Landscape planning

UNLABELLED: Mycobacterium bovis causes animal tuberculosis in livestock and wildlife, with an impact on animal health and production, wildlife management, and public health. In this work, we sampled a multi-host tuberculosis community from the official hotspot risk area of Portugal over 16 years, generating the largest available data set in the country. Using phylogenetic and ecological modeling, we aimed to reconstruct the history of circulating lineages across the livestock-wildlife interface to inform intervention and the implementation of genomic surveillance within the official eradication plan...

BACKGROUND: Successful efforts to encourage uptake of subdermal contraceptive implants, with a lifespan of three to five years, necessitate planning to ensure that quality removal services are available when desired. In Burkina Faso, implant use has tripled over the past 8 years and now comprises almost half of the contraceptive method mix. Population Monitoring for Action (PMA) surveys identified barriers to obtaining quality removal when desired, particularly when the implant is not palpable, or providers lack needed skills or supplies...

People with advanced lung cancer represent a distinct group whose needs remain understudied, especially compared with people diagnosed with limited-stage disease. Fortunately, novel treatments such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors are leading to significant advances in prognosis and survival, even among those with advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. However, there are known gaps in symptom management, psychosocial and nutritional support, complex care coordination, health behavior coaching, and health care delivery efforts among patients living with advanced lung cancer...

Over the last decades, bee biodiversity has dropped sharply due to land use change, including urbanization. To contrast this, recent research has pointed to cities as a hotspot for bees. Because of this ambiguity, a scoping review has been conducted to examine the urban characteristics that impact bees and how bees are impacted. A total of 276 articles were analyzed against landscape and local habitat characteristics. The key findings include first that natural areas are more valuable for bees since biodiversity levels are higher...

In the rapidly evolving telecommunications landscape, the shift towards advanced communication technologies marks a critical milestone. This transition promises to revolutionize connectivity by enabling seamless data downloads, high-quality video streaming, and instant access to applications. However, adapting to these advanced technologies poses significant challenges for infrastructure expansion, requiring innovative investment and deployment strategies. These strategies aim not only to enhance service quality but also to ensure extensive network coverage...

RATIONALE: This study presents the first comprehensive analysis and mapping of scientific research on point-of-care testing (POCT) in infectious diseases, filling a gap in understanding the evolving landscape of this field. The identification of research themes and global contributions offers valuable insights. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This manuscript aims to analyse and map scientific research on POCT in the context of infectious diseases. METHODS: The study employed a comprehensive search strategy using terms related to POCT and infectious diseases...

Thailand is among countries with the highest global incidence and mortality rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). While viral hepatitis and liver fluke infections have been associated with HCC and iCCA, respectively, other environmental risk factors, overall risk factor commonality and combinatorial roles, and effects on survival have not been systematically examined. We conducted a TIGER-LC consortium-based population study covering all high-incidence areas of both malignancies across Thailand: 837 HCC, 1474 iCCA, and 1112 controls (2011-2019) were comprehensively queried on lifelong environmental exposures, lifestyle, and medical history...

Understanding the dynamics of urban landscapes and their impacts on ecological well-being is crucial for developing sustainable urban management strategies in times of rapid urbanisation. This study assesses the nature and drivers of the changing urban landscape and ecosystem services in cities located in the rainforest (Akure and Owerri) and guinea savannah (Makurdi and Minna) of Nigeria using a combination of remote sensing and socioeconomic techniques. Landsat 8 datasets provided spatial patterns of the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalised difference built-up index (NDBI)...

Large language models (LLMs) are advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that excel in recognizing and generating human-like language, possibly serving as valuable tools for neurology-related information tasks. Although LLMs have shown remarkable potential in various areas, their performance in the dynamic environment of daily clinical practice remains uncertain. This article outlines multiple limitations and challenges of using LLMs in clinical settings that need to be addressed, including limited clinical reasoning, variable reliability and accuracy, reproducibility bias, self-serving bias, sponsorship bias, and potential for exacerbating health care disparities...

PREMISE: During the last centuries, the area covered by urban landscapes is increasing all over the world. Urbanization can change local habitats and decrease connectivity among these habitats, with important consequences for species interactions. While several studies have found a major imprint of urbanization on plant-insect interactions, the effects of urbanization on seed predation remain largely unexplored. METHODS: We investigated the relative impact of sunlight exposure, leaf litter, and spatial connectivity on predation by moth and weevil larvae on acorns of the pedunculate oak across an urban landscape during 2018 and 2020...

Offering patients medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is the standard of care for opioid use disorder (OUD), but an estimated 75%-90% of people with OUD who could benefit from MOUD do not receive medication. Payment policy, defined as public and private payers' approaches to covering and reimbursing providers for MOUD, is 1 contributor to this treatment gap. We conducted a policy analysis and qualitative interviews ( n = 21) and surveys ( n = 31) with US MOUD payment policy experts to characterize MOUD insurance coverage across major categories of US insurers and identify opportunities for reform and innovation...

The regulation of medical devices and In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) medical devices have lagged significantly, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Disparities in regulating medical and IVD medical devices in Africa are below the global average. This may translate to poor access to quality-assured medical and IVD devices, resulting in undesirable health outcomes. Operational readiness to regulate medical and IVD devices at the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) was assessed. The aim was to determine the strengths and gaps and propose an action plan that can be monitored and evaluated to assess progress over time...

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a life-threatening condition characterized by rapid liver function deterioration, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach for optimal perioperative care. This comprehensive review focuses on the critical role of the anaesthesiologist throughout the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases, addressing the unique challenges posed by ALF. The article begins with an exploration of ALF, underlining the urgency of timely referral to specialized hepatology centres. Liver transplantation emerges as a life-saving intervention, and the complex decision-making process is discussed, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary team to assess transplantation candidacy based on established prognostic criteria...

Landscape governance challenges, particularly in peri-urban contexts like the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) region in South India, exemplify 'wicked' problems due to their inherent complexities. These challenges arise from a mix of conflicting interests, policy ambiguities, and sociocultural dynamics, which often blur the definition of problems and hinder effective solutions. Despite apparent options for resolution, stakeholder disagreements and deep uncertainties about implementation strategies complicate governance...

BACKGROUND: In 2022, the "New Capitalism Grand Design and Implementation Plan" was adopted in Japan, emphasizing the promotion and environmental development of startups. Given this context, an investigation into the startup and investment landscape in the allergy sector, both domestically and internationally, becomes imperative. METHODS: We analyzed 156 allergy-related startups from Japan, the US, and Europe from 2010 to 2021. Data on corporate information and investment trends were extracted from databases and VC websites...

INTRODUCTION: Waste in medical research is a relatively well-known issue. However, only a few initiatives exist to address this issue. Lean Management methods (Lean) were developed in industrial manufacturing and later applied within healthcare improvement. Overall, the results from studies of the application of Lean to healthcare appear to be positive in terms of greater efficiency regarding treatment outcomes and patient care. Nevertheless, the application of Lean to improve research processes is not well studied and, given that research alongside clinical practice and experiential knowledge provides the foundation for the treatment and care of patients, it is paramount to identify approaches and review the degree to which they increase efficiency within research procedures...

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most prevalent autoimmune disease in reproductive years, exhibits a higher incidence in females, suggesting involvement of estrogens, genetics and environmental factors in disease onset. Literature shows smaller families in RA patients, driving increased interest in Assisted Reproductive Techniques. AREAS COVERED: This review elucidates how immunotolerance mechanisms contribute to favorable pregnancy outcomes in RA, emphasizing the need for a careful pregnancy planning to mitigate fetal complications and postnatal flares, which surpass those in the general population...

Unveiling spatial variation in vegetation resilience to climate extremes can inform effective conservation planning under climate change. Although many conservation efforts are implemented on landscape scales, they often remain blind to landscape variation in vegetation resilience. We explored the distribution of drought-resilient vegetation (i.e., vegetation that could withstand and quickly recover from drought) and its predictors across a heterogeneous coastal landscape under long-term wetland conversion, through a series of high-resolution satellite image interpretations, spatial analyses, and nonlinear modelling...

Examining beta diversity of animal assemblages in fragmented habitats, which measures variation in species composition among different fragments, is important for understanding the impact of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity. However, relying solely on taxonomic composition may not provide a comprehensive understanding. Incorporating measures of functional and phylogenetic diversities is essential for elucidating the ecological mechanisms underlying changes in community composition. In addition, prevailing studies often prioritize the evaluation of landscape characteristics within fragments as determinants of beta diversity, neglecting differences in habitat type and plant community composition...

This article presents a landscape assessment of the findings from the 2021 Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Evaluators Survey. This survey was the most recent iteration of a well established, national, peer-led systematic snapshot of the CTSA evaluators, their skillsets, listed evaluation resources, preferred methods, and identified best practices. Three questions guided our study: who are the CTSA evaluators, what competencies do they share and how is their work used within hubs. We describe our survey process (logistics of development, deployment, and differences in historical context with prior instruments); and present its main findings...