Acoustic recording has been recognized as a valuable tool for non-intrusive monitoring of the marine environment, complementing traditional visual surveys. Acoustic surveys conducted on coral ...ecosystems have so far been restricted to barrier reefs and to shallow depths (10-30 m). Since they may provide refuge for coral reef organisms, the monitoring of outer reef slopes and describing of the soundscapes of deeper environment could provide insights into the characteristics of different biotopes of coral ecosystems. In this study, the acoustic features of four different habitats, with different topographies and substrates, located at different depths from 10 to 100 m, were recorded during day-time on the outer reef slope of the north Coast of Moorea Island (French Polynesia). Barrier reefs appeared to be the noisiest habitats whereas the average sound levels at other habitats decreased with their distance from the reef and with increasing depth. However, sound levels were higher than expected by propagation models, supporting that these habitats possess their own sound sources. While reef sounds are known to attract marine larvae, sounds from deeper habitats may then also have a non-negligible attractive potential, coming into play before the reef itself.
In assessing the impact of aquatic developments, it is important to evaluate whether accompanying underwater sounds might have adverse effects on fishes. Risk assessment can then be used to evaluate ...new and existing technologies for effective prevention, control, or mitigation of impacts. It is necessary to know the levels of sound that may cause potential harm to different species from different sources as well as those levels that are likely to be of no consequence. The development and use of impact criteria are still at an early stage for fishes.
Genomic profiling efforts have revealed a rich diversity of oncogenic fusion genes. While there are many methods for identifying fusion genes from RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data, visualizing these ...transcripts and their supporting reads remains challenging.
Clinker is a bioinformatics tool written in Python, R, and Bpipe that leverages the superTranscript method to visualize fusion genes. We demonstrate the use of Clinker to obtain interpretable visualizations of the RNA-seq data that lead to fusion calls. In addition, we use Clinker to explore multiple fusion transcripts with novel breakpoints within the P2RY8-CRLF2 fusion gene in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Clinker is freely available software that allows visualization of fusion genes and the RNA-seq data used in their discovery.
Background: Pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis (PTP) is the mainstay prevention strategy for venous thromboembolism (VTE). PTP agents traditionally dosed, like unfractionated heparin (UFH) and ...enoxaparin (ENOX), are associated with failure and bleeding in obese and underweight patients, respectively.
Objectives: This study aimed to describe the prevalence of unadjusted ENOX and UFH dosing for PTP based on anthropometric measures.
Patients/Methods: This was a post-hoc, multicenter, cross–sectional analysis of critically ill adults receiving PTP with ENOX or UFH. The primary outcome was the prevalence of unadjusted PTP based on body mass index (BMI) and total body weight (TBW). Definitions for dose adjustments were developed based on existing literature. A secondary outcome was to identify factors associated with unadjusted dosing per BMI and TBW using multivariable generalized linear mixed-effect models.
Results: The nested cohort included 172 patients (ENOX=46, UFH=126). Unadjusted PTP was observed in 118 patients (68.6%) based on BMI and 74 (43%) per TBW. When comparing UFH to ENOX, more patients who received UFH had doses unadjusted by BMI (78.6% vs. 41.3%, p<0.05) but not TBW (43.7% vs. 41.3%). Factors independently associated with unadjusted PTP per BMI were receipt of UFH (OR 6.93, 95% CI 1.06-8.77) or a BMI underweight or overweight/obese (OR 10.45, 95% CI 4.38-24.92). Having a TBW <50kg or >100kg (OR 4.85, 95% CI 2.15-10.96) were independently associated with unadjusted PTP based on TBW.
Conclusions: Unadjusted dosing of PTP occurs frequently in critically ill adults receiving ENOX or UFH. This was seen in body size extremes by both BMI and TBW.
•Poor guideline adherence increases unnecessary empirical and continued vancomycin.•Hematological malignancy was associated with appropriate empirical vancomycin prescribing.•Education and patient ...assessment is needed to improve vancomycin prescribing.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of empirical vancomycin for patients with neutropenic fever (NF) with regard to adherence to treatment guidelines.
Adult patients with a diagnosis of neutropenia, who met the definition of NF as per treatment guidelines, were identified. Use of vancomycin was evaluated as part of empirical therapy and again after 72h. Outcomes were assessed using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test, and univariate exact logistic regression analyses.
Sixty-four patients were included. Overall, inappropriate empirical vancomycin use was observed in more than 30% of patients. Of 35 patients with indications for empirical vancomycin, only 68% received it. At 72h, appropriate vancomycin continuation, de-escalation, or discontinuation occurred in 21 of 33 patients. On univariate regression, hematological malignancy was associated with appropriate empirical vancomycin prescribing, whether initiating or withholding (odds ratio 4.0, 95% confidence interval 1.31–12.1). No variable was independently associated with inappropriate continuation at 72h.
There is poor guideline adherence to vancomycin prescribing as empirical therapy and at 72-h reassessment in patients with NF. Further efforts are needed to foster a more rational use of vancomycin in patients with NF.
The sites where haddock spawn and the factors that bring the fish together to spawn at particular locations are not well known. We have located haddock in the sea by listening for the sounds this ...species makes during its reproductive behaviour. The characteristics of the sounds made by haddock were first examined in the aquarium. Listening was then carried out in a Norwegian fjord, where fishers had reported spawning haddock. Long sequences of repeated knocks were heard in the fjord, similar to the display sounds recorded during stereotyped reproductive behaviour in the aquarium. Rapidly repeated knocks and humming were also heard, confirming that fish were engaging in courtship. At night the sounds merged into a continuous low frequency rumble, suggesting that many haddock were present, producing sounds simultaneously. Listening for haddock sounds provides a reliable, non-invasive way of locating aggregations of spawning haddock in the sea, allowing closer definition of the spawning areas. Both fishing and exposure of haddock to man-made noise at the critical time of spawning may have deleterious effects upon reproductive success.
Female and juvenile haddock make sounds, as well as males. Examination of the sounds from different sexes indicates that the sound waveform is a function of fish maturity and it is gender-specific. ...Immature fish sounds were found to be made up of two pulses with similar frequencies and opposite polarities. Females produced two pulses with the same polarity, the first pulse having a higher frequency than the second. The acoustic characteristics of juvenile, female and male haddock sounds are compared. Sexual dimorphism in the mass of the drumming muscle mass has also been investigated. Female haddock possess less well-developed drumming muscles than males throughout the whole year. A significant difference in drumming muscle mass was observed not only in males but also in females at different seasons. A positive relation between drumming muscle mass and fish size has been highlighted in both male and female fish. The physical parameters of the sound units emitted by juveniles, females and males, which are likely affected by physiological condition and maturity stage, are discussed in relation to the sound-producing mechanism.
In this paper, we discuss the issues encountered when trying to perform hearing experiments in water-filled tanks that are several meters in lateral extent, typically large in terms of the size of ...the animals under study but not necessarily so with respect to the wavelengths of interest. This paper presents measurements of pressure and particle motion fields in these "large" tanks. The observed characteristics and complexities are discussed in reference to their potential impact on the planning and interpretation of hearing experiments.
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