Process Evaluation Insights on Program Implementation

This white paper has the explicit intention to draw lessons learned from the past 30 years of energy efficiency program evaluation in order to facilitate improved program design and implementation going forward. The discussion in this white paper is developed based on interviews with 43 individuals who are either practitioners or users of process and market evaluation. In addition, we obtained references to published materials from our contacts and reviewed conference proceedings dating from 1992 to 2008, which resulted in a review of nearly 100 articles or reports documenting the results of, or commenting on, process and market evaluations

Cultivation of Strigeid Trematodes of the Genus Diplostomum

Abstract Not Provided

The Hyde Amendment: Its Impact on Low Income Women with Unwanted Pregnancies

The Hyde amendment, which has been in effect since 1977, restricts federal funding of abortions for Medicaid-eligible women except where the life of the mother would be endangered if a fetus were carried to term. It has virtually eliminated federally financed abortions and the undue hardships it places on poor women foreshadow contemporary developments in abortion politics today for all women

Asking the experts : developing and validating parental diaries to assess children's minor injuries

The methodological issues involved in parental reporting of events in children's everyday lives are discussed with reference to the development and validation of an incident diary, collecting concurrent data on minor injuries in a community study of children under eight years old. Eighty-two mothers participated in a comparison over nine days of daily telephone interviews and structured incident diaries. Telephone methods resulted in more missing data, and participants in both groups expressed a preference for the diary method. This diary was then validated on a sample of 56 preschool and school-aged children by comparing injury recording by a research health visitor with that of their mothers. Each failed to report some injuries, but there was good agreement overall, and in descriptive data on injuries reported by both. Parental diaries have the potential to provide rich data, of acceptable validity, on minor events in everyday life

Une introduction a la thkorie des figures: la géometrie de E.S. Fedorov

Peer Reviewe

Camera trap arrays improve detection probability of wildlife: Investigating study design considerations using an empirical dataset.

Camera trapping is a standard tool in ecological research and wildlife conservation. Study designs, particularly for small-bodied or cryptic wildlife species often attempt to boost low detection probabilities by using non-random camera placement or baited cameras, which may bias data, or incorrectly estimate detection and occupancy. We investigated the ability of non-baited, multi-camera arrays to increase detection probabilities of wildlife. Study design components were evaluated for their influence on wildlife detectability by iteratively parsing an empirical dataset (1) by different sizes of camera arrays deployed (1-10 cameras), and (2) by total season length (1-365 days). Four species from our dataset that represented a range of body sizes and differing degrees of presumed detectability based on life history traits were investigated: white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), raccoon (Procyon lotor), and Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). For all species, increasing from a single camera to a multi-camera array significantly improved detection probability across the range of season lengths and number of study sites evaluated. The use of a two camera array increased survey detection an average of 80% (range 40-128%) from the detection probability of a single camera across the four species. Species that were detected infrequently benefited most from a multiple-camera array, where the addition of up to eight cameras produced significant increases in detectability. However, for species detected at high frequencies, single cameras produced a season-long (i.e, the length of time over which cameras are deployed and actively monitored) detectability greater than 0.75. These results highlight the need for researchers to be critical about camera trap study designs based on their intended target species, as detectability for each focal species responded differently to array size and season length. We suggest that researchers a priori identify target species for which inference will be made, and then design camera trapping studies around the most difficult to detect of those species

Spring Dispersal of Northern Bobwhites in Southwestern Ohio

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) historically occurred throughout Ohio but their core range has contracted to 18 southwestern counties. The Ohio Division of Wildlife has used trapping and transplanting to reintroduce wild bobwhites to unoccupied habitats within the species’ historic range. Bobwhite dispersal information is necessary to understand population dynamics and the species’ capacity to recolonize unoccupied habitats. Bobwhites were captured and radiomarked on 4 private-land study sites in southwestern Ohio. Radio-marked bobwhites (n 1⁄4 66) were tracked by homing or triangulation during spring 2010 and 2011 to ascertain dispersal distances between winter and breeding ranges. The spring dispersal period was defined by break-up of coveys and subsequent occupation of breeding season home ranges. The dispersal period, defined by non-affiliation with coveys, long directional daily movements, and observed breeding activity, varied among individuals and ranged from 2 April to 26 May. Dispersal distances were measured as the net Euclidean distance between locations recorded at the beginning and end of the dispersal period. Dispersers were defined as birds that moved . 23 the diameter of the mean home-range size (26.1 ha) observed during October-March 2010 and 2011. Movements of 1–2 home-range diameters were classified as home range shifts. Non-dispersing bobwhites traveled , 1 home-range diameter. Mean movement for all birds was 1.54 km. Twenty-eight (42.4%) radio-marked bobwhites were non-dispersers, 15 (22.7%) shifted home ranges, and 23 (34.8%) dispersed. Non-dispersers moved a mean of 0.31 km (range 1⁄4 0.03–0.56 km), home range shifts averaged 0.78 km (range 1⁄4 0.60–0.99 km), and dispersers traveled a mean distance of 3.6 km (range 1⁄4 1.18–11.5 km). Dispersal distance was lowest for adult females and increased in order for adult males, juvenile females, and juvenile males. Dispersal distance decreased as the proportion of early successional wooded habitat within winter home ranges increased. Sex, age, and dispersal distance did not affect survival. Our results suggest Ohio bobwhites are capable of expanding their range into historically-populated areas

A Collaborative Approach to Providing Best-Practice Childhood Feeding Guidance

Objective: To examine whether training on Division of Responsibility, provided to members of a childhood feeding collaborative, increased familiarity, knowledge, and confidence in disseminating information to parents of young children. Methods: Training was provided to 47 public health nurses and 22 breastfeeding task force members. A within-group pretest, posttest, follow-up design assessed changes in familiarity, knowledge and confidence. Results: Amongst public health nurses, training resulted in a significant increase in familiarity (P < .001); knowledge that restricting amount of food provided to overweight infants and/or children is inappropriate (P < .05); and that children need frequent exposure to new foods (P < .05). Confidence in disseminating information also significantly increased (P < .001). Conclusions and Implications: Health care providers who counsel parents about childhood feeding practices should be trained to increase familiarity with, knowledge of, and confidence in disseminating best practice feeding guidelines to help ensure provision of consistent, accurate messaging