Effects of Landscape and Yard Features on Mammals in Residential Yards in Northwest Arkansas

The human footprint is rapidly expanding, and wildlife habitat is continuously being converted to human residential properties. Most wildlife residing in developing areas are displaced to nearby undeveloped areas. However, some animals can coexist with humans and acquire the necessary resources (food, water, shelter) within the human environment. This may be particularly true when development is low intensity, as in suburban yards. Due to the wide variety in how homeowners utilize their yards, they can be considered individually managed “greenspaces.” These yards can provide a range of food (e.g., bird feeders, compost, gardens), water (bird baths and garden ponds), and shelter (e.g., brush-piles, outbuildings) resources to wildlife. Due to their larger space requirements and vulnerability to human persecution, larger mammalian predators often respond differently to the presence of humans and human development than smaller mammals. Some medium-bodied mammalian predators such as coyote (Canis latrans), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), have adapted to coexist in human-dominated areas. There is a currently a need to understand how human-created land use such as residential yards can support wildlife as well as how certain yard features may facilitate human-wildlife conflict. In Chapter I, I evaluated which landscape and yard features influence the richness and diversity of the herbivores and mesopredators within residential yards in a rapidly developing region. I deployed game cameras in 46 residential yards in summer 2021 and 96 yards in 2022 from approximately April 15-August 15th. I found that mesopredator diversity was negatively impacted by fences and positively influenced by the number of bird feeders present in a yard. Mesopredator richness increased with the amount of forest within 400m of the camera. Herbivore diversity and richness were positively influenced by the area of forest within 400m of the yard and by the area of garden space within the yard, respectively. Our results suggest that while landscape does play a role in the presence of wildlife in a residential area, homeowners also have some agency over the richness and diversity of mammals using their yards based on the features they create or maintain on their properties. For chapter II, I used the data collected over the summers of 2021 and 2022 from deployed game cameras in 46 and 96 residential yards in Northwest Arkansas USA to understand which landscape and yard features influenced the occupancy of the predators; coyotes (Canis latrans) and both gray and red foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus and Vulpes vulpes). I found that predator occupancy was marginally influenced by yard level features as opposed to landscape composition. Fences had significant negative effects on the occupancy of coyotes in our study. The total area of potential den sites in a yard also slightly increased the probability of coyote occupancy in a yard. When present in a yard, I found that gray foxes have increased detection rates in yards with poultry, highlighting a likely source of conflict with homeowners. I found that the interspecific interactions between our focal predator species were all modest but positive, indicating that these species likely use yards for similar resources and have ways of minimizing antagonistic interactions with one another in the suburban environment. As the number of residential yards continues to grow across the country, our results suggest that there are ways in which our yards can provide valuable resources to suburban predators and that homeowners also have the agency to mitigate interactions with predators through management of their yard features

Effects of Landscape and Yard Features on Mammals in Residential Yards in Northwest Arkansas

The human footprint is rapidly expanding, and wildlife habitat is continuously being converted to human residential properties. Most wildlife residing in developing areas are displaced to nearby undeveloped areas. However, some animals can coexist with humans and acquire the necessary resources (food, water, shelter) within the human environment. This may be particularly true when development is low intensity, as in suburban yards. Due to the wide variety in how homeowners utilize their yards, they can be considered individually managed “greenspaces.” These yards can provide a range of food (e.g., bird feeders, compost, gardens), water (bird baths and garden ponds), and shelter (e.g., brush-piles, outbuildings) resources to wildlife. Due to their larger space requirements and vulnerability to human persecution, larger mammalian predators often respond differently to the presence of humans and human development than smaller mammals. Some medium-bodied mammalian predators such as coyote (Canis latrans), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), have adapted to coexist in human-dominated areas. There is a currently a need to understand how human-created land use such as residential yards can support wildlife as well as how certain yard features may facilitate human-wildlife conflict. In Chapter I, I evaluated which landscape and yard features influence the richness and diversity of the herbivores and mesopredators within residential yards in a rapidly developing region. I deployed game cameras in 46 residential yards in summer 2021 and 96 yards in 2022 from approximately April 15-August 15th. I found that mesopredator diversity was negatively impacted by fences and positively influenced by the number of bird feeders present in a yard. Mesopredator richness increased with the amount of forest within 400m of the camera. Herbivore diversity and richness were positively influenced by the area of forest within 400m of the yard and by the area of garden space within the yard, respectively. Our results suggest that while landscape does play a role in the presence of wildlife in a residential area, homeowners also have some agency over the richness and diversity of mammals using their yards based on the features they create or maintain on their properties. For chapter II, I used the data collected over the summers of 2021 and 2022 from deployed game cameras in 46 and 96 residential yards in Northwest Arkansas USA to understand which landscape and yard features influenced the occupancy of the predators; coyotes (Canis latrans) and both gray and red foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus and Vulpes vulpes). I found that predator occupancy was marginally influenced by yard level features as opposed to landscape composition. Fences had significant negative effects on the occupancy of coyotes in our study. The total area of potential den sites in a yard also slightly increased the probability of coyote occupancy in a yard. When present in a yard, I found that gray foxes have increased detection rates in yards with poultry, highlighting a likely source of conflict with homeowners. I found that the interspecific interactions between our focal predator species were all modest but positive, indicating that these species likely use yards for similar resources and have ways of minimizing antagonistic interactions with one another in the suburban environment. As the number of residential yards continues to grow across the country, our results suggest that there are ways in which our yards can provide valuable resources to suburban predators and that homeowners also have the agency to mitigate interactions with predators through management of their yard features

Sex-related differences of cAMP-specific PDE4B3 mRNA in oligodendrocytes following systemic inflammation

Sex-related differences have been observed in the incidence and severity of several neurological diseases and in sepsis in humans. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) has been shown to play an important role in modulating the inflammatory environment during neuroinflammation and importantly in protecting myelin from excitotoxic cell death. Considering the sexual dimorphism in the functional properties of oligodendrocytes and the importance of a systemic inflammation in the progression of multiple sclerosis, we focused on identifying possible sex-related differences in the alterations previously reported for the two phosphodiesterase4B (PDE4B) splice-variants (PDE4B2 and PDE4B3) mRNA expression during innate neuroinflammation. PDE4A, PDE4B, and PDE4D are present in oligodendrocytes and we have previously reported that PDE4B3 mRNA is readily expressed in both oligodendrocytes and neurons. In this study, we analyzed the influence of an intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide injection on the distribution pattern and expression levels of the PDE4B mRNA splicing variants in both male and female mice brains. Clear differences were observed in PDE4B2 and PDE4B3 mRNA expression levels in males compared with females in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, we observed that the clear downregulation of PDE4B3 mRNA was reflected in a lower percentage of oligodendrocytes positive for this transcript which correlated with a decrease in inducible cAMP early repressor expression in female corpus callosum. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Grant sponsor: Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia; Grant number: SAF2006-10243; Grant sponsor: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación; Grant numbers: SAF 2009-11052, PI-10/01874; Grant sponsor: Generalitat de Catalunya; Grant number: SGR2009/220; Grant sponsor: FEDER Funds (European Union).Peer Reviewe

Citizen participation in community development

I processen för en socialt hållbar utveckling är en viktig del att utöka brukarens möjlighet att påverka sin verklighet. En utmaning i städers utveckling är att bättre länka samman områden med varandra. Aspekten handlar till stor del om den byggda miljön och fysisk segregation, men en viktig konsekvens av segregation är också ett ibland upplevt utanförskap. Ett sätt att motverka den effekt som segregation och utanförskap kan få är just att göra brukare mer delaktiga i förändringsprocesser. Arbetet med utvecklingen av Fosie innefattar till en stor del brukardelaktighet. Denna studie tar upp två av delprojekten i Fosies utveckling och fokuserar på Lindängens centrum och Lindängelund. Genom intervjuer med ansvariga för dialogerna samt med en av informatörerna på Fosie stadsdelsförvaltning studeras områdena och processerna för dialogen. I Lindängen handlar processen om att boende, fastighetsägare och andra verksamma i stadsdelen tillsammans i en dialog ska enas om Lindängens framtid. Arbetet syftar till att skapa en större förståelse mellan samtliga aktörer. Detta kan ses som en start där boende och verksamma i området tillsammans senare kan dra igång nya processer och därigenom bevara och utveckla nya kvaliteter i området. Det andra projektet som studeras är uppbyggnaden av en park i Lindängelund, där boende i området är inbjudna att delta. Syftet med denna process är framförallt att konsultera boende om vilka aktiviteter de vill kunna uppleva i parken, men projektet handlar även om att skapa en ny nod i stadsdelen som ska generera mer besök utifrån och en större stolthet över området bland boende. I de två studerade fallen kan dessa processer genom brukardelaktighet tillsammans utgöra en positiv faktor för att motverka ett upplevt utanförskap i området, där boende ges en tro på sina möjligheter att kunna påverka närmiljön. Brukardialoger bygger på att de deltagande kan känna förtroende för varandra, men är också ett sätt att skapa en ökad tillit. Det är en process som för många tjänstemän kan kännas svår och lång, men med vinsten att många infallsvinklar kan mötas.One of the biggest questions in the process of making societies socially sustainable is about involving citizens. Another challenge is how to better connect different parts of the city with each other. This aspect treats physical segregation but it is also a question of social exclusion. One way to work against social segregation is to involve citizens in the development and transformations in the community. Fosie is a district in Malmö where the citizens is participating in the planning process. This study focus on two areas in Fosie, Lindängens centrum and Lindängelund, and surveys the dialogues that the processes holds. In Lindängen the dialogue is a way to contribute with a cohesive vision about the areas future. The purpose is to make all participants appreciate each others signifi cance and contributions. Thus this process is a way to encourage new initiatives taken from people that are living and working in the district. In Lindängelund, a new park is intended. People who live nearby are invited to help to decide what activities the park should offer. The process is also a way to create a new node in the area, which will generate more visits from people living outside the area. Theese two processes are able to obstruct social exclusion in Fosie by giving the citizens opportunities to affect their community. Citizen dialogues requires the ability to trust each other, but is also a way to gain reliance. The process is often experienced as time-consuming, but is also a long term solution. It provides a possibility to gather several different approaches

Attentional biases for food stimuli in external eaters: Possible mechanism for stress-induced eating?

External eaters reportedly increase snack intake when stressed, which could be due to an attentional shift towards food stimuli. Attentional biases for food stimuli were tested in high and low external eaters in stress and control conditions, using a computerised Stroop. A significant interaction was observed between external eating group and condition for snack word bias. This suggested that low external eaters have a greater bias for snack words when unstressed and that stressed, high external eaters have a greater bias for snack words than stressed, low external eaters, which could contribute to stress-induced snack intake in high external eaters

Trends in nonresident abortion rates in New York City from 2005 to 2015: a time series analysis

Abstract OBJECTIVES: To examine trends and utilization patterns of NYC abortion services by nonresidents since growing abortion restrictions across many states could drive women to seek care in less restrictive jurisdictions including NYC. STUDY DESIGN: We used data from Induced Termination of Pregnancy certificates filed with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in 2005-2015. An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was fit to the monthly nonresident abortion rate time series. Pearson\u27s χ2 tests determined associations between women\u27s residence and other variables. RESULTS: During 2005-2015, 885,816 abortions were reported in NYC, with 76,990 (8.7%) among nonresidents; 50,211 (65.2%) nonresidents lived in other New York State counties. The NYC abortion rate declined from 49.4 per 1000 women 15-44 in 2005 to 32.7 in 2015, while the nonresident rate showed minimal change from 0.12 per 1000 US women 15-44 in 2005 to 0.10 in 2015. ARIMA(0,1,1)(0,0,1) [12]fit the time series indicating minimal monthly changes in nonresident rates reflecting seasonal patterns and shorter-term dependencies between successive observations. Nonresidents differed from residents in all investigated variables including terminating at 20+ weeks (9.0% vs. 2.5%, p CONCLUSIONS: Nonresidents constituted few abortion patients in NYC with minimal change in nonresident rates in 2005-2015. Nonresidents more often sought later-term abortions and more complicated procedures posing greater associated costs/risks. Monitoring nonresident abortion trends and utilization patterns is valuable for planning local service delivery particularly in jurisdictions committed to providing comprehensive women\u27s healthcare where nonresidents may increasingly seek abortions. IMPLICATIONS: While we found limited change in nonresident abortion rates in NYC in 2005-2015, other jurisdictions bordering more restrictive states could show different results and should consider conducting similar research. Such analyses are important in jurisdictions committed to providing comprehensive women\u27s healthcare where nonresidents may increasingly seek abortions in the future

Determinants of Severe Maternal Morbidity and Its Racial/Ethnic Disparities in New York City, 2008–2012

Objectives Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is an important indicator for identifying and monitoring efforts to improve maternal health. Studies have identified independent risk factors, including race/ethnicity; however, there has been limited investigation of the modifying effect of socioeconomic factors. The study aims were to quantify SMM risk factors and to determine if socioeconomic status modifies the effect of race/ethnicity on SMM risk. Methods We used 2008–2012 NYC birth certificates matched with hospital discharge records for maternal deliveries. SMM was defined using an algorithm developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mixed-effects logistic regression models estimated SMM risk by demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics. The final model was stratified by Medicaid status (as a proxy for income), education, and neighborhood poverty. Results Of 588,232 matched hospital deliveries, 13,505 (229.6 per 10,000) had SMM. SMM rates varied by maternal age, birthplace, education, income, pre-existing chronic conditions, pre-pregnancy weight status, trimester of prenatal care entry, plurality, and parity. Race/ethnicity was consistently and significantly associated with SMM. While racial differences in SMM risk persisted across all socioeconomic groupings, the risk was exacerbated among Latinas and Asian-Pacific Islanders with lower income when compared to white non-Latinas. Similarly, living in the poorest neighborhoods exacerbated SMM risk among both black non-Latinas and Latinas. Conclusions for Practice SMM determinants in NYC mirror national trends, including racial/ethnic disparities. However, these disparities persisted even in the highest income and educational groups suggesting other pathways are needed to explain racial/ethnic differences

Pneumonia‐related ideations, care‐seeking, and treatment behaviors among children under 2 years with pneumonia symptoms in northwestern Nigeria

This analysis was published in Pediatric Pulmonology in a special journal issue on “Pediatric Pneumonia in Nigeria.” Pneumonia remains the leading infectious cause of child mortality worldwide despite declines in pneumonia-related child mortality rates since 2000 globally. In Nigeria, approximately 134,000 deaths among children under 5 years were due to pneumonia in 2017. Prompt treatment of pediatric pneumonia symptoms is a cornerstone of child survival programs but remains a challenge in Nigeria. Psychosocial influences, or ideations, directly influence pathways to care but have not been previously measured nor examined for pediatric pneumonia. Kincaid’s Ideation Model of Strategic Communication and Behavior Change theorizes that psychosocial influences, or ideations, are intermediate determinants that help catalyze a person\u27s decision to engage in a specific action such as care-seeking or treatment for pneumonia symptoms. This model guided development of ideational metrics for pediatric pneumonia care-seeking and treatment behaviors. In this analysis, we aimed to develop a set of pneumonia-related ideational factors and to examine the extent of their associations with care-seeking from formal medical sources and antibiotic use for children under 2 years with pneumonia symptoms in northwestern Nigeria