Assessment of Indiana bat reproductive condition, recapture trends, and temperatures of artificial roosts in Kentucky

Recovery of bat species impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS) will necessarily require population growth. I assessed reproductive capability of the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) in Kentucky, where WNS was first detected in hibernacula in April 2011. Due to loss of fat reserves associated with WNS infection, coupled with the energetic expenditures associated with pregnancy, I hypothesized mass of reproductively-active females captured during the maternity season would decrease across my data collection period (2017-2019). Further, I predicted that reproductive rates in the study population would be lower than historic rates for Kentucky. Mist net surveys around artificial maternity roosts at three focal management areas resulted in the capture of 866 Indiana bats across 22 netting events during the 2017-2019 maternity seasons. I examined changes in female mass (a measure of reproductive health) across years in order to determine how bats responded to WNS, and also assessed population trends in female pregnancy and lactation timing over the course of a season. A linear mixed model (LMM) was used to examine the effects of year (an analog for WNS impact) and wing score on the mass of female bats during the maternity season within my study term. To assess and account for the influence of other variables (reproductive condition, right-forearm length, capture date, site) on female mass, I conducted Akaike information criterion (AIC) model selection and restricted analysis to relevant models. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) with binomial distribution were implemented to determine if reproductive proportion differed between my field-collected data versus historic records for Kentucky. Counter to expectations, data at the population-level indicate 92% of adult female Indiana bat captures exhibited signs of reproduction (pregnancy, lactation, or post-lactation). Further, juvenile bats comprised 55% of captures in surveys during the post-parturition phase of the maternity season, and multiple juveniles were recaptured as reproductive adults during the study. Although reproductive proportion trended lower in post-WNS captures (92% compared to 99% pre-WNS) no significant difference was found between pre and post-WNS reproductive proportions. Across the three years of my study, post-WNS within-colony reproductive proportions did not differ. These data suggest reproductive potential has been sustained in the studied colonies despite bats’ exposure to WNS during hibernation; promising evidence for persistence of the species. Even so, optimized management of maternity habitat remains critical to support population recoveries from WNS. Additionally, I reported band recovery data of bats at the study colonies. While banding provides valuable information on migratory behavior, travel distances, survival rates and reproductive rates, among other behavioral insights, band recovery rates are persistently low. My study was designed to apply bands in large numbers to determine recapture rates at focal management locations of the Indiana bat during the maternity season, and to investigate bat movement within and from these locations. Relying on the same mist net surveys as my first chapter, a total of 119 recaptures were observed at an overall recapture rate of 14%. Within-year recapture rates in individual years of the study increased from 1% in 2017 to 18% in 2018, leveling at 17% in 2019. Most recaptures at each site occurred within June of each year. Recaptures at the more intensively sampled Veterans Memorial Wildlife Management Area (VWMA) demonstrated occurrences of roost switching and movement between three discrete clusters of roosts. Recoveries were recorded in 4 Kentucky hibernacula, two of which (Bat and Saltpeter Caves) ranked within the 10 most populous Indiana bat hibernacula in the 2019 range-wide population survey. Links were also revealed between a hibernaculum in Indiana and two capture sites, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest (BARF) and Yellowbank Wildlife Management Area (YWMA). Five of these recoveries were recorded in Jug Hole Cave, reported as the second largest Indiana bat hibernaculum in 2019 range-wide surveys. Most female hibernacula recaptures with known reproductive condition (80%) showed signs of reproduction upon first capture. Additionally, two females exhibited reproductive capability prior to and following their recovery in caves. These observations demonstrate the ability of female Indiana bats to continue the migratory cycle despite WNS-related energy depletions coupled with expenditures of pregnancy, and provide evidence that female Indiana bats can engage in reproduction following potential WNS exposure during the hibernation period. Finally, I investigated temperature conditions and use of artificial roosts by Indiana bats. Deployment of artificial roost structures is an increasingly common strategy in bat research and management, and understanding potential benefits and impacts of these structures on roosting bats is imperative to management of imperiled species. Although all roosts fluctuate in temperature, roosts that remain cool (\u3c15°C) for extended periods may cause bouts of torpor, potentially impacting females during maternal seasons. Overheating roosts (\u3e40°C) can cause heat stress, while extreme overheating events cause mortality. I hypothesized that temperatures would differ across three roost clusters based on differing levels of solar exposure at our focal study site, VWMA, a location with well-documented presence of Indiana bats in Kentucky and discrete sections of BrandenBark™ artificial roosts spread across the landscape. I also predicted that live potential roost trees at the site would be cooler than artificial roosts, and when comparing artificial habitat only, that bats would be found in greater densities at warmer artificial roosts due to preference for solar exposed snags. To record roost temperatures, data loggers were placed on the exterior of false bark on roost structures at northeast and southwest aspects (n = 38) and set to capture hourly temperature through the maternity season. Data loggers were placed in the same orientation on one live tree in each cluster (n = 6). Bat use of structures was indexed via standardized guano screens, with guano collected every 2-3 days from different clusters. Generalized linear models (GLM) approximating a gamma distribution and AIC model selection processes were used to determine the most influential variables on daily mean, minimum, and maximum roost temperature. Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to determine if artificial roosts differed in temperature from live trees. Graphing approaches were implemented to explore relationships between temperature and roost use by bats. North, Central and South roost clusters did not vary significantly from one another in temperature profile, and aspect placement of roost data loggers did not cause deviations in mean, minimum, or maximum daily temperature of roosts. Comparisons between live trees and artificial roosts resulted in no significant difference between daily mean and minimum temperature, while daily maximum temperature was slightly higher at artificial roosts. No temperature measurements were collected that exceeded the maximum temperature threshold of 40°C. Daily minimum temperature for individual loggers fell below the minimum threshold on 648 instances across 29 days, representing temperatures across all roosts, leading to the conclusion that bats at VWMA are under greater threat from roosts falling under 15°C than overheating. However, results may have differed had loggers been placed on the interior of false bark on roosts. Bats exhibited the highest densities at the South cluster of roosts, followed by the Central and North clusters. However, the colony appeared to spread across VWMA throughout the season, and cumulative collection from the greatest-use roost in each cluster accounted for 36% of all guano collected in the study. The lack of significant temperature difference between clusters, and persistent use of all roost clusters at VWMA indicates each provides suitable habitat for Indiana bat maternity colonies. All artificial roosts were used at VWMA in 2019 and roost switching was confirmed, indicating suitability of roosts placed in a variety of habitat conditions, and the ability of bats to successfully relocate. Reproduction and pup rearing were observed at all three clusters, indicating the importance of variation in roost placement on the landscape for opportunistic selection. Selection of roosts by Indiana bats is likely the result of additional unknown factors

Interrogating the prevention approach of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 for people with mental health needs who are homeless

Rates of homelessness and poor mental health present significant challenges across the globe. In this article, we explore how these intersecting issues have been addressed in Wales through Part 2 of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 through a paradigm shift towards a prevention model. This article reports findings from a study (conducted between 2016 and 2018) which evaluated the processes and impacts of the Act against the backdrop of welfare reform and systemic changes taking place in Wales and the UK. Using new evidence, we offer a critical examination of how homelessness prevention policy operates in practice and how social values and power affect policy implementation. We offer new evidence of the translation of policy into practice through the experiences of two stakeholder groups: people with mental health needs and service providers. In doing so, we offer a critique of how policy and practice could be modified to improve outcomes for homeless people with implications for prevention policy in Wales and in other contexts and different welfare regimes

Elder homicide: A systematic literature review

This paper presents the findings of the first review of the research-based evidence reporting the phenomenon of elder homicide. A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published across the world (between 1982 and 2018) was undertaken. A total of 33 articles were identified and appraised using PRISMA including quantitative (n = 30) and mixed methods (n = 3) studies. Four themes were identified in the synthesis of findings: victim characteristics; offender characteristics; victim-offender relationship; and offence characteristics. Through a critical discussion, these themes, and the emerging typology, are contextualised to argue that these findings could influence the improvement of policy and practice, and inform future research, for vulnerable elderly people at risk of violence and homicide. A gap identified in the literature was the lack of identification and analysis of risk factors for elder homicide which provides evidence of the need for further research on elder homicide, risk and risk management

Elder Abuse Vulnerability and Risk Factors: Is Financial Abuse Different from other Subtypes?

Elder abuse (EA) affects one in six older adults, and financial EA, a common subtype, severely impacts victims and society. Understanding victim vulnerability and perpetrator risk factors is essential to EA prevention and management. The limited existing evidence about these factors in relation to EA types suggests that financial EA is different. In a cross-sectional quantitative analysis of secondary data (N = 1,238) we investigated EA vulnerability and risk factors, and victim-perpetrator family relationship, with respect to different EA types (financial only, financial co-occurring with other types, and non-financial abuse). Financial abuse-only cases had the lowest prevalence of vulnerability and risk factors. Most of these factors, and a familial relationship, were significantly more common in cases involving other EA types. Findings indicate that financial abuse, occurring in isolation, is distinct from other EA types. Risk assessment and future research should consider financial abuse separately to other EA forms

Density Can Be Misleading for Low-Density Species: Benefits of Passive Acoustic Monitoring

Climate-induced changes may be more substantial within the marine environment, where following ecological change is logistically difficult, and typically expensive. As marine animals tend to produce stereotyped, long-range signals, they are ideal for repeatable surveying. In this study we illustrate the potential for calling rates to be used as a tool for determining habitat quality by using an Antarctic pack-ice seal, the leopard seal, as a model. With an understanding of the vocal behavior of a species, their seasonal and diurnal patterns, sex and age-related differences, an underwater passive-acoustic survey conducted alongside a visual survey in an arc of 4,225 km across the Davis Sea, Eastern Antarctica, showed that while acoustic and visual surveys identified similar regions as having high densities, the acoustic surveys surprisingly identified the opposite regions as being 'critical' habitats. Density surveys of species that cannot be differentiated into population classes may be misleading because overall density can be a negative indicator of habitat quality. Under special circumstances acoustics can offer enormous advantage over traditional techniques and open up monitoring to regions that are remote, difficult and expensive to work within, no longer restricting long-term community assessment to resource-wealthy communities. As climatic change affects a broad range of organisms across geographic boundaries we propose that capitalizing on the significant advances in passive acoustic technology, alongside physical acoustics and population modeling, can help in addressing ecological questions more broadly

Challenges to implementing the new homelessness prevention agenda in Wales

Devolution presented an opportunity for the Welsh Government to introduce changes to housing and homelessness policy, and the subsequent homelessness reforms are seen as one of the best examples to date of the Welsh Government using its powers. However, devolved governments in small countries face a number of challenges in terms of realising their housing policy ambitions. In this article we argue that there is inevitable dissonance between the policy behind the Welsh Government legislation (prevention) and practice (implementation) associated with structural challenges (for example austerity and budget restrictions, Welfare Reform and the availability of affordable accommodation). In response we propose a number of actions the Welsh Government might undertake to attempt to mitigate such structural challenges which also resonate in the English context where welfare retrenchment and homelessness prevention policies operate simultaneously

A theory on reports of constructive (real) and illusory posttraumatic growth

It has been suggested that self-reported posttraumatic growth could sometimes be considered as a way for people to protect themselves from the distress of trauma. In this case, reports of posttraumatic growth could be illusory. We suggest a theory on self-reported constructive (real) posttraumatic growth and illusory posttraumatic growth by using Rogers’s (1959) theory and the work by Vaillant (1995). Through this theoretical framework we attempt to explain when reports of posttraumatic growth are likely to be constructive and real and when such reports are likely to represent aspects of illusions. We will also consider the implications for research practice

Clonality, virulence and antimicrobial resistance of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli from Bangladesh

Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) is a global cause of gastrointestinal infection yet little is known about the virulence or antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of EAEC in regions of the world where diarrhoeal disease is most common. In Bangladesh diarrhoeal disease is one of the leading causes of mortality and extensive case control studies have linked specific EAEC clonal complexes with pathogenic potential

Polly’s story : using structural narrative analysis to understand a trans migration journey

There is scant theoretical and empirical research on experiences of trans and its significance for social work practice. In this paper we premise that research on trans identity and practice needs to be located in particular temporal, cultural, spatial/geographical contexts and argue that a structural narrative analytical approach centring on plot, offers the opportunity to unravel the ‘how’ and ‘why’ stories are told. We posit that attending to narrative structure facilitates a deeper understanding of trans people’s situated, lived experiences than thematic narrative analysis alone, since people organise their narratives according to a culturally available repertoire including plots. The paper focuses on the life and narrative of Polly, a male-to-female trans woman, and her gender migration journey using the plot typology ‘the Quest’. We are cognisant of the limitations to structural narrative analysis and Western conventions of storytelling, and acknowledge that our approach is subjective; however, we argue that knowledge itself is contextual and perspective ridden, shaped by researchers and participants. Our position holds that narratives are not – and cannot – be separated from the context in which they are told, and importantly the resources used to tell them, and that analysing narrative structure can contextualise individual unique biographies and give voice to less heard communities

Sociodemographic influences on youth sport participation and physical activity among children living within concentrated Hispanic/Latino rural communities

IntroductionLack of physical activity (PA) among children living in rural communities is a documented public health problem. Although studies have examined community conditions defined by a rural–urban dichotomy, few have investigated rural community conditions with a concentration of Hispanic/Latino people. This cross-sectional study examined sociodemographic characteristics associated with youth sport (YS) participation and daily PA among children living within concentrated Hispanic/Latino rural U.S. Midwest communities.MethodsDuring spring 2022, 97% of 3rd–6th grade children (n = 281, aged approximately 8–12 years) attending school in rural Midwestern communities (n = 2) with >50% concentration of Hispanic students participated in the Wellscapes Project, a community randomized trial. Participants completed the Youth Activity Profile and supplemental National Survey of Children’s Health questions assessing PA behaviors and YS participation. Caregivers of a subsample of children (n = 215; males, n = 93; females, n = 122) consented to pair their child’s survey results with school enrollment records (e.g., free/reduced lunch status and race and ethnicity). Mixed models with community as a random effect examined main and interaction effects of grade, sex, ethnoracial status, and family income on YS participation and these sociodemographic characteristics and YS participation on daily moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA).ResultsApproximately half of children participated in YS. Non-Hispanic White children (n = 82) were over five times more likely to participate in YS than Hispanic peers (n = 133) (OR = 5.54, 95% CI = 2.64–11.61, p < 0.001). YS participants accumulated 8.3 ± 2.3 more minutes of daily MVPA than non-participants (p < 0.001). Sixth graders, females, and Hispanic children reported lower daily MVPA than comparison groups (p < 0.05). Significant interaction effects on daily MVPA between grade and ethnoracial status (F(3, 204) = 3.04, p = 0.030) were also found.DiscussionDisparities in sport participation and PA outcomes based on sociodemographic characteristics exist among children living in ethnoracially diverse rural communities. Strategies to promote YS participation, including community structural changes, may help reduce PA disparities. The research provides valuable insights for policymakers, public health professionals, and community members to address YS participation barriers, not limited to cost, while considering other PA-promotion efforts to improve child population health