Ring roads and urban biodiversity: distribution of butterflies in urban parks in Beijing city and correlations with other indicator species

The capital of China, Beijing, has a history of more than 800 years of urbanization, representing a unique site for studies of urban ecology. Urbanization can severely impact butterfly communities, yet there have been no reports of the species richness and distribution of butterflies in urban parks in Beijing. Here, we conducted the first butterfly survey in ten urban parks in Beijing and estimated butterfly species richness. Subsequently, we examined the distribution pattern of butterfly species and analyzed correlations between butterfly species richness with park variables (age, area and distance to city center), and richness of other bioindicator groups (birds and plants). We collected 587 individual butterflies belonging to 31 species from five families; 74% of the species were considered cosmopolitan. The highest butterfly species richness and abundance was recorded at parks located at the edge of city and species richness was significantly positively correlated with distance from city center (p  0.05). Our study provides the first data of butterfly species in urban Beijing, and serves as a baseline for further surveys and conservation efforts

Education inequalities in adult all-cause mortality: first national data for Australia using linked census and mortality data

National linked mortality and census data have not previously been available for Australia. We estimated education-based mortality inequalities from linked census and mortality data that are suitable for international comparisons.This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Partnership Project Grant (grant number 1134707), in conjunction with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Heart Foundation of Australia

Workforce participation in relation to cancer diagnosis, type and stage: Australian population-based study of 163,556 middle-aged people

Purpose To quantify the relationship of cancer diagnosis to workforce participation in Australia, according to cancer type, clinical features and personal characteristics. Methods Questionnaire data (2006–2009) from participants aged 45–64 years (n=163,556) from the population-based 45 and Up Study (n=267,153) in New South Wales, Australia, were linked to cancer registrations to ascertain cancer diagnoses up to enrolment. Modified Poisson regression estimated age- and sex-adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) for non-participation in the paid workforce—in participants with cancer (n=8,333) versus without (n=155,223), for 13 cancer types. Results Overall, 42% of cancer survivors and 29% of people without cancer were out of the workforce (PR=1.18; 95%CI=1.15– 1.21). Workforce non-participation varied substantively by cancer type, being greatest for multiple myeloma (1.83; 1.53–2.18), oesophageal (1.70; 1.13–2.58) and lung cancer (1.68; 1.45–1.93) and moderate for colorectal (1.23; 1.15–1.33), breast (1.11; 1.06–1.16) and prostate cancer (1.06; 0.99–1.13). Long-term survivors, 5 or more years post-diagnosis, had 12% (7–16%) greater non-participation than people without cancer, and non-participation was greater with recent diagnosis, treatment or advanced stage. Physical disability contributed substantively to reduced workforce participation, regardless of cancer diagnosis. Conclusions Cancer survivors aged 45–64 continue to participate in the workforce. However, participation is lower than in people without cancer, varying by cancer type, and is reduced particularly around the time of diagnosis and treatment and with advanced disease. Implications for Cancer Survivors While many cancer survivors continue with paid work, participation is reduced. Workforce retention support should be tailored to survivor preferences, cancer type and cancer journey stage

Metastable states and the kinetics of colloid phase separation

We report on the results of extensive Brownian dynamics simulations of colloid phase separation due to depletion flocculation. We study in detail the effect of potential variation at fixed volume fraction of colloid and fixed range of interaction. We find a variety of nonequilibrium behaviors for quenches into the colloid fluid+crystal phase coexistence regime. We present clear evidence of metastability, of homogeneous nucleation, and of a kinetically arrested gel state. We also find evidence that suggests a density instability in the metastable colloid fluid preceding crystal nucleation. Our findings are consistent with a previous proposal that nonequilibrium behavior is determined by a metastable vapor+liquid binodal hidden in the fluid+crystal phase coexistence regim

Continuum percolation and depletion flocculation

Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we investigate continuum percolation in a system of colloid particles aggregating due to depletion flocculation. For all values of aggregating potential, there is a lower threshold volume fraction of colloid particles at which a percolating cluster appears. This threshold defines a percolation “phase” boundary that crosses the phase boundary between the colloid fluid phase and colloid fluid+crystal coexistence. In the two-phase coexistence regime, the lifetime of percolated clusters increases dramatically, and therefore the percolation threshold may be related to a transient gel threshold reported from experiment. In the phase coexistence regime, there is evidence of aging due to the thermal restructuring of clusters, implying a finite lifetime for percolating structures