Decadal trends in Indian Ocean ambient sound.

The increase of ocean noise documented in the North Pacific has sparked concern on whether the observed increases are a global or regional phenomenon. This work provides evidence of low frequency sound increases in the Indian Ocean. A decade (2002-2012) of recordings made off the island of Diego Garcia, UK in the Indian Ocean was parsed into time series according to frequency band and sound level. Quarterly sound level comparisons between the first and last years were also performed. The combination of time series and temporal comparison analyses over multiple measurement parameters produced results beyond those obtainable from a single parameter analysis. The ocean sound floor has increased over the past decade in the Indian Ocean. Increases were most prominent in recordings made south of Diego Garcia in the 85-105 Hz band. The highest sound level trends differed between the two sides of the island; the highest sound levels decreased in the north and increased in the south. Rate, direction, and magnitude of changes among the multiple parameters supported interpretation of source functions driving the trends. The observed sound floor increases are consistent with concurrent increases in shipping, wind speed, wave height, and blue whale abundance in the Indian Ocean.

Using factor analyses to estimate the number of female sex workers across Malawi from multiple regional sources.

PURPOSE: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risks are heterogeneous in nature even in generalized epidemics. However, data are often missing for those at highest risk of HIV, including female sex workers. Statistical models may be used to address data gaps where direct, empiric estimates do not exist. METHODS: We proposed a new size estimation method that combines multiple data sources (the Malawi Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Survey, the Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts study, and the Malawi Demographic Household Survey). We used factor analysis to extract information from auxiliary variables and constructed a linear mixed effects model for predicting population size for all districts of Malawi. RESULTS: On average, the predicted proportion of female sex workers among women of reproductive age across all districts was about 0.58%. The estimated proportions seemed reasonable in comparing with a recent study Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts II (PLACE II). Compared with using a single data source, we observed increased precision and better geographic coverage. CONCLUSIONS: We illustrate how size estimates from different data sources may be combined for prediction. Applying this approach to other subpopulations in Malawi and to countries where size estimate data are lacking can ultimately inform national modeling processes and estimate the distribution of risks and priorities for HIV prevention and treatment programs.

Trabecular Bone Structure in the Distal Femur of Humans, Apes, and Baboons.

Trabecular bone structure has been used to investigate the relationship between skeletal form and locomotor behavior on the premise that trabecular bone remodels in response to loading during an animal's lifetime. The aim of this study is to characterize human distal femoral trabecular bone structure in comparison to three non-human primate taxa and relate the patterns of trabecular structural variation in the distal femur to knee posture during habitual locomotor behavior. A whole-epiphysis approach was applied using microCT scans of the distal femora of extant Homo sapiens, Pan troglodytes, Pongo pygmaeus, and Papio spp. (N = 48). Bone volume fraction (BV/TV) was quantified in the epiphysis and analyzed with both whole-condyle and a novel sector analysis. The results indicate high trabecular bone structural variation within and between species. The sector analysis reveals the most distinctive patterns in the stereotypically loaded human knee, with a pattern of high BV/TV distally. In general, Pan, Pongo, and Papio show evidence of flexed knee postures, typical of their locomotor behaviors, with regions of high BV/TV posteriorly within the condyles. The pairwise comparisons confirm the unique pattern in Homo and reveal a shared high BV/TV region in the patellar groove of both Homo and Papio. The distinct pattern found in Homo relative to the other primate taxa suggests a plastic response to unique loading patterns during bipedal locomotion. Results may facilitate resolving the antiquity of habitual bipedality in the hominin fossil record. This analysis also presents new approaches for statistical analysis of whole-epiphysis trabecular bone structure. Anat Rec, 2018. © 2018 American Association for Anatomy.

Prevalence of Bovine Tuberculosis in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic disease of cattle that impacts productivity and represents a major public health threat. Despite the considerable economic costs and zoonotic risk consequences associated with the disease, accurate estimates of bTB prevalence are lacking in many countries, including India, where national control programmes are not yet implemented and the disease is considered endemic. To address this critical knowledge gap, we performed a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis to estimate bTB prevalence in cattle in India and provide a foundation for the future formulation of rational disease control strategies and the accurate assessment of economic and health impact risks. The literature search was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and identified 285 cross-sectional studies on bTB in cattle in India across four electronic databases and handpicked publications. Of these, 44 articles were included, contributing a total of 82,419 cows and buffaloes across 18 states and one union territory in India. Based on a random-effects (RE) meta-regression model, the analysis revealed a pooled prevalence estimate of 7.3% (95% CI: 5.6, 9.5), indicating that there may be an estimated 21.8 million (95% CI: 16.6, 28.4) infected cattle in India-a population greater than the total number of dairy cows in the United States. The analyses further suggest that production system, species, breed, study location, diagnostic technique, sample size and study period are likely moderators of bTB prevalence in India and need to be considered when developing future disease surveillance and control programmes. Taken together with the projected increase in intensification of dairy production and the subsequent increase in the likelihood of zoonotic transmission, the results of our study suggest that attempts to eliminate tuberculosis from humans will require simultaneous consideration of bTB control in cattle population in countries such as India.