Several temperature-humidity indexes (THI) have been used to estimate the degree of thermal stress experienced by dairy cows. The present objectives were to develop equations using meteorological ...variables that predicted rectal temperature of lactating cows in a subtropical environment and compare the goodness of fit of these equations to those using 8 different THI. Rectal temperature was measured between 1500 and 1700h in 1,280 lactating Holstein cows in north central Florida between August and December. Meteorological data recorded in the barn where cows were located included dry bulb temperature (Tdb), relative humidity (RH), dew point temperature, and wind speed. Wet bulb temperature was calculated. In the first series of analyses, regression analysis was used to model rectal temperature using the meteorological variables as well as THI. The r2 using Tdb (0.41) was slightly less than for models using all but one THI (r2 between 0.42 and 0.43). The r2 for equations using Tdb could be improved by adding RH (r2=0.43) or RH and RH2 (r2=0.44) to the model. In the second analysis, regression analysis was performed using forward selection, backward elimination, and stepwise selection procedures with the meteorological variables. All models gave a similar goodness of fit (r2=0.44). An analysis of variance with rectal temperature as a class variable was performed to determine the least squares means of meteorological measurements associated with hyperthermia. A Tdb of 29.7°C was associated with rectal temperature of 39°C, and a Tdb of 31.4°C was associated with rectal temperature of 39.5°C. In conclusion, Tdb is nearly as good a predictor of rectal temperatures of lactating Holsteins in a subtropical environment as THI. Estimates of values of meteorological variables associated with specific rectal temperatures should prove valuable in relating environmental conditions to the magnitude of hyperthermia experienced by heat-stressed cows.
Most animal species on Earth are insects, and recent reports suggest that their abundance is in drastic decline. Although these reports come from a wide range of insect taxa and regions, the evidence ...to assess the extent of the phenomenon is sparse. Insect populations are challenging to study, and most monitoring methods are labor intensive and inefficient. Advances in computer vision and deep learning provide potential new solutions to this global challenge. Cameras and other sensors can effectively, continuously, and noninvasively perform entomological observations throughout diurnal and seasonal cycles. The physical appearance of specimens can also be captured by automated imaging in the laboratory. When trained on these data, deep learning models can provide estimates of insect abundance, biomass, and diversity. Further, deep learning models can quantify variation in phenotypic traits, behavior, and interactions. Here, we connect recent developments in deep learning and computer vision to the urgent demand for more cost-efficient monitoring of insects and other invertebrates. We present examples of sensor-based monitoring of insects. We show how deep learning tools can be applied to exceptionally large datasets to derive ecological information and discuss the challenges that lie ahead for the implementation of such solutions in entomology. We identify four focal areas, which will facilitate this transformation: 1) validation of image-based taxonomic identification; 2) generation of sufficient training data; 3) development of public, curated reference databases; and 4) solutions to integrate deep learning and molecular tools.
The traditional view of the planktonic food web describes consumption of inorganic nutrients by photoautotrophic phytoplankton, which in turn supports zooplankton and ultimately higher trophic ...levels. Pathways centred on bacteria provide mechanisms for nutrient recycling. This structure lies at the foundation of most models used to explore biogeochemical cycling, functioning of the biological pump, and the impact of climate change on these processes. We suggest an alternative new paradigm, which sees the bulk of the base of this food web supported by protist plankton communities that are mixotrophic - combining phototrophy and phagotrophy within a single cell. The photoautotrophic eukaryotic plankton and their heterotrophic microzooplankton grazers dominate only during the developmental phases of ecosystems (e.g. spring bloom in temperate systems). With their flexible nutrition, mixotrophic protists dominate in more-mature systems (e.g. temperate summer, established eutrophic systems and oligotrophic systems); the more-stable water columns suggested under climate change may also be expected to favour these mixotrophs. We explore how such a predominantly mixotrophic structure affects microbial trophic dynamics and the biological pump. The mixotroph-dominated structure differs fundamentally in its flow of energy and nutrients, with a shortened and potentially more efficient chain from nutrient regeneration to primary production. Furthermore, mixotrophy enables a direct conduit for the support of primary production from bacterial production. We show how the exclusion of an explicit mixotrophic component in studies of the pelagic microbial communities leads to a failure to capture the true dynamics of the carbon flow. In order to prevent a misinterpretation of the full implications of climate change upon biogeochemical cycling and the functioning of the biological pump, we recommend inclusion of multi-nutrient mixotroph models within ecosystem studies.
We present a semianalytical method for the calculation of coherent Askaryan radiation in showers induced by neutrinos of any flavor in ice. We compare our results with those of a full Monte Carlo ...simulation based on the zhaires code. This approach is able to reproduce the vector potential and hence electric field at any experimentally relevant observer position in the time domain. This work extends published results only valid for electron-induced showers. We establish the validity of the semianalytical calculation of the radio signal produced by all types of neutrino-induced showers in ice. The method is computationally efficient and only requires as inputs the longitudinal charge excess profile of the showers and a parametrization of the vector potential in the far-field region of the shower at the Cherenkov angle that we also provide. Our methodology avoids tracking the contributions to the electric field from millions of particles every time the radio pulse has to be calculated at a given observer position. These results can be readily used in the interpretation of the data taken by experiments, and in the planning and design of future initiatives based on the radio technique in ice.
There has been increasing progress toward detailed characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres, in both observations and theoretical methods. Improvements in observational facilities and data ...reduction and analysis techniques are enabling increasingly higher quality spectra, especially from ground-based facilities. The high data quality also necessitates concomitant improvements in models required to interpret such data. In particular, the detection of trace species such as metal oxides has been challenging. Extremely irradiated exoplanets (~3000 K) are expected to show oxides with strong absorption signals in the optical. However, there are only a few hot Jupiters where such signatures have been reported. Here we aim to characterize the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-33 b using two primary transits taken 18 orbits apart. Our atmospheric retrieval, performed on the combined data sets, provides initial constraints on the atmospheric composition of WASP-33 b. We report a possible indication of aluminum oxide (AlO) at 3.3-
σ
significance. The data were obtained with the long slit OSIRIS spectrograph mounted at the 10-m Gran Telescopio Canarias. We cleaned the brightness variations from the light curves produced by stellar pulsations, and we determined the wavelength-dependent variability of the planetary radius caused by the atmospheric absorption of stellar light. A simultaneous fit to the two transit light curves allowed us to refine the transit parameters, and the common wavelength coverage between the two transits served to contrast our results. Future observations with HST as well as other large ground-based facilities will be able to further constrain the atmospheric chemical composition of the planet.
. Ahlehoff O, Gislason GH, Charlot M, Jørgensen CH, Lindhardsen J, Olesen JB, Abildstrøm SZ, Skov L, Torp‐Pedersen C, Hansen PR. (Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, Hellerup; Copenhagen ...University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen; National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen; Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte, Hellerup; University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark) Psoriasis is associated with clinically significant cardiovascular risk: a Danish nationwide cohort study. J Intern Med2011; 270: 147–157.
Objective. The magnitude of the cardiovascular risk from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis is debated. We therefore investigated the psoriasis‐related risk of adverse cardiovascular events and mortality.
Design, setting and subjects. We conducted a cohort study of the entire Danish population aged ≥18 years followed from 1997 to 2006 by individual‐level linkage of nationwide registers. Psoriasis was defined by prescription claims and classified as severe if patients received hospital‐based treatment. Time‐dependent Poisson regression models were applied to assess cardiovascular risk in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Main outcome measures. All‐cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and hospitalizations for myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and coronary revascularization were recorded.
Results. A total of 34 371 patients with mild psoriasis and 2621 with severe psoriasis, including 607 with psoriatic arthritis, were identified and compared with 4 003 265 controls. The event rates and rate ratios (RRs) of all‐cause mortality, cardiovascular death, MI, coronary revascularization, stroke and a composite of MI, stroke and cardiovascular death were increased in patients with psoriasis. The rate ratio increased with disease severity and decreased with age of onset. The overall RRs for the composite endpoint were 1.20 (95% confidence interval CI 1.14–1.25) and 1.58 (95% CI 1.36–1.82) for mild and severe psoriasis, respectively. The corresponding RRs for cardiovascular death were 1.14 (95% CI 1.06–1.22) and 1.57 (95% CI1.27–1.94). The risk was similar in patients with severe skin affection alone and those with psoriatic arthritis.
Conclusions. Psoriasis is associated with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events and all‐cause mortality. Young age, severe skin affection and/or psoriatic arthritis carry the most risk. Patients with psoriasis may be candidates for early cardiovascular risk factor modification.
The Boknis Eck (BE) time series station, initiated in 1957, is one of the longest-operated time series stations worldwide. We present the first statistical evaluation of a data set of nine physical, ...chemical and biological parameters in the period of 1957-2013. In the past three to five decades, all of the measured parameters underwent significant long-term changes. Most striking is an ongoing decline in bottom water oxygen concentration, despite a significant decrease of nutrient and chlorophyll a concentrations. Temperature-enhanced oxygen consumption in the bottom water and a prolongation of the stratification period are discussed as possible reasons for the ongoing oxygen decline despite declining eutrophication. Observations at the BE station were compared with model output of the Kiel Baltic Sea Ice Ocean Model (BSIOM). Reproduced trends were in good agreement with observed trends for temperature and oxygen, but generally the oxygen concentration at the bottom has been overestimated.
Summary
Background
Psoriasis, Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory disorders with overlapping genetic architecture. However, data on the frequency and risk of CD ...and UC in psoriasis are scarce and poorly understood.
Objectives
To investigate the association between CD and UC in patients with psoriasis.
Methods
All Danish individuals aged ≥ 18 years between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2012 were linked in nationwide registers. Psoriasis severity was defined in two models: hospital visits and medication. Incidence rates per 10 000 person‐years were calculated, and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated by Poisson regression.
Results
In the total cohort (n = 5 554 100) there were 75 209 incident cases of psoriasis, 11 309 incident cases of CD and 30 310 incident cases of UC, during follow‐up. The adjusted IRRs (95% confidence intervals) of CD were 1·28 (1·03–1·59), 2·56 (1·87–3·50), 2·85 (1·72–4·73) and 3·42 (2·36–4·95) in patients with mild psoriasis, severe psoriasis (hospital), severe psoriasis (medication) and psoriatic arthritis, respectively. Similarly, the adjusted IRRs of UC were 1·49 (1·32–1·68), 1·56 (1·22–2·00), 1·96 (1·36–2·83) and 2·43 (1·86–3·17), respectively. The 10‐year incidence of CD was 2–5 per 1000 patients and of UC 7–11 per 1000 patients, depending on psoriasis severity and the presence of psoriatic arthritis. Additionally, an increased risk of incident psoriasis was found following CD or UC.
Conclusions
We observed a psoriasis‐associated increased risk of CD and UC, which was higher in severe psoriasis, and an increased risk of psoriasis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Increased focus on gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with psoriasis may be warranted.
What's already known about this topic?
Co‐occurrence of psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been described, but data are inconsistent.
What does this study add?
In a nationwide cohort study, we found a bidirectional relationship between psoriasis and IBD.
Plain language summary available online
Hyperspectral reflectance (438 to 884 nm) data were recorded at five different growth stages of winter wheat in a field experiment including two cultivars, three plant densities, and four levels of N ...application. All two-band combinations in the normalized difference vegetation index (
λ1−
λ2)/(
λ1+
λ2) were subsequently used in a linear regression analysis against green biomass (GBM, g fresh weight m
−2 soil), leaf area index (LAI, m
2 green leaf m
−2 soil), leaf chlorophyll concentration (Chl
conc, mg chlorophyll g
−1 leaf fresh weight), leaf chlorophyll density (Chl
density, mg chlorophyll m
−2 soil), leaf nitrogen concentration (N
conc, mg nitrogen g
−1 leaf dry weight), and leaf nitrogen density (N
density, g nitrogen m
−2 soil). A number of grouped wavebands with high correlation (
R
2>95%) were revealed. For the crop variables based on quantity per unit surface area, i.e. GBM, LAI, Chl
density, and N
density, these wavebands had in the majority (87%) of the cases a center wavelength in the red edge spectral region from 680 to 750 nm and the band combinations were often paired so that both bands were closely spaced in the steep linear shift between
R
red and
R
nir. The red edge region was almost absent for bands related to Chl
conc and N
conc, where the visible spectral range, mainly in the blue region, proved to be better. The selected narrow-band indices improved the description of the influence of all six-crop variables compared to the traditional broad- and short-band indices normally applied on data from satellite, aerial photos, and field spectroradiometers. For variables expressed on the basis of soil or canopy surface area, the relationship was further improved when exponential curve fitting was used instead of linear regression. The best of the selected narrow-band indices was compared to the results of a partial least square regression (PLS). This comparison showed that the narrow-band indices related to LAI and Chl
conc, and to some extent also Chl
density and N
density, were optimal and could not be significantly improved by PLS using the information from all wavelengths in the hyperspectral region. However, PLS improved the prediction of GBM and N
conc by lowering the RMSE with 22% and 24%, respectively, compared to the best narrow-band indices. It is concluded that PLS regression analysis may provide a useful exploratory and predictive tool when applied on hyperspectral reflectance data.
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