Detection range and efficiency of acoustic telemetry receivers in a connected wetland system

Acoustic telemetry is an important tool for assessing the behavioural ecology of aquatic animals, but the performance of receivers can vary spatially and temporally according to changes in environmental gradients. Studies testing detection efficiency and/ or detection range are therefore important for data interpretation, although the most thorough range-testing approaches are often costly or impractical, such as the use of fixed sentinel tags. Here, stationary tag data (from study animals that had either died or expelled their tags) provided a substitute for the long-term monitoring of receiver performance in a wetland environment and was complemented by periodic boat-based range testing, with testing of the effects of environmental variables (water temperature, conductivity, transparency, precipitation, wind speed, acoustic noise) on detection efficiency (DE) and detection range (DR). Stationary tag DE was highly variable temporally, the most influential factors being water temperature and precipitation. Transparency was a strong predictor of DR and was dependent on chlorophyll concentration (a surrogate measure of algal density). These results highlight the value of stationary tag data in assessments of acoustic receiver performance. The high seasonal variability in DE and DR emphasises the need for long-term receiver monitoring to enable robust conclusions to be drawn from telemetry data

Dietary contributions of the alien zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha in British freshwater fish suggest low biological resistance to their invasion

Native communities can resist the establishment and invasion of alien species through consumptive and/or competitive interactions. The extent of consumptive resistance from freshwater fish to the invasion of zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha, a globally invasive Ponto-Caspian species, was assessed in two areas in Britain using stable isotope analysis, where mixing models predicted the contribution of putative prey resources (including zebra mussel) to fish diet. Across the sites and species, only roach Rutilus rutilus were predicted to have a diet where zebra mussels contributed highly (predicted contribution: 44%), with literature suggesting that their functional morphology would have facilitated their consumption of this prey item. Predicted contributions of zebra mussels to common bream Abramis brama diet was comparatively low (29%), despite them being present to much larger sizes than roach, and with pike Esox lucius, perch Perca fluviatilis and pikeperch Sander lucioperca also predicted to have low dietary contributions of zebra mussels (0.08%, 24% and 24%, respectively). These results suggest the consumptive resistance to its invasion in Britain has been low and, correspondingly, if there is a management desire to further limit the invasion of zebra mussels then relying on biological resistance to limit their invasion appears to be insufficient

Inclusive electron scattering from nuclei at x≃1

The inclusive A(e,e′) cross section for x≃1 was measured on 2H, C, Fe, and Au for momentum transfers Q2 from 1 to 6.8 (GeV/c)2. The scaling behavior of the data was examined in the region of transition from y scaling to x scaling. Throughout this transitional region, the data exhibit ξ scaling, reminiscent of the Bloom-Gilman duality seen in free nucleon scattering

The performance of the jet trigger for the ATLAS detector during 2011 data taking

The performance of the jet trigger for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during the 2011 data taking period is described. During 2011 the LHC provided proton–proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and heavy ion collisions with a 2.76 TeV per nucleon–nucleon collision energy. The ATLAS trigger is a three level system designed to reduce the rate of events from the 40 MHz nominal maximum bunch crossing rate to the approximate 400 Hz which can be written to offline storage. The ATLAS jet trigger is the primary means for the online selection of events containing jets. Events are accepted by the trigger if they contain one or more jets above some transverse energy threshold. During 2011 data taking the jet trigger was fully efficient for jets with transverse energy above 25 GeV for triggers seeded randomly at Level 1. For triggers which require a jet to be identified at each of the three trigger levels, full efficiency is reached for offline jets with transverse energy above 60 GeV. Jets reconstructed in the final trigger level and corresponding to offline jets with transverse energy greater than 60 GeV, are reconstructed with a resolution in transverse energy with respect to offline jets, of better than 4 % in the central region and better than 2.5 % in the forward direction

Search for flavour-changing neutral currents in processes with one top quark and a photon using 81 fb⁻¹ of pp collisions at \sqrts = 13 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

A search for flavour-changing neutral current (FCNC) events via the coupling of a top quark, a photon, and an up or charm quark is presented using 81 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data taken at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events with a photon, an electron or muon, a b-tagged jet, and missing transverse momentum are selected. A neural network based on kinematic variables differentiates between events from signal and background processes. The data are consistent with the background-only hypothesis, and limits are set on the strength of the tqγ coupling in an effective field theory. These are also interpreted as 95% CL upper limits on the cross section for FCNC tγ production via a left-handed (right-handed) tuγ coupling of 36 fb (78 fb) and on the branching ratio for t→γu of 2.8×10−5 (6.1×10−5). In addition, they are interpreted as 95% CL upper limits on the cross section for FCNC tγ production via a left-handed (right-handed) tcγ coupling of 40 fb (33 fb) and on the branching ratio for t→γc of 22×10−5 (18×10−5). © 2019 The Author(s

Large-scale sequencing identifies multiple genes and rare variants associated with Crohn's disease susceptibility

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of loci associated with Crohn's disease (CD). However, as with all complex diseases, robust identification of the genes dysregulated by noncoding variants typically driving GWAS discoveries has been challenging. Here, to complement GWASs and better define actionable biological targets, we analyzed sequence data from more than 30,000 patients with CD and 80,000 population controls. We directly implicate ten genes in general onset CD for the first time to our knowledge via association to coding variation, four of which lie within established CD GWAS loci. In nine instances, a single coding variant is significantly associated, and in the tenth, ATG4C, we see additionally a significantly increased burden of very rare coding variants in CD cases. In addition to reiterating the central role of innate and adaptive immune cells as well as autophagy in CD pathogenesis, these newly associated genes highlight the emerging role of mesenchymal cells in the development and maintenance of intestinal inflammation.Large-scale sequence-based analyses identify novel risk variants and susceptibility genes for Crohn's disease, and implicate mesenchymal cell-mediated intestinal homeostasis in disease etiology.Cellular mechanisms in basic and clinical gastroenterology and hepatolog

The Cholecystectomy As A Day Case (CAAD) Score: A Validated Score of Preoperative Predictors of Successful Day-Case Cholecystectomy Using the CholeS Data Set

Background Day-case surgery is associated with significant patient and cost benefits. However, only 43% of cholecystectomy patients are discharged home the same day. One hypothesis is day-case cholecystectomy rates, defined as patients discharged the same day as their operation, may be improved by better assessment of patients using standard preoperative variables. Methods Data were extracted from a prospectively collected data set of cholecystectomy patients from 166 UK and Irish hospitals (CholeS). Cholecystectomies performed as elective procedures were divided into main (75%) and validation (25%) data sets. Preoperative predictors were identified, and a risk score of failed day case was devised using multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to validate the score in the validation data set. Results Of the 7426 elective cholecystectomies performed, 49% of these were discharged home the same day. Same-day discharge following cholecystectomy was less likely with older patients (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.15–0.23), higher ASA scores (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.15–0.23), complicated cholelithiasis (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.48), male gender (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58–0.74), previous acute gallstone-related admissions (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.48–0.60) and preoperative endoscopic intervention (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.34–0.47). The CAAD score was developed using these variables. When applied to the validation subgroup, a CAAD score of ≤5 was associated with 80.8% successful day-case cholecystectomy compared with 19.2% associated with a CAAD score >5 (p < 0.001). Conclusions The CAAD score which utilises data readily available from clinic letters and electronic sources can predict same-day discharges following cholecystectomy

Search for the Zγ decay mode of new high-mass resonances in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This letter presents a search for narrow, high-mass resonances in the Zγ final state with the Z boson decaying into a pair of electrons or muons. The √s = 13 TeV pp collision data were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and have an integrated luminosity of 140 fb−1. The data are found to be in agreement with the Standard Model background expectation. Upper limits are set on the resonance production cross section times the decay branching ratio into Zγ. For spin-0 resonances produced via gluon–gluon fusion, the observed limits at 95% confidence level vary between 65.5 fb and 0.6 fb, while for spin-2 resonances produced via gluon–gluon fusion (or quark–antiquark initial states) limits vary between 77.4 (76.1) fb and 0.6 (0.5) fb, for the mass range from 220 GeV to 3400 GeV

Search for heavy Higgs bosons with flavour-violating couplings in multi-lepton plus b-jets final states in pp collisions at 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for new heavy scalars with flavour-violating decays in final states with multiple leptons and b-tagged jets is presented. The results are interpreted in terms of a general two-Higgs-doublet model involving an additional scalar with couplings to the top-quark and the three up-type quarks (ρtt, ρtc, and ρtu). The targeted signals lead to final states with either a same-sign top-quark pair, three top-quarks, or four top-quarks. The search is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 of the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb−1. Events are categorised depending on the multiplicity of light charged leptons (electrons or muons), total lepton charge, and a deep-neural-network output to enhance the purity of each of the signals. Masses of an additional scalar boson mH between 200 − 630 GeV with couplings ρtt = 0.4, ρtc = 0.2, and ρtu = 0.2 are excluded at 95% confidence level. Additional interpretations are provided in models of R-parity violating supersymmetry, motivated by the recent flavour and (g − 2)μ anomalies