Home Ranges and Spatial Organization of Fishers, Martes pennanti, in Central British Columbia

We described the size and spatial arrangement of aggregate and seasonal home ranges for 17 radio-tagged resident Fishers (Martes pennanti) that were >1.5 years old in two areas of central British Columbia during 1990-1993 and 1996-2000. We estimated home range size for each Fisher from the 95% isopleth of the utilization distribution generated using a fixed kernel model with smoothing selected by least-squares cross-validation (95% FK). For comparison to previous studies, we also calculated the minimum convex polygon estimate of home range size (MCP) for each animal. The aggregate home ranges (95% FK) of female Fishers (mean = 37.9 km², SD = 18.5, range = 10.5 – 81.2, n = 11) were significantly smaller than those of males (mean = 161.3 km², SD = 100.0, range = 46.0 – 225.2, n = 3; P = 0.019). We observed minor overlap among 95% FK home ranges of Fishers of the same sex, but considerable overlap among home ranges of males and females. Home ranges (95% FK or MCP) that we observed in central British Columbia were larger than those reported elsewhere in North America, particularly for males. We suggest that the distribution of resources for Fishers may occur at lower gross densitiesin central British Columbia than in other portions of the Fisher’s range and that suitable habitat in which Fishers can establish home ranges is not found uniformly across the landscape

Passage Through a Small Drainage Culvert by Mule Deer, Odocoilus hemionus, and Other Mammals

Cameras with infra-red triggers were used to monitor the passage of wildlife through underground passages that ran under a major highway and railway. Several species of mammals were detected traveling through the passages; of particular interest was the movement of Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) through a relatively small culvert that would not have been predicted to see usage by these animals

IMECE2003-42258 SPECIFYING EB-PVD PROCESS PARAMETERS FOR COATING OF A SECOND STAGE TURBINE BLADE USING AN EXPERIMENTALLY VERIFIED CAD MODEL OF THE PROCESS

ABSTRACT: A model was developed to predict the thickness of the thermal barrier coating (TBC) applied to specific points on a rotating PW4000 second stage turbine blade using electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD). The theoretical model of coating deposition rates as a function of position in the PVD vapor cloud (Knudsen cosine law) was experimentally verified. The experimental work consisted of a series of four turbine blades coated under various coating conditions. Based on the verified model, a UniGraphics (UG) CAD model of the process was built. A UG User Function (UFunc) was programmed to predict coating thickness for a wide variety of EB-PVD process parameters to populate a database of contoured coating profiles. A software tool was then developed to specify the manufacturing process parameters to fabricate a contoured EB-PVD TBC of partially stabilized zirconia. A coating profile matching routine was included in the software to identify the process parameters closest to the desired coating profile. The focus of this paper is on the experimental methods, the CAD model and the software tool

Diagnosis of non-effusive feline infectious peritonitis by reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR from mesenteric lymph node fine-needle aspirates

The aim of this study was to evaluate a feline coronavirus (FCoV) reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) on fine-needle aspirates (FNAs) from mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) collected in sterile saline for the purpose of diagnosing non-effusive feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in cats. First, the ability of the assay to detect viral RNA in MLN FNA preparations compared with MLN biopsy preparations was assessed in matched samples from eight cats. Second, a panel of MLN FNA samples was collected from a series of cats representing non-effusive FIP cases (n = 20), FCoV-seropositive individuals (n = 8) and FCoV seronegative individuals (n = 18). Disease status of the animals was determined using a combination of gross pathology, histopathology and/or 'FIP profile', consisting of serology, clinical pathology and clinical signs. Viral RNA was detected in 18/20 non-effusive FIP cases; it was not detected in two cases that presented with neurological FIP. Samples from 18 seronegative non-FIP control cats and 7/8 samples from seropositive non-FIP control cats contained no detectable viral RNA. Thus, as a method for diagnosing non-effusive FIP, MLN FNA RT-qPCR had an overall sensitivity of 90.0% and specificity of 96.1%. In cases with a high index of suspicion of disease, RT-qPCR targeting FCoV in MLN FNA can provide important information to support the ante-mortem diagnosis of non-effusive FIP. Importantly, viral RNA can be reliably detected in MLN FNA samples in saline submitted via the national mail service. When applied in combination with biochemistry, haematology and serological tests in cases with a high index of suspicion of disease the results of this assay may be used to support a diagnosis of non-effusive FIP

Policy Feedback and the Politics of the Affordable Care Act

There is a large body of literature devoted to how “policies create politics” and how feedback effects from existing policy legacies shape potential reforms in a particular area. Although much of this literature focuses on self‐reinforcing feedback effects that increase support for existing policies over time, Kent Weaver and his colleagues have recently drawn our attention to self‐undermining effects that can gradually weaken support for such policies. The following contribution explores both self‐reinforcing and self‐undermining policy feedback in relationship to the Affordable Care Act, the most important health‐care reform enacted in the United States since the mid‐1960s. More specifically, the paper draws on the concept of policy feedback to reflect on the political fate of the ACA since its adoption in 2010. We argue that, due in part to its sheer complexity and fragmentation, the ACA generates both self‐reinforcing and self‐undermining feedback effects that, depending of the aspect of the legislation at hand, can either facilitate or impede conservative retrenchment and restructuring. Simultaneously, through a discussion of partisan effects that shape Republican behavior in Congress, we acknowledge the limits of policy feedback in the explanation of policy stability and change

Development of a Bayesian response-adaptive trial design for the Dexamethasone for Excessive Menstruation study

It is often unclear what specific adaptive trial design features lead to an efficient design which is also feasible to implement. This article describes the preparatory simulation study for a Bayesian response-adaptive dose-finding trial design. Dexamethasone for Excessive Menstruation aims to assess the efficacy of Dexamethasone in reducing excessive menstrual bleeding and to determine the best dose for further study. To maximise learning about the dose response, patients receive placebo or an active dose with randomisation probabilities adapting based on evidence from patients already recruited. The dose-response relationship is estimated using a flexible Bayesian Normal Dynamic Linear Model. Several competing design options were considered including: number of doses, proportion assigned to placebo, adaptation criterion, and number and timing of adaptations. We performed a fractional factorial study using SAS software to simulate virtual trial data for candidate adaptive designs under a variety of scenarios and to invoke WinBUGS for Bayesian model estimation. We analysed the simulated trial results using Normal linear models to estimate the effects of each design feature on empirical type I error and statistical power. Our readily-implemented approach using widely available statistical software identified a final design which performed robustly across a range of potential trial scenarios

Prevalence of unrecognised myocardial infarction in a low-intermediate risk asymptomatic cohort and its relation to systemic atherosclerosis

The study was funded by the Souter Charitable Foundation and the Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland Charity. J.R.W.M. is supported by the Wellcome Trust through the Scottish Translational Medicine and Therapeutics Initiative (grant no. WT 085664) in the form of a clinical research fellowship.Aims :  Unrecognized myocardial infarctions (UMIs) have been described in 19-30% of the general population using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance. However, these studies have focused on an unselected cohort including those with known cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of the current study was to ascertain the prevalence of UMIs in a non-high-risk population using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods and Results :  A total of 5000 volunteers aged >40 years with no history of CVD and a 10-year risk of CVD of <20%, as assessed by the ATP-III risk score, were recruited to the Tayside Screening for Cardiac Events study. Those with a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level greater than their gender-specific median were invited for a whole-body MR angiogram and cardiac MR including LGE assessment. LGE was classed as absent, UMI, or non-specific. A total of 1529 volunteers completed the imaging study; of these, 53 (3.6%) were excluded because of either missing data or inadequate LGE image quality. Ten of the remaining 1476 (0.67%) displayed LGE. Of these, three (0.2%) were consistent with UMI, whereas seven were non-specific occurring in the mid-myocardium (n = 4), epicardium (n = 1), or right ventricular insertion points (n = 2). Those with UMI had a significantly higher BNP [median 116 (range 31-133) vs. 22.6 (5-175) pg/mL, P = 0.015], lower ejection fraction [54.6 (36-62) vs. 68.9 (38-89)%, P = 0.007], and larger end-systolic volume [36.3 (27-61) vs. 21.7 (5-65) mL/m(2), P = 0.014]. Those with non-specific LGE had lower diastolic blood pressure [68 (54-70) vs. 72 (46-98) mmHg, P = 0.013] but no differences in their cardiac function. Conclusion :  Despite previous reports describing high prevalence of UMI in older populations, in a predominantly middle-aged cohort, those who are of intermediate or low cardiovascular risk have a very low risk of having an unrecognized myocardial infarct.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Left Ventricular Noncompaction:Anatomical Phenotype or Distinct Cardiomyopathy?

The present study was funded by the Souter Charitable Foundation and the Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland Charity. Dr. Weir-McCall is supported by the Wellcome Trust through the Scottish Translational Medicine and Therapeutics Initiative (Grant no. WT 085664) in the form of a Clinical Research Fellowship.Background:  There is considerable overlap between left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) and other cardiomyopathies. LVNC has been reported in up to 40% of the general population, raising questions about whether it is a distinct pathological entity, a remodeling epiphenomenon, or merely an anatomical phenotype. Objectives:   The authors determined the prevalence and predictors of LVNC in a healthy population using 4 cardiac magnetic resonance imaging diagnostic criteria. Methods:   Volunteers >40 years of age (N = 1,651) with no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a 10-year risk of CVD < 20%, and a B-type natriuretic peptide level greater than their gender-specific median underwent magnetic resonance imaging scan as part of the TASCFORCE (Tayside Screening for Cardiac Events) study. LVNC ratios were measured on the horizontal and vertical long axis cine sequences. All individuals with a noncompaction ratio of ≥2 underwent short axis systolic and diastolic LVNC ratio measurements, and quantification of noncompacted and compacted myocardial mass ratios. Those who met all 4 criteria were considered to have LVNC. Results:  Of 1,480 participants analyzed, 219 (14.8%) met ≥1 diagnostic criterion for LVNC, 117 (7.9%) met 2 criteria, 63 (4.3%) met 3 criteria, and 19 (1.3%) met all 4 diagnostic criteria. There was no difference in demographic or allometric measures between those with and without LVNC. Long axis noncompaction ratios were the least specific, with current diagnostic criteria positive in 219 (14.8%), whereas the noncompacted to compacted myocardial mass ratio was the most specific, only being met in 61 (4.4%). Conclusions:   A significant proportion of an asymptomatic population free from CVD satisfy all currently used cardiac magnetic resonance imaging diagnostic criteria for LVNC, suggesting that those criteria have poor specificity for LVNC, or that LVNC is an anatomical phenotype rather than a distinct cardiomyopathy.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Follow-up of atheroma burden with sequential whole body contrast enhanced MR angiography:a feasibility study

Assess the feasibility of whole body magnetic resonance angiography (WB-MRA) for monitoring global atheroma burden in a population with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). 50 consecutive patients with symptomatic PAD referred for clinically indicated MRA were recruited. Whole body MRA (WB-MRA) was performed at baseline, 6 months and 3 years. The vasculature was split into 31 anatomical arterial segments. Each segment was scored according to degree of luminal narrowing: 0 = normal, 1 = <50 %, 2 = 50–70 %, 3 = 71–99 %, 4 = vessel occlusion. The score from all assessable segments was summed, and then normalised to the number of assessable vessels. This normalised score was divided by four (the maximum vessel score) and multiplied by 100 to give a final standardised atheroma score (SAS) with a score of 0–100. Progression was assessed with repeat measure ANOVA. 36 patients were scanned at 0 and 6 months, with 26 patients scanned at the 3 years follow up. Only those who completed all three visits were included in the final analysis. Baseline atherosclerotic burden was high with a mean SAS of 15.7 ± 10.3. No significant progression was present at 6 months (mean SAS 16.4 ± 10.5, p = 0.67), however there was significant disease progression at 3 years (mean SAS 17.7 ± 11.5, p = 0.01). Those with atheroma progression at follow-up were less likely to be on statin therapy (79 vs 100 %, p = 0.04), and had significantly higher baseline SAS (17.6 ± 11.2 vs 10.7 ± 5.1, p = 0.043). Follow up of atheroma burden is possible with WB-MRA, which can successfully quantify and monitor atherosclerosis progression at 3 years follow-up