Public perceptions of deer management in Scotland : the impact of place of residence, knowledge and demographic factors

Deer have a prominent public and political profile in Scotland because of their iconic status, environmental and socio-economic impacts, and the long-running controversies surrounding their management. However, few studies have examined public perceptions of deer management. This article investigates whether rural and urban place of residence and other demographic factors are significant influences on public perceptions of deer management. A survey (n = 184) in rural and urban locations in Scotland explored public perceptions of deer management in contrasting localities. Place of residence, demographic information and self-reported knowledge levels were analysed to examine their impact on perceptions. Respondents generally agreed that deer management is necessary, with fencing and culling the first and second most preferred management options. Rural or urban place of residence had a limited influence on opinions of deer management, with engagement in land-based employment playing a more important role. Self-reported understanding of deer management was the most important factor in shaping opinions; those with greater knowledge were more likely to support deer culling. The findings suggest that improved public education concerning the need for deer management would be beneficial, increasing public understanding of management practices.PostprintPeer reviewe

Lung volume reduction surgery since the National Emphysema Treatment Trial: Study of Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database

ObjectivesThe National Emphysema Treatment Trial demonstrated that lung volume reduction surgery is an effective treatment for emphysema in select patients. With chronic lower respiratory disease being the third leading cause of death in the United States, this study sought to assess practice patterns and outcomes for lung volume reduction surgery on a national level since the National Emphysema Treatment Trial.MethodsAggregate statistics on lung volume reduction surgery reported in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database from January 2003 to June 2011 were analyzed to assess procedure volume, preoperative and operative characteristics, and outcomes. Comparisons with published data from the National Emphysema Treatment Trial were made using chi-square and 2-sided t tests.ResultsIn 8.5 years, 538 patients underwent lung volume reduction surgery, with 20 to 118 cases reported in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database per year. When compared with subjects in the National Emphysema Treatment Trial, subjects in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database were younger (P < .001), a larger proportion underwent the procedure thoracoscopically (P < .001), and forced expiratory volume in 1 second was 31% versus 28% of predicted (P < .001). When mortality was compared between subjects in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database and all subjects in the National Emphysema Treatment Trial randomized to surgery, there were no significant differences. However, mortality was 3% higher in subjects in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database when compared with the non–high-risk National Emphysema Treatment Trial subset (P = .005).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the importance of patient selection and the need to develop consensus on appropriate benchmarks for mortality rates after lung volume reduction surgery. It underscores the need for dedicated centers to increasingly address the heavy burden of chronic lower respiratory disease in the United States in a multidisciplinary fashion, particularly for preoperative evaluation and postoperative management of emphysema

Assessing the Impact of the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge Competitions on Civil Engineering Technology Students

The new accreditation criteria (TC2K) of the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET require an assessment of Program Intended Learning Outcomes. Some of the learning outcomes required by the “a” through “k” and the Civil criteria of TC2K include leadership skills, teamwork skills, project management skills, communication skills, and design and construction skills. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Institute for Steel Construction (AISC) sponsors regional and national concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions on an annual basis. The Civil Engineering Technology (CET) students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have participated in these competitions for the past nine years. These competitions give students a chance to apply what they have learned in the classroom. To assess the impact of the concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions on student learning and development, the authors carried out a survey of current students and graduates of the CET program at RIT who have been members of the concrete canoe and steel bridge teams. The issues addressed in our survey include the following: impact of these activities on leadership skills, communication skills, teamwork skills, design and construction skills, project management skills, confidence levels, students’ enthusiasm for the profession, and a positive image and exposure for students and CET programs. In this paper, we discuss the results of this survey and some of the challenges to student participation in these non-credit activities at RIT, and present some suggestions for enhancing the level of student participation

Life Cycle Assessment Tool for Food Supply Chain Environmental Evaluation

Food is at the centre of efforts to combat climate change, reduce water stress, pollution, and conserve the world’s wildlife. Assessing the environmental performance of food companies is essential to provide a comprehensive view of the production processes and gain insight into improvement options, but such a tool is currently non-existent in the literature. This study proposed a tool based on the life cycle assessment methodology focused on six stages of the food chain, raw materials acquisition, supplier, manufacturing, distribution, retail and wastes. The user can also evaluate the implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to reduce food waste applied in the real-world problems. The tool was validated through a case study of a food manufacturing company that prepares frozen meals via vending machines. The LCA results provided by the tool showed that food raw materials production is the main hotspot of nine impact categories. The IoT technologies’ contribution increased the company’s impact by around 0.4%. However, it is expected that employing these monitoring technologies would prevent food waste generation and the associated environmental impacts. Therefore, the results of this paper provide evidence that the proposed tool is suitable for determining environmental impacts and savings of food supply chain companies

Lifestyle modification in the prevention and treatment of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide and has a significant impact on morbidity and mortality. Additionally, the incidence and prevalence of AF is expected to increase in the United States and worldwide over the next few decades. While the pathophysiology concerning the development of AF is not completely understood, multiple modifiable, as well as non-modifiable risk factors, for AF development have been discovered. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the modifiable risk factors that contribute to the development and recurrence of AF, in addition to discussing potential lifestyle changes that may aid in the prevention and treatment of AF

Laser for balloon uncrossable and undilatable chronic total occlusion interventions

BACKGROUND: There is limited information on use of laser in complex percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). We examined the impact of laser on the outcomes of balloon uncrossable and balloon undilatable chronic total occlusion (CTO) PCI. METHODS: We reviewed baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics and procedural outcomes of 4845 CTO PCIs performed between 2012 and 2020 at 32 centers. RESULTS: Of the 4845 CTO lesions, 752 (15.5%) were balloon uncrossable (523 cases) or balloon undilatable (356 cases) and were included in this analysis. Mean patient age was 66.9 ± 10 years and 83% were men. Laser was used in 20.3% of the lesions. Compared with cases in which laser was not used, laser was more commonly used in longer length occlusions (33 [21, 50] vs. 25 [15, 40] mm, p = 0.0004) and in-stent restenotic lesions (41% vs. 20%, p \u3c 0.0001). Laser use was associated with higher technical (91.5% vs. 83.1%, p = 0.010) and procedural (88.9% vs. 81.6%, p = 0.033) success rates and similar incidence of major adverse cardiac events (3.92% vs. 3.51%, p = 0.805). Laser use was associated with longer procedural (169 [109, 231] vs. 130 [87, 199], p \u3c 0.0001) and fluoroscopy time (64 [40, 94] vs. 50 [31, 81], p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: In a contemporary, multicenter registry balloon uncrossable and balloon undilatable lesions represented 15.5% of all CTO PCIs. Laser was used in approximately one-fifth of these cases and was associated with high technical and procedural success and similar major complication rates

Dependence of the kinetic energy absorption capacity of bistable mechanical metamaterials on impactor mass and velocity

Using an alternative mechanism to dissipation or scattering, bistable structures and mechanical metamaterials have shown promise for mitigating the detrimental effects of impact by reversibly locking energy into strained material. Herein, we extend prior works on impact absorption via bistable metamaterials to computationally explore the dependence of kinetic energy transmission on the velocity and mass of the impactor, with strain rates exceeding $10^2$ s$^{-1}$. We observe a large dependence on both impactor parameters, ranging from significantly better to worse performance than a comparative linear material. We then correlate the variability in performance to solitary wave formation in the system and give analytical estimates of idealized energy absorption capacity under dynamic loading. In addition, we find a significant dependence on damping accompanied by a qualitative difference in solitary wave propagation within the system. The complex dynamics revealed in this study offer potential future guidance for the application of bistable metamaterials to applications including human and engineered system shock and impact protection devices

Percutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total occlusions involving a bifurcation: Insights from the PROGRESS-CTO registry

BACKGROUND: The impact of bifurcations at the proximal or distal cap on the outcomes of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has received limited study. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical, angiographic, and procedural data of 4,584 cases performed in patients between 2012 and 2020 in a global CTO PCI registry. We compared 4 groups according to the bifurcation location: proximal cap, distal cap, proximal and distal cap, and no bifurcation. RESULTS: The CTO involved a bifurcation in 67% cases, as follows: proximal cap (n = 1451, 33%), distal cap (n = 622, 14%), or both caps (n = 954, 21%). Proximal and distal cap cases had higher J-CTO compared with proximal cap, distal cap, and no bifurcation cases (2.9 ± 1.1 vs 2.5 ± 1.1 vs 2.4 ± 1.2 vs 2.0 ± 1.2, P \u3c 0.0001), and they were also associated with a lower technical success rate (79% vs 85% vs 85% vs 90%, P \u3c 0.0001), higher pericardiocentesis rate (1% vs 1% vs 0.2% vs 0.3%, P = 0.02), and higher emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery rate (0.3% vs 0% vs 0% vs 0%, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: More than two-thirds of CTO PCIs involve a bifurcation, which is associated with lower technical success and higher risk of complications

Universal L^p improving for averages along polynomial curves in low dimensions

We prove sharp $L^p-L^q$ estimates for averaging operators along general polynomial curves in two and three dimensions. These operators are translation-invariant, given by convolution with the so-called affine arclength measure of the curve and we obtain universal bounds over the class of curves given by polynomials of bounded degree. Our method relies on a geometric inequality for general vector polynomials together with a combinatorial argument due to M. Christ. Almost sharp Lorentz space estimates are obtained as well.Comment: 21 pages, with revised introduction and updated reference