Factors affecting the distribution and transmission of Elaphostrongylus rangiferi in caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) of Newfoundland
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Elaphostrongylus rangiferi is an introduced parasite in caribou (Rangifer tararuhts \ncaribou) of Newfoundland and has caused at least two epizootics of cerebrospinal \nelaphostrongylosis (CSE), a debilitating, neurologic disease. To understand the conditions \nnecessary for such outbreaks, two hypotheses were investigated. First, I examined whether \nparasite abundance was primarily determined by herd density or climatic conditions. The \nabundance of E. rangiferi was represented by counts of first-stage larvae in feces of calves and \nyearlings collected in February from nine distinct caribou herds in Newfoundland. Seven of the \nnine herds had concomitant infections of E rangiferi and another protostrongylid nematode, \nParelaphostrongylus andersoni. The Cape Shore and Bay de Verde caribou had only P. \nandersoni. Abundance of E. rangiferi was highest among young animals (calves and yearlings) in \nthe Avalon (x =632 ? 14) and St. Anthony (x =526 ? 145) herds during February. Reports of \nCSE were most frequent in these two herds. Abundance was correlated positively with mean \nannual minimum temperatures (r,=0.829, df=6, P=0.04), and the number of days per year above \n0 degress C (r,=0.812, df=6, P=0.05) and negatively with mean summer temperatures (r,= -0.830, df=6, \nP=0.04). Abundance was not correlated with herd density. \nIt was also hypothesized that young animals develop an immunity to E. rangiferi that \nprevents re-infection later in life. This was examined by pressing the brains of known-age caribou \nto detect recently acquired E. rangiferi. Worms were found on the brains of young caribou but \nnot in animals older than two years, except for those of the Avalon herd. The continued infection \nof older animals in the Avalon herd may be due to lower immuno-competence of animals in a herd only recently infected with E. rangiferi. \nThis study also examined the usefulness of abomasal parasite counts (APC) \n(Trichostrongyloidea) in predicting herd density. Three species of trichostrongylid nematodes \nwere present: Ostertagia gruhneri, Trichostrongylus axei and Haemonchus contortus; O. \ngruhneri predominated. There was no significant correlation between mean APC and herd density \n(r,= -0.40, df=4, P=0.60). However, further analysis indicated that worm burden was influenced \nby climate.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".