Nest Hatch Chronology of Northern Bobwhite and Implications for Management

Managers in Missouri, USA, and in other Midwestern states have long operated under the belief that the peak of nest hatching for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) is 15 June. Though it is widely understood that bobwhite nests hatch throughout the summer, many management decisions are made based on the accepted peak. Fully understanding the dynamics behind bobwhite nest timing is critical, as management activities in nesting cover during summer are common. To better understand nest chronology, we used radio-telemetry to monitor nest incubation initiation, hatch date, and renesting rate on 6 conservation areas in southwestern Missouri from 2014 to 2018. Nest hatch date varied by area and year, but only 8.5% of nests hatched on or before 15 June. The 7-day interval during which the most nests hatched was 15–21 June, but we also saw high numbers of nests hatch in early July and mid- to late August. The median hatch date across all 5 years of the study was 17 July. Our results suggest that the entire summer is critical for bobwhite nesting activities, with late summer being just as important as the early summer months. We encourage bobwhite managers and conservation program policymakers across the Midwest to rethink previously held constructs of bobwhite nest timing. We also recommend that summer disturbances to nesting cover be kept to a minimum when the goal is to maximize bobwhite reproductive output

Breeding Season Survival and Nesting of Northern Bobwhite on Native Prairie Versus Traditionally Managed Conservation Areas in Southwestern Missouri

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) management on Missouri Conservation Area lands has traditionally focused on providing an interspersion of grass, crop, old field and woody cover to enhance edge habitat often juxtaposed with disked idle areas and food plots. This traditional approach, or the Intensive Management Model (IMM), is often implemented with the goal of providing all essential habitat components within a 40-acre area. While this model can produce useable quail habitat in agriculture-dominated landscapes it may not be the most effective or efficient approach to producing quail in grassland-dominated landscapes found in southwest Missouri. Conservation area mangers for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) have historically implemented IMM in these grass-dominated landscapes; however in a few areas managers have begun using historical ecological processes, such as fire with grazing, or the Extensive Management Model (EMM) in conjunction with IMM or as the primary means for producing the patchy habitat mosaic preferred by bobwhite quail. In 2015, MDC began a 5 year study radio marking 60 individuals per area on 4 areas (2 IMM and 2 EMM) to compare the utility of these two models and the habitat conditions they create on breeding season vital rates (survival and production). Over the first 2 years of this study, EMM areas had higher breeding season survival (0.414 compared to 0.275) and nesting success (0.437 compared to 0.355) relative to IMM areas. Additionally, covey break-up and nest initiation were in general earlier, and clutch sizes were larger on areas managed with EMM than on areas managed with IMM

Home Range and Space Use of Northern Bobwhite Under Two Different Management Models in Southwestern Missouri

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) management in Missouri, USA has traditionally been focused on providing an interspersion of grass, crop, old field, and woody cover juxtaposed to disked idle areas and food plots to maintain bobwhite populations. This traditional model is implemented with the goal of providing all essential habitat components within 40-acre blocks throughout a larger area used by a population. While this model can produce usable bobwhite space in agriculture-dominated landscapes, it may not be the most effective or efficient approach to producing and maintaining bobwhite in grassland-dominated landscapes. In southwestern Missouri native tallgrass prairie conservation areas are managed primarily with historical ecological processes, such as fire and grazing, to produce the desired patchy habitat mosaic. Additionally, it has been on these native tallgrass prairie conservation areas that managers have seen the most stable and productive bobwhite populations. Over a 5-year period (2014–2018) we quantified movements of northern bobwhite on 3 traditionally managed areas (n = 185) and on 3 managed native tallgrass prairie conservation areas (n = 211) to determine whether home range sizes and space use differed between these two management models. We used the 6-month (Apr–Sep) breeding period to determine core area, home range, mean movement rate, and maximum distance moved. Overall (pooled) home ranges of bobwhite did not differ significantly between traditional and grassland managed areas; however, there were significant yearly differences between management models and study areas. Males generally had larger home range sizes and had higher movement rates than females. For the 5 years of the study few birds made long-distance movements (\u3e1.6 km; 3%), and all remained relatively close to capture locations in winter (Feb–Mar). For both traditional and grassland managed areas, bobwhite selected for areas that had disturbance (fire and grazing) in the last 2 years and for the native grassland vegetation type. These findings suggest that areas managed under the grassland management model provide preferred habitat for bobwhite and could result in significant improvement in habitat quality for tallgrass prairie wildlife

Northern Bobwhite Demographics and Resource Selection Are Explained by Prescribed Fire with Grazing and Woody Cover in Southwest Missouri

Understanding the effects of landscape management on northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter, bobwhite) population growth requires information about seasonal- and stage-specific demographic parameters linked across the annual cycle. We review results to date from 3 years (2016–2018) of an intensive field study evaluating drivers of bobwhite population dynamics and resource selection during the breeding and non-breeding season in southwest Missouri, USA using data from adult and juvenile bobwhite fitted with radio-transmitters. Land cover of our study sites ranged from large blocks of native grasslands maintained with prescribed fire and grazing to more traditional management resulting in small patches of grasslands interspersed with food plots, disked idle areas, and woody cover. During the breeding season, relative probability of selection by broods increased in relation to proportion of native grass managed by grazing and burning and proportion of cropland. Brood survival was also greatest on native grasslands burned and grazed within the past 2 growing seasons. During the fall and winter, relative probability of selection by adults increased as woody edge density increased. Fall and winter survival increased as distance from trees increased and decreased as distance to shrubs increased. Our integrated population model indicated that the number of young hatched per female and adult breeding season survival were greatest on sites with the most native grassland managed by prescribed fire with grazing. However, non-breeding season survival was greater on sites with more agriculture or food plots and woody cover. Abundance declined across all sites from 2016 to 2019. Our work suggests that native grasslands managed by prescribed fire with grazing can provide quail habitat superior to traditional management that strived for a mixture of agriculture, woody cover, and grassland. The combination of conservation grazing and fire in native grasslands interspersed with shrubs may provide the greatest chance for bobwhite populations to persist in southwest Missouri and similar landscapes

Linking micro‐ and macroevolutionary perspectives to evaluate the role of Quaternary sea‐level oscillations in island diversification

With shifts in island area, isolation, and cycles of island fusion–fission, the role of Quaternary sea‐level oscillations as drivers of diversification is complex and not well understood. Here, we conduct parallel comparisons of population and species divergence between two island areas of equivalent size that have been affected differently by sea‐level oscillations, with the aim to understand the micro‐ and macroevolutionary dynamics associated with sea‐level change. Using genome‐wide datasets for a clade of seven Amphiacusta ground cricket species endemic to the Puerto Rico Bank (PRB), we found consistently deeper interspecific divergences and higher population differentiation across the unfragmented Western PRB, in comparison to the currently fragmented Eastern PRB that has experienced extreme changes in island area and connectivity during the Quaternary. We evaluate alternative hypotheses related to the microevolutionary processes (population splitting, extinction, and merging) that regulate the frequency of completed speciation across the PRB. Our results suggest that under certain combinations of archipelago characteristics and taxon traits, the repeated changes in island area and connectivity may create an opposite effect to the hypothesized “species pump” action of oscillating sea levels. Our study highlights how a microevolutionary perspective can complement current macroecological work on the Quaternary dynamics of island biodiversity.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141544/1/evo13384.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141544/2/evo13384_am.pd

Socio-cognitive scaffolding with collaboration scripts: a meta-analysis

Scripts for computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) offer socio-cognitive scaffolding for learners to engage in collaborative activities that are considered beneficial for learning. Yet, CSCL scripts are often criticized for hampering naturally emerging collaboration. Research on the effectiveness of CSCL scripts has shown divergent results. This article reports a meta-analysis about the effects of CSCL scripts on domain-specific knowledge and collaboration skills. Results indicate that CSCL scripts as a kind of socio-cognitive scaffolding can enhance learning outcomes substantially. Learning with CSCL scripts leads to a small positive effect on domain-specific knowledge (d = 0.20) and a large positive effect on collaboration skills (d = 0.95) compared to unstructured CSCL. Further analyses reveal that CSCL scripts are particularly effective for domain-specific learning when they prompt transactive activities (i.e., activities in which a learner’s reasoning builds on the contribution of a learning partner) and when they are combined with additional content-specific scaffolding (worked examples, concept maps, etc.). Future research on CSCL scripts should include measures of learners’ internal scripts (i.e., prior collaboration skills) and the transactivity of the actual learning process

Intergenomic Arms Races: Detection of a Nuclear Rescue Gene of Male-Killing in a Ladybird

Many species of arthropod are infected by deleterious inherited micro-organisms. Typically these micro-organisms are inherited maternally. Consequently, some, particularly bacteria of the genus Wolbachia, employ a variety of strategies that favour female over male hosts. These strategies include feminisation, induction of parthenogenesis and male-killing. These strategies result in female biased sex ratios in host populations, which lead to selection for host factors that promote male production. In addition, the intra-genomic conflict produced by the difference in transmission of these cytoplasmic endosymbionts and nuclear factors will impose a pressure favouring nuclear factors that suppress the effects of the symbiont. During investigations of the diversity of male-killing bacteria in ladybirds (Coccinellidae), unexpected patterns of vertical transmission of a newly discovered male-killing taxon were observed in the ladybird Cheilomenes sexmaculata. Initial analysis suggested that the expression of the bacterial male-killing trait varies according to the male(s) a female has mated with. By swapping males between females, a male influence on the expression of the male-killing trait was confirmed. Experiments were then performed to determine the nature of the interaction. These studies showed that a single dominant allele, which rescues male progeny of infected females from the pathological effect of the male-killer, exists in this species. The gene shows typical Mendelian autosomal inheritance and is expressed irrespective of the parent from which it is inherited. Presence of the rescue gene in either parent does not significantly affect the inheritance of the symbiont. We conclude that C. sexmaculata is host to a male-killing γ-proteobacterium. Further, this beetle is polymorphic for a nuclear gene, the dominant allele of which rescues infected males from the pathogenic effects of the male-killing agent. These findings represent the first reported case of a nuclear suppressor of male-killing in a ladybird. They are considered in regard to sex ratio and intra-genomic conflict theories, and models of the evolutionary dynamics and distribution of inherited symbionts

Barriers to effective discharge planning: a qualitative study investigating the perspectives of frontline healthcare professionals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies have shown that effective discharge planning is one of the key factors related to the quality of inpatient care and unnecessary hospital readmission. The perception and understanding of hospital discharge by health professionals is important in developing effective discharge planning. The aims of this present study were to explore the perceived quality of current hospital discharge from the perspective of health service providers and to identify barriers to effective discharge planning in Hong Kong.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Focus groups interviews were conducted with different healthcare professionals who were currently responsible for coordinating the discharge planning process in the public hospitals. The discussion covered three main areas: current practice on hospital discharge, barriers to effective hospital discharge, and suggested structures and process for an effective discharge planning system.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Participants highlighted that there was no standardized hospital-wide discharge planning and policy-driven approach in public health sector in Hong Kong. Potential barriers included lack of standardized policy-driven discharge planning program, and lack of communication and coordination among different health service providers and patients in both acute and sub-acute care provisions which were identified as mainly systemic issues. Improving the quality of hospital discharge was suggested, including a multidisciplinary approach with clearly identified roles among healthcare professionals. Enhancement of health professionals' communication skills and knowledge of patient psychosocial needs were also suggested.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A systematic approach to develop the structure and key processes of the discharge planning system is critical in ensuring the quality of care and maximizing organization effectiveness. In this study, important views on barriers experienced in hospital discharge were provided. Suggestions for building a comprehensive, system-wide, and policy-driven discharge planning process with clearly identified staff roles were raised. Communication and coordination across various healthcare parties and provisions were also suggested to be a key focus.</p

Revisiting Gender Differences in Somatic Symptoms of Depression: Much Ado about Nothing?

Women have a higher prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and report more severe depressive symptoms than men. Several studies have suggested that gender differences in depression may occur because women report higher levels of somatic symptoms than men. Those studies, however, have not controlled or matched for non-somatic symptoms. The objective of this study was to examine if women report relatively more somatic symptoms than men matched on cognitive/affective symptoms.Male and female patients receiving treatment for MDD in outpatient psychiatric clinics in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, USA were matched on Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) cognitive/affective symptom scores. Male and female BDI-II somatic symptom scores were compared using independent samples 2-tailed t-tests.Of 472 male and 1,026 female patients, there were 470 male patients (mean age = 40.1 years, SD = 15.1) and 470 female patients (mean age = 43.1 years, SD = 17.2) successfully matched on BDI-II cognitive/affective symptom scores. Somatic symptoms accounted for 35% of total BDI-II scores for male patients versus 38% for matched female patients. Female patients had somatic symptom scores on average 1.3 points higher than males (p<.001), equivalent to 4% of the total BDI-II scores of female patients. Only 5% of male patients and 7% of female patients scored 2 or higher on all BDI-II somatic symptom items.Gender differences in somatic scores were very small. Thus, differences in the experience and reporting of somatic symptoms would not likely explain gender differences in depression rates and symptom severity

The therapeutic effect of clinical trials: understanding placebo response rates in clinical trials – A secondary analysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Placebo response rates in clinical trials vary considerably and are observed frequently. For new drugs it can be difficult to prove effectiveness superior to placebo. It is unclear what contributes to improvement in the placebo groups. We wanted to clarify, what elements of clinical trials determine placebo variability. METHODS: We analysed a representative sample of 141 published long-term trials (randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled; duration > 12 weeks) to find out what study characteristics predict placebo response rates in various diseases. Correlational and regression analyses with study characteristics and placebo response rates were carried out. RESULTS: We found a high and significant correlation between placebo and treatment response rate across diseases (r = .78; p < .001). A multiple regression model explained 79% of the variance in placebo variability (F = 59.7; p < 0.0001). Significant predictors are, among others, the duration of the study (beta = .31), the quality of the study (beta = .18), the fact whether a study is a prevention trial (beta = .44), whether dropouts have been documented (beta = -.20), or whether additional treatments have been documented (beta = -.17). Healing rates with placebo are lower in the following diagnoses; neoplasms (beta = -.21), nervous diseases (beta = -.10), substance abuse (beta = -.14). Without prevention trials the amount of variance explained is 42%. CONCLUSION: Medication response rates and placebo response rates in clinical trials are highly correlated. Trial characteristics can explain some portion of the variance in placebo healing rates in RCTs. Placebo response in trials is only partially due to methodological artefacts and only partially dependent on the diagnoses treated