Different Categories Of Individuals Research Articles

OccFaçade: enabling precise building façade parsing in large urban scenes with occlusion

ABSTRACT Building façade parsing is to recognize the building façade image into different categories of individuals including walls, doors, windows, balconies, etc. However, obstructions such as trees present a significant challenge to conducting façade parsing. In this paper, we designed OccFaçade to achieve high-precision parsing of occluded building façades in large urban scenes. OccFaçade primarily incorporates two modules, Multi-layer Dilated Convolution Module (MD-Module) and Multi-scale Row-Column Convolution Module (MRC-Module), to capture repeated texture in local and row-column directions. This aims to leverage repetitive textures to address occlusion challenges in building façade parsing. Besides, we introduce our building façade dataset MeshFaçade from the Mesh data generated by drone imagery to study the occlusion problem of missing textures. The experimental results demonstrate that OccFaçade achieves state-of-the-art performance with mIOU of 85.01%, 84.09%, 72.95%, and 88.83% on the ENPC2014 dataset, ECP dataset, RueMonge2014 dataset, and our MeshFaçade dataset, respectively. The code and data are available at https://github.com/yueyisui/OccFacade.

Marginalised within a minority: Jews with disabilities in the Jewish press of the Kingdom of Poland (1860s-1914).

This article is the first scholarly research focusing exclusively on the history of Jews with disabilities in the Kingdom of Poland from the 1860s to 1914. It analyses sources drawn from the Jewish press in Yiddish, Polish, and Hebrew. Areas of investigation include the hierarchy of attitudes towards different categories of individuals with disabilities, spiritual perspectives on disability, and the portrayal of disabilities within Jewish literature. The study places particular emphasis on the Jewish deaf community, given the proliferation of available source material. Drawing on the broad conceptual framework of disability studies, the authors examine the phenomenon of medicalisation, tracing its influence on Jewish public discourse over the latter half of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth.

Impact of Urban Expansion on Coastal Vegetation Conservation in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa

The ethical clearance certificate number for this research is KUL011SOLA01. This research elucidates the conceptualization of urbanization, urban sustainability, merits of coastal vegetation, and threats to urban expansion. Furthermore, this paper focuses on the analysis of the questionnaire, of which 300 copies were distributed to different categories of individuals in the study area, out of which a total of 254 copies were returned. The results revealed that 197 (80.7%) respondents confirmed the occurrence of environmental challenges, 33 (13.5%) others stated otherwise, while 14 (5.7%) claimed ignorance. Further, the researcher sought to know the causes of coastal vegetation loss; 190 (74.8%) respondents blamed it on urban expansion, 169 (66.8%) respondents stated it was due to deforestation activities. Other views cited by the respondents in this regard and their corresponding frequencies are as follows: bush fires (132/52.0%) and conversion of ecosystem land uses for crop cultivation (112/44.1%).

The estimation of reproductive values from pedigrees.

Quantifying fitness is important to understand adaptive evolution. Reproductive values are useful for making fitness comparisons involving different categories of individuals, like males and females. By definition, the reproductive value of a category is the expected per capita contribution of the members of that category to the gene pool of future generations. Life history theory reveals how reproductive values can be determined via the estimation of life-history parameters, but this requires an adequate life-history model and intricate algebraic calculations. Recently, an alternative pedigree-based method has become popular, which estimates the expected genetic contribution of individuals to future generations by tracking their descendants down the pedigree. This method is versatile and intuitively appealing, but it is unknown if the method produces estimates of reproductive values that are accurate and precise. To investigate this, we implement various life-history scenarios (for which the "true" reproductive values can be calculated) in individual-based simulations, use the simulation data to estimate reproductive values with the pedigree method, and compare the results with the true target values. We show that the pedigree-based estimation of reproductive values is either biased (in the short term) or imprecise (in the long term). This holds even for simple life histories and under idealized conditions. We conclude that the pedigree method is not a good substitute for the traditional method to quantify reproductive values.

Distribution and habitat use patterns of southern right whales, Eubalaena australis, off Uruguay

Aerial surveys and behavioural observations from land were conducted 2001-03, between July and November, to evaluate the status and habitat use patterns of the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) along 220km of the Uruguayan Atlantic coast. Photo-identification was carried out only during the aerial surveys, and group composition as well as spatial and temporal distribution was studied. For the analysis of distribution, the area was divided into four zones. Behaviour was studied from nine fixed points along the coast, analysing the relative frequency of three states (interacting, travelling and resting) and five events (flipper, spy hopping, tail-up, belly-up and flipper slap). Most individuals (90%) were seen from August to October (H=16.446, p=0.003) and there was no significant difference in sightings between the four zones (H=5.11, p=0.163). In 80 sightings, 174 individuals were observed, of which 8% (n=14) were cow-calf pairs and 92% (n=160) were unaccompanied whales (whales without calf). Out of these, 76.9% (n=123) were found in groups that ranged 2-13 individuals (mean=3.4; SD=2.7) and the rest (23.1%; n=37) were solitary. Sixty individuals were identified, one of which was re-identified within a season. Focal sampling on unaccompanied whales took place on ninety-three occasions; 64 on groups and 29 on solitary individuals. For groups, the most frequent behavioural state was interaction (57.8%), and all events were observed, spy hopping being the most frequent. Given the high proportion of unaccompanied whales and interacting groups recorded, Uruguay is thought to be an important social area for the species, where behaviour similar to those previously described as courtship and mating were observed. The dynamics of the different categories of individuals off the Uruguayan coast is discussed and investigation priorities are suggested.

Modeling the role of public health intervention measures in halting the transmission of monkeypox virus

<abstract><p>Monkeypox (mpox), a zoonotic viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus (mpoxv), is endemic in many countries in West Africa and is sometimes exported to other parts of the world. The recent outbreak of mpoxv in humans, in endemic and non-endemic countries, has created substantial public health concern worldwide. This research uses a mechanistic model to study the transmission dynamics of mpoxv epidemics in the USA. Our model describes the interaction between different categories of individuals represent various infection phases and hospitalization processes. The model also takes into account the extent of compliance with non-pharmaceutical intervention strategies (NPIs), such as using condoms during sexual contact, quarantine and avoiding large gatherings. The model's equilibria are analyzed, and results on asymptotic stability are obtained. Moreover, the basic reproductive number and other threshold quantities are used to establish the conditions for a forward or backward bifurcation. Our model accurately captures the incidence curves from mpox surveillance data for the USA, indicating that it can be used to explain mpoxv transmission and suggest some effective ways to enhance control efforts. In addition, numerical simulations are carried out to examine the influence of some parameters on the overall dynamics of the model. A partial rank correlation coefficient is adopted for the sensitivity analysis to determine the model most important parameters, which require close attention for effective mpoxv prevention and control. We conclude that it is especially important to ensure that NPIs are properly followed to mitigate mpoxv outbreaks effectively.</p></abstract>

Factors affecting mortality for the novel coronavirus infection in different regions of the Russian Federation

Background. The influence of such factors as population density, practices for testing for the SARS-CoV-2 (combined with quarantine/self-isolation for infected individuals and their contacts) and ambient temperature on the spread of the novel coronavirus infection and related mortality in the 85 different regions of the Russian Federation isn’t well characterized.Materials and methods. Population density in the different regions of the Russian Federation is measured as the number of persons per square kilometer of settled areas; ambient temperature is measured as the mean for January and July values; practices for testing for SARS-CoV-2 are characterized via case-fatality rates (the percent of deaths among cases with known outcome (recovered + fatal)) — under more active testing for SARSCoV-2, greater numbers of mild/moderate cases of infection are detected, resulting in the decline in case-fatality rates, i.e. the intensity of testing is inversely proportional to the case-fatality rate.Results. The correlation between population density and rates of mortality for COVID-19 per 100,000 persons on November 22, 2020 in the 85 different regions of the Russian Federation is 0.53 (0.36; 0.67); the correlation between case-fatality rates and rates of mortality for COVID-19 per 100,000 persons on Nov. 22, 2020 in the different regions of the Russian Federation is 0.62 (0.47; 0.74). Results of the linear regression suggest a positive association between population density, as well as case-fatality rates and rates of mortality for COVID-19 in the different regions of Russia, and a negative association between ambient temperature and rates of mortality for the novel coronavirus infection.Conclusions. Lower population density, more active testing for SARS-CoV-2 and higher ambient temperature are associated with lower rates of mortality for COVID-19. In particular, additional measures should be implemented towards testing of different categories of individuals for SARS-CoV-2, including those seeking testing on their own initiative, those seeking medical help with respiratory symptoms, and contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Predictive factors to access and use of family planning services by rural and semi-urban dwellers in Afikpo North Local Government area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Pregnancy and childbirth are important periods when women of reproductive age frequently come in contact with healthcare facilities and providers. These periods afford them the privilege for discussion and decision on post-partum family planning with healthcare providers. Male partner consent has been shown to have a positive impact on access and uptake of modern contraception. This study was aimed at assessing the availability, uptake and male partner consent for post-partum family planning (PPFP) amongst rural and semi-urban dwellers in Afikpo North local government area of Ebonyi state, Nigeria. The study conducted on 205 postpartum women, 40 health workers at the primary health centres (PHCs) and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in Afikpo North LGA were selected by a random sampling technique. Information was obtained via 3 categories of interviewer-administered questionnaire for the different categories of individuals involved in the study. Data analyses was done using SPSS version 21.0. The overall findings showed a high prevalence of grand multiparity (51.2%) and child-bearing at extremities of reproductive age (20.5%) despite generally good awareness of modern contraception (92.7%) and availability of family planning services and modern birth control methods in all the PHC facilities. Of note is that a good percentage of the women received antenatal care (38.1%) or had their last delivery at TBAs places (42.4%) despite the fact that only 60% of the TBAs are aware of modern family planning methods and none of them offer family planning services. The prevalence of modern contraceptive usage was 41.5% and the male partner consent was present in 72.9% of modern contraceptive users. Despite high level of awareness and availability of modern family planning services, the TBAs should be more sensitized in order to improve the uptake of PPFP.

Changes in life history characteristics of Porcellio laevis (Isopoda: Oniscidea) along a cadmium pollution gradient in Sfax (Central Tunisia)

This study aimed to determine the effect of cadmium pollution on some life history traits of Porcellio laevis populations sampled along a contamination gradient in the region of Sfax (central Tunisia). To characterize each population, woodlice were collected in the spring and parameters such as the number of individuals, sex-ratio, body length and cephalothorax width of the different categories of individuals were determined. Since the sampling period coincided with the reproduction period of the species, number and diameter of eggs, embryos, and mancas were counted and measured for ovigerous females of each of the studied population. Relative growth was estimated using a morphometric relationship between the body length and the cephalothorax width to determine the type of relationship (isometric/allometric). The number of eggs, embryos and mancas varied between the sampled populations and ranged between 13.25 ± 7.18 and 58.85 ± 36.37; 25 ± 8.71 and 40.9 ± 11.47; 11.5 ± 7.77 and 29 mm, respectively. The mean size of eggs, embryos and mancas ranged between 0.491 ± 0.077 and 0.558 ± 0.098 mm, 0.697 ± 0.070 and 0.918 ± 0.206 mm, and 0.945 ± 0.248 and 1.554 ± 0.236 mm, respectively. Body length, cephalothorax width, eggs and embryos sizes, were lower in the population sampled from the most polluted site compared to the other populations. Additionally, based on the Pearson’s correlation, negative and non-significant correlations were found between the number and the size of the different reproductive stages (eggs, embryos and mancas), and cadmium soil content. The morphometric parameters showed a significant correlation between the body length and the cephalothorax width, and globally a negative allometry was observed.

The Effects of Diffusion of Information on Epidemic Spread --- A Multilayer Approach

In this work, the aim is to study the spread of a contagious disease and information on a multilayer social system. The main idea is to find a criterion under which the adoption of the spreading information blocks or suppresses the epidemic spread. A two-layer network is the base of the model. The first layer describes the direct contact interactions, while the second layer is the information propagation layer. Both layers consist of the same nodes. The society consists of five different categories of individuals: susceptibles, infective, recovered, vaccinated and precautioned. Initially, only one infected individual starts transmitting the infection. Direct contact interactions spread the infection to the susceptibles. The information spreads through the second layer. The SIR model is employed for the infection spread, while the Bass equation models the adoption of information. The control parameters of the competition between the spread of information and spread of disease are the topology and the density of connectivity. The topology of the information layer is a scale-free network with increasing density of edges. In the contact layer, regular and scale-free networks with the same average degree per node are used interchangeably. The observation is that increasing complexity of the contact network reduces the role of individual awareness. If the contact layer consists of networks with limited range connections, or the edges sparser than the information network, spread of information plays a significant role in controlling the epidemics.

Pêche Et Caractéristiques Morphologiques D’un Poisson-Chat Endémique Synodontis Punctifer (Daget, 1964) Dans Le Barrage Électrique De Taabo (Côte d’Ivoire)

A study of Synodontis punctifer (family: Mochokidae) of Taabo Lake was conducted from October 2015 to September 2016. This was carried out so as to evaluate its quantity (biomass) caught by fishing and also its morphological characteristics. The fish were caught using gillnets at 4 sites of the lake and different measurements were made. The fishing effort was 23 to 11 fishermen / day in Taabo city, 17 to 11 fishermen / day in Courandjourou, 13 to 5 fishermen / day in Ahondo, and 8 to 3 fishermen / day in Taabo village. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) ranged from 17.7 to 3.7 g / fisherman / day, 9.2 to 1.2 g / fisherman / day, 8.3 to 0.7 g / fisherman /day, 8 to 1g / fisherman / day at Ahondo, Courandjourou, Taabo city and Taabo village, respectively. The overall annual production was estimated at 2199.3 kg, i.e. 817 kg (40%) at Ahondo, 788.3 kg (35%) at Courandjourou, 462.5 kg (20%) at Taabo, and 131.5 kg (5%) in Taabo village. The overall sex ratio (1: 1.33) was in favor of females. Individuals have negative allometric growth at all sites with values ranging from 1.72 to 2.89. The condition factor does not vary significantly between different categories of individuals (ANOVA, F = 2.79, p ˃ 0.05). A significant difference was observed between the average sizes of the individuals of the different sites (test, p˂0,05). The large size specimens were captured at Ahondo, mean (avg = 15.38 ± 1.68 cm FL). In Courandjourou, the sizes were intermediate (avg = 13.63 ± 1.64 cm LF). Smalls sizes have been observed in Taabo city (mean= 12.37 ± 1.24 cm FL) and Taabo village (mean= 15.58 ± 1.58 cm FL).

Combining noninvasive genetics and a new mammalian sex-linked marker provides new tools to investigate population size, structure and individual behaviour: An application to bats.

Monitoring wild populations is crucial for their effective management. Noninvasive genetic methods provide robust data from individual free-ranging animals, which can be used in capture-mark-recapture (CMR) models to estimate demographic parameters without capturing or disturbing them. However, sex- and status-specific behaviour, which may lead to differences in detection probabilities, is rarely considered in monitoring. Here, we investigated population size, sex ratio, sex- and status-related behaviour in 19 Rhinolophus hipposideros maternity colonies (Northern France) with a noninvasive genetic CMR approach (using faeces) combined with parentage assignments. The use of the DDX3X/Y-Mam sexual marker designed in this study, which shows inter- and intrachromosomal length polymorphism across placental mammals, together with eight polymorphic microsatellite markers, produced high-quality genetic data with limited genotyping errors and allowed us to reliably distinguish different categories of individuals (males, reproductive and nonreproductive females) and to estimate population sizes. We showed that visual counts represent well-adult female numbers and that population composition in maternity colonies changes dynamically during the summer. Before parturition, colonies mainly harbour pregnant and nonpregnant females with a few visiting males, whereas after parturition, colonies are mainly composed of mothers and their offspring with a few visiting nonmothers and males. Our approach gives deeper insight into sex- and status-specific behaviour, a prerequisite for understanding population dynamics and developing effective monitoring and management strategies. Provided sufficient samples can be obtained, this approach can be readily applied to a wide range of species.

Regional features of the individual income tax

Tax on income of physical persons according to the method of establishing refers to federal taxes, however, is the establishment of a regional peculiarities. Currently, in accordance with the distribution of taxes between the budgets of the order, the share of this tax in the regional budgets is directly dependent on the level and income level received by the population, to carry on activity in a particular area of the country. The article discusses the possibility of impact on the taxation of income of different categories of individuals from the regions. Since the tax on personal income has expressed toms-social orientation, in the Tax Code of the Russian Federation provided for the regions eligible for the establishment of a number of benefits for certain categories of taxpayers. This article describes the possible impact on the taxation of income of different categories of individuals from the regions by establishing incentives. The issues of granting tariff preferences income owners of private farms on the example of the Moscow region. An important social task of the state related to the support of family and birth rate increase, which is be implemented in the Russian Federation in the framework of the tax on personal income, is exemption from personal income tax funds regional maternal (family) capital. The regional legislation can be traced virtually the same position on the determination of the number of children in the case of birth (adoption) of which the inhabitants of the region there is a right to additional measures of state support and tax benefits. The data on the size of the analysis of the results of the regional maternity capital and the terms of its provision. We describe the benefits that the regions were able to provide 2016 individuals - payers of personal income tax on income from the sale of real estate. We consider the benefits that are currently install or may be establish by laws of subjects of federation in the taxation of payments under the attraction of labor resources. Data on factors deflator amounts established in the regions and affecting the tax-to moves of foreign nationals engaged in labor activities in Russia. The conclusion is that, on the one hand, the list of options for the provision of tax relief on personal income for the region in recent years, and incremental, but, on the other hand, regions have the capacity and increase the size of tax revenue due to the increase the tax burden on foreign nationals working in Russia.

"Returnee social networks, resource acquisition and returnee entrepreneurship"

We contribute to the literature on understanding the different categories of individuals in international entrepreneurship by exploring returnee entrepreneurs as a focal group. Building on social network theory and the international entrepreneurship literature, we examine the mechanisms through which returnee entrepreneurs’ liability of outsidership influences their exploitation of opportunities across national borders. The findings show that resource acquisition mediates the relationship between returnee entrepreneurs’ outsidership and firm performance. In addition, this study identifies the strategic actions that returnee entrepreneurs can take to overcome the inherent liability of outsidership and leverage potential overseas advantages. Returnee entrepreneurs can overcome outsidership through collaborating with local top management team (TMT) members who serve as local brokers and help to capture entrepreneurial opportunities by facilitating resource acquisition. This study extends existing research on...

Reconfiguration of Handicapped Parking Spaces to Maximize Utilization of Available Space

This paper presents a design solution based on analysis of the appropriate width of handicapped parking space for individuals with different levels of disabilities in Saga. The methodology followed in this study revealed an option for increasing the available quantity of handicapped parking within the available space by selectively reducing the width of alighting space requirements built into space standards. A physical simulation was carried out with assistance from volunteers with different types of disabilities who were asked to park in a confined space in order to obtain meaningful data for space requirements by disabled individuals. The investigation found that the current standard of 3.5 m width adopted for handicapped parking is conservative and has little merit from the point of view of functionality for handicapped individuals. The data collected allowed the research team to develop a methodology to propose a new arrangement for increasing the parking spaces for disabled persons. The paper explains the physical data collection process and details of the proposed arrangement that could better utilize the available space. number of handicapped parking spaces. Results of before and after surveys during 2006 and 2008 by Kiyota (2011) have shown that the PP system has made it harder for wheelchair bound severely disabled to find appropriate parking spaces. The percentage of severely disabled motorists observed in disabled parking spaces has decreased from 24.4% to 14.0% in a popular large shopping mall in Saga according the above surveys. (4) There was no mechanism to increase the quantity of handicapped parking spaces to match the expansion of the disabled population that followed from the introduction of the PP system. It is difficult to change current policy in only the Saga region instead of the entirety of Japan. Drop off areas with benches for disabled passengers may resolve this problem, but not all popular shopping malls have that condition. It was hypothesized that it may be possible to add more handicapped parking spaces by a strategy of reconfiguring the disabled parking spaces according to the actual space needed by users. It was acknowledged that broad width spaces were required by wheelchair users. It was speculated however, that individuals with mild disabilities did not need the generous width of parking space provided to wheelchair users. Therefore, the suitable planning solution required may be a reconfiguration of the current overall space allocated to handicapped parking in such a manner that there are spaces with different widths to match proportions and needs of different user populations. Experiments performed during this project showed that it is possible to establish the width of parking space used by different categories of individuals with different types of disabilities. The initial experiment surprised authors as it challenged the conventional width associated with disabled parking spaces although this paper does not propose to vary the long established standard. Following sections of the paper are presented to explain how the width of parking space required varies with the category of disability and detailed description of how the available space can be reconfigured to increase the number of spaces available for individuals with mild disabilities.

Accumulation and Persistence of Welfare Problems over Time

This paper uses longitudinal Swedish data and investigates the accumulation and persistence of welfare problems over time. The data set was compiled in a first wave in 1979, a second wave in 1986–1987, a third wave in 1994–1995, and a fourth wave in 2002–2003 (N = 7,967). First, the results demonstrate that all welfare problems have a tendency to become persistent. For example, the probability of suffering from the lack of a close friend in the fourth wave was 57.1 % if the individual suffered from this welfare problem in the third wave. Second, economic problems constituted the welfare problem with the most associations with other welfare problems. Third, the accumulation of welfare problems significantly differed between different categories of individuals. For example, the accumulation of welfare problems was higher in men compared with women, immigrants compared with native Swedes, single individuals compared with individuals in couples, and poorly educated individuals compared with highly educated individuals. Finally, longitudinal analyses indicated individuals in certain categories have experienced cumulative disadvantages in welfare even during periods when individuals in other categories have experienced a positive trend in welfare. One such example is single parents during the period between 1979 and 1986–1987.

Within-group vocal differentiation of individuals in the cooperatively breeding apostlebird

The ability of animals to discriminate between individuals or groups of individuals (e.g., kin or nonkin) is an important component of many hypotheses proposed to explain the evolution of cooperation and benefits of group living. Previous studies in mammalian systems have demonstrated the use of vocal cues in individual recognition and discrimination. However, there are few such studies in birds. Previous avian studies have largely examined discrimination between different categories of individuals (e.g., mate vs. nonmate, offspring vs. non-offspring) while discrimination between individuals of the same category remain largely unexplored. Previous work has demonstrated that the contact calls of free-living apostlebirds (Struthidea cinerea) are individually distinct. Here, we demonstrate that apostlebirds can differentiate between the calls of other individuals of the same social group using vocal cues alone. These findings are biologically relevant as apostlebirds live in complex fission–fusion societies where social groups vary in size, sex ratio, number of breeders, and composition of related and unrelated members.

What is Context?

The notion of context should not be understood as descriptive but as analytical, in the sense that the package of features characterizing a context is dependent on the question the sociologist wants to solve. Also, the features evoked in a context should be empirically observable. This excludes introducing unobservable dispositional features in the context: a principle Weber, Durkheim and many of their modern followers endorse. The fathers of sociology have practiced since long contextual analysis in this sense. Examples drawn from their work illustrate the powerfulness of their explanation of numerous macroscopic puzzles. They illustrate how to solve the micro-macro link question. They suggest that the solution of this question is dependent on the nature of the macroscopic facts to be explained. The paper discusses the question indirectly through the accumulation of examples illustrating the powerfulness of contextual analysis. A major point of the article is also that social action includes always beliefs. Except in the cases where explaining the beliefs raises no question, it is a challenging point for social analysts. Rational Choice Theory is efficient in the cases where beliefs raise no question. If they do, Rational Choice Theory is doomed to introduce controversial notions as frame or bias that do not correspond to any observable reality. Because of its instrumental view on rationality, Rational Choice Theory is also unable to explain the goals different categories of individuals follow, while contextual analysis can, thanks to its broader conception of rationality.

Movement patterns in a partial migrant: a multi-event capture-recapture approach.

Partial migration is a pervasive albeit poorly studied phenomenon by which some individuals of a population migrate while others are residents. It has tremendous consequences on seasonal variations of population size/structure and therefore management. Using a multi-event capture-mark-recapture/recovery (CMR) approach, we assessed seasonal site occupancy, survival and site fidelity of a partially migratory diving duck, the Common pochard (Aythya ferina), in an area potentially including both local breeders and winter visitors. The modelling exercise indeed discriminated two different categories of individuals. First, locally breeding females which had a probability of being present in our study area during winter of 0.41. Females of this category were found to be more faithful to their breeding site than males (breeding site fidelity probabilities of 1 and 0.11, respectively). The second category of birds were winter visitors, which included adults of both sexes, whose probability of being present in the study area during the breeding season was nil, and young of both sexes with a 0.11 probability of being present in the area during the breeding season. All wintering individuals, among which there was virtually no locally breeding male, displayed a high fidelity to our study area from one winter to the next (0.41–0.43). Estimated annual survival rates differed according to age (adults 0.69, young 0.56). For both age classes mortality was higher during late winter/early spring than during summer/early winter. Our study is among the first to show how and under which conditions the multi-event approach can be employed for investigating complex movement patterns encountered in partial migrants, providing a convenient tool for overcoming state uncertainty. It also shows why studying patterns of probability of individual presence/movements in partial migrants is a key towards understanding seasonal variations in numbers.

Influenza vaccination in India: Position paper of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, 2013

Burden of Influenza is significantly higher in developing countries as compared to developed countries, but the data on the disease burden is less well defined in most of the developing countries including India, and consequently, constraints evolving strategies for prioritization of measures to prevent and control it. The swine flu or A(H1N1) pandemic is on the wane but the virus continues to circulate causing sporadic outbreaks even in 2013. The A(H1N1)pdm09 has replaced the previous circulating seasonal A (H1N1) virus and acquired the status of a seasonal virus. Limited influenza activity is usually seen throughout the year in India with a clear peaking during the rainy season. The rainy season in the country lasts from June to August in all the regions except Tamil Nadu where it occurs from October to December. IAP recommends the ideal time for offering influenza vaccines is just before the onset of rainy season. The efficacy/effectiveness data of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines are also presented in different age groups and different categories of individuals. The IAP maintains its earlier recommendations of using the current trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in all children with risk factors but not as a universal measure. IAP has now prioritized different target groups for influenza vaccination based on contribution of the group to the overall influenza burden, disease severity, and vaccine effectiveness in different age groups and categories. The current trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines incorporate the 2009 pandemic strain also, hence avert the need of a separate A (H1N1) vaccine. IAP stresses the need of more refined surveillance; large scale studies on effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines in Indian children, and more effective, properly matched, higher-valent influenza vaccines.