The integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into agriculture has emerged as a transformative approach to enhance resource efficiency and enable precision farming. UAVs are used for various agricultural tasks, including monitoring, mapping and spraying of pesticides, providing detailed data that support targeted and sustainable practices. However, effective deployment of UAVs in these applications faces complex control challenges. This paper presents a comprehensive review of UAVs in agricultural applications, highlighting the sophisticated control strategies required to address these challenges. Key obstacles, such as modelling inaccuracies, unstable centre of gravity (COG) due to shifting payloads, fluid sloshing within pesticide tanks and external disturbances like wind, are identified and analysed. The review delves into advanced control methodologies, with particular focus on adaptive algorithms, backstepping control and machine learning-enhanced systems, which collectively enhance UAV stability and responsiveness in dynamic agricultural environments. Through an in-depth examination of flight dynamics, stability control and payload adaptability, this paper highlights how UAVs can achieve precise and reliable operation despite environmental and operational complexities. The insights drawn from this review underscore the importance of integrating adaptive control frameworks and real-time sensor data processing, enabling UAVs to autonomously adjust to changing conditions and ensuring optimal performance in agriculture. Future research directions are proposed, advocating for the development of control systems that enhance UAV resilience, accuracy and sustainability. By addressing these control challenges, UAVs have the potential to significantly advance precision agriculture, offering practical and environmental benefits crucial to sustaining global food production demands.

Knowledge of the status of ecosystems is vital to help develop and implement conservation strategies. This is particularly relevant to the Arctic where the need for biodiversity conservation and monitoring has long been recognised, but where issues of local capacity and logistic barriers make surveys challenging. This paper demonstrates how long-term monitoring programmes outside the Arctic can contribute to developing composite trend indicators, using monitoring of annual abundance and population-level reproduction of species of migratory Arctic-breeding waterbirds on their temperate non-breeding areas. Using data from the UK and the Netherlands, countries with year-round waterbird monitoring schemes and supporting relevant shares of Arctic-breeding populations of waterbirds, we present example multi-species abundance and productivity indicators related to the migratory pathways used by different biogeographical populations of Arctic-breeding wildfowl and wader species in the East Atlantic Flyway. These composite trend indicators show that long-term increases in population size have slowed markedly in recent years and in several cases show declines over, at least, the last decade. These results constitute proof of concept. Some other non-Arctic countries located on the flyways of Arctic-breeding waterbirds also annually monitor abundance and breeding success, and we advocate that future development of “Arctic waterbird indicators” should be as inclusive of data as possible to derive the most robust outputs and help account for effects of current changes in non-breeding waterbird distributions. The incorporation of non-Arctic datasets into assessments of the status of Arctic biodiversity is recognised as highly desirable, because logistic constraints in monitoring within the Arctic region limit effective population-scale monitoring there, in effect enabling “monitoring at a distance”.

Termination of an existing failed corn stand before replanting is essential. Two studies were conducted in Stoneville and Verona, MS, from 2020 to 2021 to evaluate timing of corn or soybean replanting following different herbicide treatments applied to simulated failed stands of corn. Treatments included paraquat alone at 841 g ai ha−1, paraquat at 841 g ha−1 + metribuzin at 211 g ai ha−1, and clethodim at 51 g ai ha−1 + glyphosate at 1,121 g ae ha−1 applied at the V2 growth stage. Replant timings were 1 and 7 d after herbicide treatment (DAT). Pooled across replant timings, paraquat + metribuzin provided the greatest control 3 DAT compared with other treatments in both studies. At 14 and 21 DAT, clethodim + glyphosate controlled more corn than did paraquat + metribuzin and paraquat alone. Control of a simulated failed corn stand with paraquat alone never exceeded 50% at 3 to 21 DAT. Soybean yield in all plots receiving herbicide treatment targeting simulated failed corn stands were similar and ≥2,150 kg ha−1. When applied at the V2 corn growth stage, both clethodim + glyphosate and paraquat + metribuzin controlled a simulated failed stand of corn. This study demonstrated the importance of terminating failed stands of corn before replanting because of dramatic reductions in yield in the plots not treated with herbicide.

Background: TeleStroke can improve access to stroke care in rural areas. We aim to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of intravenous thrombolysis in our TeleStroke system. Methods: The Manitoba TeleStroke program was rolled out across 7 sites between November 2014 and January 2019. We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected consecutive acute stroke patients’ data in this duration. The primary outcome was safety and effectiveness measured in terms of 90-day modified Rankin score (mRs). The number of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients receiving thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy [EVT] and process metrics were also analyzed. R/RStudio version-4.3.2 was used (p<0.05). Results: Of the 1,748 TeleStroke patients (age 71 years [IQR 58-81], female 810[46.3%]), 696 were identified as AIS. Of these, 265(38.1%) received thrombolysis and 48(6.9%) EVT. Ninety-day mortality was 53(20.0%) among those receiving thrombolysis and 117(44.2%) had a favorable outcome (mRs ≤2). Of those who received intravenous thrombolysis, 9 patients (4.2%) were found to have symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. The median last-seen-normal (LSN)-to-door was121 minutes and the median door-to-needle, 55 minutes. Conclusions: Intravenous thrombolysis was found to be effective with acceptable safety. TeleStroke improved overall access to stroke care and played an important role in identifying AIS patients eligible for thrombolysis and EVT.

Background: Presence of right-to-left shunt has been proposed as a mechanism of paradoxical embolism in patients with active cancer. Our study thus aims to investigate the role of shunting in stroke occurrence among cancer patients. Methods: This is a retrospective study with our population consisting of patients presenting to the Ottawa Hospital with ischemic stroke between January 01, 2020, and December 31, 2022. Presence of right-to-left shunting is identified in patients with and without cancer diagnosis within one year of ischemic stroke. The prevalence of shunt is assessed using 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Among654 patients, 495 (37% female, median age 53 years) were included in the study, in which 47 (9.5%) had active cancer, with 12 patients (25.5%, 95% CI 14 - 40) diagnosed with a shunt. In contrast, among 448 patients (90.5%) without active cancer, 133 patients (30%, 95% CI 25 - 34) were found to have a shunt. Conclusions: The prevalence of right-to-left shunting tends to be lower in patients with ischemic stroke and active cancer diagnosis. Our results are similar to a recent study indicating a higher rate of shunt among patients without cancer. Our finding does not support the hypothesis that cancer-associated stroke is related to right-to-left shunting.

Background: Location-specific hematoma volume thresholds are associated with poor outcomes and can inform surgical trial inclusion criteria and clinical decision rules for hematoma evacuation. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of the ATACH-2 and INTERACT2 clinical trials. We evaluated the associations between intraparenchymal location-specific hematoma volume cutoffs (basal ganglia, thalamus and lobar) and poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale 4-6). Using 24-hour CT scans, we calculated Youden’s index for each hematoma location to determine the optimal location-specific volume thresholds that predict outcomes. We calculated odds ratios (OR) of poor outcome through multivariable logistic regression models for each location. Results: Out of 1691 patients, 919, 551 and 221 were diagnosed with basal ganglia, thalamus and lobar intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), respectively. Location-specific hematoma volume cutoffs most predictive of a poor outcome (mRS 4-6) were 22.24 mL for basal ganglia ICH (OR 4.82, 95% CI 3.19-7.27), 8.13 mL for thalamus ICH (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.62-4.59) and 21.99 mL for lobar ICH (OR 6.31, 95% CI 2.53-15.74). Conclusions: Hematoma volumes associated with poor outcomes vary by location, supporting the idea that location-specific “hematoma volume tolerances” exist. Our results provide important data on location-specific hematoma volume tolerances to inform clinical trials in ICH management.

Background: Epilepsy affects approximately 3% of Canadian children. Despite the availability of standardized seizure abortion guidelines, many patients require personalized treatment plans due to genetic factors, medical contraindications, or a history of adverse medication reactions. This study aims to create and evaluate personalized Acute Seizure Action Plans (ASAPs) for epilepsy patients at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Methods: Using a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) framework, we developed electronic ASAPs for integration into participants’ electronic medical records. The effectiveness and user satisfaction of these ASAPs will be evaluated through electronic surveys administered to Neurology physicians, Emergency Department (ED) physicians, and patient participants at baseline and six months post-implementation. Results: Baseline surveys were administered to ED physicians with a 70% response rate, indicating only 43% satisfaction with current generic seizure treatment practice. One hundred percent of respondents expressed interest in using an ASAP, citing challenges in selecting the appropriate anti-seizure medications and determining when to adjust treatment as priorities. These findings underscore the need for ASAP implementation. Conclusions: ED providers desire improved seizure action plans. ASAP implementation is expected to enhance emergency seizure management, reduce adverse events among epilepsy patients, and increase satisfaction of seizure management among all participants.

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is more common in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients than in the general population, likely due to demyelination impacting the trigeminal pathways. While brainstem lesions are associated with MS-TN, their precise role remains unclear. Methods: This study investigates the relationship between brainstem MS plaque location, TN symptoms, and treatment response. We retrospectively analyzed brain MRIs of MS-TN patients, segmenting and coregistering brainstem plaques in MNI space. A tractographic atlas of the trigeminal system was generated using high-resolution diffusion imaging from 30 patients. Lesion involvement was determined by intersection with the trigeminal tract, and its association with pain intensity and treatment outcomes was analyzed using linear regression. Results: Our research revealed 83% of MS-TN patients had brainstem lesions near the fourth ventricle. No single lesion hot spot was identified. Lesion volume did not predict symptom recurrence or treatment response. However, 97% of lesions intersected the trigeminal tract, supporting its association with TN symptoms. Conclusions: The strong overlap between lesions and the trigeminal tract suggests a potential pain generator in MS-TN. Further research is needed to determine whether similar lesions exist in asymptomatic MS patients and to confirm this hypothesis. Future studies will explore whether tract involvement better predicts clinical response to treatment.

Background: Neck vessel imaging is often performed in hyperacute stroke to allow neurointerventionalists to estimate access complexity. This study aimed to assess clinician agreement on catheterization strategies based on imaging in these scenarios. Methods: An electronic portfolio of 60 patients with acute ischemic stroke was sent to 53 clinicians. Respondents were asked: (1) the difficulty of catheterization through femoral access with a regular Vertebral catheter, (2) whether to use a Simmons or reverse-curve catheter initially, and (3) whether to consider an alternative access site. Agreement was assessed using Fleiss’ Kappa statistics. Results: Twenty-two respondents (7 neurologists, 15 neuroradiologists) completed the survey. Overall there was slight interrater agreement (κ=0.17, 95% CI: 0.10–0.25). Clinicians with >50 cases annually had better agreement (κ=0.22) for all questions than those with fewer cases (κ=0.07). Agreement did not significantly differ by imaging modality: CTA (κ=0.18) and MRA (κ=0.14). In 40/59 cases (67.80%), at least 25% of clinicians disagreed on whether to use a Simmons or reverse-curve catheter initially. Conclusions: Agreement on catheterization strategies remains fair at best. Our results suggest that visual assessment of pre-procedural vessels imaging is not reliable for the estimation of endovascular access complexity.

Background: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) leads to progressive functional decline and reduced survival. Identifying clinical predictors like ALSFRS-R and FVC is essential for prognosis and disease management. Understanding progression profiles based on diagnostic characteristics supports clinical trial design and assessment of treatment response. This study evaluates disease progression and survival predictors in ALS patients from the CNDR. Methods: 1565 ALS patients in the CNDR were analyzed to assess baseline ALSFRS-R, FVC, time from symptom onset to diagnosis, and their association with disease progression and survival. Results: At diagnosis, ALSFRS-R was 44.7 (SD = 5.46), with 72.3% scoring ≥44. Mean FVC was 84.2% (SD = 23.3), with 78.3% of patients having FVC ≥65%. ALSFRS-R declined at 1.06 points/month (SD = 1.33), with faster progression in patients diagnosed within 24 months (1.61 points/month). Patients with ALSFRS-R ≥44 had a median survival of 41.8 months, compared to 30.9 months for those <44 (p < 0.001). Similarly, FVC ≥65% was associated with longer survival (35.4 vs. 29.5 months, p = 0.002). Conclusions: ALSFRS-R and FVC at diagnosis predict survival and inform clinical decision-making. These findings highlight the importance of early diagnosis and targeted interventions to slow disease progression and improve patient outcomes.

Background: Adverse effects and risks associated with glucocorticoid (GC) treatment are frequently encountered in immune-mediated neuromuscular disorders. However, significant variability exists in the management of these complications. Our aim was to establish international consensus guidance on the management of GC-related complications in neuromuscular disorders. Methods: An international task force of 15 experts was assembled to develop clinical recommendations for managing GC-related complications in neuromuscular patients. The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) was employed to formulate consensus guidance statements. Initial statements were drafted following a comprehensive literature review and were refined based on anonymous expert feedback, with up to three rounds of email voting to achieve consensus. Results: Consensus was reached on statements addressing general patient care, monitoring during GC therapy, osteoporosis prevention, vaccinations, infection screening, and prophylaxis for Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia. A multidisciplinary approach to managing GC-related complications was highlighted as a key recommendation. Conclusions: This represents the first consensus guidance in the neurological literature on GC complications, and offer clinicians structured guidance on mitigating and managing common adverse effects associated with both short- and long-term GC use. They also provide a foundation for future debate, quality improvement, research work in this area.

Threat sensitivity, an individual difference construct reflecting variation in responsiveness to threats of various types, predicts physiological reactivity to aversive stimuli and shares heritable variance with anxiety disorders in adults. However, no research has been conducted yet with youth to examine the heritability of threat sensitivity or evaluate the role of genetic versus environmental influences in its relations with mental health problems. The current study addressed this gap by evaluating the psychometric properties of a measure of this construct, the 20-item Trait Fear scale (TF-20), and examining its phenotypic and genotypic correlations with different forms of psychopathology in a sample of 346 twin pairs (121 monozygotic), aged 9–14 years. Analyses revealed high internal consistency and test-retest reliability for the TF-20. Evidence was also found for its convergent and discriminant validity in terms of phenotypic and genotypic correlations with measures of fear-related psychopathology. By contrast, the TF-20’s associations with depressive conditions were largely attributable to environmental influences. Extending prior work with adults, current study findings provide support for threat sensitivity as a genetically-influenced liability for phobic fear disorders in youth.

High density should drive greater parasite exposure. However, evidence linking density with infection generally uses density proxies or measures of population size, rather than measures of individuals per space within a continuous population. We used a long-term study of wild sheep to link within-population spatiotemporal variation in host density with individual parasite counts. Although four parasites exhibited strong positive relationships with local density, these relationships were mostly restricted to juveniles and faded in adults. Furthermore, one ectoparasite showed strong negative relationships across all age classes. In contrast, population size – a measure of global density – had limited explanatory power, and its effects did not remove those of spatial density, but were distinct. These results indicate that local and global density can exhibit diverse and contrasting effects on infection within populations. Spatial measures of within-population local density may provide substantial additional insight to temporal metrics based on population size, and investigating them more widely could be revealing.

Multicenter clinical trials are essential for evaluating interventions but often face significant challenges in study design, site coordination, participant recruitment, and regulatory compliance. To address these issues, the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences established the Trial Innovation Network (TIN). The TIN offers a scientific consultation process, providing access to clinical trial and disease experts who provide input and recommendations throughout the trial’s duration, at no cost to investigators. This approach aims to improve trial design, accelerate implementation, foster interdisciplinary teamwork, and spur innovations that enhance multicenter trial quality and efficiency. The TIN leverages resources of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program, complementing local capabilities at the investigator’s institution. The Initial Consultation process focuses on the study’s scientific premise, design, site development, recruitment and retention strategies, funding feasibility, and other support areas. As of 6/1/2024, the TIN has provided 431 Initial Consultations to increase efficiency and accelerate trial implementation by delivering customized support and tailored recommendations. Across a range of clinical trials, the TIN has developed standardized, streamlined, and adaptable processes. We describe these processes, provide operational metrics, and include a set of lessons learned for consideration by other trial support and innovation networks.

Avocado is a delicious fruit crop having great economic importance. Understanding the extent of variability present in the existing germplasm is important to identify genotypes with specific traits and their utilization in crop improvement. The information on genetic variability with respect to morphological and biochemical traits in Indian avocados is limited and as it has hindered genetic improvement of the crop. In the current study, 83 avocado accessions from different regions of India were assessed for important 17 morphological and 8 biochemical traits. The results showed the existence of wide variability for traits such as fruit weight (75.88–934.12 g), pulp weight (48.08–736.19 g), seed weight (6.37–32.62 g), FRAP activity (27.65–119.81 mg AEAC/100 g), total carotenoids (0.96–7.17 mg/100 g), oil content (4.91–25.49%) and crude fibre (6.85–20.75%) in the studied accessions. The first three components of principal component analysis explained 54.79 per cent of total variance. Traits such as fruit weight, pulp weight, seed weight, moisture and oil content contributed more significantly towards total variance compared to other traits. The dendrogram constructed based on Euclidean distance wards minimum variance method divided 83 accessions into two major groups and nine sub clusters suggesting wide variability in the accessions with respect to studied traits. In this study, superior accessions for important traits such as fruit size (PA-102, PA-012), high pulp recovery (PA-036, PA-082,), thick peel (PA-084, PA-043, PA-011, PA-008), high carotenoids (PA-026, PA-096) and high oil content (PA-044, PA-043, PA-046, PA-045) were identified which have potential utility in further crop improvement programmes.

Recent changes to US research funding are having far-reaching consequences that imperil the integrity of science and the provision of care to vulnerable populations. Resisting these changes, the BJPsych Portfolio reaffirms its commitment to publishing mental science and advancing psychiatric knowledge that improves the mental health of one and all.

The First Large Absorption Survey in H i (FLASH) is a large-area radio survey for neutral hydrogen in and around galaxies in the intermediate redshift range $0.4\lt z\lt1.0$, using the 21-cm H i absorption line as a probe of cold neutral gas. The survey uses the ASKAP radio telescope and will cover 24,000 deg$^2$ of sky over the next five years. FLASH breaks new ground in two ways – it is the first large H i absorption survey to be carried out without any optical preselection of targets, and we use an automated Bayesian line-finding tool to search through large datasets and assign a statistical significance to potential line detections. Two Pilot Surveys, covering around 3000 deg$^2$ of sky, were carried out in 2019-22 to test and verify the strategy for the full FLASH survey. The processed data products from these Pilot Surveys (spectral-line cubes, continuum images, and catalogues) are public and available online. In this paper, we describe the FLASH spectral-line and continuum data products and discuss the quality of the H i spectra and the completeness of our automated line search. Finally, we present a set of 30 new H i absorption lines that were robustly detected in the Pilot Surveys, almost doubling the number of known H i absorption systems at $0.4\lt z\lt1$. The detected lines span a wide range in H i optical depth, including three lines with a peak optical depth $\tau\gt1$, and appear to be a mixture of intervening and associated systems. Interestingly, around two-thirds of the lines found in this untargeted sample are detected against sources with a peaked-spectrum radio continuum, which are only a minor (5–20%) fraction of the overall radio-source population. The detection rate for H i absorption lines in the Pilot Surveys (0.3 to 0.5 lines per 40 deg$^2$ ASKAP field) is a factor of two below the expected value. One possible reason for this is the presence of a range of spectral-line artefacts in the Pilot Survey data that have now been mitigated and are not expected to recur in the full FLASH survey. A future paper in this series will discuss the host galaxies of the H i absorption systems identified here.

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) offers powerful new capabilities for studying the polarised and magnetised Universe at radio wavelengths. In this paper, we introduce the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM), a groundbreaking survey with three primary objectives: (1) to create a comprehensive Faraday rotation measure (RM) grid of up to one million compact extragalactic sources across the southern $\sim50$% of the sky (20,630 deg$^2$); (2) to map the intrinsic polarisation and RM properties of a wide range of discrete extragalactic and Galactic objects over the same area; and (3) to contribute interferometric data with excellent surface brightness sensitivity, which can be combined with single-dish data to study the diffuse Galactic interstellar medium. Observations for the full POSSUM survey commenced in May 2023 and are expected to conclude by mid-2028. POSSUM will achieve an RM grid density of around 30–50 RMs per square degree with a median measurement uncertainty of $\sim$1 rad m$^{-2}$. The survey operates primarily over a frequency range of 800–1088 MHz, with an angular resolution of 20” and a typical RMS sensitivity in Stokes Q or U of 18 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$. Additionally, the survey will be supplemented by similar observations covering 1296–1440 MHz over 38% of the sky. POSSUM will enable the discovery and detailed investigation of magnetised phenomena in a wide range of cosmic environments, including the intergalactic medium and cosmic web, galaxy clusters and groups, active galactic nuclei and radio galaxies, the Magellanic System and other nearby galaxies, galaxy halos and the circumgalactic medium, and the magnetic structure of the Milky Way across a very wide range of scales, as well as the interplay between these components. This paper reviews the current science case developed by the POSSUM Collaboration and provides an overview of POSSUM’s observations, data processing, outputs, and its complementarity with other radio and multi-wavelength surveys, including future work with the SKA.