Temporal Variability in Effective Size ( ) Identifies Potential Sources of Discrepancies Between Mark Recapture and Close Kin Mark Recapture Estimates of Population Abundance.

Although efforts to estimate effective population size, census size and their ratio in wild populations are expanding, few empirical studies investigate interannual changes in these parameters. Hence, we do not know how repeatable or representative many estimates may be. Answering this question requires studies of long-term population dynamics.

SNP Panel and Genomic Sex Identification in Atlantic Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus).

The ability to identify sex is necessary in population biology for a proper understanding of the dynamics of a population. In Atlantic halibut, phenotypic sex identification is not possible due to the lack of significant external morphological differences. We developed an Illumina SNP panel for Atlantic halibut with 4000 SNPs spread evenly throughout the genome with a minor allele frequency MAF ≥ 0.

The associations of implant and patient factors with migration of the tibial component differ by sex : a radiostereometric study on more than 400 total knee arthroplasties.

Aims: Thresholds of acceptable early migration of the components in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have traditionally ignored the effects of patient and implant factors that may influence migration. The aim of this study was to determine which of these factors are associated with overall longitudinal migration of well-fixed tibial components following TKA.

Methods: Radiostereometric analysis (RSA) data over a two-year period were available for 419 successful primary TKAs (267 cemented and 152 uncemented in 257 female and 162 male patients).

Estimating minke whale relative abundance in the North Atlantic using passive acoustic sensors.

Estimates of abundance and their changes through time are key elements of marine mammal conservation and management. Absolute marine mammal abundance in a region of the open ocean is often difficult to attain. However, methods of estimating their abundance based on passive acoustic recordings are becoming increasingly employed.

Early Identification of Patient Satisfaction Two Years After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: There are numerous reports of poor satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), yet there is little known about when to use evidence-based models of care to improve patient outcomes.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize longitudinal changes in patient-reported satisfaction after TKA and to identify factors for early identification of poor satisfaction.

Methods: For a cohort of primary TKA surgeries (n = 86), patient-reported outcomes were captured one week before TKA and 6 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months, and 1 and 2 years after TKA.

Equivalent 2-year stabilization of uncemented tibial component migration despite higher early migration compared with cemented fixation: an RSA study on 360 total knee arthroplasties.

Background and purpose - Thresholds of implant migration for predicting long-term successful fixation of tibial components in total knee arthroplasty have not separated cemented and uncemented fixation. We compared implant migration of cemented and uncemented components at 1 year and as the change in migration from 1 to 2 years. Patients and methods - Implant migration of 360 tibial components measured using radiostereometric analysis was compared at 1 year and as the change in migration from 1 to 2 years in 222 cemented components (3 implant designs) and 138 uncemented components (5 implant designs).

Stable isotopes can be used to infer the overwintering locations of prebreeding marine birds in the Canadian Arctic.

Although assessments of winter carryover effects on fitness-related breeding parameters are vital for determining the links between environmental variation and fitness, direct methods of determining overwintering distributions (e.g., electronic tracking) can be expensive, limiting the number of individuals studied.

Local overfishing may be avoided by examining parameters of a spatio-temporal model.

Spatial erosion of stock structure through local overfishing can lead to stock collapse because fish often prefer certain locations, and fisheries tend to focus on those locations. Fishery managers are challenged to maintain the integrity of the entire stock and require scientific approaches that provide them with sound advice. Here we propose a Bayesian hierarchical spatio-temporal modelling framework for fish abundance data to estimate key parameters that define spatial stock structure: persistence (similarity of spatial structure over time), connectivity (coherence of temporal pattern over space), and spatial variance (variation across the seascape).

Critical factors for the recovery of marine mammals.

{en} Over the past decades, much research has focused on understanding the critical factors for marine extinctions with the aim of preventing further species losses in the oceans. Although conservation and management strategies are enabling several species and populations to recover, others remain at low abundance levels or continue to decline. To understand these discrepancies, we used a published database on abundance trends of 137 populations of marine mammals worldwide and compiled data on 28 potentially critical factors for recovery.

A hidden Markov movement model for rapidly identifying behavioral states from animal tracks.

Electronic telemetry is frequently used to document animal movement through time. Methods that can identify underlying behaviors driving specific movement patterns can help us understand how and why animals use available space, thereby aiding conservation and management efforts. For aquatic animal tracking data with significant measurement error, a Bayesian state-space model called the first-Difference Correlated Random Walk with Switching (DCRWS) has often been used for this purpose.

State-space models' dirty little secrets: even simple linear Gaussian models can have estimation problems.

State-space models (SSMs) are increasingly used in ecology to model time-series such as animal movement paths and population dynamics. This type of hierarchical model is often structured to account for two levels of variability: biological stochasticity and measurement error. SSMs are flexible.

A novel approach to quantifying the spatiotemporal behavior of instrumented grey seals used to sample the environment.

Background: Paired with satellite location telemetry, animal-borne instruments can collect spatiotemporal data describing the animal's movement and environment at a scale relevant to its behavior. Ecologists have developed methods for identifying the area(s) used by an animal (e.g.

ECOLOGY. Aquatic animal telemetry: A panoramic window into the underwater world.

The distribution and interactions of aquatic organisms across space and time structure our marine, freshwater, and estuarine ecosystems. Over the past decade, technological advances in telemetry have transformed our ability to observe aquatic animal behavior and movement. These advances are now providing unprecedented ecological insights by connecting animal movements with measures of their physiology and environment.

Shifting elasmobranch community assemblage at Cocos Island--an isolated marine protected area.

Fishing pressure has increased the extinction risk of many elasmobranch (shark and ray) species. Although many countries have established no-take marine reserves, a paucity of monitoring data means it is still unclear if reserves are effectively protecting these species. We examined data collected by a small group of divers over the past 21 years at one of the world's oldest marine protected areas (MPAs), Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica.

Observer aging and long-term avian survey data quality.

Long-term wildlife monitoring involves collecting time series data, often using the same observers over multiple years. Aging-related changes to these observers may be an important, under-recognized source of error that can bias management decisions. In this study, we used data from two large, independent bird surveys, the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario ("OBBA") and the North American Breeding Bird Survey ("BBS"), to test for age-related observer effects in long-term time series of avian presence and abundance.

Probability of detecting marine predator-prey and species interactions using novel hybrid acoustic transmitter-receiver tags.

Understanding the nature of inter-specific and conspecific interactions in the ocean is challenging because direct observation is usually impossible. The development of dual transmitter/receivers, Vemco Mobile Transceivers (VMT), and satellite-linked (e.g.

Recovery trends in marine mammal populations.

Marine mammals have greatly benefitted from a shift from resource exploitation towards conservation. Often lauded as symbols of conservation success, some marine mammal populations have shown remarkable recoveries after severe depletions. Others have remained at low abundance levels, continued to decline, or become extinct or extirpated.

Rapid global expansion of invertebrate fisheries: trends, drivers, and ecosystem effects.

Background: Worldwide, finfish fisheries are receiving increasing assessment and regulation, slowly leading to more sustainable exploitation and rebuilding. In their wake, invertebrate fisheries are rapidly expanding with little scientific scrutiny despite increasing socio-economic importance.

Methods And Findings: We provide the first global evaluation of the trends, drivers, and population and ecosystem consequences of invertebrate fisheries based on a global catch database in combination with taxa-specific reviews.

Hierarchical state-space estimation of leatherback turtle navigation ability.

Remotely sensed tracking technology has revealed remarkable migration patterns that were previously unknown; however, models to optimally use such data have developed more slowly. Here, we present a hierarchical Bayes state-space framework that allows us to combine tracking data from a collection of animals and make inferences at both individual and broader levels. We formulate models that allow the navigation ability of animals to be estimated and demonstrate how information can be combined over many animals to allow improved estimation.

Overestimating fish counts by non-instantaneous visual censuses: consequences for population and community descriptions.

Background: Increasingly, underwater visual censuses (UVC) are used to assess fish populations. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of protected areas for increasing fish abundance or provided insight into the natural abundance and structure of reef fish communities in remote areas. Recently, high apex predator densities (>100,000 individuals x km(-2)) and biomasses (>4 tonnes x ha(-1)) have been reported for some remote islands suggesting the occurrence of inverted trophic biomass pyramids.

Comparison of the partitioning of pesticides relative to the survival and behaviour of exposed amphipods.

Pesticides sprayed on farmlands can end up in rivers and be transported into estuaries, where they could affect aquatic organisms in freshwater and marine habitats. A series of experiments were conducted using the amphipod Corophium volutator Pallas (Amphipoda, Corophiidae) and single pesticides, namely atrazine (AT), azinphos-methyl (AZ), carbofuran (CA) and endosulfan (EN) that were added to sediments and covered with seawater. Our goal was to compare the concentrations affecting the survival of the animals relative to potential attractant or repellent properties of sediment-spiked pesticides.

The effectiveness of transtelephonic monitoring of pacemaker function in pediatric patients.

Background: To determine the sensitivity and specificity, rate of compliance, and predictors of failure of telephone transmission of pacemaker function in a pediatric population.

Methods: A total of 2,638 pacemaker transmission records were reviewed retrospectively. Standard calculations of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were performed.

Variable selection for marginal longitudinal generalized linear models.

Variable selection is an essential part of any statistical analysis and yet has been somewhat neglected in the context of longitudinal data analysis. In this article, we propose a generalized version of Mallows's C(p) (GC(p)) suitable for use with both parametric and nonparametric models. GC(p) provides an estimate of a measure of model's adequacy for prediction.