Diet, activity and spatial occupancy of leopards in the Soutpansberg Mountains.

Leopards, though broadly distributed, are highly variable in terms of their ecology. Recently, the Soutpansberg Mountains were identified as supporting one of the highest leopard populations in a non-protected area in Africa. This study aims to understand how these mountains can support such a high density of leopards, thus aiding in identifying the conservation potential of this environment and the species in it. Using a combination of camera trap and scat data collected over two years, research into leopard occupancy, diet and activity was conducted. This research represents the first of its kind to use this combination to investigate these factors in the Soutpansberg. The occupancy analysis proved inconclusive in determining which variables influence the occupancy of leopards. It was found that camera trap data can be split into almost any number of sessions (groupings of trap days), which is a valuable finding as no previous study has provided evidence to support their choice of session number. Leopards consumed 22 species of various sizes, with Artiodactyla species like bushbuck and bushpig contributing most to their diet. No livestock were found in the scats, indicating that leopards are preying on livestock at lower levels than landowners perceive. Some species, such as red duiker and common warthog, were consumed less than expected by leopards based on their availability. Activity patterns indicate that leopards are active throughout the day and night, but their diet suggests they may hunt nocturnally as their most commonly consumed prey are active during this time. Evidence of temporal partitioning between leopards and their prey provides viable explanations for prey selection. This study provides knowledge of elements, such as availability of prey and temporal overlap with prey, which make this environment suitable for a high density of leopards. The knowledge gained through this study of the ecology and behaviour of the Soutpansberg’s top predator in relation to its prey should be valuable in future conservation planning there and in similar montane environments

Sentence Building in Reading and Composition

The primary objective of this article is to describe an instructional technique called sentence building as a means of developing the ability to read more complex sentences with understanding and to write more complex sentences. The process may be viewed as a preliminary step to reading and writing paragraphs. A secondary objective is to develop an awareness that instruction in reading and composition should be based on oral language skills and may be taught concomitantly

How can HIV/STI testing services be more accessible and acceptable for gender and sexually diverse young people? A brief report exploring young people's perspectives in Queensland

Issue addressed: Gender and sexually diverse young people (GSDYP) are an important target group for HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and there is an immediate need to explore ways to make testing interventions accessible and appropriate for this group. Methods: We used a modified World Café workshop with 14 GSDYP in Brisbane Australia, to inform the development of a pilot community‐based testing intervention. Results: The workshop identified the key features of an ideal service, which would include multiple, accessible sites that offer holistic, affordable services and confidential care by respectful and knowledgeable providers. The service would allow young people to engage in decision‐making processes, have a culturally inclusive, comfortable and friendly atmosphere, and provide free sexual and reproductive health technologies. Conclusion: When designing HIV/STI testing interventions for key groups, health promotion practitioners need to be cognisant of localised and nuanced expectations and ensure that services are tailored to the needs and experiences of the local population. So what?: This study provides insights into the needs and expectations of HIV/STI testing interventions for GSDYP in Australia, a key at‐risk group whose perspectives are not adequately voiced in sexual health research and intervention design. Summary: This study explores facilitators and current barriers to HIV/STI testing with a group of gender and sexually diverse young people in Brisbane, Australia. Outcomes provide insights into the needs and expectations of HIV/STI testing services for this group

Caries Removal by First‐Year Dental Students: A Multisource Competency Assessment Strategy for Reflective Practice

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153579/1/jddj002203372017811tb06250x.pd

Persistent barriers to achieving quality neonatal care in low-resource settings: perspectives from a unique panel of frontline neonatal health experts

Background Despite increasing rates of facility-based deliveries, neonatal mortality rates remain persistently high in low-resource settings (LRS). This has catalysed international focus on understanding and enabling quality newborn care. We aimed to understand persistent barriers to Quality of Care (QoC) and to identify quality improvement priorities from the perspective of a panel of neonatal experts with first-hand experience of delivering newborn care in low-resource settings (LRS). Methods We conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with neonatal health experts via Skype. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We adopted an inductive thematic analytical approach. Ethical approvals were not required. Results Twenty-two experts were invited to participate, of whom 16 responded and 13 agreed to take part (five neonatologists, six paediatricians and two advanced neonatal nurse practitioners). Participants had a mean of 13 (±7 SD) years working in LRS. Lack of physical resources including basic equipment and infrastructure such as running water, combined with limited human resources, education and specialist neonatal training were cited as key barriers to delivering quality care. In addition, weak leadership at the community, local and national level were thought to hinder progress. Poor communication within clinical teams, limited documentation and lack of standardised and locally appropriate guidelines were also identified as challenges. Digital technologies were perceived to have potential for data capture and enabling standardised care. However, some highlighted that unreliable internet access and possible stigma may hinder implementation. Conclusions With less than 10 years to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is critical to ensure access to quality care for all sick and vulnerable newborns admitted to health facilities. Clinical leaders in low resource settings need to be empowered to define local agendas and advocate for critical resources in order to close the gap between local and global quality of care priorities

Wearable Sensors Outperform Behavioral Coding as Valid Marker of Childhood Anxiety and Depression

There is a significant need to develop objective measures for identifying children under the age of 8 who have anxiety and depression. If left untreated, early internalizing symptoms can lead to adolescent and adult internalizing disorders as well as comorbidity which can yield significant health problems later in life including increased risk for suicide. To this end, we propose the use of an instrumented fear induction task for identifying children with internalizing disorders, and demonstrate its efficacy in a sample of 63 children between the ages of 3 and 7. In so doing, we extract objective measures that capture the full six degree-of-freedom movement of a child using data from a belt-worn inertial measurement unit (IMU) and relate them to behavioral fear codes, parent-reported child symptoms and clinician-rated child internalizing diagnoses. We find that IMU motion data, but not behavioral codes, are associated with parent-reported child symptoms and clinician-reported child internalizing diagnosis in this sample. These results demonstrate that IMU motion data are sensitive to behaviors indicative of child psychopathology. Moreover, the proposed IMU-based approach has increased feasibility of collection and processing compared to behavioral codes, and therefore should be explored further in future studies