Dispersal: a matter of scale

Population density around the natal site is often invoked as an explanation for variation in dispersal distance, with the expectation that competition for limiting resources, coupled with increased intra‐specific aggression at high densities, should drive changes in dispersal distances. However, tests of the density‐dependent dispersal hypothesis in long‐lived vertebrates have yielded mixed results. Furthermore, conclusions from dispersal studies may depend on the spatial and temporal scales at which density and dispersal patterns are examined, yet multi‐scale studies of dispersal are rare. Here, we present the findings of a long‐term study examining factors influencing natal dispersal distances for the non‐migratory population of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in the British Isles across distinct spatial and temporal scales. Our smallest scale study included Peregrines ringed as nestlings and subsequently recaptured alive in south Scotland–north England, an area that was intensively studied during the time periods 1974–1982 and 2002–2016. Second, we examined dispersal patterns of birds ringed as nestlings in south Scotland–north England, but subsequently recaptured alive or recovered dead anywhere in the British Isles. Finally, we examined the natal dispersal patterns for Peregrines ringed and recaptured or recovered anywhere in the British Isles from 1964 to 2016. Consistent with prior findings, females dispersed farther than males across all scales. However, the patterns of dispersal were strongly scale dependent. Specifically, we found a lack of a discernible relationship between index of density and dispersal distance in the limited study area, but when region‐wide recaptures and recoveries were included in the analyses, a negative relationship was revealed. Our results suggest that conclusions of dispersal studies may be scale dependent, highlighting the importance of spatial and temporal scales in examining and interpreting the relationship between population density and dispersal patterns

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The effects of active mobilisation and rehabilitation in ICU on mortality and function: a systematic review.

Purpose: Early active mobilisation and rehabilitation in the intensive care unit (ICU) is being used to prevent the long-term functional consequences of critical illness. This review aimed to determine the effect of active mobilisation and rehabilitation in the ICU on mortality, function, mobility, muscle strength, quality of life, days alive and out of hospital to 180 days, ICU and hospital lengths of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation and discharge destination, linking outcomes with the World Health Organization International Classification of Function Framework. Methods: A PRISMA checklist-guided systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised and controlled clinical trials. Results: Fourteen studies of varying quality including a total of 1753 patients were reviewed. Active mobilisation and rehabilitation had no impact on short- or long-term mortality (p > 0.05). Meta-analysis showed that active mobilisation and rehabilitation led to greater muscle strength (body function) at ICU discharge as measured using the Medical Research Council Sum Score (mean difference 8.62 points, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39–15.86), greater probability of walking without assistance (activity limitation) at hospital discharge (odds ratio 2.13, 95% CI 1.19–3.83), and more days alive and out of hospital to day 180 (participation restriction) (mean difference 9.69, 95% CI 1.7–17.66). There were no consistent effects on function, quality of life, ICU or hospital length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation or discharge destination. Conclusion: Active mobilisation and rehabilitation in the ICU has no impact on short- and long-term mortality, but may improve mobility status, muscle strength and days alive and out of hospital to 180 days

Text-mining the signals of climate change doubt

Journal ArticleAuthor's post-print subject to a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives LicenseClimate scientists overwhelmingly agree that the Earth is getting warmer and that the rise in average global temperature is predominantly due to human activity. Yet a significant proportion of the American public, as well as a considerable number of legislators in the U.S. Congress, continue to reject the "consensus view." While the source of the disagreement is varied, one prominent explanation centres on the activities of a coordinated and well-funded countermovement of climate sceptics. This study contributes to the literature on organized climate scepticism by providing the first systematic overview of conservative think tank sceptical discourse in nearly 15 years. Specifically, we (1) compile the largest corpus of contrarian literature to date, collecting over 16,000 documents from 19 organizations over the period 1998-2013; (2) introduce a methodology to measure key themes in the corpus which scales to the substantial increase in content generated by conservative think tanks over the past decade; and (3) leverage this new methodology to shed light on the relative prevalence of science- and policy-related discussion among conservative think tanks. We find little support for the claim that "the era of science denial is over"-instead, discussion of climate science has generally increased over the sample period