Trait-environment interactions of saproxylic beetles as a guide to biodiversity conservation strategies.

Conservation of biodiversity requires in-depth knowledge of trait-environment interactions to understand the influence the environment has on species assemblages. Saproxylic beetles exhibit a wide range of traits and functions in the forest ecosystems. Understanding their responses to surrounding environment thus improves our capacity to identify habitats that should be restored or protected.

Bear in mind! Bear presence and individual experience with calf survival shape the selection of calving sites in a long-lived solitary ungulate.

The careful selection of ungulate calving sites to improve offspring survival is vital in the face of predation. In general, there is limited knowledge to which degree predator presence and prey's individual experience shape the selection of calving sites. Predator presence influences the spatiotemporal risk of encountering a predator, while individual experiences with previous predation events shape perceived mortality risks.

Proximity-sensors on GPS collars reveal fine-scale predator-prey behavior during a predation event: A case study from Scandinavia.

Although the advent of high-resolution GPS tracking technology has helped increase our understanding of individual and multispecies behavior in wildlife systems, detecting and recording direct interactions between free-ranging animals remains difficult. In 2023, we deployed GPS collars equipped with proximity sensors (GPS proximity collars) on brown bears () and moose () as part of a multispecies interaction study in central Sweden. On 6 June, 2023, a collar on an adult female moose and a collar on an adult male bear triggered each other's UHF signal and started collecting fine-scale GPS positioning data.

Body temperature patterns during pregnancy and parturition in moose.

Gestation and lactation have high energetic requirements. Up to three-fourths of the gestation period in moose (Alces alces) overlaps with the food-scarce period in winter. During this period, moose deal with the limited forage resources available through hypometabolism with decreased heart rate and body temperature (T).

Divergence in parturition timing and vegetation onset in a large herbivore-differences along a latitudinal gradient.

In northern environments, the period of access to high-quality forage is limited, exerting strong selective pressure to optimize the timing of parturition. We analysed timing and variation in moose () parturition dates of 555 females at 18 study sites across 12° of latitude (56-68° N, 1350 km) in Sweden. We found evidence for a spatial match of parturition timing to vegetation onset, but no evidence that moose adjust parturition to vegetation onset in a given year.

CT and MRI compatibility of flexible 3D-printed materials for soft actuators and robots used in image-guided interventions.

Purpose: Three-dimensional (3D) printing allows for the fabrication of medical devices with complex geometries, such as soft actuators and robots that can be used in image-guided interventions. This study investigates flexible and rigid 3D-printing materials in terms of their impact on multimodal medical imaging.

Methods: The generation of artifacts in clinical computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was evaluated for six flexible and three rigid materials, each with a cubical and a cylindrical geometry, and for one exemplary flexible fluidic actuator.

Rate of Cooling in a Moose () Carcass.

Postmortem body temperature is used to estimate time of death in humans, but the available models are not validated for most nonhuman species. Here, we report that cooling in an adult female moose () equipped with a rumen temperature monitor was extremely slow, with a rumen temperature of 27-28 C as late as 40 h postmortem.

Risk assessment of copper-containing contraceptives: the impact for women with implanted intrauterine devices during clinical MRI and CT examinations.

Objectives: To assess the risks for implant users with copper-containing intrauterine devices (IUDs) during MR and CT examinations.

Methods: A tissue-mimicking phantom suitable for all experiments within this study was developed. Seven different types of copper IUDs were evaluated.

A novel 3D printed mechanical actuator using centrifugal force for magnetic resonance elastography: Initial results in an anthropomorphic prostate phantom.

This work demonstrates a new method for the generation of mechanical shear wave during magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) that creates greater forces at higher vibrational frequencies as opposed to conventionally used pneumatic transducers. We developed an MR-compatible pneumatic turbine with an eccentric mass that creates a sinusoidal centrifugal force. The turbine was assessed with respect to its technical parameters and evaluated for MRE on a custom-made anthropomorphic prostate phantom.

Influence of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents on Tissue Sodium Quantification in Sodium Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Objectives: Sodium magnetic resonance (MR) imaging provides noninvasive insights to cellular processes by measuring tissue sodium concentration (TSC). Many clinical studies combine sodium MR imaging with clinical standard MR procedures, in which contrast media is frequently administered. This work investigates the influence of gadolinium-based contrast agents on quantification of TSC.

A novel 3D-printed mechanical actuator using centrifugal force for magnetic resonance elastography.

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a technique for the quantification of tissue stiffness during MR examinations. It requires consistent methods for mechanical shear wave induction to the region of interest in the human body to reliably quantify elastic properties of soft tissues. This work proposes a novel 3D-printed mechanical actuator using the principle of centrifugal force for wave induction.

Comparison of perfusion models for quantitative T1 weighted DCE-MRI of rectal cancer.

In this work, the two compartment exchange model and two compartment uptake model were applied to obtain quantitative perfusion parameters in rectum carcinoma and the results were compared to those obtained by the deconvolution algorithm. Eighteen patients with newly diagnosed rectal carcinoma underwent 3 T MRI of the pelvis including a T weighted dynamic contrastenhanced (DCE) protocol before treatment. Mean values for Plasma Flow (PF), Plasma Volume (PV) and Mean Transit Time (MTT) were obtained for all three approaches and visualized in parameter cards.

Temporal patterns of moose-vehicle collisions with and without personal injuries.

Collisions with wild ungulates are an increasing traffic safety issue in boreal regions. Crashes involving smaller-bodied deer species usually lead to vehicle damage only, whereas collisions with a large animal, such as the moose, increase the risk of personal injuries. It is therefore important to understand both the factors affecting the number of moose-vehicle collisions (MVCs) and the underlying causes that turn an MVC into an accident involving personal injuries or fatalities.

Design of a multimodal (H/Na MR/CT) anthropomorphic thorax phantom.

Objectives: This work proposes a modular, anthropomorphic MR and CT thorax phantom that enables the comparison of experimental studies for quantitative evaluation of deformable, multimodal image registration algorithms and realistic multi-nuclear MR imaging techniques.

Methods: A human thorax phantom was developed with insertable modules representing lung, liver, ribs and additional tracking spheres. The quality of human tissue mimicking characteristics was evaluated for H and Na MR as well as CT imaging.

Opportunities for the application of advanced remotely-sensed data in ecological studies of terrestrial animal movement.

Animal movement patterns in space and time are a central aspect of animal ecology. Remotely-sensed environmental indices can play a key role in understanding movement patterns by providing contiguous, relatively fine-scale data that link animal movements to their environment. Still, implementation of newly available remotely-sensed data is often delayed in studies of animal movement, calling for a better flow of information to researchers less familiar with remotely-sensed data applications.