Associations of online religious participation during COVID-19 lockdown with subsequent health and well-being among UK adults.

Background In-person religious service attendance has been linked to favorable health and well-being outcomes. However, little research has examined whether online religious participation improves these outcomes, especially when in-person attendance is suspended. Methods Using longitudinal data of 8951 UK adults, this study prospectively examined the association between frequency of online religious participation during the stringent lockdown in the UK (23 March –13 May 2020) and 21 indicators of psychological well-being, social well-being, pro-social/altruistic behaviors, psychological distress, and health behaviors. All analyses adjusted for baseline socio-demographic characteristics, pre-pandemic in-person religious service attendance, and prior values of the outcome variables whenever data were available. Bonferroni correction was used to correct for multiple testing. Results Individuals with online religious participation of ≥1/week (v. those with no participation at all) during the lockdown had a lower prevalence of thoughts of self-harm in week 20 (odds ratio 0.24; 95% CI 0.09–0.62). Online religious participation of <1/week (v. no participation) was associated with higher life satisfaction (standardized β = 0.25; 0.11–0.39) and happiness (standardized β = 0.25; 0.08–0.42). However, there was little evidence for the associations between online religious participation and all other outcomes (e.g. depressive symptoms and anxiety). Conclusions There was evidence that online religious participation during the lockdown was associated with some subsequent health and well-being outcomes. Future studies should examine mechanisms underlying the inconsistent results for online v. in-person religious service attendance and also use data from non-pandemic situations

Evaluation of different baiting strategies for the control of feral cats in eastern Australia

Feral cats (Felis catus) are notoriously difficult to control using traditional management approaches such as baiting, reportedly due to their preference for hunting live prey. Many factors, however, can potentially influence the success of feral cat baiting programs. As baiting efficacy is rarely measured, the factors contributing to low baiting success are often assumed, but poorly understood. We used a combination of camera traps and cat-borne GPS collars to measure the efficacy of two feral cat baiting programs at Taunton National Park (Scientific) in central Queensland. We trialled a fresh meat bait (the Queensland 'Curiosity 1080 Cat Bait', ~125 g fresh kangaroo meat, 6 mg 1080) during winter 2016, and a chipolata-style meat bait (Eradicat®, ~20g kangaroo mince, chicken fat and flavour enhancers, 4.5 mg 1080) during winter 2017. Track-based ground baiting using Curiosity baits was ineffective, with only 11% of collared cats killed and no observed reduction in population-level feral cat abundance across the site. Low track use by cats and rapid removal of baits by non-target species contributed to low bait encounter rates by cats. In addition, palatability of baits rapidly declined due to meat-ant infestations and bait desiccation. Aerially deployed Eradicat® baits were more effective, with 40% of collared cats killed, and a similar significant reduction in population-level feral cat abundance across the site. The key factors contributing to the observed differences in efficacy were compared and evaluated. We discuss the implications of our findings and recommend approaches to improve the efficacy of feral cat baiting programs

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes

Uptake of feral cat baits in Eastern Australia

Feral cats threaten wildlife, livestock and humans through predation, competition and disease. Controlling feral cat populations and their impacts over broad scales, however, is challenging. We performed a feral cat baiting trial in Taunton National Park (Scientific) in central Queensland to (1) test the efficacy of the Queensland 'Curiosity 1080 Cat Bait', and (2) measure bait uptake by target and non-target species. Over 14 days, 54% of 50 monitored baits were removed by non-target species, with 46% removed in the first 4 days. Most baits were taken by birds, with corvids removing more than half of all baits taken. Cameras used to monitor baits did not detect any feral cats consuming or removing baits, although several cats were detected interacting with baits. The lack of bait uptake by feral cats together with movement data obtained from cat-borne GPS collars suggests that track-based baiting operations are unlikely to be effective at controlling feral cat populations in these environs. We discuss the implications of our findings and recommend approaches to improve the efficacy of feral cat baiting programs in eastern Australia

Do dingoes supress feral cats? Spatial and temporal activity of sympatric feral cats and dingoes in central Queensland

Feral cats (Felis catus) are notoriously difficult to control effectively using traditional management approaches. Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) reintroductions have been proposed as a novel approach to the broadscale control of invasive mesopredators such as feral cats and foxes (Vulpes vulpes). However, the ability of dingoes to suppress feral cats and protect species threatened by cat predation remains unresolved. We used camera traps to investigate the spatial and temporal activity of sympatric dingoes and feral cats in Taunton National Park, home to the only significant remnant wild population of the endangered bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata). Feral cats and dingoes exhibited marked overlap in spatial and temporal activity across the park, indicating coexistence between these predators at this site. There was no evidence of dingoes excluding cats from any areas, with cat activity higher in areas where dingoes were active. Time and distance between individual predator detections were negatively related, suggesting within-night avoidance of dingoes by cats. However, cats remained active, abundant and widespread across the park, with evidence of cats hunting and breeding successfully in areas occupied by dingoes. These findings suggest that feral cats can coexist with dingoes, without significant suppression of cat abundance or fitness. Proposals to reintroduce dingoes should be evaluated on a site-by-site basis, as the ability of dingoes to suppress feral cats and protect species of conservation significance will likely be context dependent

Do dingoes suppress feral cats? Spatial and temporal activity of sympatric feral cats and dingoes in central Queensland

Predation by feral cats (Felis catus) is considered to be the most significant factor in Australia's recent mammal extinctions, and is regarded as the factor currently affecting the largest number of threatened and near threatened mammal taxa in Australia (Woinarski et al. 2014). Feral cats further threaten livestock, wildlife and human health through the spread of diseases such as toxoplasmosis and sarcocystosis (Dubey 2010; Dubey et al. 2015)