In recent years, Orthogonal Time Frequency Space Modulation (OTFS) has gained popularity in integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) system due to its robustness against Doppler offset and delay changes. Traditional pilot-based methods for accurate channel parameter estimation are complex and struggle with rapidly changing channel conditions. In this letter, we propose a deep encode-decode network (DED-Net). It uses DL to automatically learn and eliminate channel interference from OTFS signals. The framework employs a deep encoding and decoding network, similar to a filter, learning complex signal features to effectively remove interference. Our experiments demonstrate DED-Net’s ability to eliminate interference in OTFS modulation signals, offering an alternative to pilot-based methods and showcasing DL’s potential for ISAC systems.

1 Background Histopathological response to neoadjuvant-chemotherapy(NACT) measured as tumor necrosis(TN) has been reported to be prognostic of outcomes post HDMTX- based chemotherapy. We studied outcomes based on different cut-offs of TN and delineated clinical-laboratory parameters predictive of TN on a non-HDMTX chemotherapy backbone. 2 Materials and Methods Children ≤15years, with osteosarcoma treated on OGS-2012 protocol and surgery post-NACT from January 2013-December 2020 were retrospectively analysed. TN was reported as percentage necrosis. Kaplan-Meier, log-rank, Pearson’s Chi-square tests were used. 3 Results Analysis was done in 258 patients. Median age-12years(range,3-15years), M:F-1.7:1. Amputation was performed in 20.1%. Median TN was 94%. At a median follow-up of 38months(range,34-45months), 3year Event Free Survival(EFS) and Overall Survival(OS) of the whole cohort were 56.1%(SE,3.3%) and 87.8%(SE,2.4%). For entire cohort, TN-70%(29.3%vs60.7%), 90% (38.7%vs69.0%), 100%(50.8%vs84.1%), were prognostic for EFS(p=0.0001), while TN-90%(80.3%vs92.9%,p=0.006) and 100%(85.5%vs97.7%,p=0.023) were prognostic for OS. For localized disease, TN-70%(35.4%vs 66.4%), 90%(41.6%vs77.0%), 100%(54.8%vs96.2%) were prognostic for EFS(p=0.0001), and OS(p=0.0001). For metastatic disease, TN-70% was prognostic for EFS(16.6%vs50.1%,p=0.0047). Receptor-Operator Curve derived cut-off of 85.5%TN for EFS, 83.5%TN for OS prognosticated whole and localized cohorts the best. For metastatic cohort, 84.5%TN best prognosticated EFS. Among clinical-laboratory parameters, male gender(OR:1.9,p=0.01), amputation (OR:2.1,p=0.014) had a higher risk of <90%TN. 4 Conclusions Tumor necrosis at 90% cut-off in localized disease is prognostic of survival on a non-HDMTX based backbone, though best outcomes are seen with 100%TN, but 70%TN and other cut-offs require further exploration. A lower cut-off of 70%(or other) in metastatic disease could be used for prognostication. Amputation, male gender predicts poor histological necrosis.

Humid dunes slacks are a highly threatened habitat, listed as vulnerable in the EU habitat red list. Accelerated successional processes in dune systems have resulted in the loss and degradation of ideal conditions for specialist dune slack species, hence the need for conservation management. This study investigated the restoration of a dune slack in North Wales, UK, where soil removal was undertaken to reinstate nutrient-poor open damp conditions. It assessed the outcomes of the management for dune slack communities over the 18 years since restoration. It also assessed the differences between restored and unrestored areas of dune slacks. Since the restoration was carried out in winter 2004/05 surveys of fixed quadrats were undertaken most years until 2022 with an additional survey in 2022 of the adjacent un-restored parts of the dune slacks. Species diversity and plant community composition changes over time were assessed using multivariate analysis and indicator species analysis. Comparisons between the restored and unrestored areas of the dune slacks were also made. Ellenberg Indicator Values (EIVs) were examined to identify potential environmental drivers of post management successional changes. After 18 years a species rich and diverse dune slack community exists. This is absent from the unrestored area. The establishment of species occurred rapidly in the first three years, followed by continued but slower increases in species richness and diversity. This is due to the addition of new species without losses of established species. EIVs show no significant difference over time suggesting the restored areas are still at an early stage of succession. Distinct stages of community change since restoration are characterised by different indicator species. Plants are likely to be largely recruited from an existing seed bank. Restoration by turf removal may be suitable for other low nutrient, species rich habitats dependent upon fluctuating groundwater levels.

IntroductionStatin belongs to a medication class of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) inhibitor. It is the most significant drug used for lipid-lowering and cardiovascular disease prevention1. A wide range of statin myopathy has been reported including myalgia, myopathy, myositis, or rhabdomyolysis. Statin-induced immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) is a relatively rare side effect with an incidence of 2 or 3 of every 100,000 patients taking statins2. Many different findings help differentiate toxic non-inflammatory effects from immune-mediated myopathy due to statins1. We report a case of statin-induced IMNM with oropharyngeal involvement.

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has long been used non-medically, and it is currently under investigation for its potential therapeutic benefits. Both uses may be related to its ability to enhance empathy, sociability, emotional processing and its anxiolytic effects. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these effects, and their specificity to MDMA compared to other stimulants, are not yet fully understood. Here, using electroencephalography (EEG), we investigated the effects of MDMA and a prototypic stimulant, methamphetamine (MA), on early visual processing of socio-emotional stimuli in an oddball emotional faces paradigm. Specifically, we examined whether MDMA or MA enhance the processing of facial expressions, compared to placebo, during the early stages of visual perception. MDMA enhanced an event-related component that is sensitive to detecting faces (N170), specifically for happy and angry expressions compared to neutral faces. MA did not affect this measure, and neither drug altered other components of the response to emotional faces. These findings provide novel insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of MDMA on socio-emotional processing and may have implications for the therapeutic use of MDMA in the treatment of social anxiety and other psychiatric disorders.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a devastating neuromuscular disease caused by mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 ( SMN1) gene. Gene editing technology repairs the conversion of the 6th base T to C in exon 7 of the paralogous SMN2 gene, compensating for the SMN protein expression and promoting the survival and function of motor neurons. However, low editing efficiency and unintended off-target effects limit the application of this technology. Here, we optimized a TaC9-adenine base editor (ABE) system by combining Cas9 nickase with the transcription activator-like effector (TALE)-adenosine deaminase fusion protein to effectively and precisely edit SMN2 without detectable Cas9 dependent off-target effects in human cell lines. We also generated human SMA-induced pluripotent stem cells (SMA-iPSCs) through the mutation of the splice acceptor or deletion of the exon 7 of SMN1. TaC9-R10 induced 45% SMN2 T6>C conversion in the SMA-iPSCs. The SMN2 T6>C splice-corrected SMA-iPSCs were directionally differentiated into motor neurons, exhibiting SMN protein recovery and anti-apoptosis ability. Therefore, the TaC9-ABE system with dual guides from the combination of Cas9 with TALE could be a potential therapeutic strategy for SMA with high efficacy and safety.

A document by Hafiz Shahid Hussain. Click on the document to view its contents.

The work elucidated in this scientific article presents a novel non-isolated high gain switched capacitor (HGSC) DC-DC converter engulfed for carbon neutral energy applications. A hybrid utilization of complementary switching approach switches enables simplified control and high voltage gain of HGSC even at low duty cycle owing to the switched capacitor along with boost inductors. Further, the proposed structure also features high efficacy, reduced voltage stress and current stress on semiconductor switching devices. The proposed HGSC DC-DC converter principle of operation along with the steady-state analysis and different switching stages were discussed in detail. Small signal analysis has been performed to analyze the stability of the proposed converter, whereas an averaging technique is performed to know its dynamics performance. Furthermore, the converter is thoroughly analyzed in terms of power losses. For comparing the practical efficiency of the designed converter, non-idealities voltage gain is derived. The efficiency of the proposed converter is validated practically and extensive performance comparison is carried out with other solutions in the literature. When a supply of input voltage 20 V feed into the proposed converter. It produces an output voltage of 140 V to 240 V output. A 200W laboratory proto model is developed; accordingly conducted extensive experimental analysis to validate the feasibility of the proposed HGSC DC-DC converter topology.

The harvesting of microalgae is the main bottleneck of its large-scale biomass production, and seeking an efficient, green, and low-cost microalgae harvesting technology is one of the urgent problems to be solved. Microbubble air flotation has been proved to be an effective measure, but the generation of the right size of microbubbles and the mechanism of microbubbles-algal cells attachment are still unclear. In this study, microbubble air flotation was used as a harvesting method for Microcystis cultured in agricultural wastewater. The process mechanism of microbubble air flotation harvesting microalgae in wastewater was fully revealed from three aspects (the design of bubble formation, the adhesion law, and the recovery rate of microalgae under different working conditions). The results show that the length of the release pipe is the main factor affecting the proportion of microbubbles with particle size less than 50 μm. In the process of adhesion, when the particle size of microbubbles is 0.6~1.7 times the size of Microcystis, the adhesion efficiency of microbubbles to Microcystis is the highest. Under the conditions of pressure 0.45 MPa, gas-liquid ratio 5% and release pipe length 100 cm, the harvesting performance of Microcystis was the best. Microbubble air flotation has better harvesting performance of Microcystis with higher density. By understanding the mechanism of microbubble flotation, the technical parameters of microbubble flotation for harvesting energy microalgae are optimized to provide support for the development of efficient and low-cost devices and equipment for collecting microalgae.

The increasing installment of solar and wind renewable energy systems create a volatile energy demand to be met by electricity providers. A nuclear hybrid energy system is a nuclear reactor with energy storage that integrates into the grid with renewable energy sources. The Natrium design by TerraPower and GE Hitachi is a sodium fast reactor with molten salt energy storage. The Natrium design operates at steady state of 345 MW e and can boost up to 500 MW e for 5.5 hours. This study uses Dymola and the Modelica language to model the Natrium-based NHES. The dynamic system model is tested using hourly historical data form Texas (ERCOT) 2021 to show how renewables affect the electricity demand and how energy storage affects the Natrium system response to the demand. According to the results, while the available storage will allow the Natrium design to boost electricity production when the demand and electricity price is high making it more economically viable, the current molten salt storage is undersized for the ERCOT market.

Content management systems and digital content management systems such as CMS and DCMS are used to maintain an organization’s database. Overall content maintenance is managed throughout the data lifecycle. The process of creating, storing, updating, publishing, maintaining and disposing of content is managed by DCMS software. Data can be classified as static data and dynamic data. Static data does not change. Dynamic data changes frequently. not always. An organization can contain static and dynamic content. Examples of static content are pdf files, text documents, excel sheets, etc. An example of dynamic content is a web page. However, protecting and preventing storage systems from computer crimes is one of the primary concerns of organizations. No one except the employees of the organization can access the warehouse. Cache content should prevent hardening of single-user security. Blockchain technology is growing rapidly in many industries such as software industry, medical industry and education. The purpose of the the research work is to propose how blockchain technology can be used in CMS to prevent data breach crimes. A multi-level security model is proposed where the first level of security is provided by cryptography and the second level is provided by blockchain. Storing content on the blockchain offers the highest security and once the content is stored on the blockchain, it cannot be changed. An editing system is essential software that stores all of an organization’s content and maintains it over the years. Since the application of blockchain technology is limited to static content, the research work suggests how to apply blockchain technology to store an organization’s static content in a CMS. This is to increase the security of the fixed content store. Blockchain can be used for static content in CMS storage systems to prevent unauthorized users from accessing data changes. Therefore, the goal is to prevent digital data from being stored in the CMS. Accurate data cannot be stored on the blockchain because storing a large amount of data requires a large investment. Therefore, only the unique identifier of the file is stored in the blockchain. The scheme uses the Ethereum blockchain to generate a unique identifier for each file and uses the Interplanetary File System (IPFS) to back up content files. This method provides the highest security for storing static content in your CMS, as only unique file IDs are stored on the blockchain. Therefore, theft and falsification of information can be prevented.

Penicillin allergy de-labeling: Adaptation of risk stratification tool for patients and families To the Editor,Penicillin allergy is a common drug allergy diagnosis reported in 10% of the population . However, over 90% of patients are found to be non-allergic upon allergist assessment . This discrepancy is often due to misclassification of symptoms in patients who receive penicillin-based antibiotics . Erroneous penicillin allergy labeling is a public health problem associated with use of alternative antibiotics that are generally less effective, more toxic, or more costly .We previously developed and validated a decision support tool to assess penicillin allergy risk. It has been adapted into a mobile version that can be administered by various healthcare professionals. The goal of this study is to adapt the existing mobile tool into a patient-friendly version and validate it against the gold standard (allergist) assessment. If effective, this will empower lay individuals to conduct their own assessments and gain knowledge about levels of allergy risk. With this knowledge, patients can better advocate for themselves, potentially increasing efficiency of healthcare visits and reducing wait times for subspecialist assessments.Between April and September 2023, 127 pediatric patients ages 6 months to 17 years and pregnant adults referred to the BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital for assessment of penicillin allergy were invited to use the patient tool to complete a self-assessment, resulting in the assignment of a risk category: (1) allergic; (2) high risk, possible allergy; (3) low risk, unlikely to be allergic; and (4) not allergic. Informed consent was obtained. 84 patients completed the self-assessment prior to their appointments and at their appointments the allergist conducted an assessment using the validated tool. Construct validity (ability of the patient tool to measure penicillin allergy risk) was captured by comparing the patient-oriented tool and the allergist assessment using intra-class correlation (ICC), where ICC = 0 (no agreement) to 1 (excellent agreement).The primary outcome was the reliability of the patient tool to measure penicillin allergy risk compared with the gold standard allergist assessment. The secondary outcomes were to monitor potential safety risks and determine patient satisfaction with the tool.The patient tool and allergist assessment demonstrated agreement in 57/84 (67.9%, Figure 1) assessments. Of these, 45/57 (78.9%) patients were stratified as low risk or not allergic by both the patient and the allergist. 33 of these 45 patients have undergone an oral penicillin challenge; 33/33 (100%) passed, de-labeling the allergy.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence is used as marker of viral exposure to estimate the proportion of previously infected population, track transmission, and monitor naturally- and vaccine-induced protection. However, in sub-Saharan African settings, antibodies induced by higher exposure to pathogens may increase unspecific seroreactivity to SARS-CoV-2 antigens, resulting in false positive responses. To investigate the level and type of unspecific seroreactivitiy to SARS-CoV-2 in Africa, we measured IgG, IgA and IgM to a broad panel of antigens from different pathogens by Luminex in 659 plasma samples from African and European subjects differing in COVID-19, malaria and other exposures. Seroreactivity to SARS-CoV-2 antigens in pre-pandemic African was higher compared to European samples, and positively correlated with antibodies against HuCoV, helminths, protozoa, and especially P. falciparum. African subjects presented higher levels of autoantibodies, a surrogate of polyreactivity, which correlated with P. falciparum and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Finally, we found an improved sensitivity in the IgG assay in African samples when using urea as chaotropic agent. In conclusion, our data suggests that polyreactive antibodies induced mostly by malaria are important mediators of the unspecific anti-SARS-CoV-2 responses, and that the use of dissociating agents in immunoassays could be useful for more accurate estimations of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in African settings.

With rational designability, versatile tunability, and quantum coherence, molecular electron spin qubits could offer new opportunities for quantum information science, enabling simplified implementation of quantum algorithms and chemical-specific quantum sensing. The development of these transformative technologies relies on coherent addressing of single molecular electron spin qubits with high initialization, manipulation, and readout fidelities. This is formidable to conventional electron spin resonance spectroscopy, which is widely used for coherent addressing of ensemble electron spins, due to its low initialization efficiency and readout sensitivity. Taking advantage of single spin detectability of single-molecule spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and quantum metrology, several strategies have been developed to empower electron spin resonance spectroscopy with single qubit addressability. In this Emerging Topic, we introduce principles and technical implementation of strategies for coherently addressing single molecular electron spin qubits and point out their challenges in molecular design and/or decoherence suppression. We discuss future directions to overcome these challenges and to improve single qubit addressing technologies, which will facilitate the advancement of molecular quantum information science.

W John Martin MD, PhD.

A document by Olivia Liu. Click on the document to view its contents.

Mehr is associated with Mithra, a deity in ancient Indo-Iranian religion and later in Zoroastrianism. Mithra, sometimes spelled as Mehr or Mithras in different contexts, was a god of the sun, light, and contracts in ancient Persian and Vedic mythology. Mehr in Persian has multiple meanings and associations. It primarily refers to the Sun in Persian and symbolizes light, warmth, vitality, and divine illumination. Mehr also carries connotations of kindness, compassion, and benevolence. This may be due to cultural or linguistic nuances, where the concept of the Sun's warmth and radiance is metaphorically extended to represent acts of kindness and generosity. Mehr is the name of the seventh month in the Persian calendar. It falls roughly between mid-September and mid-October in the Gregorian calendar. As we reflect on the multiple meanings of Mehr in Persian culture, the profound interconnectedness between nature's splendor and the human capacity for kindness will be reminded. May we, like the radiant Sun, strive to illuminate the world with the warmth of our compassion and the brilliance of our deeds, embodying the timeless virtues that have defined Persian civilization for millennia.

Objective: The present study assessed initial evidence of program feasibility, satisfaction, and pre-to post-intervention changes in moral injury symptoms among recent-era veterans who participated in Mindfulness to Manage Moral Injury (MMMI), a live facilitated web-based 7-week mindfulness-based program targeting moral injury among veterans. Method: Of 56 recent-era veterans who met study criteria and were randomized, 40 (71.4%) completed the pre- and post-intervention survey and attended at least one treatment session. Of these 40, 21 completed MMMI and 19 completed an equally intensive educational support (ES) control intervention. Among the analytic sample ( n = 40), most participants identified as White (77.5%), were men (62.5%), and reported a service-connected disability (82.5%). Results: Participants attended on average 6.11 sessions. Program satisfaction was moderately high across both conditions. Several significant condition x time interactions were found, with those in the MMMI condition reporting greater pre- to post-intervention decreases in moral injury (η2=.121), impaired functioning due to moral injury (η2=.129), shame-related experiences due to moral injury (η2=.105), and other-directed moral injury (e.g., betrayal, difficulty forgiving others; η2=.129) as compared to the ES condition. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest MMMI appears feasible and acceptable and may be able to reach veterans who may not seek traditional Veterans Affairs Medical Center care or who prefer a web-based program. Given its promise for the treatment of moral injury among veterans, MMMI warrants additional large-scale clinical-trial testing.

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on sustained attention and depression in individuals with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: Between May 1, 2022 and September 25, 2022, the study included 60 students (9 males, 51 females; mean age: 21.11±1.6 years; range, 18 to 24 years) identified as being at high risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control groups. Each group consisted of 30 individuals. The intervention group received taVNS in conjunction with mobile-assisted games and relaxation exercises, while the control group received mobile-assisted games and relaxation exercises alone. The data were collected using a descriptive information form, the Beck Depression Inventory, and mobile-assisted assessment parameters. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Significant differences were observed in the intervention group concerning the sub-parameters used to measure attention and depression scale scores; however, in the control group, all but one of the attention sub-parameters showed significant differences. A comparison between the two groups revealed significant differences in reaction times and Beck Depression Inventory scores in favor of the intervention group. Conclusion: This study revealed that taVNS can effectively improve attention (cognitive function) and alleviate symptoms of depression.

Population size is a key parameter for the conservation of animal species. Close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) relies on the observed frequency and type of kinship among individuals sampled from the population to estimate population size. This approach requires being able to determine the age of sampled individuals. One common approach, particularly in fish studies, is to measure animal length and using an assumed age-length relationship (a ‘growth curve’). We used simulation to test the effect of misspecifying the length measurement error and the growth curve on population size estimation. Simulated populations represented two fictional shark species, one with a relatively simple life history and the other with a more complex life history based on the grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos). We estimated sex-specific adult abundance, which we assumed to be constant in time. We observed small median biases in these estimates ranging from 1.35 to 2.79% when specifying the correct measurement error and growth curve, with true coefficients of variation between 21.56 and 28.50%. Introducing error via misspecified growth curves resulted in changes in the magnitude of the estimated total population, with upwards shifts negatively biasing abundance estimates. Over- and underestimating the length measurement error did not introduce a bias and had negligible effect on the variance in the estimates. Our findings show that assuming an incorrect length measurement error has little effect on estimation, but having an accurate growth curve is crucial for CKMR whenever ageing is based on length measurements. If ageing could be biased, researchers should be cautious when interpreting CKMR results and consider the potential biases arising from inaccurate age inference.

Aim: To discuss role and significance of SVIL protein in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer. Materials and methods: Using GSE84437 as research object and analysis by bioinformatics. In vitro study, after knockdown SVIL in MGC-803 and SGC-7901, observing cell biological activities including proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration by MTT, flow cytometry, transwell and wound healing assay. Results: By bioinformatics analysis, SVIL was closely correlation with gastric cancer, low expression group was significantly better compared with high expression groups in survival rate (P＜0.001); in cell experiment, with SVIL knockdown, MGC-803 and SGC-7901 cell proliferation were significantly depressed with apoptosis significantly increasing (P＜0.001), meanwhile, cells invasion and migration abilities were significantly inhibited with SVIL knockdown in MGC-803 and SGC-7901 cell lines (P＜0.001). Conclusion: SVIL overexpression might be closely correlated with gastric cancer development.

The Weizhou X low-permeability reservoir is an offshore reservoir, with a permeability ranging from 0.58×10 -3μm 2 to 470.05×10 -3μm 2, showing strong heterogeneity. In the subsequent water injection development, good results were not always obtained. The main problem was that during the water injection process, the injection pressure increased significantly, resulting in low water injection volume and low water injection efficiency, which could not maintain long-term effective effects on production. Improvement, it is difficult to replenish energy in the formation. Through the analysis of pore-throat structure, water quality compatibility and sensitivity, it is clear that pore-throat blockage is the main reason for low water injection efficiency. Aiming at the present situation that the scaling matter is mainly calcium carbonate, a solution to soil acidification and plugging removal was proposed, and the water injection damage of the actual reservoir was simulated. The indoor acidification experiment was carried out, which showed that the effect of acidification on the transformation of the reservoir was good, and the average rate of transformation is 129.21%. Suggestions are put forward for the effective development of Weizhou X low-permeability reservoirs, the economic benefits of development are improved, and guidance is given for the enhanced injection measures of low-permeability oilfields.

Abstract Objective There is currently no consensus about managing upper airway obstruction (UAO) in infants with Robin sequence (RS), in terms of treatment efficacy or clinical outcomes. This study describes UAO management in UK/Ireland, and explores relationships between patient characteristics, UAO management, and clinical outcomes in the first two years of life. Methods Active surveillance of RS throughout UK/Ireland via the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit and nationally commissioned cleft services. Clinical data were collected at initial notification and 12-month follow-up. Results 173 infants with RS were identified, of which 47% had additional congenital anomalies or an underlying syndrome (non-isolated RS). Two-thirds ( n=119) required an airway intervention other than prone positioning: non-surgical in 84% and surgical (tracheostomy) in 16%. Nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) was the most common intervention, used in 83% ( n=99) for median 90 days (IQR 136). Surgical UAO management was associated with prolonged hospital admission, higher prevalence of neurodevelopmental delay (NDD), lower weight-for-age z-scores, and delayed oral feeding. These findings were not attributable to a higher prevalence of non-isolated RS in this group. Although more commonly associated with non-isolated RS, growth faltering was also identified in 48%, and NDD in 18%, of isolated RS cases. Conclusions In UK/Ireland, most infants with RS are managed with NPA and tracheostomy is reserved for refractory severe UAO. Clinical outcomes and duration of use indicate that NPA is a safe and feasible first-line approach to UAO. Longitudinal assessment of neurodevelopment and growth is imperative, including in children with isolated RS. Current variations in practice reinforce the need for evidence-based treatment guidelines.

The use of remote sensing to monitor animal populations has greatly expanded during the last decade. Drones (i.e. Unoccupied Aircraft Systems or UAS) provide a cost- and time-efficient remote sensing option to survey animals in various landscapes and sampling conditions. However, drone-based surveys may also introduce counting errors, especially when monitoring mobile animals. Using an agent-based model simulation approach, we evaluated the error associated with counting a single animal across various drone flight patterns under three animal movement strategies (random, directional persistence, and biased towards a resource) among five animal speeds (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 m/s). Flight patterns represented increasing spatial independence (ranging from lawnmower pattern with image overlap to systematic point counts). Simulation results indicated that flight pattern was the most important variable influencing count accuracy, followed by the type of animal movement pattern, and then animal speed. A lawnmower pattern with 0% overlap produced the most accurate count of a solitary, moving animal on a landscape (average count of 1.1 ± 0.6) regardless of the animal’s movement pattern and speed. Image overlap flight patterns were more likely to result in multiple counts even when accounting for mosaicking. Based on our simulations, we recommend using a lawnmower pattern with 0% image overlap to minimize error and augment drone efficacy for animal surveys. Our work highlights the importance of understanding interactions between animal movements and drone survey design on count accuracy to inform the development of broad applications among diverse species and ecosystems.