Decision Trees for Predicting the Physiological Responses of Rabbits

The thermal environment inside a rabbit house affects the physiological responses and consequently the production of the animals. Thus, models are needed to assist rabbit producers in decision-making to maintain the production environment within the zone of thermoneutrality for the animals. The aim of this paper is to develop decision trees to predict the physiological responses of rabbits based on environmental variables. The experiment was performed in a rabbit house with 26 rabbits at eight weeks of age. The experimental database is composed of 546 observed data points. Sixty decision tree models for the prediction of respiratory rate (RR, mov.min−1) and ear temperature (ET, °C) of rabbits exposed to different combinations of dry bulb temperature (tdb, °C) and relative humidity (RH, %) were developed. The ET model exhibited better statistical indices than the RR model. The developed decision trees can be used in practical situations to provide a rapid evaluation of rabbit welfare conditions based on environmental variables and physiological responses. This information can be obtained in real time and may help rabbit breeders in decision-making to provide satisfactory environmental conditions for rabbits

Desempenho de pintinhos submetidos a estresse térmico

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of thermal challenge at different intensities and durations on the production responses of 3 to 21-day-old broiler chickens. Two hundred and ten Cobb chicks were subjected to dry-bulb temperatures (tdb) of 27, 30, 33, or 36°C for the duration of 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 days from the second day of life onwards. The experiment was carried out in four identical environmentally-controlled wind tunnels. Data on body mass (BM), feed intake (FI), and water intake (WI), all in grams, were monitored daily; and body weight gain (BWG), in grams, and feed conversion (FC) were also calculated. The effect of duration was not statistically significant. Empirical models were adjusted to relate BM, FI, and WI with tdb and bird age. The performance of chicks at 21 days of age was analyzed using the BM, FI, WI, BWG, and FC values. Overall, the development of chicks at 33 and 36°C was better than that of those subjected to the lower tdb of 30 and 27°C. The exposure of chicks to cold thermal challenge in early life can have a carry-over negative effect on their production performance up to 21 days of age.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do estresse térmico em diferentes intensidades e durações sobre as respostas produtivas de frangos de corte de 3 a 21 dias de idade. Duzentos e dez pintinhos Cobb foram submetidos às temperaturas do bulbo seco (tbs) de 27, 30, 33 ou 36°C durante 0, 1, 2, 3 ou 4 dias, a partir do segundo dia de vida. O experimento foi conduzido em quatro túneis de vento climatizados idênticos. Dados de massa corporal (MC), consumo de ração (CR) e consumo de água (CAg), todos em gramas, foram coletados diariamente; e ganho de massa corporal (GMC), em gramas, e conversão alimentar (CA) também foram calculados. O efeito da duração não foi estatisticamente significativo. Modelos empíricos foram ajustados para estimar MC, CR e CAg em função da tbs e da idade das aves. O desempenho dos pintinhos aos 21 dias de idade foi analisado a partir dos valores de MC, CR, CAg, GMC e CA. Em geral, o desenvolvimento de pintinhos a 33 e 36°C foi melhor que o dos submetidos às menores tbs, de 30 e 27°C. A exposição de pintos de corte ao frio nos primeiros dias de vida pode causar efeito residual em suas respostas produtivas até 21 dias de idade

Distribuição espacial da pressão na lateral de um pivô central com base em um modelo digital de elevação (MDE)

The spatial distribution of pressure head values along a 432,6m long center pivot lateral line was determined using measured values, taken at the inlet and end sections of the lateral line, and combined with topographic elevation data from a SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) image. Data furnished by SRTM describes topographic elevation values along the wheel tracks of each one of the eight towers used for the sustentation of the center pivot lateral line. For validation purposes of the process used for the determination of the pressure head distribution along the lateral line length, on 18 angular positions equally spaced along a complete turn of the lateral line, values of pressure head were also measured on 6 distinct points of the lateral line. Differences, on a 5% signiï¬cance level for the student t means test, were observed when measured values were compared to pressure head values estimated based on SRTM's altitude data. After the creation of thematic maps, there was a coincidence in the positioning of the regions of occurrence of the highest of pressure head, also, the lower pressure head values. The study demonstrates that the use of elevation data from SRTM images is acceptable only for the elaboration of thematic maps destined to delimit within the irrigated area the occurrence of regions where different pressure head values prevailed.A distribuição espacial da carga de pressão ao longo dos 432,6m de comprimento de uma linha lateral de um pivô central foi determinada a partir de valores medidos, na entrada e na extremidade da linha lateral, e combinados com dados de altitude proveniente de uma imagem SRTM do rastro das oito torres de sustentação da linha lateral. Para fins de validação da estimativa da distribuição espacial da carga de pressão na linha lateral móvel, em 18 diferentes posições angulares, foram medidos valores de carga de pressão em seis pontos distintos do seu comprimento. Diferenças significativas, ao nível de 5% do teste de médias “t de student”, foram observadas quando valores de carga de pressão estimados com dados de altitude do SRTM foram comparados com os valores medidos em campo. Após a confecção de mapas temáticos verificou-se coincidência no posicionamento das regiões de ocorrência dos valores mais elevados, como também dos menores valores de carga de pressão. O estudo demonstrou que o uso de dados de elevação a partir de imagens SRTM é aceitável apenas para a elaboração de mapas temáticos destinados a delimitar dentro da área irrigada a ocorrência de regiões onde prevaleceram valores de pressão distintos

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perspectivas epidemiológicas, clínicas e terapêuticas do transtorno bipolar em comorbidade com o uso de drogas: revisão de sistemática: Epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic perspectives of bipolar disorder in comorbidity with drug use: a systematic review

Conhecida como transtorno maníaco-depressivo, atualmente possui um novo nome: Transtorno Afetivo Bipolar, visto que com o passar do tempo foi se percebendo que esse transtorno não se tratava de uma alteração psicótica, e mais de um prejuízo afetivo. O transtorno bipolar possui alguns tipos, não se caracterizando em apenas uma forma, sua manifestação varia conforme o indivíduo e suas tendências, disforia e/ou euforia porém independente da forma expressa o paciente bipolar pode ter sua vida social comprometida, se não tratada, visto a irregularidade no estado de humor; bem como pode fazer uso de substâncias psicoativas, o que prejudica a sua condição clínica. Objetivo central da pesquisa é de apresentar a correlação do transtorno bipolar com o uso de drogas, mediante uma revisão de literatura integrativa realizada entre os meses de março de 2022 a julho de 2022, através da busca de artigos científicos nos bancos de dados online PubMed, Scielo e Google Acadêmico, utilizando como critério de refinamento de pesquisa artigos de todas as línguas publicados entre os anos 2000 e 2022

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost