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Abstract Investigating species responses to trophic interactions and abiotic factors is crucial to better understanding their ecology and creating effective management strategies. In carnivore communities, smaller species are often regulated by larger ones via top‐down interference competition. Smaller subordinate carnivores can also be regulated by bottom‐up and abiotic factors, such as the availability of important prey, habitat features, and climatic conditions. However, substantial ambiguity remains regarding the relative roles these complex factors play in shaping subordinate carnivore populations, especially during winter. To investigate this issue, we conducted a large‐scale camera‐trapping study (n = 197 sites distributed across a ~60,000 km2 landscape) using a balanced study design that sampled a gradient of forest disturbance and climatic conditions. We used dynamic occupancy modeling to examine the influences of top‐down (interference competition), bottom‐up (prey and habitat), and abiotic (climate) factors on a widespread, generalist subordinate carnivore, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), in Maine, USA. Across three winters, we collected 107 red fox and 185 coyote (Canis latrans) daily detections, and 3875 snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) detections. We found evidence for the top‐down effects of coyotes on red fox detection probability and site colonization. However, contrary to theoretical expectations, the association between coyotes and red foxes was positive rather than negative. Snowshoe hares had a positive association with local extinction by red foxes, which also contrasts with prevailing theory given that snowshoe hares are an important winter prey of red foxes in this ecosystem. The intensity of forest disturbance and the proportion of conifer forest had negative effects on red fox occurrence and detection probability, while snow depth had a strong negative effect on site colonization. Together, these results suggest red foxes are limited more by abiotic and bottom‐up factors related to habitat than by the top‐down interference competition or primary prey availability in winter. Our study supports recent findings that bottom‐up factors may shape carnivore distributions during less productive times of year. Our work also highlights how caution is needed when extrapolating previous results from summer studies to winter, as the role of top‐down and bottom‐up factors may change seasonally.

Abstract Developing cost-effective monitoring protocols is a priority for wildlife conservation agencies worldwide. In particular, developing protocols that cover a wide range of species is highly desirable. Here we applied the ‘umbrella species’ concept to the context of ecological monitoring; specifically testing the hypothesis that protocols developed for the American marten would contextually allow detecting occupancy trends for 13 other mammalian species (i.e., an umbrella effect). We conducted a large-scale four-year camera trapping survey across a gradient of forest disturbance in Maine, USA. We sampled 197 sites using a total of 591 cameras and collected over 800,000 photographs to generate detection histories for the most common terrestrial species. By combining multi-season occupancy modelling and power analyses, we estimated the required sampling effort to detect 10%, 25% and 50% declines in the fourteen species. By conducting a spatially explicit comparison of sampling effort, we found evidence that monitoring protocols for American marten would provide an umbrella effect for up to 11 other mammal species. The capacity of the umbrella effect varied among species, with fisher, snowshoe hare, red squirrel, and black bear consistently covered under several scenarios. Our results support the application of the umbrella species concept to monitoring (here defined as ‘umbrella monitoring species’), providing empirical evidence for its use by management agencies.

Abstract Small mammals are key scatter hoarders in forest ecosystems, acting as both seed predators and dispersers. The outcome of their interactions (i.e., predation vs. dispersal) is determined by a series of decisions made by small mammals, such as the choice of seed, whether the seed is immediately consumed or cached, and where it is cached. These decisions are influenced by a variety of factors, including the intrinsic traits of the seed, the individual personality of the scatter hoarder, and the perceived risk of predation while foraging. Furthermore, these factors may all interact to dictate the fate of the seed, with consequences for forest regeneration. Nevertheless, the ways in which perceived predation risk and personality interact to affect the seed dispersal decisions of scatter hoarders are still poorly understood. To contribute in filling this knowledge gap, we tested the hypotheses that southern red‐backed voles (Myodes gapperi), an important scatter hoarder in forest ecosystems, would exhibit personality‐mediated foraging and that predation risk would alter associations between personality and seed dispersal. We conducted a large‐scale field experiment, offering seed trays at stations with altered risk levels and recorded foraging decisions of free‐ranging voles with known personalities. We found that personality and perceived predation risk influenced decisions made by foraging voles. Specifically, docility, and boldness predicted foraging site selection, boldness predicted seed species selection and the number of seeds individuals selected, and the tendency to explore of an individual predicted whether voles would remove or consume seeds. Predation risk, mediated by the amount of cover at a site and by moon illumination, affected which foraging site individuals chose, seed species selection, and the probability of removal versus consumption. We did not find support for an interaction between personality and predation risk in predicting foraging decisions. These findings highlight the importance of scatter hoarder personality and perceived predation risk in affecting foraging decisions, with important consequences for seed dispersal and implications for altered patterns of forest regeneration in areas with different small mammal personality distributions or landscapes of fear.

Abstract Human land use is a driving force of habitat loss and modification globally, with consequences for wildlife species. The American marten (Martes americana) and fisher (Pekania pennanti) are forest‐dependent carnivores native to North America. Both species suffered population declines due to loss of forested habitat and overharvest for furs, and continued habitat modification is an ongoing threat. Furthermore, the smaller marten may be susceptible to intraguild exclusion where the larger fisher are abundant, and both habitat modification and climate change may reduce spatial refugia available to marten. A detailed understanding of co‐occurrence patterns of marten and fisher in landscapes subjected to intense forest disturbance represents a key knowledge gap for wildlife ecology and management. Maine, in the northeastern United States, supports populations of both these species. It is an extensively forested state, and the vast majority is managed as commercial timberland. We designed a large‐scale field study to understand the relative importance of three sets of predictions for marten and fisher occupancy patterns where commercial silviculture is widespread: (1) The intensity of forest disturbance primarily determined both marten and fisher occupancy rates, (2) fisher occupancy was limited to areas of shallower snow and marten limited by fisher presence, or (3) both species responded to the composition of tree species within forested habitat. We collected data to test these nonmutually exclusive hypotheses via camera‐trap surveys, using an experimental design balanced across a gradient of forest disturbance intensity. We deployed 197 camera stations in both summer and winter over 3 years (2017–2020). We tagged over 800,000 images and found marten at 124 (63%) and fisher at 168 (85%) of the stations. By fitting multiseason occupancy models to the data, we found that the degree of habitat disturbance negatively influenced detection, occupancy, and temporal turnover for both species. Contrary to our expectations, however, we found no evidence of interspecific competition and instead support for positive associations with detection probabilities both spatially and temporally. Both species were positively associated with forest stands containing deciduous trees. Our findings further illustrate the impact that land use has on the occupancy dynamics for these forest‐dependent carnivores.

Introduction Dysphagia affects several children in USA and around the globe. Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) and Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) are the most objective studies to define swallowing function. The presence of tracheal aspiration during VFSS or FEES in children with dysphagia is associated with an increased risk of aspiration pneumonia. However, the association of laryngeal penetration with aspiration pneumonia remains unclear. This systematic review aims to assess the risk of aspiration pneumonia in children with dysphagia with laryngeal penetration on VFSS/FEES and compare it with children with tracheal aspiration and children with neither tracheal aspiration nor laryngeal penetration.Methods and analysis This study will be a systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic electronic searches will be conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINHAL, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL, LILACS and WHO Global Index Medicus. We will include studies published through 6 October 2021. Primary outcome will be the incidence of aspiration pneumonia. Secondary outcomes will be incidence of hospitalisation, paediatric intensive care unit admission, enteral tube requirement, growth, symptoms improvement and mortality. The Cochrane Risk of Bias In Non-Randomised Studies of Interventions tool will be used to assess the risk of bias. Meta-analysis will be used to pool the studies. We will pool dichotomous outcomes to obtain an odd ratio (OR) and report with 95% CI. Continuous outcomes will be pooled to obtain mean difference and reported with 95% CI. Overall grade of evidence will be assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria, and findings will be presented in a summary of findings table.Ethics and dissemination This study is a systematic review without contact with patients. Therefore, IRB approval is not required. Authors consent to publishing this review. Data will be kept for review by editors and peer reviewers. Data will be available to general public on request.PROSPERO registration number CRD42020222145.

The social system of animals involves a complex interplay between physiology, natural history, and the environment. Long relied upon discrete categorizations of "social" and "solitary" inhibit our capacity to understand species and their interactions with the world around them. Here, we use a globally distributed camera trapping dataset to test the drivers of aggregating into groups in a species complex (martens and relatives, family Mustelidae, Order Carnivora) assumed to be obligately solitary. We use a simple quantification, the probability of being detected in a group, that was applied across our globally derived camera trap dataset. Using a series of binomial generalized mixed-effects models applied to a dataset of 16,483 independent detections across 17 countries on four continents we test explicit hypotheses about potential drivers of group formation. We observe a wide range of probabilities of being detected in groups within the solitary model system, with the probability of aggregating in groups varying by more than an order of magnitude. We demonstrate that a species' context-dependent proclivity toward aggregating in groups is underpinned by a range of resource-related factors, primarily the distribution of resources, with increasing patchiness of resources facilitating group formation, as well as interactions between environmental conditions (resource constancy/winter severity) and physiology (energy storage capabilities). The wide variation in propensities to aggregate with conspecifics observed here highlights how continued failure to recognize complexities in the social behaviors of apparently solitary species limits our understanding not only of the individual species but also the causes and consequences of group formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The penetration of e-mobility is growing thanks to the European guidelines on climate preservation regarding the reduction in CO2 emission. Governments are adapting their economic policies with the aim to incentivize e-mobility. At the same time, with a view to equality and accessibility, countries are working to introduce e-mobility services also for people with disabilities in order to improve the quality of their lives. The paper reports the deployment of an e-mobility service for persons with disabilities carried out in a project financed by Sapienza University of Rome. The project includes a feasibility study and a cost–benefit analysis in order to identify the optimal solution from a technical and environmental point of view for a sustainable e-mobility service for people with reduced mobility. A methodology to design a service based on optimal routes and electric vehicles with respect to energy consumption, time travel, energy and vehicle costs and quality of service is proposed. The 5-step methodology calculates the most energy-efficient routes and defines the optimal charging schedule, taking into account charging points dislocated along the routes and choosing vehicle typologies with the best performance based on economic evaluations. A software was developed to automatize the methodology.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221136.].

In recent years, consistent individual differences in behavior, or personalities, have been a topic of increasing interest as researchers strive to understand and predict the responses of individuals and populations to anthropogenic changes. Behavioral studies in wild populations often require that animals are live trapped before behavioral observation can occur, and this is especially true in studies investigating animal personalities. However, it is unknown whether the amount of time confined to a live trap may regulate the behavior of trapped individuals. Specifically, if the duration of trap confinement directly influences behavior, then by obtaining wild animals through live trapping we may be confounding the very measurements of greatest interest. To investigate whether the duration of trap confinement influences the behavior of trapped individuals, we performed a study on two small mammal species, focusing specifically on personality traits. We positioned high-definition trail cameras facing Longworth small mammal traps in the field to observe capture events and record the time of capture. We then measured personality in captured deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and southern red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi) using three standardized tests, and through linear and generalized linear models we found that the time an animal had spent confined to a trap before testing did not affect 86% of behaviors exhibited. Our results showed two weak behavioral effects of confinement duration on boldness and docility resulting from an interaction between the duration of confinement and whether or not an individual was naïve to trapping. Our results suggest that behavioral measurements of wild, trapped small mammals are not determined by the time spent confined to a trap. However, researchers should use caution and consider whether an animal is naïve to trapping during analysis since habituation to the live trap may play a role in the effects of confinement duration on behavior.

Abstract Species’ movements affect their response to environmental change but movement knowledge is often highly uncertain. We now have well‐established methods to integrate movement knowledge into conservation practice but still lack a framework to deal with uncertainty in movement knowledge for environmental decisions. We provide a framework that distinguishes two dimensions of species’ movement that are heavily influenced by uncertainty: knowledge about movement and relevance of movement to environmental decisions. Management decisions can be informed by their position in this knowledge‐relevance space. We then outline a framework to support decisions around (1) increasing understanding of the relevance of movement knowledge, (2) increasing robustness of decisions to uncertainties and (3) improving knowledge on species’ movement. Our decision‐support framework provides guidance for managing movement‐related uncertainty in systematic conservation planning, agri‐environment schemes, habitat restoration and international biodiversity policy. It caters to different resource levels (time and funding) so that species’ movement knowledge can be more effectively integrated into environmental decisions.

Motion triggered camera traps are an increasingly popular tool for wildlife research and can be used to survey for multiple species simultaneously. As with all survey techniques, it is crucial to conduct camera trapping research following study designs that include adequate spatial and temporal replication, and sufficient probability of detecting species presence. The use and configuration of multiple camera traps within a single survey site are understudied considerations that could have a substantial impact on detection probability. Our objective was to test the role that camera number (one, two or three units), and spacing along a linear transect (100 m or 150 m), have on the probability of detecting a species given it is present. From January to March, 2017 we collected data on six mammal species in Maine, USA: coyote (Canis latrans), fisher (Pekania pennanti), American marten (Martes americana), short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea), snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), and American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). We used multi-scale occupancy modelling to compare pooled detection histories of different configuration of five cameras deployed at the same survey site (n = 32), and how the configuration would influence the probability of detecting a species given it was available at the site. Across all six species, we found substantial increases in probability of detection as the number of cameras increased from one to two (22 to 400 percent increase), regardless of the spacing between cameras. For most species the magnitude of the increase was less substantial when adding a third camera (4 to 85 percent increase), with coyote and snowshoe hare showing a pronounced effect. The influence of survey station features also varied by species. We suggest that using pooled data from two or three cameras at a survey site is a cost effective approach to increase detection success over a single camera.

BackgroundRecurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP) is a rare disease characterized by the growth of papillomas in the airway and especially the larynx. The clinical course is highly variable among individuals and there is poor understanding of the factors that drive an aggressive vs an indolent course.MethodsA convenience cohort of 339 affected subjects with papillomas positive for only HPV6 or HPV11 and clinical course data available for 1 year or more, from a large multicenter international study were included. Exploratory data analysis was conducted followed by inferential analyses with frequentist and Bayesian statistics.ResultsWe examined 339 subjects: 82% were diagnosed prior to the age of 18 years, 65% were infected with HPV6, and 69% had an aggressive clinical course. When comparing age at diagnosis with clinical course, the probability of aggressiveness is high for children under five years of age then drops rapidly. For patients diagnosed after the age of 10 years, an indolent course is more common. After accounting for confounding between HPV11 and young age, HPV type was minimally associated with aggressiveness. Fast and Frugal Trees (FFTs) were utilized to determine which algorithms yield the highest accuracy to classify patients as having an indolent or aggressive clinical course and consistently created a branch for diagnostic age at ~5 years old. There was no reliable strong association between clinical course and socioeconomic or parental factors.ConclusionIn the largest cohort of its type, we have identified a critical age at diagnosis which demarcates a more aggressive from less aggressive clinical course.

Aberrant right subclavian artery with a left aortic arch is rare, but it is the most common congenital aortic arch anomaly. It can present as an incidental finding later in life or be symptomatic at a young age. Here, we describe a case of an aberrant right subclavian artery discovered in a 4 month old with respiratory distress and feeding difficulties. She underwent an extensive aerodigestive evaluation including bronchoscopy, both flexible and rigid, upper GI endoscopy, modified barium swallow with esophageal sweep, chest imaging, CT thorax and echocardiogram. The final decision per the management team was to observe the patient in order to allow more growth. She ultimately improved with age and remains asymptomatic.

Investigating species responses to trophic interactions and abiotic factors is crucial to better understanding their ecology and creating effective management strategies. In carnivore communities, smaller species are often regulated by larger ones via top‐down interference competition. Smaller subordinate carnivores can also be regulated by bottom‐up and abiotic factors, such as the availability of important prey, habitat features, and climatic conditions. However, substantial ambiguity remains regarding the relative roles these complex factors play in shaping subordinate carnivore populations, especially during winter. To investigate this issue, we conducted a large‐scale camera‐trapping study (n = 197 sites distributed across a ~60,000 km2 landscape) using a balanced study design that sampled a gradient of forest disturbance and climatic conditions. We used dynamic occupancy modeling to examine the influences of top‐down (interference competition), bottom‐up (prey and habitat), and abiotic (climate) factors on a widespread, generalist subordinate carnivore, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), in Maine, USA. Across three winters, we collected 107 red fox and 185 coyote (Canis latrans) daily detections, and 3875 snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) detections. We found evidence for the top‐down effects of coyotes on red fox detection probability and site colonization. However, contrary to theoretical expectations, the association between coyotes and red foxes was positive rather than negative. Snowshoe hares had a positive association with local extinction by red foxes, which also contrasts with prevailing theory given that snowshoe hares are an important winter prey of red foxes in this ecosystem. The intensity of forest disturbance and the proportion of conifer forest had negative effects on red fox occurrence and detection probability, while snow depth had a strong negative effect on site colonization. Together, these results suggest red foxes are limited more by abiotic and bottom‐up factors related to habitat than by the top‐down interference competition or primary prey availability in winter. Our study supports recent findings that bottom‐up factors may shape carnivore distributions during less productive times of year. Our work also highlights how caution is needed when extrapolating previous results from summer studies to winter, as the role of top‐down and bottom‐up factors may change seasonally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes an optimal siting and sizing methodology to design an energy storage system (ESS) for railway lines. The scope is to maximize the economic benefits. The problem of the optimal siting and sizing of an ESS is addressed and solved by a software developed by the authors using the particle swarm algorithm, whose objective function is based on the net present value (NPV). The railway line, using a standard working day timetable, has been simulated in order to estimate the power flow between the trains finding the siting and sizing of electrical substations and storage systems suitable for the railway network. Numerical simulations have been performed to test the methodology by assuming a new-generation of high-performance trains on a 3 kV direct current (d.c.) railway line. The solution found represents the best choice from an economic point of view and which allows less energy to be taken from the primary network.

Vegetation heterogeneity is an inherent feature of most ecosystems, characterises the structure of habitat, and is considered an important driver of species distribution patterns. However, quantifying fine-scale heterogeneity of vegetation cover can be time consuming, and therefore it is seldom measured. Here, we determine if heterogeneity is worthwhile measuring, in addition to the amount of cover, when examining species distribution patterns. Further, we investigated the effect of the surrounding landscape heterogeneity on species occupancy. We tested the effect of cover and heterogeneity of trees and shrubs, and the context of the surrounding landscape (number of habitats and distance to an ecotone) on site occupancy of three mammal species (the black wallaby [Wallabia bicolor], the long-nosed bandicoot [Perameles nasuta], and the bush rat [Rattus fuscipes]) within a naturally heterogeneous landscape in a temperate region of Australia. We found that fine-scale heterogeneity of vegetation attributes is an important driver of mammal occurrence of two of these species. Further, we found that, although all three species responded positively to vegetation heterogeneity, different mammals vary in their response to different types of vegetation heterogeneity measurement. For example, the black wallaby responded to the proximity of an ecotone, and the bush rat and the long-nosed bandicoot responded to fine-scale heterogeneity of small tree cover, whereas none of the mammals responded to broad scale heterogeneity (i.e., the number of habitat types). Our results highlight the influence of methodological decisions, such as how heterogeneity vegetation is measured, in quantifying species responses to habitat structures. The findings confirm the importance of choosing meaningful heterogeneity measures when modelling the factors influencing occupancy of the species of interest.