Using camera traps to study the age-sex structure and behaviour of crop-using elephants Loxodonta africana in Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Crop losses from elephants are one of the primary obstacles to the coexistence of elephants and people and one of the contributing causes to elephant population decline. Understanding if some individuals in an elephant population are more likely to forage on crops, and the temporal patterns of elephant visits to farms, is key to mitigating the negative impacts of elephants on farmers. We used camera traps as a novel technique to study elephant crop foraging behaviour in farmland adjacent to the Udzungwa Mountains National Park in southern Tanzania from October 2010 to August 2014. Camera traps placed on elephant trails into farmland captured elephants on 336 occasions over the four-year study period. We successfully identified individual elephants from camera trap images for 126 of these occasions. All individuals detected on the camera traps were independent males, and we identified 48 unique bulls aged between 10 and 29 years. Two-thirds of the bulls identified were detected only once by camera traps over the study period, a pattern that also held during the last year of study when camera trapping effort was continuous. Our findings are consistent with previous studies that found that adult males are more likely to adopt high-risk feeding behaviours such as crop foraging, though young males dispersing from maternal family units also consume crops in Udzungwa. Our study found a large number of occasional crop-users (32 of the 48 bulls identified) and a smaller number of repeat crop-users (16 out of 48), suggesting that lethal elimination of crop-using elephants is unlikely to be an effective long-term strategy for reducing crop losses from elephants

Age structure as an indicator of poaching pressure: insights from rapid assessments of elephant populations across space and time

Detecting and monitoring illegal harvesting pressure on wild populations is challenging due to the cryptic nature of poaching activities. Although change in population age structure has been suggested as an indicator of harvesting pressure, few studies have tested its validity when based on short-term field surveys. Using data from rapid demographic assessment surveys carried out in 2009 at six sites in Tanzania, we examined whether African elephant populations experiencing contrasting levels of poaching pressure showed significant differences in their age structure, operational sex ratio (i.e. adult males to adult females), dependent individual to adult female ratio at the group level, and proportion of tuskless individuals. We also compared similar metrics between the population sampled in Ruaha National Park in 2009 and again in 2015 following a suspected increase in poaching. Elephant populations experiencing medium and high levels of poaching in 2009 were characterised by fewer calves and old individuals, a reduced number of adult males relative to adult females, and a lower ratio of calves to adult females within groups. We also found a higher proportion of tuskless individuals in poached populations (>6%). Changes in age structure in the Ruaha population between 2009 and 15 were similar to those observed across sites in 2009. Our findings are consistent with previous work documenting how the loss of older individuals – targeted for their larger tusks – decreases recruitment and survival of elephant calves. Illegal killing for ivory is a huge threat to the survival of African elephants. In this context, the present study contributes towards validating the use of age structure as an indicator of poaching pressure in elephant populations, but also in other wildlife populations where illegal offtake is targeted at specific age classes

Investigation of the effect of poaching on African elephant (Loxodonta africana) group size and composition in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Monitoring the impacts of poaching on wildlife is crucial to the management of ecosystems and wildlife populations. Previous studies have shown that poaching can affect the demography, reproduction and behavior of wildlife. For African elephants (Loxodonta africana), poaching has been shown to affect population numbers, structure, breeding system, behavior and activity patterns. This study investigated whether there were significant differences in group size and composition of African elephants in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania between areas of high- and low poaching levels, based on the 2013 whole-ecosystem aerial census, which we used as a proxy for poaching pressure. Elephant group size and composition were recorded along 417.6 km of monthly transects from May to November 2016, and again from May to November 2017. Comparison of cow/calf group sizes revealed that the group sizes were larger in areas with low poaching pressure. The dependent-to-adult female ratio was higher in areas with low poaching pressure, while the proportion of adult females was higher in areas with high poaching pressure. The proportions of cow/calf and mixed group types were higher in areas with low poaching pressure. A higher proportion of bull groups were seen in areas with high poaching pressure, which could be evidence of a risk response strategy. Therefore, poaching has significantly shaped grouping patterns, composition and has caused reproductive suppression in Ruaha elephants. We recommend a genetic study of this elephant population to establish the degree of relatedness among families to understand the extent of social structure breakdown caused by social stress due to high poaching pressure in the past years

Stretching the IR theoretical spectrum on Irish neutrality: a critical social constructivist framework

In a 2006 International Political Science Review article, entitled "Choosing to Go It Alone: Irish Neutrality in Theoretical and Comparative Perspective," Neal G. Jesse argues that Irish neutrality is best understood through a neoliberal rather than a neorealist international relations theory framework. This article posits an alternative "critical social constructivist" framework for understanding Irish neutrality. The first part of the article considers the differences between neoliberalism and social constructivism and argues why critical social constructivism's emphasis on beliefs, identity, and the agency of the public in foreign policy are key factors explaining Irish neutrality today. Using public opinion data, the second part of the article tests whether national identity, independence, ethnocentrism, attitudes to Northern Ireland, and efficacy are factors driving public support for Irish neutrality. The results show that public attitudes to Irish neutrality are structured along the dimensions of independence and identity, indicating empirical support for a critical social constructivist framework of understanding of Irish neutrality

Lifetime Doctor-Diagnosed Mental Health Conditions and Current Substance Use Among Gay and Bisexual Men Living in Vancouver, Canada

BackgroundStudies have found that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) have higher rates of mental health conditions and substance use than heterosexual men, but are limited by issues of representativeness.ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence and correlates of mental health disorders among GBM in Metro Vancouver, Canada.MethodsFrom 2012 to 2014, the Momentum Health Study recruited GBM (≥16 years) via respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to estimate population parameters. Computer-assisted self-interviews (CASI) collected demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral information, while nurse-administered structured interviews asked about mental health diagnoses and treatment. Multivariate logistic regression using manual backward selection was used to identify covariates for any lifetime doctor diagnosed: (1) alcohol/substance use disorder and (2) any other mental health disorder.ResultsOf 719 participants, 17.4% reported a substance use disorder and 35.2% reported any other mental health disorder; 24.0% of all GBM were currently receiving treatment. A lifetime substance use disorder diagnosis was negatively associated with being a student (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI [confidence interval]: 0.27-0.99) and an annual income ≥$30,000 CAD (AOR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.21-0.67) and positively associated with HIV-positive serostatus (AOR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.63-3.96), recent crystal methamphetamine use (AOR = 2.73, 95% CI: 1.69-4.40) and recent heroin use (AOR = 5.59, 95% CI: 2.39-13.12). Any other lifetime mental health disorder diagnosis was negatively associated with self-identifying as Latin American (AOR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.08-0.81), being a refugee or visa holder (AOR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.05-0.65), and living outside Vancouver (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.33-0.82), and positively associated with abnormal anxiety symptomology scores (AOR = 3.05, 95% CI: 2.06-4.51).ConclusionsMental health conditions and substance use, which have important implications for clinical and public health practice, were highly prevalent and co-occurring

Dealloying of Cobalt from CuCo Nanoparticles under Syngas Exposure

International audienceThe structure and composition of core−shell CuCo nanoparticles were found to change as a result of cleaning pretreatments and when exposed to syngas (CO + H 2) at atmospheric pressure. In situ X-ray absorption and photoelectron spectroscopies revealed the oxidation state of the particles as well as the presence of adsorbates under syngas. Transmission electron microscopy was used for ex situ analysis of the shape, elemental composition, and structure after reaction. The original core−shell structure was found to change to a hollow CuCo alloy after pretreatment by oxidation in pure O 2 and reduction in pure H 2. After 30 min of exposure to syngas, a significant fraction (5%) of the particles was strongly depleted in cobalt giving copper-rich nanoparticles. This fraction increased with duration of syngas exposure, a phenomenon that did not occur under pure CO or pure H 2. This study suggests that Co and Cu can each individually contribute to syngas conversion with CuCo catalysts

The bii4africa dataset of faunal and floral population intactness estimates across Africa’s major land uses

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species’ population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate ‘intactness scores’: the remaining proportion of an ‘intact’ reference population of a species group in a particular land use, on a scale from 0 (no remaining individuals) to 1 (same abundance as the reference) and, in rare cases, to 2 (populations that thrive in human-modified landscapes). The resulting bii4africa dataset contains intactness scores representing terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods: ±5,400 amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and vascular plants (±45,000 forbs, graminoids, trees, shrubs) in sub-Saharan Africa across the region’s major land uses (urban, cropland, rangeland, plantation, protected, etc.) and intensities (e.g., large-scale vs smallholder cropland). This dataset was co-produced as part of the Biodiversity Intactness Index for Africa Project. Additional uses include assessing ecosystem condition; rectifying geographic/ taxonomic biases in global biodiversity indicators and maps; and informing the Red List of Ecosystems

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI): a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischaemic conditioning with transient ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We investigated whether remote ischaemic conditioning could reduce the incidence of cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months. METHODS: We did an international investigator-initiated, prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI) at 33 centres across the UK, Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Patients (age >18 years) with suspected STEMI and who were eligible for PPCI were randomly allocated (1:1, stratified by centre with a permuted block method) to receive standard treatment (including a sham simulated remote ischaemic conditioning intervention at UK sites only) or remote ischaemic conditioning treatment (intermittent ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm through four cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of an automated cuff device) before PPCI. Investigators responsible for data collection and outcome assessment were masked to treatment allocation. The primary combined endpoint was cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02342522) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between Nov 6, 2013, and March 31, 2018, 5401 patients were randomly allocated to either the control group (n=2701) or the remote ischaemic conditioning group (n=2700). After exclusion of patients upon hospital arrival or loss to follow-up, 2569 patients in the control group and 2546 in the intervention group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months post-PPCI, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated frequencies of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure (the primary endpoint) were 220 (8·6%) patients in the control group and 239 (9·4%) in the remote ischaemic conditioning group (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 0·91-1·32], p=0·32 for intervention versus control). No important unexpected adverse events or side effects of remote ischaemic conditioning were observed. INTERPRETATION: Remote ischaemic conditioning does not improve clinical outcomes (cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure) at 12 months in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation, University College London Hospitals/University College London Biomedical Research Centre, Danish Innovation Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, TrygFonden

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century