and potentially reversible risk factor for impaired neurodevelopmental outcome. Inadequate nutrition is a major factor in this postnatal growth failure, optimal protein and calorie (macronutrient) intakes are rarely achieved, especially in the first week. Infants <29 weeks are dependent on parenteral nutrition for the bulk of their nutrient needs for the first 2-3 weeks of life to allow gut adaptation to milk digestion. The prescription, formulation and administration of neonatal parenteral nutrition is critical to achieving optimal protein and calorie intake but has received little scientific evaluation. Current neonatal parenteral nutrition regimens often rely on individualised prescription to manage the labile, unpredictable biochemical and metabolic control characteristic of the early neonatal period. Individualised prescription frequently fails to translate into optimal macronutrient delivery. We have previously shown that a standardised, concentrated neonatal parenteral nutrition regimen can optimise macronutrient intake.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We propose a single centre, randomised controlled exploratory trial of two standardised, concentrated neonatal parenteral nutrition regimens comparing a standard macronutrient content (maximum protein 2.8 g/kg/day; lipid 2.8 g/kg/day, dextrose 10%) with a higher macronutrient content (maximum protein 3.8 g/kg/day; lipid 3.8 g/kg/day, dextrose 12%) over the first 28 days of life. 150 infants 24-28 completed weeks gestation and birthweight <1200 g will be recruited. The primary outcome will be head growth velocity in the first 28 days of life. Secondary outcomes will include a) auxological data between birth and 36 weeks corrected gestational age b) actual macronutrient intake in first 28 days c) biomarkers of biochemical and metabolic tolerance d) infection biomarkers and other intravascular line complications e) incidence of major complications of prematurity including mortality f) neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years corrected gestational age</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current controlled trials: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN76597892">ISRCTN76597892</a>; EudraCT Number: 2008-008899-14</p

Competitive endothelial adhesion between Plasmodium falciparum isolates under physiological flow conditions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sequestration of parasitized red blood cells in the microvasculature of major organs involves a sequence of events that is believed to contribute to the pathogenesis of severe falciparum malaria. <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>infections are commonly composed of multiple subpopulations of parasites with varied adhesive properties. A key question is: do these subpopulations compete for adhesion to endothelium? This study investigated whether, in a laboratory model of cytoadherence, there is competition in binding to endothelium between pRBC infected with <it>P. falciparum </it>of variant adhesive phenotypes, particularly under flow conditions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four different <it>P. falciparum </it>isolates, of known adherence phenotypes, were matched in pairs, mixed in different proportions and allowed to bind to cultured human endothelium. Using <it>in vitro </it>competitive static and flow-based adhesion assays, that allow simultaneous testing of the adhesive properties of two different parasite lines, adherence levels of paired <it>P. falciparum </it>isolates were quantified and analysed using either non-parametric Wilcoxon's paired signed rank test or Student paired test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Study findings show that <it>P. falciparum </it>parasite lines show marked differences in the efficiency of adhesion to endothelium.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>variants will compete for adhesion to endothelia and variants can be ranked by their efficiency of binding. These findings suggest that variants from a mixed infection will not show uniform cytoadherence and so may vary in their ability to cause disease.</p

Experimental conditions affect the outcome of Plasmodium falciparum platelet-mediated clumping assays

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Platelet-mediated clumping of <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>-infected erythrocytes (IE) is a parasite adhesion phenotype that has been associated with severe malaria in some, but not all, field isolate studies. A variety of experimental conditions have been used to study clumping <it>in vitro</it>, with substantial differences in parasitaemia (Pt), haematocrit (Ht), and time of reaction between studies. It is unknown whether these experimental variables affect the outcome of parasite clumping assays.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The effects of Pt (1, 4 and 12%), Ht (2, 5 and 10%) and time (15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h) on the clumping of <it>P. falciparum </it>clone HB3 were examined. The effects of platelet freshness and parasite maturity were also studied.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At low Ht (2%), the Pt of the culture has a large effect on clumping, with significantly higher clumping occurring at 12% Pt (mean 47% of IE in clumps) compared to 4% Pt (mean 26% IE in clumps) or 1% Pt (mean 7% IE in clumps) (ANOVA, p = 0.0004). Similarly, at low Pt (1%), the Ht of the culture has a large effect on clumping, with significantly higher clumping occurring at 10% Ht (mean 62% IE in clumps) compared to 5% Ht (mean 25% IE in clumps) or 2% Ht (mean 10% IE in clumps) (ANOVA, p = 0.0004). Combinations of high Ht and high Pt were impractical because of the difficulty assessing clumping in densely packed IE and the rapid formation of enormous clumps that could not be counted accurately. There was no significant difference in clumping when fresh platelets were used compared to platelets stored at 4°C for 10 days. Clumping was a property of mature pigmented-trophozoites and schizonts but not ring stage parasites.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Pt and Ht at which <it>in vitro </it>clumping assays are set up have a profound effect on the outcome. All previous field isolate studies on clumping and malaria severity suffer from potential problems in experimental design and methodology. Future studies of clumping should use standardized conditions and control for Pt, and should take into account the limitations and variability inherent in the assay.</p

Novel Vectors of Malaria Parasite in the Western Highlands of Kenya

The primary malaria control techniques, indoor application of residual insecticides and insecticide-treated bed nets, are used on the basis of previously assumed key characteristics of behaviors of vectors of malaria parasites, i.e., resting and feeding indoors. Any deviation from the typical activities of a species related to exophagy (feeding outdoors) and exophily (living and resting outdoors) or to population replacement, followed by increased outdoor biting or resting, may undermine malaria control efforts. Identification of mosquitoes that transmit malaria parasites has, for the most part, relied on the use of outdated morphologic keys and, more recently, species-diagnostic PCR. Cryptic species or subpopulations that exhibit divergent behaviors may be responsible for maintaining malaria parasite transmission, and without adequate discriminatory techniques, these vectors may be misidentified and their key behavioral differences overlooked.Emerging Infectious Diseases is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a U.S. Government agency. Therefore, materials published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, including text, figures, tables, and photographs are in the public domain and can be reprinted or used without permission with proper citation. This is an open access article, available to all readers online, published under a creative commons licensing (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The attached file is the published version of the article

Bursaries, writing grants and fellowships: a strategy to develop research capacity in primary health care

BACKGROUND: General practitioners and other primary health care professionals are often the first point of contact for patients requiring health care. Identifying, understanding and linking current evidence to best practice can be challenging and requires at least a basic understanding of research principles and methodologies. However, not all primary health care professionals are trained in research or have research experience. With the aim of enhancing research skills and developing a research culture in primary health care, University Departments of General Practice and Rural Health have been supported since 2000 by the Australian Government funded 'Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) Strategy'. A small grant funding scheme to support primary health care practitioners was implemented through the PHCRED program at Flinders University in South Australia between 2002 and 2005. The scheme incorporated academic mentors and three types of funding support: bursaries, writing grants and research fellowships. This article describes outcomes of the funding scheme and contributes to the debate surrounding the effectiveness of funding schemes as a means of building research capacity. METHODS: Funding recipients who had completed their research were invited to participate in a semi-structured 40-minute telephone interview. Feedback was sought on acquisition of research skills, publication outcomes, development of research capacity, confidence and interest in research, and perception of research. Data were also collected on demographics, research topics, and time needed to complete planned activities. RESULTS: The funding scheme supported 24 bursaries, 11 writing grants, and three research fellows. Nearly half (47%) of all grant recipients were allied health professionals, followed by general practitioners (21%). The majority (70%) were novice and early career researchers. Eighty-nine percent of the grant recipients were interviewed. Capacity, confidence, and level of research skills in ten core areas were generally considered to have improved as a result of the award. More than half (53%) had presented their research and 32% had published or submitted an article in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: A small grant and mentoring scheme through a University Department can effectively enhance research skills, confidence, output, and interest in research of primary health care practitioners

Growth of a cohort of very low birth weight infants in Johannesburg, South Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Little is known about the growth of VLBW infants in South Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the growth of a cohort of VLBW infants in Johannesburg.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A secondary analysis of a prospective cohort was conducted on 139 VLBW infants (birth weight ≤1500 g) admitted to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. Growth measurements were obtained from patient files and compared with the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards (WHO-CGS) and with a previous cohort of South African VLBW infants. The sample size per analysis ranged from 11 to 81 infants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Comparison with the WHO-CGS showed initial poor growth followed by gradual catch up growth with mean Z scores of 0.0 at 20 months postmenstrual age for weight, -0.8 at 20 months postmenstrual age for length and 0.0 at 3 months postmenstrual age for head circumference. Growth was comparable with that of a previous cohort of South African VLBW infants in all parameters.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Initial poor growth in the study sample was followed by gradual catch up growth but with persistent deficits in length for age at 20 months postmenstrual age relative to healthy term infants.</p