The status of the world's land and marine mammals: diversity, threat, and knowledge

Knowledge of mammalian diversity is still surprisingly disparate, both regionally and taxonomically. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status and distribution of the world's mammals. Data, compiled by 1700+ experts, cover all 5487 species, including marine mammals. Global macroecological patterns are very different for land and marine species but suggest common mechanisms driving diversity and endemism across systems. Compared with land species, threat levels are higher among marine mammals, driven by different processes (accidental mortality and pollution, rather than habitat loss), and are spatially distinct (peaking in northern oceans, rather than in Southeast Asia). Marine mammals are also disproportionately poorly known. These data are made freely available to support further scientific developments and conservation action

Modelling the effects of partially observed covariates on Poisson process intensity

We propose an estimating function for parameters in a model for Poisson process intensity when time- or space-varying covariates are observed for both the events of the process and at sample times or locations selected from a probability-based sampling design. We investigate the large-sample properties of the proposed estimator under increasing domain asymptotics, demonstrating that it is consistent and asymptotically normally distributed. We illustrate our approach using data from an ecological momentary assessment of smoking. Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.

Mean corrected generalized estimating equations for longitudinal binary outcomes with report bias

Cocaine addiction is an important public health problem worldwide. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a counseling intervention for supporting cocaine-dependent individuals through recovery and relapse prevention. It may reduce patients' cocaine uses by improving their motivations and enabling them to recognize risky situations. To study the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on cocaine dependence, the self-reported cocaine use with urine test data were collected at the Primary Care Center of Yale-New Haven Hospital. Its outcomes are binary, including both the daily self-reported drug uses and weekly urine test results. To date, the generalized estimating equations are widely used to analyze binary data with repeated measures. However, due to the existence of significant self-report bias in the self-reported cocaine use with urine test data, a direct application of the generalized estimating equations approach may not be valid. In this paper, we proposed a novel mean corrected generalized estimating equations approach for analyzing longitudinal binary outcomes subject to reporting bias. The mean corrected generalized estimating equations can provide consistently and asymptotically normally distributed estimators under true contamination probabilities. In the self-reported cocaine use with urine test study, accurate weekly urine test results are used to detect contamination. The superior performances of the proposed method are illustrated by both simulation studies and real data analysis

Complete streets state laws & provisions: An analysis of legislative content and the state policy landscape, 1972–2018

Across the U.S., states have adopted Complete Streets legislative statutes—state laws that direct transportation agencies to routinely design and operate roadways to provide safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and public transit users. To date, there has not been a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the content and provisions of these laws. In this study, Complete Streets state statutes were identified using legal research databases. Using established legal mapping methods, a qualitative analysis was conducted of state laws that were effective through December 2018. A codebook and open-source data set were developed to support the public use of the data. Eighteen states and Washington, DC, have adopted Complete Streets legislative statutes. A total of 21 have been adopted, with 76% (n=16) of laws adopted since 2007. While the laws vary in content, detail, and specificity, several common provisions were identified across statutes. Complete Streets legislative statutes may be essential to ensure that road networks throughout states are safe, connected, and accessible for all users. This study provides key insights into the legislative landscape of Complete Streets state laws and makes available a new data set that can support future evaluations of these laws

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Examining demographic and psychosocial factors related to self-weighing behavior during pregnancy and postpartum periods

Black childbearing individuals in the US experience a higher risk of postpartum weight retention (PPWR) compared to their White counterparts. Given that PPWR is related to adverse health outcomes, it is important to investigate predictors of weight-related health behaviors, such as self-weighing (i.e., using a scale at home). Regular self-weighing is an evidence-based weight management strategy, but there is minimal insight into sociodemographic factors related to frequency. The Postpartum Mothers Mobile Study (PMOMS) facilitated longitudinal ambulatory weight assessments to investigate racial inequities in PPWR. Our objective for the present study was to describe self-weighing behavior during and after pregnancy in the PMOMS cohort, as well as related demographic and psychosocial factors. Applying tree modeling and multiple regression, we examined self-weighing during and after pregnancy. Participants (N = 236) were 30.2 years old on average (SD = 4.7), with the majority being college-educated (53.8%, n = 127), earning at least $30,000 annually (61.4$30,000) were significantly less likely to reach a completion rate of ≥ 80% during pregnancy (AOR = 0.10) or the postpartum period (AOR = 0.16), compared to NHW participants earning at least $30,000 annually. Increases in perceived stress were associated with decreased odds of sustained self-weighing after delivery (AOR = 0.79). Future research should consider behavioral differences across demographic intersections, such as race and socioeconomic status, and the impact on efficacy of self-weighing

<i>K</i>-shuff: A Novel Algorithm for Characterizing Structural and Compositional Diversity in Gene Libraries

<div><p><i>K</i>-shuff is a new algorithm for comparing the similarity of gene sequence libraries, providing measures of the structural and compositional diversity as well as the significance of the differences between these measures. Inspired by Ripley’s <i>K</i>-function for spatial point pattern analysis, the Intra <i>K</i>-function or IKF measures the structural diversity, including both the richness and overall similarity of the sequences, within a library. The Cross <i>K</i>-function or CKF measures the compositional diversity between gene libraries, reflecting both the number of OTUs shared as well as the overall similarity in OTUs. A Monte Carlo testing procedure then enables statistical evaluation of both the structural and compositional diversity between gene libraries. For 16S rRNA gene libraries from complex bacterial communities such as those found in seawater, salt marsh sediments, and soils, <i>K</i>-shuff yields reproducible estimates of structural and compositional diversity with libraries greater than 50 sequences. Similarly, for pyrosequencing libraries generated from a glacial retreat chronosequence and Illumina^® libraries generated from US homes, <i>K</i>-shuff required >300 and 100 sequences per sample, respectively. Power analyses demonstrated that <i>K</i>-shuff is sensitive to small differences in Sanger or Illumina^® libraries. This extra sensitivity of <i>K</i>-shuff enabled examination of compositional differences at much deeper taxonomic levels, such as within abundant OTUs. This is especially useful when comparing communities that are compositionally very similar but functionally different. <i>K</i>-shuff will therefore prove beneficial for conventional microbiome analysis as well as specific hypothesis testing.</p></div