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OpenAI’s Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) technology enables conversational interactions with applications across various fields, including sport. Here, ChatGPT’s proficiency in designing a 12-week resistance training programme, following specific prompts, was investigated. GPT3.5 and GPT4.0 versions were requested to design 12-week resistance training programmes for male and female hypothetical subjects (20-years old, no injury, and ‘intermediate’ resistance training experience). Subsequently, GPT4.0 was requested to design an ‘advanced’ training programme for the same profiles. The proposed training programmes were compared with established guidelines and literature (e.g., National Strength and Conditioning Association textbook), and discussed. ChatGPT suggested 12 week training programmes comprising three, 4-week phases, each with different objectives (e.g., hypertrophy/strength). GPT3.5 proposed a weekly frequency of ~3 sessions, load intensity of 70-85% of one repetition-maximum, repetition range of 4-8 (2-4 sets), and tempo of 2/0/2 (eccentric/pause/concentric/‘pause’). GPT4.0 proposed intermediate- and advanced programme, with a frequency of 5 or 4 sessions, 60-90% or 70-95% intensity, 3-5 sets or 3-6 sets, 5-12 or 3-12 repetitions, respectively. GPT3.5 proposed rest intervals of 90-120 s, and exercise tempo of 2/0/2. GPT4.0 proposed 60-180 (intermediate) or 60-300 s (advanced), with exercise tempo of 2/1/2 for intermediates, and 3/0/1/0, 2/0/1/0, and 1/0/1/0 for advanced programmes. All derived programmes were objectively similar regardless of sex. ChatGPT generated training programmes which likely require additional fine-tuning before application. GPT4.0 synthesised more information than GPT3.5 in response to the prompt, and demonstrated recognition awareness of training experience (intermediate vs advanced). ChatGPT may serve as a complementary tool for writing ‘draft’ programme, but likely requires human expertise to maximise training programme effectiveness.

Introduction The abrupt transition of the mode of learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in complaints of musculoskeletal (MSK) discomfort among students in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Inadequate physical space and equipment are one major cause of these complaints. Among HEIs, physical therapy (PT) students have sufficient background in managing MSK discomforts. However, this does not prevent them from experiencing pain and discomfort during online classes. This analytical cross-sectional study aims to determine the correlation between ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort among first-year to fourth-year PT students.Methods and analysis The study will use two questionnaires, the Ergonomic Knowledge Questionnaire, and the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire, that determine the level of ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort, respectively. This will be disseminated to 144 students through google forms. Results will then be analysed using Pearson Correlation Test. The study anticipates a correlation between the level of ergonomic knowledge and MSK discomfort among the participants.Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the University of Santo Tomas-College of Rehabilitation Sciences Ethics Review Committee. The participants will receive the results prior to publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.Trial registration number Philippine Health Research Registry with registry ID PHRR230216-005443.

Purpose: We evaluated the extent of changes in training practices, recovery, mental health, and sleep patterns of athletes during the early COVID-19 lockdown in a single country-cohort.Methods: A total of 686 athletes (59% male, 41% female; 9% World Class, 28% International, 29% National, 26% State, 8% Recreational) from 50 sports (45% individual, 55% team) in Malaysia completed an online, survey-based questionnaire study. The questions were related to training practices (including recovery and injury), mental health, and sleep patterns.Results: Relative to pre-lockdown, training intensity (−34%), frequency (−20%, except World-Class), and duration (−24%–59%, especially International/World-Class) were compromised, by the mandated lockdown. During the lockdown, more space/access (69%) and equipment (69%) were available for cardiorespiratory training, than technical and strength; and these resources favoured World-Class athletes. Most athletes trained for general strength/health (88%) and muscular endurance (71%); and some used innovative/digital training tools (World-Class 48% vs. lower classification-levels ≤34%). More World-Class, International, and National athletes performed strength training, plyometrics, and sport-specific technical skills with proper equipment, than State/Recreational athletes. More females (42%) sourced training materials from social media than males (29%). Some athletes (38%) performed injury prevention exercises; 18% had mild injuries (knees 29%, ankles 26%), and 18% received a medical diagnosis (International 31%). Lower-level athletes (e.g., State 44%) disclosed that they were mentally more vulnerable; and felt more anxious (36% vs. higher-levels 14%–21%). Sleep quality and quantity were “normal” (49% for both), “improved” (35% and 27%), and only 16% and 14% (respectively) stated “worsened” sleep.Conclusion: Lockdown compromised training-related practices, especially in lower-level athletes. Athletes are in need of assistance with training, and tools to cope with anxiety that should be tailored to individual country requirements during lockdown situations. In particular, goal-driven (even if it is at home) fitness training, psychological, financial, and lifestyle support can be provided to reduce the difficulties associated with lockdowns. Policies and guidelines that facilitate athletes (of all levels) to train regularly during the lockdown should be developed.

Tinkercad.com, amongst other things, provides an easy to use environment to emulate Arduino Uno devices along with connected virtual hardware components and is controlled by Arduino sketch code. Whilst the platform is a useful tool for learning, since it does not provide a means of communicating with the outside world, as soon as a project requires any form of communication with Internet enabled services, one has to resort to physical hardware (or other means of emulating/simulating Arduinos). In this paper, we introduce TinkercadNetConnector, which allows for Tinkercad emulated Arduino Uno devices to communicate with the outside world.

Many modern computer vision systems include several modules that perform different processing operations packaged as a single pipeline architecture. This generally introduces a challenge in the evaluation process since most datasets provide evaluation data for just one of the operations. In this paper, we present an RGB-D dataset that was designed from first principles to cater for applications that involve salient object detection, segmentation, inpainting and blending techniques. This addresses a gap in the evaluation of image inpainting and blending applications that generally rely on subjective evaluation due to the lack of availability of comparative data. A set of experiments were carried out to demonstrate how the COTS dataset can be used to evaluate these different applications. This dataset includes a variety of scenes, where each scene is captured multiple times, each time adding a new object to the previous scene. This allows for a comparative analysis at pixel level in image inpainting and blending applications. Moreover, all objects were manually labeled in order to offer the possibility of salient object detection even in scenes that contain multiple objects. An online test with 1267 participants was also carried out, and this dataset also includes the click coordinates of users' selection for every image, introducing a user interaction dimension in the same RGB-D dataset. This dataset was also validated using state of the art techniques, obtaining an $F_\beta $ of 0.957 in salient object detection and a mean (Intersection over Union) IoU of 0.942 in Segmentation. Results demonstrate that the COTS dataset introduces novel possibilities for the evaluation of computer vision applications.

BackgroundBlack Canadian communities are disproportionately impacted by HIV. To help address this challenge, we undertook research to engage heterosexual Black men in critical dialogue about resilience and vulnerability. They articulated the necessity of making health services 'cool'.MethodsWe draw on the analyses of focus groups and in-depth interviews with 69 self-identified heterosexual Black men and 12 service providers who took part in the 2016 Toronto arm of the weSpeak study to explore what it means to make health and HIV services 'cool' for heterosexual Black Canadian men.ResultsOur findings revealed four themes on making health services cool: (1) health promotion as a function of Black family systems; (2) opportunities for healthy dialogue among peers through non-judgmental interactions; (3) partnering Black men in intervention design; and (4) strengthening institutional health literacy on Black men's health.ConclusionsWe discuss the implications of these findings for improving the health of Black Canadians.

Globally, COVID-19-related movement restrictions have caused significant disruption to athlete's training and sporting competitions. “Quarantine” camps are one approach to maintain sport-specific training, whilst minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission between athletes and society. This cross-sectional study investigated the effects of a “quarantine” training camp on athlete's routines and wellbeing, performance support, perceived stress and sleep behaviors. A survey was completed at the end of a 30-day “quarantine” camp, by 76 elite athletes (17–46 years), predominantly (~80%) Olympic/Paralympic and/or world championship representatives. Athletes described their experiences in comparison to; pre-lockdown training and/or training during “lockdown” (immediately prior to the “quarantine” camp). Compared to “lockdown,” the “quarantine” camp revealed improvements (p < 0.05; 0.33 ≤ d ≤ 0.90) in access to sport-specific training (28.6%), recovery facilities (22.2%), nutritional choices (17.5%), mental (12.4%) and emotional (11.4%) health, training motivation (20.0%); and perceived stress (7.4%, d = −0.27, p = 0.026). The camp resulted in a lower sleep duration (−8.5%, d = −0.73, p = 0.014), but an improved global sleep behavior score (−5.6%, d = −0.22, p = 0.001). During the camp, the performance support athletes received was not different to pre-lockdown (p > 0.05), but there was greater sports massage (20.4%, d = 0.39) and physiotherapy usage (18.1%, d = 0.36) (both p < 0.05). The adverse effects of lockdown were restored during the camp. A “quarantine” camp may offer comparable training experiences to pre-lockdown training, without inducing additional perceived stress. Coaches and sporting organizations may consider this approach as part of a virus mitigation strategy, whilst maintaining sport-specific training.

OBJECTIVES Swimmers undertake dryland training to improve power and maximise propulsion. Our purpose was to improve strength and quantify transfer to adolescent sprint backstroke and freestyle performances. METHODS Twenty-eight male competitive swimmers participated (age: 12.6±2.6 years; height 156.4±13.4 cm; mass 49.8±15.0 Kg; 50 m freestyle best time 45.0±8.5 s) and were randomized to either dryland strength plus swimming (DS) or a swimming only control group (CONT). The 8 week dryland programme (3 days/week) consisted of 8–10 exercises per session (22 exercises in total) with predominantly 1–2 sets of ~10–20 repetitions. Pre, mid and post 8 weeks training, a strength test battery (countermovement jump, pronated chin ups, isometric forearm and back extension) and 25 m pool testing of backstroke and freestyle was undertaken. RESULTS DS had greater strength improvements across the test battery (13–167%; ES, 0.51–1.84) than CONT (8-120%; ES, 0.35–2.0) with p

Repeated-sprint training in hypoxia (RSH) studies conducted “in-season” are scarce. This study investigated the effect of discontinuous, running-based RSH, on repeated-sprint treadmill performance in hypoxia in a team sport cohort, prior to international competition. Over a 6-week “in-season” period, 11 elite male players (Malaysia national team) completed eight multi-set RSH sessions on a non-motorized treadmill in a normobaric hypoxic chamber (FiO2 = 13.8%). Three testing sessions (Sessions 1, 5, and 8), involved three sets of 5 × 8-s sprints, with 52-s recovery between sprints and 4–5 min between sets. Training sessions (Sessions 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7) consisted of four to five sets of 4–5 × 8-s sprints. During testing sessions, maximum sprinting speed was recorded for each sprint with values averaged for each set. For each set, a peak speed and fatigue index were calculated. Data were compared using two-way repeated measures ANOVA (sessions × sets). Average speed per set increased between testing sessions (p = 0.001, ηp2 = 0.49), with higher values in Session 8 (25.1 ± 0.9 km.h−1, +4 ± 3%, p = 0.005), but not Session 5 (24.8 ± 1.0 km.h−1, +3 ± 3%, p = 0.405), vs. Session 1 (24.2 ± 1.5 km.h−1). Peak sprinting speed in each set also increased across testing sessions (p = 0.008, ηp2 = 0.382), with Session 8 (26.5 ± 1.1 km.h−1) higher than Session 5 (25.8 ± 1.0 km.h−1, +1 ± 4%, p = 0.06) and Session 1 (25.7 ± 1.5 km.h−1, +4 ± 4%, p = 0.034). Fatigue index differed between sessions (p = 0.04, ηp2 = 0.331, Session 1; −6.8 ± 4.8%, Session 5; −3.8 ± 2%, Session 8; −5.3 ± 2.6%). In international field hockey players, a 6-week in-season RSH program improved average and peak, repeated treadmill sprint speeds following eight, but not five sessions.

OBJECTIVES Grip strength positively correlates with faster sprint swimming performance in both master and elite level swimmers. But it remains unknown whether improving grip strength improves swim performance. Our objective was firstly to increase grip strength and secondly to determine if improved grip strength results in faster backstroke and freestyle sprint swimming performance. METHODS Using a randomised, control trial design 26 adolescent swimmers were randomly divided into either a swimming only Control group (n=9, age 11.5 ± 1.6 y; 6 male, 3 female) or one of two grip strength training groups: Powerball (n=9, age 11.5 ± 1.6 y, 6 male, 3 female) or Stressball (n= 8, age 11.6 ± 1.6 y, 5 male, 3 female). The Powerball (Powerball and Power Gripper devices) and Stressball (Stressball and Skrunch ball) groups completed a grip strength training program (4x/week for 8 weeks) in addition to their normal swimming training (4 hours per week). Pre and post the training intervention, isometric grip strength was measured using a mechanical hand dynamometer (Lafayette Instrument, Lafayette, IN) while 50 m freestyle and 100 m backstroke short-course swimming time trials were also undertaken. RESULTS Over 8 weeks, all groups improved their maximal grip strength with moderate to large changes (Powerball 30 ± 12%, ES=1.70; Stressball 36 ± 22%, ES=1.07; Control 35 ± 12%, ES=0.79). There were no statistically significant changes for any group in the 100 m backstroke (P>0.05), but significant (P

Tunnel structural health inspections are predominantly done through periodic visual observations, requiring humans to be physically present on-site, possibly exposing them to hazardous environments. These surveys are subjective (relying on the surveyor experience), time-consuming, and may demand operation shutdown. These issues can be mitigated through accurate automatic monitoring and inspection systems. In this work, we propose a remotely operated machine vision change detection application to improve the structural health monitoring of tunnels. The vision-based sensing system acquires the data from a rig of cameras hosted on a robotic platform that is driven parallel to the tunnel walls. These data are then pre-processed using image processing and deep learning techniques to reduce nuisance changes caused by light variations. Image fusion techniques are then applied to identify the changes occurring in the tunnel structure. Different pixel-based change detection approaches are used to generate temporal change maps. Decision-level fusion methods are then used to combine these change maps to obtain a more reliable detection of the changes that occur between surveys. A quantitative analysis of the results achieved shows that the proposed change detection system achieved a recall value of 81%, a precision value of 93% and an F1-score of 86.7%.

My ambition today is to specify in outline what doing applied Linguistics (AL) and being an applied linguist involves. To this end, I shall first attempt to define the field of AL, and secondly to distinguish AL from linguistic theory on the one hand and from pedagogic practice (didactics) on the other, suggesting that AL occupies an interface position mediating between these two. My hope is that readers will recognise their own familiar practices in the descriptions I offer.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal disorder among reproductive age women. One clinical indicator of BV is a ‘fishy’ odor. This odor has been associated with increases in several biogenic amines (BAs) that may serve as important biomarkers. Within the vagina, BA production has been linked to various vaginal taxa, yet their genetic capability to synthesize BAs is unknown. Using a bioinformatics approach, we show that relatively few vaginal taxa are predicted to be capable of producing BAs. Many of these taxa (Dialister, Prevotella, Parvimonas, Megasphaera, Peptostreptococcus, and Veillonella spp.) are more abundant in the vaginal microbial community state type (CST) IV, which is depleted in lactobacilli. Several of the major Lactobacillus species (L. crispatus, L. jensenii, and L. gasseri) were identified as possessing gene sequences for proteins predicted to be capable of putrescine production. Finally, we show in a small cross sectional study of 37 women that the BAs putrescine, cadaverine and tyramine are significantly higher in CST IV over CSTs I and III. These data support the hypothesis that BA production is conducted by few vaginal taxa and may be important to the outgrowth of BV-associated (vaginal dysbiosis) vaginal bacteria.

Although a number of common reproductive disorders in livestock involve bacterial infection, very little is known about their normal vaginal microbiota. Therefore, we sought to determine the species composition of sheep and cattle vaginal microbiota. Twenty Rambouillet ewes and twenty crossbred cows varying in age and reproductive status were sampled by ectocervicovaginal lavage. We amplified and sequenced the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA contents yielding a total of 907,667 high-quality reads. Good's Coverage estimates indicated that we obtained data on 98 +/- 0.01 % of the total microbial genera present in each sample. Cow and ewe vaginal microbiota displayed few differences. Cow microbiota exhibited greater (P ≤ 0.05) α-diversity compared to the ewe microbiota. Both livestock species differed (P ≤ 0.05) from all previously reported vaginal communities. While bacteria were numerically dominant, Archaea were detected in 95% of cow and ewe samples, mainly of the order Desulfurococcales. Both ewes and cows were predominately colonized by the bacterial phyla Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Proteobacteria. The most abundant genera were Aggregatibacter spp., and Streptobacillus spp. Lactobacillus ssp. were detected in 80% of ewe and 90% of cow samples, but only at very low abundances. Bacteria previously described from culture-based studies as common to the cow and ewe vaginal tract, except for Escherichia, were variably present, and only in low abundance. Ewe and cow pH differed (P ≤ 0.05), with means (+/- standard deviation) of 6.7 +/- 0.38 and 7.3 +/- 0.63, respectively. In conclusion, 16S rRNA sequencing of cow and ewe vaginal ectocervicovaginal lavages showed that cow and ewe vaginal microbiota differ from culture-led results, revealing a microbiota distinct from previously described vaginal ecosystems.

The podocyte is one of two cell types that contribute to the formation of the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB). It is a highly specialized cell with a unique structure. The key feature of the podocyte is its foot processes that regularly interdigitate. A structure known as the slit diaphragm can be found bridging the interdigitations. This molecular sieve comprises the final layer of the GFB. It is well accepted that the podocyte is the target cell in the pathogenesis of nephrotic syndrome. In nephrotic syndrome the glomerular filtration barrier no longer restricts the passage of macromolecules and protein is lost into the urine. A number of phenotypic and morphological changes are seen in the diseased podocyte and in the literature these have been described as an Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). However, there is a growing appreciation that this term does not accurately describe the changes that are seen. Definitions of type 2 EMT are based on typical epithelial cells. Whilst the podocyte is known as a visceral epithelial cell, it is not a typical epithelial cell. Moreover, podocytes have several features that are more consistent with mesenchymal cells. Therefore we suggest that the term Podocyte Disease Transformation (PDT) is more appropriate.

The rumen is known for its biomass-degrading and methane-producing phenotype. Fermentation of recalcitrant plant material necessitates the synergistic activity of diverse microbial taxonomic groups that inhabit this anaerobic environment. Although interspecies hydrogen (H2) transfer, a process during which bacterially generated H2 is transferred to methanogenic Archaea, has obtained significant attention over the last decades, the temporal variation of the different taxa involved in in situ biomass-degradation, H2 transfer and methanogenesis process remains to be established. We investigated the temporal succession of microbial taxa and its effect on fiber composition during rumen incubation using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Switchgrass filled nylon bags were placed in the rumen of a cannulated cow and collected at nine time points for DNA extraction and 16S pyrotag profiling. The microbial community colonizing the air-dried and non-incubated switchgrass was dominated by members of the Bacilli. During in situ incubation of the switchgrass, two major shifts in the community composition were observed: Bacilli were replaced within 30 min by members belonging to the Bacteroidia and Clostridia. A second significant shift was observed after 16 h of rumen incubation, when members of the Spirochaetes and Fibrobacteria classes became more abundant in the fiber-adherent community. During the first 30 min of rumen incubation ~13% of the switchgrass dry matter was degraded, whereas little biomass degradation appeared to have occurred between 30 min and 4 h after the switchgrass was placed in the rumen. Interestingly, methanogenic members of the Euryarchaeota increased up to 3-fold during this period of reduced biomass-degradation, with peak abundance just before rates of dry matter degradation increased again. We hypothesize that during this period microbial-mediated fibrolysis was temporarily inhibited until H2 was metabolized into CH4 by methanogens.

Sem resumo

Limber pine (LP; Pinus flexilis) and whitebark pine (WBP; Pinus albicaulis) are classified as endangered in Canada due to rapid declines caused by the introduced pathogen causing white pine blister rust (WPBR; Cronartium ribicola), mountain pine beetle, and other stressors. A long-term monitoring study from 2003 to 2019 on 102 LP and 232 WBP permanent plots found that LP mortality decreased with increasing latitude and spring solar radiation, while WBP mortality was highest at low latitudes and elevations in areas with higher moisture and longer growing degree days. WPBR incidence in LP was associated with lower latitudes, high spring precipitation, cool/wet summers, and low solar radiation, while WBP disease incidence drivers were similar, plus increasing tree diameter and slope. Annually, mature LP and WBP mortality from all causes increased 0.4% and 0.5%, respectively, while disease incidence in live trees increased 0.6% and 0.5%. Regeneration density increased 1.3% annually on average for WBP and 2.5% for LP. Disease incidence and mortality rates have slowed compared to prior assessments, likely due to a recruitment deficit of healthy trees and some natural selection for blister rust resistance. The results support customizing landscape restoration strategies based on each species' unique biology and local climatic factors that influence mortality and infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first study testing the effectiveness of semiochemical treatments to protect individual trees from a range-expanding mountain pine beetle (MPB; Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, 1902) attack into newly exposed host populations of endangered whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.). We investigated the effectiveness of a combination of verbenone and green-leaf volatiles (GLV) to protect rare and valuable disease-resistant trees during a MPB epidemic from 2015 to 2018 in Jasper National Park, Canada. Treatments reduced the proportion of trees attacked by MPB for all diameter classes, across all stands, from 46% to 60%. We also evaluated the effect of the exotic disease white pine blister rust (caused by the fungus Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch.)--the species' other main regional threat. MPB were less likely to attack large rust-infected trees than healthy trees, emphasizing the value of the semiochemical treatment. Protecting large cone-bearing disease-resistant whitebark pine trees is fundamental to whitebark pine recovery. Maintaining reproductive trees on the landscape increases the frequency and diversity of rust-resistant genotypes more effectively than just planting seedlings to replace MPB-killed trees, because this slowgrowing species takes over 80 years to reproduce. Our study confirmed that protecting large rust-resistant trees with verbenone and GLV is a proactive and effective treatment against MPB for whitebark pine in naive populations. Key words: whitebark pine, white pine blister rust, verbenone, green-leaf volatiles, mountain pine beetle, insect range expansion, forest pest management. Cette etude est la premiere qui visait a tester l'efficacite de traitements avec des substances semiochimiques pour proteger des arbres individuellement contre une attaque du dendroctone du pin ponderosa (DPP) (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, 1902) dans les populations hotes nouvellement exposees du pin a ecorce blanche (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) qui est en voie de disparition. Nous avons etudie l'efficacite d'un melange de verbenone et de substances volatiles des feuilles vertes (SVFV) pour proteger des arbres rares et precieux, resistants aux maladies, durant une epidemie du DPP de 2015 a 2018 dans le parc national Jasper, au Canada. Les arbres traites etaient 46 a 60 % moins susceptibles d'etre attaques par le DPP peu importe la classe de diametre et dans tous les peuplements. Nous avons aussi evalue l'effet de la rouille vesiculeuse du pin blanc, une maladie exotique causee par le champignon Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch. qui est l'autre principale menace regionale. Les gros arbres infectes par la rouille etaient moins susceptibles d'etre attaques par le DPP que les arbres en sante, mettant en evidence la valeur du traitement avec les substances semiochimiques. La protection des grosses tiges de pin a ecorce blanche resistantes a la maladie qui produisent des cones est fondamentale pour la recuperation de cette espece. Le maintien de tiges productives dans le paysage augmente la frequence et la diversite des genotypes resistants a la rouille plus efficacement que de se limiter a planter des semis pour remplacer les tiges tuees par le DPP, etant donne que cette espece a croissance lente prend plus de 80 ans avant d'atteindre le stade de la reproduction. Notre etude confirme que la protection des grosses tiges resistantes a la rouille avec la verbenone et les SVFV constitue un traitement proactif et efficace contre le DPP dans le cas du pin a ecorce blanche dans les populations indigenes. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : pin a ecorce blanche, rouille vesiculeuse du pin blanc, verbenone, substances volatiles des feuilles vertes, dendroctone du pin ponderosa, expansion de l'aire de repartition de l'insecte, gestion des ravageurs forestiers., Introduction Insect outbreaks have become a major challenge in forest management and conservation of forest ecosystems (e.g., Ramsfield et al. 2016). The mountain pine beetle (MPB; Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, 1902) [...]