Box Traps for Feral Swine Capture: A Comparison of Gate Styles in Texas

Many different types of traps have been developed to increase feral swine (Sus scrofa) capture efficiency. Though not previously compared, gate styles may influence capture success. Our objectives were to report feral swine capture data from 31 trapping campaigns conducted in 17 counties from 2005 to 2011 in Texas, USA, compare capture rates by demographic category between side-swing and rooter gates, and evaluate influences of moisture, using the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), on juvenile capture rates. We trapped feral swine during all months of the year. Our trap configurations were identical with the exception of gate style. Traps had either side-swing or rooter gates. We captured 1,310 feral swine during 2,424 trap-nights. We found no differences in capture rates between gate styles for adults, adult males, or adult females. However, we found juvenile capture rates and total capture rates to differ between gate styles. Box traps with rooter gates captured more juveniles, resulting in more total captures than in box traps with side-swing gates. Partitioned rooter gates are constructed to allow for continual entry after the gate has been tripped; whereas with single-panel side-swine gates, continual entry may be more challenging for juvenile animals that lack the size and strength to push through the spring tension. Rooter gates should be considered over side-swing gates in management programs aimed at overall damage reduction. However, in management or research programs that seek to capture adult feral swine, side-swing gates may be more appropriate because fewer non-target juvenile feral swine are captured

Troubling meanings of family and competing moral imperatives in the family lives of young people with a parent who is at the end of life

This article draws on a narrative study of young people with a parent who is at the end of life to examine how family lives are troubled by life-limiting parental illness. Young people struggled to reconcile the physical and emotional absence of family members with meanings of ‘family’; the extent to which young people could rely on family to ‘be there’ in these troubling circumstances was of practical, emotional and moral significance. Our discussion is situated in the context of an English end of life care policy predicated on the ideal of a good death as one that takes place at home accompanied by family members. We explore how the shift away from family as a site for nurturing children towards family as a space to care for the dying is experienced by young people, and consider how these competing moral imperatives are negotiated through relational practices of care

The Namaste Care programme can reduce behavioural symptoms in care home residents with advanced dementia

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of the Namaste Care programme on the behavioural symptoms of residents with advanced dementia in care homes and their pain management. Methods: Six dementia care homes collaborated in an action research study - one withdrew. Inclusion criteria were a dementia diagnosis and a Bedford Alzheimer's Nursing Severity Scale score of >16. Primary research measures were the Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Nursing Homes (NPI-NH) and Doloplus-2 behavioural pain assessment scale for the elderly. Measures were recorded at baseline and at three 1-2 monthly intervals after Namaste Care started. Results: Management disruption occurred across all care homes. The severity of behavioural symptoms, pain and occupational disruptiveness (NPI-NH) decreased in four care homes. Increased severity of behavioural symptoms in one care home was probably related to poor pain management, reflected in increased pain scores, and disrupted leadership. Comparison of NPI-NH scores showed that severity of behavioural symptoms and occupational disruptiveness were significantly lower after initiation of Namaste Care (n-=-34, p-<-0.001) and after the second interval (n-=-32, p-<-0.001 and p-=-0.003). However, comparison of these measures in the second and third intervals revealed that both were slightly increased in the third interval (n-=-24, p-<-0.001 and p-=-0.001). Conclusions: Where there are strong leadership, adequate staffing, and good nursing and medical care, the Namaste Care programme can improve quality of life for people with advanced dementia in care homes by decreasing behavioural symptoms. Namaste is not a substitute for good clinical care

Gaining consensus on family carer needs when caring for someone dying at home to develop the Carers' Alert Thermometer (CAT): a modified Delphi study

Aim To report a multi-phase modified Delphi study conducted with carers and professionals to identify the priority areas for inclusion in an alert screening tool for carers providing support to someone dying at home. Background Internationally, there is a growing emphasis on increasing choice for patients who wish to die at home which relies heavily on care provided by the unpaid family carers. Family carers can have high levels of unmet needs comprising their psychological and physical health and their ability to provide effective care and support. Development of an alert tool to identify carers' needs in everyday practice required identification and consensus of the priority areas of need for inclusion. Design Multi-phase modified Delphi study and instrument development. Method Qualitative and quantitative data collection took place between 2011–2013 with 111 carers and 93 professionals to identify carers' needs and gain consensus on the priority areas for inclusion in the alert tool. An expert panel stage and final evidence review post-Delphi were used. Results The Delphi panels had high levels of agreement and consensus. Ten areas of carer need across two themes of ‘the current caring situation’ and ‘the carer's own health and well-being’ were prioritized for inclusion in the alert tool. An optional end-of-life planning question was included following the final stages. Conclusions The results provide evidence of carers' needs to be assessed, areas for consideration in the education of those who support carers and someone dying at home and targeting of services, while demonstrating the usefulness and adaptability of the Delphi method

Shaping pedestrian movement through playful interventions in security planning: what do field surveys suggest?

© 2015 Taylor & Francis The control and shaping of pedestrian movement recurs as an aspect of security planning for crowded spaces. Using the concepts of triangulation, performance and flow, this paper presents a series of experiments designed to shape pedestrian movement patterns in public spaces in different spatial and operation contexts, by eliciting noticeable behaviours and disrupting routine use of space. The hypothesis investigated is that playful, non-obstructive interventions foster a positive social experience yet can be used to shape pedestrian movement. The interventions examined were around the themes of floor marking and mirrors. Analysis demonstrated that the interventions were able to create zones of attraction and exclusion, engage people’s curiosity and elicit playful actions. Habituation, goal-directed behaviour and the influence of increased cognitive load at personal level were all important factors responsible for reducing the level of engagement with an intervention. The results suggest that increased understanding between environmental and interpersonal stimuli and behavioural responses can provide guidance in using socially acceptable design interventions to influence use of space in different operational contexts, contributing to sustainable security

The Visibility of (In)security: The Aesthetics of Planning Urban Defences Against Terrorism

Urban defences against terrorism have traditionally been based on territorial interventions that sought to seal off and surveil certain public and private spaces considered targets. Lately, though, a much wider range of crowded and public spaces have been viewed as potential targets and thus have been identified as requiring additional security. This has immense implications for the experience of the ‘everyday’ urban landscape. Drawing on contemporary notions that incorporate the study of aesthetics and emotions within critical security and terrorism studies, this article discusses the visual impact of counter-terrorism security measures. It analyses the ‘transmission’ of symbolic messages, as well as the variety of ways in which security might be ‘received’ by various stakeholders. The analysis takes place against the backdrop of concern that obtrusive security measures have the capacity to radically alter public experiences of space and in some cases lead to (intended and unintended) exclusionary practices or a range of negative emotional responses. The article concludes by outlining a ‘spectrum of visible security’ ranging between traditional obtrusive fortified approaches and approaches that embed security features seamlessly or even ‘invisibly’ into the urban fabric

Transformative capacity and local action for urban sustainability.

There is a consensus about the strategic importance of cities and urban areas for achieving a global transformation towards sustainability. While there is mounting interest in the types of qualities that increase the capacity of urban systems to attain deep transformations, empirical evidence about the extent to which existing institutional and material systems exhibit transformative capacity is lacking. This paper thereby seeks to determine the extent to which sustainability initiatives led by local governments and their partners reflect the various components that the literature claims can influence the emergence of transformative capacity as a systemic property of urban settings. Using an evaluative framework consisting of ten components of transformative capacity and associated indicators, the specific objective is to identify patterns in these initiatives regarding the presence of individual components of transformative capacity and their interrelations with other components. The analysis of 400 sustainability initiatives reveals thin evidence of transformative capacity. When detected, evidence of transformative capacity tended to emerge in relation to wider processes of institutional- and social-learning and initiatives that linked outcomes to a city-wide vision of planning and development. However, instances of such initiatives were rare. This widespread lack of evidence for transformative capacity raises concerns that this set of attributes normalised in the literature is in fact rarely found in sustainability action on the ground