Monitoring Movement Patterns in Choughs

During soft-release reintroductions, biotelemetry devices are often used to track the movement patterns of released individuals. Very high frequency (VHF) and Global Positioning System (GPS) are commonly used telemetry methods, providing accurate locations. An alternative is dead-reckoning, providing high-resolution movement paths from heading and speed measurements, showing fine-scale changes that VHF may not identify. Errors in speed estimation can accumulate, however, producing wide error margins in flight distances and locations. I assess the utility of both techniques in relation to the release of red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) on Jersey, UK. First, I use VHF locations to examine dispersal and habitat selection. I then go on to consider the potential of dead-reckoning for future monitoring, by examining the main determinants of error in flight distance and bearing in a similar-sized bird. The reintroduced choughs undertook small movements close to the release site, with individuals travelling as a flock, and dispersal distance showing no clear increase through time. Coastal grassland was the most used habitat, despite low availability, raising the possibility that dispersal may be limited by a lack of suitable habitat. The chough’s relatively short flight distances and tendency to return to a verifiable location, mean that dead-reckoning could potentially work well as a method to reconstruct their movement paths. However, drift was influenced by flight height, tailwind support and tortuosity. The effect of even low wind speeds on drift shown here suggests this would likely have an even greater influence in locations with higher wind speeds, such as Jersey. Ultimately, the use of multiple low-power telemetry systems could prove powerful, with corrected dead-reckoning providing new insight on the movement frequency, distances and paths as well as habitat selection, that could better inform conservation policy

Is Montana’s “24/7 Sobriety Program” Deterring Drunk Drivers?

Nationally and at the state level policy makers are continually seeking ways to effectively deter drunk drivers and lower the risk and social costs they impose on society. Alcohol related accidents account for nearly $60 billion in damages in the United States each year. Montana is no exception to this problem. In 2008, Montana was ranked the deadliest state based on per capita driving under the influence (DUI) fatalities. To combat this issue some counties in Montana have introduced the “24/7 Sobriety Program.” The main goal of the program is to increase the likelihood and severity of punishment for repeat offenders as well as to address the underlying issue of alcohol dependence and heavy drinking with forced abstinence, education and treatment. According to previous studies on DUI deterrence, increasing the risk of arrest and surety of penalty will increasingly deter individuals from driving drunk. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether Montana’s “24/7 Sobriety Program” is a more effective deterrent of drunk driving than previous Montana DUI policies. To answer this question a Differences-in-Differences regression analysis is conducted to compare the change in the number of drunk driving arrests in Montana counties using the “24/7 Sobriety Program” with those Montana counties not using the program so as to determine the deterrent effect of the program. Initial fixed-effects regression analyses suggest that the program does not have a statistically significant effect on the total monthly DUI arrests

With or Without The Table, We Gather: Reinforcing Innate Resiliencies in the African American Family

This quantitative study aims to determine whether food-sharing (gathering to eat) can be considered a suitable medium to facilitate increased cohesion within African American families. This study focuses on informal food-sharing as an extension of formal meal-sharing. Previous research links consistent formal meal-sharing to positive and secure identity development, better familial attachment, and improved family cohesion. These practices leave a lasting, detrimental impact on the African American family model. Additional barriers to some African American family meal-sharing practices include working extended and atypical work hours, food insecurity, and poor familial communication. There is a lack of research concerning the impact on African American families and food-sharing. Food-sharing, as defined in this study, is gathering to share food but not sharing a meal. This study will contribute to the relationship between the collective sharing of food and African American families. This study could be beneficial in developing culture-specific approaches to improving the quality of family communication and interactions during food-sharing to help strengthen, maintain, and repair the African American family unit

#liveyourbestlife : considering the discursive construction of feminine psychological wellbeing within Instagram during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Aotearoa, New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology, at Massey University, New Zealand

Informed by post-feminist theory (Gill, 2017; McRobbie, 2007), which contends that there are societal expectations around how feminine subjects live their lives, I question how feminine psychological wellbeing is discursively constructed within Instagram during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand. There is currently a lack of research on how feminine psychological wellbeing is constituted within digital spaces. There is also an increasing social emphasis on the importance of psychological wellbeing, which has continued since the response to COVID-19. This project was an opportunity to consider and critique dominant understandings of psychological wellbeing. Based on a feminist post-structural epistemology, the project is qualitative, utilising a critical discourse analysis of public Instagram posts. My interest was in identifying and critiquing the discourses present in the postings and how they may contribute to expectations for feminine psychological wellbeing, at present, considering the unique experience of lockdown during COVID-19. The analysis of these public postings was informed by a reflexive consideration of my own Instagram consumption at this time, as this informed the analytical lens brought to the project. The analysis demonstrated that a feminine audience was being addressed in a direct and instructional manner. Dominant understandings of successful femininity that were reflective of neoliberal and post-feminist ideals, were drawn on to constitute feminine psychological wellbeing and white, middle-class, heteronormative, young feminine figures were presented as normative within this content. Traditional Eurocentric norms of femininity were evident as reformulated and reinstituted within this post-feminist context. Feminine psychological wellbeing was described as constant work upon the feminine self, with specific sites for control and discipline including feelings, thoughts, the body, and behaviour. During Aotearoa's first COVID-19 lockdown, feminine subjects were encouraged to get through and stay resilient, by working on themselves, focusing on what they could control, and remaining productive

Indigenous Relationality is the Heartbeat of Indigenous Existence during COVID-19

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, this essay offers Indigenous knowledge systems that highlight strategies for survival. Indigenous peoples understand that human lives are interdependent with and contingent on living in ethical relations with other people, with our ancestors, with plants and animals, and with the natural world overall. Indigenous systems of relationality are the heartbeat of Indigenous existence. They help to illuminate approaches to physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual health. Using the Medicine Wheel framework as an analytical tool, we indicate how Indigenous people can survive and thrive during these times. To create a just democracy and ensure our ecological and sociological future, we must consider the multidimensional needs of all beings. While relational responsibilities are at the heart of many Indigenous worldviews, they extend to all of us. Responsible relations with the natural world sustain human livelihood everywhere, connecting us all in a vast web of life

From the Editors

Editors\u27 Note

Toward Alaska Native research and data sovereignty: Observations and experiences from the Yukon Flats

Indigenous Peoples research and data sovereignty is of paramount importance to a healthy relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the research enterprise. The development of Indigenous methods and methodologies lends itself to the hot discussion of research and data or, as we posit, knowledge born from Alaska Native communities’ experiences and observations since time immemorial. Within the context of climate change, Alaska Native communities in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge (Flats) are experiencing research fatigue. There are an extraordinary number of researchers applying constant pressure on Alaska Native communities on the Yukon Flats to engage with research ideas and pursuits that are not of their own needs. In concert with large and frequent grant dollars that are promoting research with Alaska Native Peoples and demand grant proposals have components of coproduction of knowledge intertwined with the research. With so much research directed at, not with, Alaska Native communities on the Yukon Flats, never has it been more important to shape research and data sovereignty with Alaska Native communities based on their needs and their worldviews. This article works to demonstrate how established Indigenous methods in collaboration with Alaska Native and Allies scholarship alongside Alaska Native communities inform the future of Alaska Native research and data sovereignty

Leveraging Survey Results In Support of a Library Renovation: A Case Study

The Health Sciences Library (HSL) at Stony Brook University along with the School of Medicine were motivated to make improvements in seating and hours based on survey results from an LCME self-study. Preparation for the site visit from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education helped to garner resources and support for this initiative. To meet the evolving needs of the HSL patrons, librarians completed an overdue collection assessment project which allowed for 142 new seats, including newly designed spaces and furnishings. Ongoing assessment of the redesigned space will be conducted to evaluate success and areas for continued improvement