Disease spread through animal movements: a static and temporal network analysis of pig trade in Germany

Background: Animal trade plays an important role for the spread of infectious diseases in livestock populations. As a case study, we consider pig trade in Germany, where trade actors (agricultural premises) form a complex network. The central question is how infectious diseases can potentially spread within the system of trade contacts. We address this question by analyzing the underlying network of animal movements. Methodology/Findings: The considered pig trade dataset spans several years and is analyzed with respect to its potential to spread infectious diseases. Focusing on measurements of network-topological properties, we avoid the usage of external parameters, since these properties are independent of specific pathogens. They are on the contrary of great importance for understanding any general spreading process on this particular network. We analyze the system using different network models, which include varying amounts of information: (i) static network, (ii) network as a time series of uncorrelated snapshots, (iii) temporal network, where causality is explicitly taken into account. Findings: Our approach provides a general framework for a topological-temporal characterization of livestock trade networks. We find that a static network view captures many relevant aspects of the trade system, and premises can be classified into two clearly defined risk classes. Moreover, our results allow for an efficient allocation strategy for intervention measures using centrality measures. Data on trade volume does barely alter the results and is therefore of secondary importance. Although a static network description yields useful results, the temporal resolution of data plays an outstanding role for an in-depth understanding of spreading processes. This applies in particular for an accurate calculation of the maximum outbreak size.Comment: main text 33 pages, 17 figures, supporting information 7 pages, 7 figure

Rabies in Germany – an update

In comparison with conventional methods of wildlife rabies control, oral rabies vaccination of foxes (ORV) is without doubt the most (cost-) effective method in wildlife rabies control. As a result of ORV, several European countries have become rabies-free. Although rabies had been eliminated from much of Germany, there still exists a residual rabies focus in the border triangle of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland Palatinate. Corrective actions have been initiated to eliminate this last remaining rabies hotspot in Germany

Unfolding accessibility provides a macroscopic approach to temporal networks: [Preprint]

An accessibility graph of a network contains a link, wherever there is a path of arbitrary length between two nodes. We generalize the concept of accessibility to temporal networks. Building an accessibility graph by consecutively adding paths of growing length (unfolding), we obtain information about the distribution of shortest path durations and characteristic time-scales in temporal networks. Moreover, we define causal fidelity to measure the goodness of their static representation. The practicability of our proposed methods is demonstrated for three examples: networks of social contacts, livestock trade and sexual contacts

Solar Science with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array — A New View of Our Sun

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a new powerful tool for observing the Sun at high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution. These capabilities can address a broad range of fundamental scientific questions in solar physics. The radiation observed by ALMA originates mostly from the chromosphere—a complex and dynamic region between the photosphere and corona, which plays a crucial role in the transport of energy and matter and, ultimately, the heating of the outer layers of the solar atmosphere. Based on first solar test observations, strategies for regular solar campaigns are currently being developed. State-of-the-art numerical simulations of the solar atmosphere and modeling of instrumental effects can help constrain and optimize future observing modes for ALMA. Here we present a short technical description of ALMA and an overview of past efforts and future possibilities for solar observations at submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths. In addition, selected numerical simulations and observations at other wavelengths demonstrate ALMA’s scientific potential for studying the Sun for a large range of science cases

Short-term interval baiting to combat the re-emergence of fox rabies in Rhineland Palatinate (Germany) in 2005

In 2005, the final phase of terrestrial rabies eradication in Germany was put at risk by a severe setback due to re-introduction of the disease in Rhineland-Palatinate from neighbouring Hesse after seven years of absence. The rapid westward spread of the disease prompted veterinary authorities to react swiftly and apply a new yet unproven vaccination strategy to rapidly increase herd immunity in an almost unprotected fox population to stop the epidemic. The cornerstones of this emergency oral rabies vaccination strategy, i. e. vaccination intervals, identification of high risk spots, real time epidemiological assessment, capable to eliminate rabies within 13 months after incursion are described here. This strategy may be used as a template to tackle similar emergency situations in Europe in the future

Sample Submission Form for the research project "Food safety of game meat obtained through hunting"

The aim of the data collection was the initiation of a research project on the topic “Safety of game meat obtained through hunting (LEMISI)”. Various data such as the game tag number (identification number for each game animal), shooter, date and location of kill, hunting district, hunting method, game species with the age, sex and weight of the shot animal, subjectively estimated shooting distance and escape distance, a searching for wounded game with dogs (if applicable) and the bullet used were recorded by the hunters on a standardised sample submission sheet