The ALS Society of Canada is a registered, not-for-profit Canadian organization. ALS Canada, founded in 1977, is a national voluntary health organization dedicated to the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and to providing support for those living with ALS.ALS Canada is committed to supporting research towards a cure for ALS, supporting the provincial ALS societies in their provision of quality care for persons living with ALS, and building public awareness of ALS and its impact.
There is a long history of early- and mid-phase amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinical trial data being used to make claims of clinical benefit that fail to translate into successful phase 3 outcomes. It is suggested that fallacious scientific reasoning is being encouraged by perverse incentives arising from a "clinical trial industrial complex" that greatly influences trial design, data interpretation, and results communication. Recurring fallacies include false premises underlying outcome comparisons, misuse and incorrect interpretation of biomarkers, mismatches between study design and stated objectives, selective reporting of outcomes, over-reliance on post hoc analyses and open-label extension data, and overly optimistic framing of inconclusive data. We argue that these practices, reinforced by misaligned incentives across industry and academia, lead to premature claims of therapeutic promise and tangible harm to patients. To address the resulting ALS clinical trial credibility gap, we call for rigorous adherence to established standards for reporting clinical trial results, clearer distinction between hypothesis generation and hypothesis testing, more measured description of trial results, and more disciplined triage of phase 2 programs. A cultural shift toward scientific skepticism and methodological rigor is essential to accelerate the development of genuinely effective ALS therapies.
To establish a 4-plex ddPCR method for quantitatively detecting the four major pathogenic bacteria: Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus in instant food simultaneously, primers, probes, and PCR conditions were optimized. For the 4-plex ddPCR assay, four target pathogens demonstrated a good linear correlation to the readouts (r2>0.999). The linear dynamic ranges were: 33-21504 copies/20µL for Salmonella, 28-18404 copies/20µL for Staphylococcus aureus, 25-27012 copies/20µL for Listeria monocytogenes and 15-15560 copies /20µL for Bacillus cereus. The relative standard deviations (RSD) at different concentrations of the target pathogens were all less than 25% (n = 5) indicating the good repeatability of the assay. The detection limits were 8 copies/20µL (Salmonella), 7 copies/20µL (Staphylococcus aureus), 9 copies/20µL (Listeria monocytogenes) and 7 copies/20µL (Bacillus cereus). The established 4-plex ddPCR assay was evaluated in parallel with the classical plate colony-counting method to detect the target pathogens in the four types of simulated samples. The results from the two assays are similar with deviations less than 9%. Still, the PCR assay appears superior to the plate method, evidenced by the short turnaround time, lower detection limit, and robust reproducibility.
Summary Vultures are among the most threatened bird guilds on the planet and have a unique functional role within ecosystems. They are therefore subject to increasing research interest, calling for standardised study approaches and monitoring methods. The use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) is rapidly gaining popularity in ecological research due to technological advances, affordability, and accessibility. This study reviews the existing peer-reviewed publications and grey literature on the responses of European vultures and other comparable species to UASs, and summarises the types of UAS use, their potential disturbance effects on vultures, and the resulting inter- and intra-specific interactions. Our goal was to assess the potential effects of UASs and to provide practical recommendations to optimise their safe use in vulture conservation and research. We acknowledge the potential of UASs to increase research efficiency and reduce research effort, time, and financial cost. Owing to the absence of sufficient data on long-term disturbance effects, we advocate the precautionary principle and offer a set of species-tailored practical recommendations to limit the potential negative effects of UASs and maximise their value in conservation management. We urge that the physiological and long-term impacts on vulture reproduction are considered and call for standardised monitoring protocols and controls on UAS use. Our conclusions and recommendations are particularly aimed at researchers working on vulture conservation and restoration projects worldwide.
The Comprehensive Analysis Platform To Understand, Remedy and Eliminate Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (CAPTURE ALS) will pool resources and talent in Canada to advance our understanding of the biological basis of ALS and address its heterogeneity.
The objective of this paper is to present an Aircraft Landing Systems' (ALS) approach to the solution of the whirl vibration problem of aircraft brakes. The developed method utilizes the concept of asymmetry to break two friction coupled symmetric modes into two distinct and separated modes. The analytical derivation of the whirl vibration will be first discussed. A method of creating asymmetry will then be presented. Finally, experimental results will be presented that confirm the effectiveness of the technique to reduce aircraft brake whirl vibration.
