Genetic Monitoring of a Lethal Control Programme for Wild Canids With Complex Mating Strategies.

Although mammalian carnivores are ecologically important, they also drive human-wildlife conflicts. Managing carnivores using lethal control is controversial, in part because the impact of control effort is often uncertain due to limited abundance monitoring. We used an Australian metapopulation of wild dogs as a model system to investigate the feasibility of monitoring effective population size ( ) to detect reductions in census population size ( ) following control.

Quantum computing: a new paradigm for ecology.

A global technology arms race is underway to build evermore powerful and precise quantum computers. Quantum computers have the potential to tackle certain quantitative problems quicker than classical computers. The current focus of quantum computing is on pushing the boundaries of fundamental quantum information and commercial applications in industrial sectors, financial services, and other profit-led sectors, particularly where improvements in optimisation and sampling can improve increased economic return.

Selection on Mitochondrial Variants Occurs between and within Individuals in an Expanding Invasion.

Mitochondria are critical for life, yet their underlying evolutionary biology is poorly understood. In particular, little is known about interaction between two levels of evolution: between individuals and within individuals (competition between cells, mitochondria or mitochondrial DNA molecules). Rapid evolution is suspected to occur frequently in mitochondrial DNA, whose maternal inheritance predisposes advantageous mutations to sweep rapidly though populations.

Evaluation of medetomidine-ketamine and medetomidine-ketamine-butorphanol for the field anesthesia of free-ranging dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Australia.

Abstract We report the clinical course and physiologic and anesthetic data for a case series of 76 free-ranging dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) chemically restrained, by remote injection from a helicopter, in the rangelands of Western Australia and South Australia, 2008-11, to attach satellite-tracking collars. Fifty-five camels were successfully anesthetized using medetomidine-ketamine (MK, n=27) and medetomidine-ketamine-butorphanol (MKB, n=28); the induction of anesthesia in 21 animals was considered unsuccessful. To produce reliable anesthesia for MK, medetomidine was administered at 0.

How does a carnivore guild utilise a substantial but unpredictable anthropogenic food source? Scavenging on hunter-shot ungulate carcasses by wild dogs/dingoes, red foxes and feral cats in south-eastern Australia revealed by camera traps.

There is much interest in understanding how anthropogenic food resources subsidise carnivore populations. Carcasses of hunter-shot ungulates are a potentially substantial food source for mammalian carnivores. The sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) is a large (≥ 150 kg) exotic ungulate that can be hunted throughout the year in south-eastern Australia, and hunters are not required to remove or bury carcasses.

Determining the validity of the AMA guide: A historical cohort analysis of the assessment of driving related skills and crash rate among older drivers.

Background: Chronic health conditions associated with ageing can lead to changes in driving ability. The Canadian Driving Research Initiative for Vehicular Safety in the Elderly (Candrive II) is a 5-year prospective study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research aiming to develop an in-office screening tool that will help clinicians identify potentially at-risk older drivers. Currently, no tools exist to directly predict the risk of motor vehicle collision (MVC) in this population.

A comparative study of 3 portable oxygen concentrators during a 6-minute walk test in patients with chronic lung disease.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of 3 portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) to maintain S(pO2) ≥ 90% during exercise in patients with chronic lung disease.

Methods: Twenty-one subjects with chronic lung disease (18 with COPD, 3 with pulmonary fibrosis) and documented room air exertional S(pO2) ≤ 85% performed four 6-min walk tests: a control walk using the subject's current oxygen system and prescribed exertional flow rate, and 1 walk with each of the 3 POCs (Eclipse 3, EverGo, and iGo) at their maximum pulse-dose setting.

Results: S(pO2) was significantly higher pre-walk and post-walk with the Eclipse 3, compared to the other POCs (all P < .

Protocol for Candrive II/Ozcandrive, a multicentre prospective older driver cohort study.

The Candrive II/Ozcandrive study, a multicentre prospective cohort study examining the predictive validity of tools for assessing fitness to drive, aims to develop an in-office screening tool that will help clinicians identify older drivers who may be unsafe to drive. This paper describes the study protocol. We are following a cohort of drivers aged ≥70 years for up to 4 years.

Twenty-four hour noninvasive ventilation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a safe alternative to tracheostomy.

Background: Almost all patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) eventually develop respiratory failure. Once 24 h ventilation is required, either due to incomplete effectiveness of nocturnal noninvasive ventilation (NIV) or bulbar weakness, it is common practice to recommend invasive tracheostomy ventilation; however, noninvasive daytime mouthpiece ventilation (MPV) as an addition to nocturnal mask ventilation is also an alternative.

Methods: The authors' experience with 12 DMD patients who used 24 h NIV with mask NIV at night and MPV during daytime hours is reported.

Salmonella infection in a remote, isolated wild pig population.

Although wild pig populations are known to sometimes be infected by Salmonella, the situation in Australia has received little attention and few population-based, planned studies have been conducted. Understanding the distribution of Salmonella infections within wild pig populations allows the potential hazard posed to co-grazing livestock to be assessed. We sampled a remote and isolated wild pig population in northwestern Australia.

Determining fitness to drive in older persons: a survey of medical and surgical specialists.

Background: Many specialists encounter issues related to fitness to drive in their practices. We sought to determine the attitudes and practices of Canadian specialists regarding the assessment of medical fitness to drive in older persons.

Methods: We present data from a postal survey of 842 physicians certified in cardiology, endocrinology, geriatric medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, or rheumatology regarding their attitudes and practices relating to the assessment of their patients' fitness to drive.

Integrating survey and molecular approaches to better understand wildlife disease ecology.

Infectious wildlife diseases have enormous global impacts, leading to human pandemics, global biodiversity declines and socio-economic hardship. Understanding how infection persists and is transmitted in wildlife is critical for managing diseases, but our understanding is limited. Our study aim was to better understand how infectious disease persists in wildlife populations by integrating genetics, ecology and epidemiology approaches.

Tracheostomy decannulation and cough peak flows in patients with neuromuscular weakness.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between cough peak flows (CPFs) before and after tracheostomy tube removal (decannulation) in patients with neuromuscular respiratory muscle weakness.

Design: For 26 patients with occluded tracheostomies (capped or Passy-Muir valve), spontaneous CPF (CPF(sp)), CPF after lung volume recruitment (CPF(LVR)), and CPF after lung volume recruitment and a manually assisted cough (CPF(LVR) + MAC) were measured before and after decannulation.

Results: Decannulation resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.

Field immobilization of feral 'Judas' donkeys (Equus asinus) by remote injection of medetomidine and ketamine and antagonism with atipamezole.

The Judas technique is a method used for landscape control of feral donkeys (Equus asinus) in northern Australia. Central to the success of any Judas program is the safe, efficient, and humane attachment of the telemetry device. For feral donkeys, this involves the use of field immobilization.

Formal ventilation patient education for ALS predicts real-life choices.

Our objective was to evaluate a single-session, hands-on education programme on mechanical ventilation for ALS patients and caregivers in terms of knowledge, change in affect and to determine whether ventilator decisions made after the education sessions predict those made later in life. Questionnaires were administered to 26 patients and 26 caregivers on four separate occasions. The questionnaires assessed knowledge of ventilatory support, feedback on the nature of the education programme, as well as self-reported emotional well-being.

Mitochondrial DNA offers unique insights into invasion history of the common starling.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can be a powerful genetic marker for tracing origins and history of invasive populations. Here, we use mtDNA to address questions relevant to the understanding of invasion pathways of common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) into Western Australia (WA) and discuss the utility of this marker to provide information useful to invasive species management. Mitochondrial sequence data indicate two geographically restricted genetic groups within Australia.

Invasive species can't cover their tracks: using microsatellites to assist management of starling (Sturnus vulgaris) populations in Western Australia.

Invasive species are known to cause environmental and economic damage, requiring management by control agencies worldwide. These species often become well established in new environments long before their detection, resulting in a lack of knowledge regarding their history and dynamics. When new invasions are discovered, information regarding the source and pathway of the invasion, and the degree of connectivity with other populations can greatly benefit management strategies.

Ecological applications of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy - a tool for rapid, cost-effective prediction of the composition of plant and animal tissues and aspects of animal performance.

Many ecological studies rely heavily on chemical analysis of plant and animal tissues. Often, there is limited time and money to perform all the required analyses and this can result in less than ideal sampling schemes and poor levels of replication. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) can relieve these constraints because it can provide quick, non-destructive and quantitative analyses of an enormous range of organic constituents of plant and animal tissues.