Modelling the Spread of European Buckthorn in the Region of Waterloo

European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica L.) is a common invasive species in the Region of Waterloo. Management of buckthorn is expensive and time consuming and as a result it has continued to spread in the Region of Waterloo despite being on the Ontario noxious weed list. Control of buckthorn will require long term management to prevent reinvasion of managed areas. Therefore this project seeks to provide land managers with a model to predict the likely spread of buckthorn over time and space so that the cost of management can be predicted and different management strategies can be compared. A generalized linear mixed-effects model was used to create a habitat suitability model and a spread model for the probability of buckthorn presence for cells in a grid. The habitat suitability model predicts the presence of buckthorn based on environmental characteristics while the spread model predicts the likelihood of buckthorn invasion based on the suitability of habitat and the presence of buckthorn in the surrounding area. The spread model indicates that the invasion of buckthorn is influenced by the suitability of habitat and the presence of buckthorn in neighbouring cells. The success of the spread model suggests that this approach can be used to create a spatiotemporally explicit model with limited sampling effort. To explore the utility of the spread model for conservation management purposes, a simulation model was created that is based on the spread model. Simulations were performed to test the spread of buckthorn in a sample forest patch and to test different management strategies. The simulations showed that buckthorn can be controlled within a patch with a limited amount of effort

Anhedonia and reward-circuit connectivity distinguish nonresponders from responders to dorsomedial prefrontal rTMS in major depression

Background Depression is a heterogeneous mental illness. Neurostimulation treatments, by targeting specific nodes within the brain’s emotion-regulation network, may be useful both as therapies and as probes for identifying clinically relevant depression subtypes. Methods Here, we applied 20 sessions of magnetic resonance imaging-guided repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex in 47 unipolar or bipolar patients with a medication-resistant major depressive episode. Results Treatment response was strongly bimodal, with individual patients showing either minimal or marked improvement. Compared with responders, nonresponders showed markedly higher baseline anhedonia symptomatology (including pessimism, loss of pleasure, and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities) on item-by-item examination of Beck Depression Inventory-II and Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology ratings. Congruently, on baseline functional magnetic resonance imaging, nonresponders showed significantly lower connectivity through a classical reward pathway comprising ventral tegmental area, striatum, and a region in ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Responders and nonresponders also showed opposite patterns of hemispheric lateralization in the connectivity of dorsomedial and dorsolateral regions to this same ventromedial region. Conclusions The results suggest distinct depression subtypes, one with preserved hedonic function and responsive to dorsomedial rTMS and another with disrupted hedonic function, abnormally lateralized connectivity through ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and unresponsive to dorsomedial rTMS. Future research directly comparing the effects of rTMS at different targets, guided by neuroimaging and clinical presentation, may clarify whether hedonia/reward circuit integrity is a reliable marker for optimizing rTMS target selection

Resisting the mantle of the monstrous feminine : women's construction and experience of premenstrual embodiment

The female reproductive body is positioned as abject, as other, as site of defciency and disease, the epitome of the ‘monstrous feminine.’ Premenstrual change in emotion, behavior or embodied sensation is positioned as a sign of madness within, necessitating restraint and control on the part of the women experiencing it (Ussher 2006). Breakdown in this control through manifestation of ‘symptoms’ is diagnosed as PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) or PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), a pathology deserving of ‘treatment.’ In this chapter, we adopt a feminist material-discursive theoretical framework to examine the role of premenstrual embodiment in relation to women’s adoption of the subject position of monstrous feminine, drawing on interviews we have conducted with women who self-diagnose as ‘PMS sufferers.’ We theorize women’s self-positioning as subjectifcation, wherein women take up cultural discourse associated with idealized femininity and the reproductive body, resulting in self-objectifcation, distress, and self-condemnation. However, women can resist negative cultural constructions of premenstrual embodiment and the subsequent self-policing. We describe the impact of women-centered psychological therapy which increases awareness of embodied change, and leads to greater acceptance of the premenstrual body and greater self-care, which serves to reduce premenstrual distress

Dating the Origin of Language Using Phonemic Diversity

Language is a key adaptation of our species, yet we do not know when it evolved. Here, we use data on language phonemic diversity to estimate a minimum date for the origin of language. We take advantage of the fact that phonemic diversity evolves slowly and use it as a clock to calculate how long the oldest African languages would have to have been around in order to accumulate the number of phonemes they possess today. We use a natural experiment, the colonization of Southeast Asia and Andaman Islands, to estimate the rate at which phonemic diversity increases through time. Using this rate, we estimate that present-day languages date back to the Middle Stone Age in Africa. Our analysis is consistent with the archaeological evidence suggesting that complex human behavior evolved during the Middle Stone Age in Africa, and does not support the view that language is a recent adaptation that has sparked the dispersal of humans out of Africa. While some of our assumptions require testing and our results rely at present on a single case-study, our analysis constitutes the first estimate of when language evolved that is directly based on linguistic data

CAN-SAR: A Database of Canadian Species at Risk Information

CAN-SAR: A database of Canadian Species at Risk information is an initiative led by Dr. Ilona Naujokaitis-Lewis from Environment Climate Change Canada. The aim of this database is to provide open and accessible data reflecting information obtained from Canadian species at risk listing and recovery planning documents. Ongoing efforts include development of a living database that will facilitate contributions from other parties in an effort to increase efficiencies and decrease multiple (redundant) efforts with the broad over-arching goal of improving the conservation of species at risk. **NOTE:** The current version of CAN-SAR includes documents available as of **March 23, 2021** for species with SARA statuses Special Concern, Threatened, or Endangered. For the authoritative source of current species at risk information please consult the SARA Public Registry (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry.html)

Female cooperative labour networks in hunter–gatherers and horticulturalists

Cooperation in food acquisition is a hallmark of the human species. Given that costs and benefits of cooperation vary among production regimes and work activities, the transition from hunting-and-gathering to agriculture is likely to have reshaped the structure of cooperative subsistence networks. Hunter–gatherers often forage in groups and are generally more interdependent and experience higher short-term food acquisition risk than horticulturalists, suggesting that cooperative labour should be more widespread and frequent for hunter–gatherers. Here we compare female cooperative labour networks of Batek hunter–gatherers of Peninsular Malaysia and Tsimane forager–horticulturalists of Bolivia. We find that Batek foraging results in high daily variation in labour partnerships, facilitating frequent cooperation in diffuse networks comprised of kin and non-kin. By contrast, Tsimane horticulture involves more restricted giving and receiving of labour, confined mostly to spouses and primary or distant kin. Tsimane women also interact with few individuals in the context of hunting/fishing activities and forage mainly with spouses and primary kin. These differences give rise to camp- or village-level networks that are more modular (have more substructure when partitioned) among Tsimane horticulturalists. Our findings suggest that subsistence activities shape the formation and extent of female social networks, particularly with respect to connections with other women and non-kin. We discuss the implications of restricted female labour networks in the context of gender relations, power dynamics and the adoption of farming in humans

Training professional caregivers to screen for report of cognitive changes in persons with intellectual disability

Abstract Introduction By age 60, 60% of adults with Down syndrome (DS) have dementia. Detecting dementia in persons with intellectual disability (ID) can be challenging because their underlying cognitive impairment can confound presentation of dementia symptoms and because adults with ID may have difficulty reporting symptoms. The National Task Group Early Detection Screen for Dementia (NTG‐EDSD) was developed to aid detection of report of cognitive impairment in adults with ID. We implemented an educational curriculum using the NTG‐EDSD and evaluated the impact of the intervention on professional caregivers’ self‐assessed capacity to identify persons with ID and dementia. Methods We held five in‐person training sessions for professional caregivers of persons with ID, partnering with various managed care organizations and social services agencies. We assessed knowledge and attitudes at baseline; immediately after training; and 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months after training. Results A total of 154 direct care workers, case managers, health‐care providers, and other social services staff attended the trainings. Satisfaction with the NTG‐EDSD training was high; 94% of attendees agreed or strongly agreed that they could use the NTG‐EDSD with their clients. After training, attendees reported a marked increase in confidence in their ability to track various health circumstances and detect functional decline in their clients, although some gains were not sustained over time. As a result of the training, one managed care organization made the NTG‐EDSD a standard part of its assessment of adults with DS starting at age 40. Discussion Social services and health‐care professionals can learn to document signs of cognitive decline in adults with ID using the NTG‐EDSD. Attendees were highly satisfied with the training, experienced an increase in confidence in their care of persons with ID, and found the NTG‐ EDSD feasible to use. Because not all gains were sustained over time, booster trainings may be necessary

Effectively training dementia care specialists and other dementia professionals on using the DICE ApproachTM with caregivers to improve the management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

Introduction: Most persons living with dementia will exhibit at least one behavioral or psychological symptom of dementia (BPSD) (Kales, et al., 2015). As brain pathology progresses, challenging behaviors can increase in frequency and severity, causing an increase in caregiver stress and burden. Furthermore, BPSD can result in unplanned hospitalizations and unnecessary use of psychotropic medications. Non‐pharmacological management of BPSD should be the first line of treatment. The DICE (Describe, Investigate, Create, Evaluate) ApproachTM was developed by experts from the University of Michigan and John Hopkins University, to help caregivers learn how to identify and manage BPSD. This project describes a statewide implementation of the DICE approach with community‐based dementia care providers.MethodsFrom September 2017 to April 2020, we held four DICE trainings (three in‐person trainings, one web‐based training) for Dementia Care Specialists (DCSs) and other dementia care professionals who work directly with family caregivers of people with dementia in Wisconsin. We assessed trainees’ knowledge and attitudes from the Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS) and the Knowledge about Memory Loss and Care test (KAML‐C) at baseline of training, immediately after training, and six months after training. Consultations were provided to address challenging cases.ResultsParticipants (N=136) in both in‐person and online DICE trainings experienced significant changes in knowledge, self‐efficacy and attitudes from baseline to post‐training (immediately after training) assessments (p<.01) (see Table 2 for details). Narrative feedback from trainees was generally very positive. Trainees used DICE with 165 caregivers who were primarily non‐Hispanic white (92%) females (74.4%) from an urban location (68.1%), caring for their spouse (52.7%) (Table 1).Discussion: By using the DICE approach with caregivers of persons with dementia, Wisconsin’s DCSs and other dementia professionals are uniquely positioned to help reduce risks associated with BPSD, including the use of psychotropic medications. Training satisfaction was high, knowledge about BPSD increased, and attitudes improved. The DICE trainings prepared trainees to implement this intervention with 165 family caregivers. A follow‐up survey will explore the real‐world application of DICE, including barriers to its use and modifications made in communities across the state.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/171246/1/alz049782.pd

MANDS FOR INFORMATION GENERALIZE ACROSS ESTABLISHING OPERATIONS

The current study extends the literature on teaching mands for information by assessing whether mands generalize across different establishing operations (EOs). Three children with autism were taught to perform multiple behavior chains, 3 of which included a common response (e.g., “Where is the spoon?”) used for different purposes. An interrupted-behavior-chain procedure was used to contrive the EO for each mand. After teaching a mand for information under 1 EO, the remaining chains were interrupted to determine whether the mand had generalized to different EOs. For all participants, mands for information generalized across EOs. For 2 participants, a new mand-for-information topography emerged after training