Changes in grassland management and linear infrastructures associated to the decline of an endangered bird population

European grassland birds are experiencing major population declines, mainly due to changes in farmland management. We analyzed the role of habitat availability, grazing management and linear infrastructures (roads and power lines) in explaining spatial and temporal variation in the population density of little bustards (Tetrax tetrax) in Portugal, during a decade in which the species population size halved. We used data from 51 areas (totaling ca. 1,50,000 ha) that were sampled in two different periods (2003–2006 and 2016). In 2003–2006, when the species occurred at high densities, habitat availability was the only factor affecting spatial variation in bustard density. In the 2016 survey, variation in density was explained by habitat availability and livestock management, with reduced bird numbers in areas with higher proportions of cattle. Population declines across the study period were steeper in areas that initially held higher densities of bustards and in areas with a higher proportion of cattle in the total stocking rate. Areas with higher densities of power lines also registered greater density declines, probably due to avoidance behavior and to increased mortality. Overall, our results show little bustards are currently lacking high quality grassland habitat, whose persistence depends on extensive grazing regimes and low linear infrastructure densitiesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rickettsia Phylogenomics: Unwinding the Intricacies of Obligate Intracellular Life

BACKGROUND: Completed genome sequences are rapidly increasing for Rickettsia, obligate intracellular alpha-proteobacteria responsible for various human diseases, including epidemic typhus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In light of phylogeny, the establishment of orthologous groups (OGs) of open reading frames (ORFs) will distinguish the core rickettsial genes and other group specific genes (class 1 OGs or C1OGs) from those distributed indiscriminately throughout the rickettsial tree (class 2 OG or C2OGs). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We present 1823 representative (no gene duplications) and 259 non-representative (at least one gene duplication) rickettsial OGs. While the highly reductive (approximately 1.2 MB) Rickettsia genomes range in predicted ORFs from 872 to 1512, a core of 752 OGs was identified, depicting the essential Rickettsia genes. Unsurprisingly, this core lacks many metabolic genes, reflecting the dependence on host resources for growth and survival. Additionally, we bolster our recent reclassification of Rickettsia by identifying OGs that define the AG (ancestral group), TG (typhus group), TRG (transitional group), and SFG (spotted fever group) rickettsiae. OGs for insect-associated species, tick-associated species and species that harbor plasmids were also predicted. Through superimposition of all OGs over robust phylogeny estimation, we discern between C1OGs and C2OGs, the latter depicting genes either decaying from the conserved C1OGs or acquired laterally. Finally, scrutiny of non-representative OGs revealed high levels of split genes versus gene duplications, with both phenomena confounding gene orthology assignment. Interestingly, non-representative OGs, as well as OGs comprised of several gene families typically involved in microbial pathogenicity and/or the acquisition of virulence factors, fall predominantly within C2OG distributions. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Collectively, we determined the relative conservation and distribution of 14354 predicted ORFs from 10 rickettsial genomes across robust phylogeny estimation. The data, available at PATRIC (PathoSystems Resource Integration Center), provide novel information for unwinding the intricacies associated with Rickettsia pathogenesis, expanding the range of potential diagnostic, vaccine and therapeutic targets

Is increased time to diagnosis and treatment in symptomatic cancer associated with poorer outcomes?:Systematic review

background: It is unclear whether more timely cancer diagnosis brings favourable outcomes, with much of the previous evidence, in some cancers, being equivocal. We set out to determine whether there is an association between time to diagnosis, treatment and clinical outcomes, across all cancers for symptomatic presentations. methods: Systematic review of the literature and narrative synthesis. results: We included 177 articles reporting 209 studies. These studies varied in study design, the time intervals assessed and the outcomes reported. Study quality was variable, with a small number of higher-quality studies. Heterogeneity precluded definitive findings. The cancers with more reports of an association between shorter times to diagnosis and more favourable outcomes were breast, colorectal, head and neck, testicular and melanoma. conclusions: This is the first review encompassing many cancer types, and we have demonstrated those cancers in which more evidence of an association between shorter times to diagnosis and more favourable outcomes exists, and where it is lacking. We believe that it is reasonable to assume that efforts to expedite the diagnosis of symptomatic cancer are likely to have benefits for patients in terms of improved survival, earlier-stage diagnosis and improved quality of life, although these benefits vary between cancers

Relativistic Binaries in Globular Clusters

Galactic globular clusters are old, dense star systems typically containing 10\super{4}--10\super{7} stars. As an old population of stars, globular clusters contain many collapsed and degenerate objects. As a dense population of stars, globular clusters are the scene of many interesting close dynamical interactions between stars. These dynamical interactions can alter the evolution of individual stars and can produce tight binary systems containing one or two compact objects. In this review, we discuss theoretical models of globular cluster evolution and binary evolution, techniques for simulating this evolution that leads to relativistic binaries, and current and possible future observational evidence for this population. Our discussion of globular cluster evolution will focus on the processes that boost the production of hard binary systems and the subsequent interaction of these binaries that can alter the properties of both bodies and can lead to exotic objects. Direct {\it N}-body integrations and Fokker--Planck simulations of the evolution of globular clusters that incorporate tidal interactions and lead to predictions of relativistic binary populations are also discussed. We discuss the current observational evidence for cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars, and low-mass X-ray binaries as well as possible future detection of relativistic binaries with gravitational radiation.Comment: 88 pages, 13 figures. Submitted update of Living Reviews articl

Design, construction and operation of the ProtoDUNE-SP Liquid Argon TPC

The ProtoDUNE-SP detector is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) that was constructed and operated in the CERN North Area at the end of the H4 beamline. This detector is a prototype for the first far detector module of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), which will be constructed at the Sandford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, U.S.A. The ProtoDUNE-SP detector incorporates full-size components as designed for DUNE and has an active volume of 7 × 6 × 7.2 m3. The H4 beam delivers incident particles with well-measured momenta and high-purity particle identification. ProtoDUNE-SP's successful operation between 2018 and 2020 demonstrates the effectiveness of the single-phase far detector design. This paper describes the design, construction, assembly and operation of the detector components

Low exposure long-baseline neutrino oscillation sensitivity of the DUNE experiment

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will produce world-leading neutrino oscillation measurements over the lifetime of the experiment. In this work, we explore DUNE's sensitivity to observe charge-parity violation (CPV) in the neutrino sector, and to resolve the mass ordering, for exposures of up to 100 kiloton-megawatt-years (kt-MW-yr). The analysis includes detailed uncertainties on the flux prediction, the neutrino interaction model, and detector effects. We demonstrate that DUNE will be able to unambiguously resolve the neutrino mass ordering at a 3σ (5σ) level, with a 66 (100) kt-MW-yr far detector exposure, and has the ability to make strong statements at significantly shorter exposures depending on the true value of other oscillation parameters. We also show that DUNE has the potential to make a robust measurement of CPV at a 3σ level with a 100 kt-MW-yr exposure for the maximally CP-violating values \delta_{\rm CP}} = \pm\pi/2. Additionally, the dependence of DUNE's sensitivity on the exposure taken in neutrino-enhanced and antineutrino-enhanced running is discussed. An equal fraction of exposure taken in each beam mode is found to be close to optimal when considered over the entire space of interest

Comunidade: objeto coletivo do trabalho das enfermeiras da Estratégia Saúde da Família

Compreender no que concerne a constituição da interação da enfermeira com a comunidade, considerando o(s) sujeito(s) e a(s) finalidade(s) com base na percepção de enfermeiras atuantes na Saúde da Família. Métodos: Estudo exploratório-descritivo utilizando entrevista semiestruturada com análise qualitativa temática com 65 enfermeiras atuantes na Estratégia Saúde da Família, no extremo sul do Brasil, no período de janeiro a julho de 2006. Resultados: Duas abordagens da interação foram evidenciadas: imediata nas entidades coletivas; e mediata, com os demais trabalhadores da equipe. Nas finalidades, emergiram dois objetos de ação: a população na resolutividade e integralidade com enfoque na qualidade da ação, formação de vínculo, prevenção de doenças e promoção da saúde direcionada à autonomia com corresponsabilização; e a equipe na organização do trabalho direcionada à resolutividade da atenção. Conclusões: Enfatiza-se a importância da interação enfermeira-comunidade visando às ações que fortaleçam potencialidades dos indivíduos/grupos e integralidade e resolutividade da assistência pela organização do trabalho.Understanding regarding the establishment of the nurse’s interaction with a community, considering the subject(s), source(s), and purpose(s), based on the perception of nurses working in Family Health. Methods: Exploratory descriptive study with qualitative analysis of themes developed from semi-structured interviews with 65 nurses who worked within the Family Health Strategy in southern Brazil, from January to July 2006. Results: Two approaches for interaction were found: an immediate one in collective entities, and secondarily, with other team members. In the end, two objects of action emerged: on the population in terms of resolution and integrality with focus on quality of action, bond formation, disease prevention and health promotion directed toward autonomy with co-responsibility; and organized team work directed at the resolution of attention. Conclusions: We emphasize the importance of nurse-community interaction in order to develop actions that strengthen capabilities of individuals / groups and completeness of problem solving and assistance for the organization of work.Comprender lo concerniente a la constitución de la interacción de la enfermera con la comunidad, considerando el(los) sujeto(s) y la(s) finalidad(es) con base en la percepción de enfermeras que trabajan en la Salud de la Familia. Métodos: Estudio exploratoriodescriptivo en el que se utilizó la entrevista semi- estructurada con análisis cualitativo temático realizado con 65 enfermeras actuantes en La Estrategia Salud de la Familia, en el extremo sur del Brasil, en el período de enero a julio del 2006. Resultados: Fueron evidenciados dos abordajes de la interacción: inmediata en las entidades colectivas; y mediata, con los demás trabajadores del equipo. En las finalidades, emergieron dos objetos de acción: la población en la resolutividad e integralidad con enfoque en la calidad de la acción, formación de vínculo, prevención de enfermedades y promoción de la salud dirigida a la autonomía con corresponsabilización; y el equipo en la organización Del trabajo dirigida a la resolutividad de la atención. Conclusiones: Se enfatiza la importancia de la interacción enfermera-comunidad con La finalidad de que las acciones fortalezcan las potencialidades de los individuos/grupos y la integralidad y resolutividad de la asistencia por La organización del trabajo