This paper presents a brief review of the interpretation of measurements of hadron yields in hadronic interactions within the framework of thermal models, over a broad energy range (from SIS to LHC ...energies, sNN≃2.5 GeV–5 TeV). Recent experimental results and theoretical developments are reported, with an emphasis on topics discussed during the Quark Matter 2014 conference.
Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are an emerging treatment option for patients with cancer and acute venous thromboembolism (VTE), but studies have reported inconsistent results. This systematic ...review and meta-analysis compared the efficacy and safety of DOACs and low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) in these patients. MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and conference proceedings were searched to identify relevant randomized controlled trials. Additional data were obtained from the original authors to homogenize definitions for all study outcomes. The primary efficacy and safety outcomes were recurrent VTE and major bleeding, respectively. Other outcomes included the composite of recurrent VTE and major bleeding, clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (CRNMB), and all-cause mortality. Summary relative risks (RRs) were calculated in a random effects meta-analysis. In the primary analysis comprising 2607 patients, the risk of recurrent VTE was nonsignificantly lower with DOACs than with LMWHs (RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.39-1.17). Conversely, the risks of major bleeding (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.55-3.35) and CRNMB (RR, 1.63; 95% CI, 0.73-3.64) were nonsignificantly higher. The risk of the composite of recurrent VTE or major bleeding was nonsignificantly lower with DOACs than with LMWHs (RR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.60-1.23). Mortality was comparable in both groups (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.68-1.36). Findings were consistent during the on-treatment period and in those with incidental VTE. In conclusion, DOACs are an effective treatment option for patients with cancer and acute VTE, although caution is needed in patients at high risk of bleeding.
We discuss the notorious problem of order selection in hidden Markov models, that is of selecting an adequate number of states, highlighting typical pitfalls and practical challenges arising when ...analyzing real data. Extensive simulations are used to demonstrate the reasons that render order selection particularly challenging in practice despite the conceptual simplicity of the task. In particular, we demonstrate why well-established formal procedures for model selection, such as those based on standard information criteria, tend to favor models with numbers of states that are undesirably large in situations where states shall be meaningful entities. We also offer a pragmatic step-by-step approach together with comprehensive advice for how practitioners can implement order selection. Our proposed strategy is illustrated with a real-data case study on muskox movement.
Empirical tests that link temperature-mediated changes in behaviour (activity and resource selection) to individual fitness or condition are currently lacking for endotherms yet may be critical to ...understanding the effect of climate change on population dynamics. Moose (Alces alces) are thought to suffer from heat stress in all seasons so provide a good biological model to test whether exposure to non-optimal ambient temperatures influence seasonal changes in body mass. Seasonal mass change is an important fitness correlate of large herbivores and affects reproductive success of female moose.
Using GPS-collared adult female moose from two populations in southern Norway we quantified individual differences in seasonal activity budget and resource selection patterns as a function of seasonal temperatures thought to induce heat stress in moose. Individual body mass was recorded in early and late winter, and autumn to calculate seasonal mass changes (n = 52 over winter, n = 47 over summer). We found large individual differences in temperature-dependent resource selection patterns as well as within and between season variability in thermoregulatory strategies. As expected, individuals using an optimal strategy, selecting young successional forest (foraging habitat) at low ambient temperatures and mature coniferous forest (thermal shelter) during thermally stressful conditions, lost less mass in winter and gained more mass in summer.
This study provides evidence that behavioural responses to temperature have important consequences for seasonal mass change in moose living in the south of their distribution in Norway, and may be a contributing factor to recently observed declines in moose demographic performance. Although the mechanisms that underlie the observed temperature mediated habitat-fitness relationship remain to be tested, physiological state and individual variation in thermal tolerance are likely contributory factors. Climate-related effects on animal behaviour, and subsequently fitness, are expected to intensify as global warming continues.
Habitat selection is complex due to density dependence and functional responses, defined as variation in relative habitat use depending on availability. In this study we unite these concepts by ...empirically testing for density-dependent functional responses in habitat selection using a large herbivore, elk Cervus canadensis manitobensis, as a model species. Theory on density-dependent habitat selection predicts specialised behaviour when densities are low with a gradual switch to generalist behaviour (more even selection of habitat) as competition intensifies. This suggests that functional responses in habitat selection should be positive when competition is low, but that density may have a negative effect on the functional response due to constraining effects of competition on habitat use and availability. We tested this prediction using data from Global Positioning System (GPS) collared elk (n = 33) and empirical data on spatiotemporal variation in local density during winter in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada (2002–2011). As local density increased, winter home range size decreased and the proportion of mixed forest (providing shelter and forage to elk) used and available within the home range also decreased. Our resource selection function (RSF) revealed clear density-dependent effects in selection, being strongest (or weakest) for high quality (or low quality) habitat types at lowest observed density leading to more even selection as densities increased. The functional response in mixed forest selection was negatively affected by local density. Increasing availability of mixed forest in the home range was associated with higher selection at low density (positive functional response); no effect of availability on selection at moderate density (no functional response); and lower selection as availability increased at high density (negative functional response). Our study demonstrates that this process is largely driven by the negative effect of density on home range size as it constrains use and availability of habitat.
Marine ecosystems are increasingly exposed to anthropogenic disturbances that cause animals to change behavior and move away from potential foraging grounds. Here we present a process‐based modeling ...framework for assessing population consequences of such sub‐lethal behavioral effects. It builds directly on how disturbances influence animal movements, foraging and energetics, and is therefore applicable to a wide range of species. To demonstrate the model we assess the impact of wind farm construction noise on the North Sea harbor porpoise population. Subsequently, we demonstrate how the model can be used to minimize population impacts of disturbances through spatial planning. Population models that build on the fundamental processes that determine animal fitness have a high predictive power in novel environments, making them ideal for marine management.
Surveys of harbor seals to assess pup production in Denmark are conducted at the assumed breeding season peak between 9 and 15 hr at winds <10 m/s, with no precipitation at least 6 hr before ...observations and at low tide in areas with a significant tidal range. Harbor seal pups can swim immediately after birth, so the fraction available for counting likely varies according to conditions. In the Limfjord, a separate harbor seal population is living in a large inlet in northern Denmark where >95% of pups are born at two haul‐out sites situated 4 km apart. Drone surveys of these two haul‐outs were conducted throughout the breeding seasons during 2017–2019. The effects of weather conditions and timing of surveys on counts were analyzed by generalized additive mixed models. The best‐performing model included date and wind speed. Pup counts grew from the onset of the observation period and were predicted to peak on June 22. Wind speed had a linear relationship with pup counts and > 50% more pups were counted at 5 m/s than at 1 m/s. To achieve representative pup counts careful consideration of survey conditions and possibly correction for these effects are necessary.
Baiting and supplemental feeding of wildlife are widespread, yet highly controversial management practices, with important implications for ecosystems, livestock production, and potentially human ...health. An often underappreciated threat of such feeding practices is the potential to facilitate intra- and inter-specific disease transmission. We provide a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence of baiting and supplemental feeding on disease transmission risk in wildlife, with an emphasis on large herbivores in North America. While the objectives of supplemental feeding and baiting typically differ, the effects on disease transmission of these practices are largely the same. Both feeding and baiting provide wildlife with natural or non-natural food at specific locations in the environment, which can result in large congregations of individuals and species in a small area and increased local densities. Feeding can lead to increased potential for disease transmission either directly (via direct animal contact) or indirectly (via feed functioning as a fomite, spreading disease into the adjacent environment and to other animals). We identified numerous diseases that currently pose a significant concern to the health of individuals and species of large wild mammals across North America, the spread of which are either clearly facilitated or most likely facilitated by the application of supplemental feeding or baiting. Wildlife diseases also have important threats to human and livestock health. Although the risk of intra- and inter-species disease transmission likely increases when animals concentrate at feeding stations, only in a few cases was disease prevalence and transmission measured and compared between populations. Mostly these were experimental situations under controlled conditions, limiting direct scientific evidence that feeding practices exacerbates disease occurrence, exposure, transmission, and spread in the environment. Vaccination programs utilizing baits have received variable levels of success. Although important gaps in the scientific literature exist, current information is sufficient to conclude that providing food to wildlife through supplemental feeding or baiting has great potential to negatively impact species health and represents a non-natural arena for disease transmission and preservation. Ultimately, this undermines the initial purpose of feeding practices and represents a serious risk to the maintenance of biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, human health, and livestock production. Managers should consider disease transmission as a real and serious concern in their decision to implement or eliminate feeding programs. Disease surveillance should be a crucial element within the long-term monitoring of any feeding program in combination with other available preventive measures to limit disease transmission and spread.
Human activities at sea are intensifying and diversifying. This is leading to more complex interactions of anthropogenic impacts requiring adaptable management interventions to mitigate their ...cumulative effects on biodiversity conservation and restoration objectives. Bycatch remains the dominant conservation threat for coastal cetaceans. Additionally, the indirect impact of repeated exposure to disturbances, particularly acoustic disturbances, can affect cetacean population growth and therefore conservation objectives. Pingers are used to ensonify nets to provide an effective mitigation of bycatch risk. As those become more prevalent across fisheries at risk to catch for example harbour porpoises, pingers become contributors to the anthropogenic noise landscape which may affect the vital rates of this species as well. Currently, we do not know how to best balance pinger prevalence to minimise both bycatch rate and the population consequences of acoustic disturbance (PCoD). Here we use an agent-based model to determine how pinger prevalence in nets can be adjusted to minimise bycatch rate and noise disturbance propagating to affect population growth for harbour porpoises. We show that counter-intuitively bycatch rate can increase at lower pinger prevalence. When ecological conditions are such that PCOD can emerge, higher prevalence of pingers can lead to indirect effects on population growth. This would result from condition-mediated decreased reproductive potential. Displacing fishing effort, via time-area closure, can be an effective mitigation strategy in these circumstances. These findings have important implications for current management plans which, for practical consideration, may lead to lower overall pinger prevalence at sea. This study also shows that estimating the reproductive potential of the species should be incorporated in bycatch monitoring programmes. We now need to better understand how physiological condition affect reproductive decisions and behavioural responses to noise in cetaceans to better appraise and estimate the cumulative impacts of bycatch and its mitigations.
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•Pingers are used to ensonify nets to mitigate cetacean bycatch risks.•They contribute to the anthropogenic noise landscape affecting cetacean conservation.•We do not know how to plan pinger prevalence to minimise bycatch and acoustic impacts.•We show that counter-intuitively bycatch rate can increase at lower pinger prevalence.•Management plans not requiring pingers on all nets could be counterproductive.
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