A bird’s eye view: using circuit theory to study urban landscape connectivity for birds

Context Connectivity is fundamental to understanding how landscape form influences ecological function. However, uncertainties persist due to the difficulty and expense of gathering empirical data to drive or to validate connectivity models, especially in urban areas, where relationships are multifaceted and the habitat matrix cannot be considered to be binary. Objectives This research used circuit theory to model urban bird flows (i.e. ‘current’), and compared results to observed abundance. The aims were to explore the ability of this approach to predict wildlife flows and to test relationships between modelled connectivity and variation in abundance. Methods Circuitscape was used to model functional connectivity in Bedford, Luton/Dunstable, and Milton Keynes, UK, for great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), drawing parameters from published studies of woodland bird flows in urban environments. Model performance was then tested against observed abundance data. Results Modelled current showed a weak yet positive agreement with combined abundance for P. major and C. caeruleus. Weaker correlations were found for other woodland species, suggesting the approach may be expandable if re-parameterised. Conclusions Trees provide suitable habitat for urban woodland bird species, but their location in large, contiguous patches and corridors along barriers also facilitates connectivity networks throughout the urban matrix. Urban connectivity studies are well-served by the advantages of circuit theory approaches, and benefit from the empirical study of wildlife flows in these landscapes to parameterise this type of modelling more explicitly. Such results can prove informative and beneficial in designing urban green space and new developments

Hypoxia Due to Cardiac Arrest Induces a Time-Dependent Increase in Serum Amyloid β Levels in Humans

Amyloid β (Aβ) peptides are proteolytic products from amyloid precursor protein (APP) and are thought to play a role in Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis. While much is known about molecular mechanisms underlying cerebral Aβ accumulation in familial AD, less is known about the cause(s) of brain amyloidosis in sporadic disease. Animal and postmortem studies suggest that Aβ secretion can be up-regulated in response to hypoxia. We employed a new technology (Single Molecule Arrays, SiMoA) capable of ultrasensitive protein measurements and developed a novel assay to look for changes in serum Aβ42 concentration in 25 resuscitated patients with severe hypoxia due to cardiac arrest. After a lag period of 10 or more hours, very clear serum Aβ42 elevations were observed in all patients. Elevations ranged from approximately 80% to over 70-fold, with most elevations in the range of 3–10-fold (average approximately 7-fold). The magnitude of the increase correlated with clinical outcome. These data provide the first direct evidence in living humans that ischemia acutely increases Aβ levels in blood. The results point to the possibility that hypoxia may play a role in the amyloidogenic process of AD

Intensive group cognitive therapy and individual cognitive therapy for social phobia: sustained improvement at 5-year follow-up.

Little is known about the long-term outcome of treatments for social phobia. At 5 years post-treatment we contacted the 67 patients who had been treated with intensive group cognitive therapy (IGCT) or individual cognitive therapy (ICT) in a randomized controlled trial (Mörtberg, Clark, Sundin, and Åberg Wistedt, 2007) that originally compared IGCT, ICT, and treatment as usual (n=100 for the full trial). Seventy-two percent (48 patients) who received IGCT or ICT agreed to participate in the follow-up assessment. All re-completed the original self-report measures of symptoms and disability and a quality of life measure. A subset was also interviewed. Seventy-five percent (36 patients) had sought no further treatment for social phobia. Comparisons between post-treatment and 5-year follow-up indicated that patients who had received either treatment showed further improvement in social phobia symptoms and disability during the follow-up period. These improvements were present in patients who had no additional treatment, as well as in the total sample. In conclusion, it appears that the effects of IGCT and ICT are maintained and improved upon at 5 years post-treatment

Intensive group cognitive treatment and individual cognitive therapy vs. treatment as usual in social phobia: a randomized controlled trial.

UNLABELLED: To compare the effects of an intensive group cognitive treatment (IGCT) to individual cognitive therapy (ICT) and treatment as usual (TAU) in social phobia (DSM-IV). METHOD: Hundred patients were randomized to: IGCT involving 16 group sessions spread over three weeks; ICT involving 16 shorter weekly sessions in 4 months and; TAU involving an indicated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) with therapy sessions as required for 1 year. The main outcome measure was a Social Phobia Composite that combined several standardized self-report measures. Diagnostic assessment was repeated at 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed with all treatments. ICT was superior to IGCT and TAU, which did not differ in overall effectiveness. CONCLUSION: The study confirms and extends previously reported findings that ICT is more effective than group cognitive treatment and treatment with SSRIs. IGCT lasts only 3 weeks, and is as effective as more protracted TAU

A longitudinal study of prevalence and predictors of incidence and persistence of sub-diagnostic social anxiety among Swedish adolescents

This longitudinal study aimed to examine the 1-year prevalence, incidence and persistence of sub-diagnostic social anxiety (SSA) as well as general risk factors for the incidence and persistence of SSA during early and mid-adolescence. A Swedish sample of adolescents (N = 2,523) aged 13–14 years at Time 1 and 14–15 years at Time 2 completed measures of anxiety, depressive symptoms, stressors and emotion regulation strategies across the two timepoints. SSA was defined and assessed by the Social Phobia Screening Questionnaire for Children. The prevalence of SSA was 16%, the incidence 12%, and the persistence 53% over time. Symptoms of depression and general anxiety, various stressors and emotion regulation strategies were overall significantly related to SSA. Predictors for the incidence of SSA were lower age, female gender and elevated general anxiety and behavioral avoidance (i.e. being afraid of new activities when there is uncertainty about the outcome). Predictors for persistent SSA were female gender and increased behavioral avoidance. In conclusion, SSA is very common among young individuals, and behavioral avoidance appears particularly important for understanding the development and persistence of SSA in adolescence

Mediators in psychological treatment of social anxiety disorder: individual cognitive therapy compared to cognitive behavioral group therapy.

According to cognitive-behavioral models of social anxiety disorder (SAD), four of the important maintaining mechanisms are avoidance, self-focused attention, anticipatory processing and post-event cognitive processing. Individual cognitive therapy (ICT) and cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) both have substantial empirical support. However, it is unclear whether they achieve their effects by similar or different mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate whether changes in the four maintenance processes mediate clinical improvement in ICT and CBGT for SAD. We analyzed data from participants (N = 94) who received either ICT or CBGT in two separate RCTs. The results showed that ICT had larger effects than CBGT on social anxiety and each of the four potential mediators. More pertinently, moderated mediation analyses revealed significant between-treatment differences. Whereas improvement in ICT was mainly mediated by reductions in avoidance and self-focused attention, improvement in CBGT was mediated by changes in self-focused attention and in anticipatory and post-event processing. These results support the importance of the putative mediators, but suggest that their relative weights are moderated by treatment type

Trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services under different forest management scenarios – The LEcA tool

Forests provide a multitude of ecosystem services. In Sweden, the goal to replace fossil fuels could induce substantial changes in the current management and use of forests. Therefore, methods and tools are needed to assess synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services for policy and planning alternatives. The aim of this study was to develop methods for integrated sustainability assessment of forest management strategies for long-term provisioning of various ecosystem services. For this purpose, the Landscape simulation and Ecological Assessment (LEcA) tool was developed to analyse synergies and trade-offs among five ecosystem services: bioenergy feedstock and industrial wood production, forest carbon storage, recreation areas and habitat networks. Forest growth and management were simulated for two scenarios; the EAF-tot scenario dominated by even-aged forestry (EAF), and the CCF-int scenario with a combination of continuous-cover forestry (CCF) and intensified EAF. The results showed trade-offs between industrial wood and bioenergy production on one side and habitat, recreation and carbon storage on the other side. The LEcA tool showed great potential for evaluation of impacts of alternative policies for land zoning and forest management on forest ecosystem services. It can be used to assess the consequences of forest management strategies related to renewable energy and conservation policies