A comparison of lead-based and lead-free bullets for shooting sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) in Australia

Context. In response to the toxic health threats posed by lead (Pb), there is currently a focus on transitioning to lead-free bullets for shooting wild animals. Aim. We aimed to quantify the killing efficiency and animal welfare outcomes of lead-based and lead-free (copper-based) bullets for ground-based shooting of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) in Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Methods. We used shooter-collected data from recreational diurnal hunting and professional nocturnal culling during 2020–2021. Shooters recorded rifle calibre, cartridge type, bullet mass, bullet type, shooting outcomes (miss, wound or kill), shooting distance, flight distance (the distance between where the animal was shot and where it died) as an assumed positive correlate of time to incapacitation, anatomical zones struck by bullets, and frequency of bullet exit wounds. We used flight distance as our response variable, assuming that it is positively correlated with time to incapacitation. To examine the role of several predictor variables (including bullet type) potentially influencing flight distance, the dataset was reduced to those deer killed with a single thoracic shot. Key results. Our data captured shooting events involving 276 deer, with 124 deer shot at with lead-based bullets and 152 with copper-based bullets. Most (87%) of the deer were killed with a single shot. The frequency of non-fatal wounding was <4% for both bullet types and there was no distinct difference in the probability of a single shot kill for deer shot with either bullet type. For those deer killed with a single thoracic shot (n = 198), there was no evidence that bullet energy or shooting distance influenced flight distance. After accounting for differences in terminal kinetic energy, the mean flight distance of deer shot with lead-free bullets (35 m) was 56% greater than that of deer shot with lead-based bullets (22 m). Conclusions. Lead-based and lead-free bullets produced similar animal welfare outcomes for shooting sambar deer. Implications. A transition to lead-free ammunition for shooting sambar deer would have minimal impact on efficiency or animal welfare outcomes. animal welfare, culling, human dimensions, invasive species, population control, recreational hunting, toxicology, wildlife management.publishedVersio

A comparison of lead-based and lead-free bullets for shooting sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) in Australia

Context: In response to the toxic health threats posed by lead (Pb), there is currently a focus on transitioning to lead-free bullets for shooting wild animals. Aim: We aimed to quantify the killing efficiency and animal welfare outcomes of lead-based and lead-free (copper-based) bullets for ground-based shooting of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) in Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Methods: We used shooter-collected data from recreational diurnal hunting and professional nocturnal culling during 2020–2021. Shooters recorded rifle calibre, cartridge type, bullet mass, bullet type, shooting outcomes (miss, wound or kill), shooting distance, flight distance (the distance between where the animal was shot and where it died) as an assumed positive correlate of time to incapacitation, anatomical zones struck by bullets, and frequency of bullet exit wounds. We used flight distance as our response variable, assuming that it is positively correlated with time to incapacitation. To examine the role of several predictor variables (including bullet type) potentially influencing flight distance, the dataset was reduced to those deer killed with a single thoracic shot. Key results: Our data captured shooting events involving 276 deer, with 124 deer shot at with lead-based bullets and 152 with copper-based bullets. Most (87%) of the deer were killed with a single shot. The frequency of non-fatal wounding was <4% for both bullet types and there was no distinct difference in the probability of a single shot kill for deer shot with either bullet type. For those deer killed with a single thoracic shot (n = 198), there was no evidence that bullet energy or shooting distance influenced flight distance. After accounting for differences in terminal kinetic energy, the mean flight distance of deer shot with lead-free bullets (35 m) was 56% greater than that of deer shot with lead-based bullets (22 m). Conclusions: Lead-based and lead-free bullets produced similar animal welfare outcomes for shooting sambar deer. Implications: A transition to lead-free ammunition for shooting sambar deer would have minimal impact on efficiency or animal welfare outcomes

Effect of Monthly, High‐Dose, Long‐Term Vitamin D Supplementation on Central Blood Pressure Parameters: A Randomized Controlled Trial Substudy

Background: The effects of monthly, high‐dose, long‐term (≥1‐year) vitamin D supplementation on central blood pressure (BP) parameters are unknown. Methods and Results: A total of 517 adults (58% male, aged 50–84 years) were recruited into a double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled trial substudy and randomized to receive, for 1.1 years (median; range: 0.9–1.5 years), either (1) vitamin D3 200 000 IU (initial dose) followed 1 month later by monthly 100 000‐IU doses (n=256) or (2) placebo monthly (n=261). At baseline (n=517) and follow‐up (n=380), suprasystolic oscillometry was undertaken, yielding aortic BP waveforms and hemodynamic parameters. Mean deseasonalized 25‐hydroxyvitamin D increased from 66 nmol/L (SD: 24) at baseline to 122 nmol/L (SD: 42) at follow‐up in the vitamin D group, with no change in the placebo group. Despite small, nonsignificant changes in hemodynamic parameters in the total sample (primary outcome), we observed consistently favorable changes among the 150 participants with vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/L) at baseline. In this subgroup, mean changes in the vitamin D group (n=71) versus placebo group (n=79) were −5.3 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI], −11.8 to 1.3) for brachial systolic BP (P=0.11), −2.8 mm Hg (95% CI, −6.2 to 0.7) for brachial diastolic BP (P=0.12), −7.5 mm Hg (95% CI, −14.4 to −0.6) for aortic systolic BP (P=0.03), −5.7 mm Hg (95% CI, −10.8 to −0.6) for augmentation index (P=0.03), −0.3 m/s (95% CI, −0.6 to −0.1) for pulse wave velocity (P=0.02), −8.6 mm Hg (95% CI, −15.4 to −1.9) for peak reservoir pressure (P=0.01), and −3.6 mm Hg (95% CI, −6.3 to −0.8) for backward pressure amplitude (P=0.01). Conclusions: Monthly, high‐dose, 1‐year vitamin D supplementation lowered central BP parameters among adults with vitamin D deficiency but not in the total sample. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au. Unique identifier: ACTRN12611000402943

Lead ammunition residues in a hunted Australian grassland bird, the stubble quail (Coturnix pectoralis): Implications for human and wildlife health.

Scavenging and predatory wildlife can ingest lead (Pb) from lead-based ammunition and become poisoned when feeding on shot game animals. Humans can similarly be exposed to ammunition-derived lead when consuming wild-shot game animals. Studies have assessed the degree of lead contamination in the carcasses of game animals but this scrutiny has not so far extended to Australia. Stubble quail (Coturnix pectoralis) are one of the only native non-waterfowl bird species that can be legally hunted in Australia, where it is commonly hunted with lead shot. The aim of this study was to characterize lead contamination in quail harvested with lead-based ammunition. The frequency, dimensions, and number of lead fragments embedded in carcasses were assessed through use of radiography (X-ray). From these data, the average quantity of lead available to scavenging wildlife was estimated along with potential risks to human consumers. We radiographed 37 stubble quail harvested by hunters using 12-gauge (2.75") shotguns to fire shells containing 28 g (1 oz) of #9 (2 mm or 0.08" diameter) lead shot in western Victoria, Australia, in Autumn 2021. Radiographs revealed that 81% of carcasses contained embedded pellets and/or fragments with an average of 1.62 embedded pellets detected per bird. By excising and weighing a sample of 30 shotgun pellets (all had a mass of 0.75 grain or 48.6 mg), we calculated an average lead load of 78 mg/100 g of body mass. This was a conservative estimate, because fragments were not considered. This level of lead contamination was comparable to hunted bird species examined using similar methods in Europe. The quantity and characteristics of lead ammunition residues found suggest that predatory and scavenging wildlife and some groups of human consumers will be at risk of negative health impacts

Supporting Creative Problem Solving with a Case-Based Reasoning System

Attention for the division of work between computers and humans is growing due to ever-increasing computer capabilities. Over the past decades, creativity support systems (CSSs) have gained ground as a means to enhance individual, group, and organizational creativity. Whereas prior research has focused primarily on the main effects of CSSs, we explore the interaction effects with the creative ability of the individual. In this paper, we investigate the use of the case-based reasoning (CBR) technology, which is based on the principle of analogical reasoning, to aid individuals in solving business problems creatively. The expectations as to why the CBR technology should enhance individual creativity, and under what conditions (i.e., the type and number of cases that are made available), are derived from creative cognition theory, and are tested empirically. In a series of studies, a CBR system loaded with a diverse set of cases was found to enhance the performance of individuals with lower creative ability, but it did not help the most creative individuals. Although the literature suggests that cases from remote problem domains should lead to more novel solutions, loading the CBR system only with cases closely related to the problem domain proved more effective than remote cases only. Finally, loading the CBR system with a larger set of diverse cases was found to positively influence the creativity of the solutions. These findings have the following implications for CSSs and creative cognition theory: (1) when considering the effectiveness of CSSs it is important to take into account the creative ability of the individual (i.e., "one size does not fit all"), (2) making a sufficiently large and diverse set of cases available is better for stimulating creativity, and (3) providing cases that are too remote may be counterproductive. On a practical note, organizations seeking to redesign their division of labor between individuals and machines can easily follow the CBR approach presented here using their own set of cases