Seasonal space use, habitat preference and survival of female wild turkeys in a Louisiana bottomland hardwood forest

Female wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) were captured and radio-marked in a bottomland hardwood forest in south-central Louisiana. Turkeys were monitored using radio telemetry from fixed points on Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge, and Bayou des Ourses to observe seasonal patterns of space use, habitat preference and survival from 2002-04. The largest mean seasonal home range of 902.87 ha occurred during preincubation (15 Feb – 9 Apr; n = 24) when females typically search for suitable nest sites, and the smallest mean seasonal home range was 434.12 ha, during brood-rearing (1 Jun – 30 Sep; n = 32) when movement was limited by poults. Abundant herbaceous plant communities, resulting from mild winters likely allowed reduced home ranges (621.84 ha) during fall-winter (1 Oct – 14 Feb; n = 18), whereas limited nest sites increased space use during preincubation. Low nest initiation likely contributed to relatively large home ranges (495.91 ha) observed during incubation (10 Apr – 31 May; n = 25). Upland and lowland forests were selected by females when selecting home ranges, relative to habitat availability on the study area [1st order selection]. Lowland forest was selected during fall-winter, whereas upland forest was selected during the remainder of the year. Water-based forest, upland forest and openings were selected in core areas relative to habitats available in the home range [2nd order selection]. Openings were important during fall-winter and brood-rearing, whereas upland forest was selected during preincubation and water-based forest was preferred during incubation. Females consistently used water-based forest relative to habitat availability in their home ranges throughout the year [3rd order selection]. Mean annual survival was 0.59 from 6 March 2001 to 27 August 2004. Seasonal survival was greatest during preincubation (1.00) potentially due to increased habitat sampling and movement during this time period. Fall-winter survival was high (0.95), likely from mild winter climate and abundant herbaceous vegetation. Lowest survival occurred during incubation (0.80) and brood-rearing (0.85), primarily as a result of increased risks of predation associated with nesting and foraging broods

The criterion for truth with special reference to Montague's "The Ways of Knowing"

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Gaps in Facility Care for East Asian Cultural Groups in Selected GVRD Communities: A Geographic Information Systems and Focus Group Report

This Highlight Report provides findings on patterns of residential care (RC) and assisted living (AL) utilization in Burnaby, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver, and White Rock among persons of East Asian (EA) (defined as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino) and non-EA ethnic backgrounds. South Asians were not included in this ethnic grouping due to different cultural service needs. The findings in this report are based on GIS (geographic information system) analyses of census data coupled with data on RC and AL facilities from several sources, including the Office of the Seniors Advocate of BC, the Assisted Living Registry, Health Authorities, and a survey covering 95% of all 111 publically funded facilities (66 RC and 45 AL) for seniors in the catchment area. These data are supplemented with thematic analyses drawn from four focus groups

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Cyclist Collisions in Germany: Variations in Frequency, Severity of Injury, and Type of Collision in 2019

Cycling has gained increasing interest in Germany in recent years due to its manifold environmental, societal, and economic benefits. However, the number of cyclist collisions resulting in injury or death remains high and little is known about regional variations in frequency, severity of injury, and type of collision. This study investigates spatial and temporal patterns and characteristics of cyclist collisions across Germany in 2019. Using a detailed cyclist collision dataset for most German federal states, we identified statistically significant regional differences in frequency, severity of injury, and type of collision. To facilitate this and future cyclist collision surveillance studies in Germany, we developed and published a custom R package to download and combine the collision data with geographical data. Our analysis reveals that densely populated regions exhibit higher collision rates and a higher share of collisions involving turns, but lower severity of injuries and a lower share of collisions whilst driving in a straight line, a higher collision frequency during the work week compared to weekends, and a higher collision frequency peak during morning rush hour. We also observed a markedly high share of fatal bicycle-truck collisions in densely populated regions. In contrast, rural regions show lower collision rates, but a higher share of severe collisions, a higher share of collisions whilst driving in a straight line, as well as higher collision frequencies during weekends and summer months. Our findings underscore the complex and multifaceted geographical variations in collisions involving cyclists. The results of this study suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to collision prevention infrastructure and policy may be insufficient for addressing variations in risk, and that future efforts to improve cyclist safety should be tailored to the local geographical context.Peer Reviewe

Population-Based Incidence Trends of Oropharyngeal and Oral Cavity Cancers by Sex among the Poorest and Underprivileged Populations

Background Oral cancer is an important health issue, with changing incidence in many countries. Oropharyngeal cancer (OPC, in tonsil and oropharygeal areas) is increasing, while oral cavity cancer (OCC, other sites in the mouth) is decreasing. There is the need to identify high risk groups and communities for further study and intervention. The objective of this study was to determine how the incidence of OPC and OCC varied by neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES) in British Columbia (BC), including the magnitude of any inequalities and temporal trends. Methods ICDO-3 codes were used to identify OPC and OCC cases in the BC Cancer Registry from 1981–2010. Cases were categorized by postal codes into SES quintiles (q1-q5) using VANDIX, which is a census-based, multivariate weighted index based on neighbourhood average household income, housing tenure, educational attainment, employment and family structure. Age-standardized incidence rates were determined for OPC and OCC by sex and SES quintiles and temporal trends were then examined. Results Incidence rates are increasing in both men and women for OPC, and decreasing in men and increasing in women for OCC. This change is not linear or proportionate between different SES quintiles, for there is a sharp and dramatic increase in incidence according to the deprivation status of the neighbourhood. The highest incidence rates in men for both OPC and OCC were observed in the most deprived SES quintile (q5), at 1.7 times and 2.2 times higher, respectively, than men in the least deprived quintile (q1). For OPC, the age-adjusted incidence rates significantly increased in all SES quintiles with the highest increase observed in the most deprived quintile (q5). Likewise, the highest incidence rates for both OPC and OCC in women were observed in the most deprived SES quintile (q5), at 2.1 times and 1.8 times higher, respectively, than women in the least deprived quintile (q1). Conclusion We report on SES disparities in oral cancer, emphasizing the need for community-based interventions that address access to medical care and the distribution of educational and health promotion resources among the most SES deprived communities in British Columbia

Suburbanisation of Oral Cavity Cancers: Evidence From a Geographically-Explicit Observational Study of Incidence Trends in British Columbia, Canada, 1981–2010

Background Recent studies have demonstrated an elevated risk of oral cavity cancers (OCC) among socioeconomically deprived populations, whose increasing presence in suburban neighbourhoods poses unique challenges for equitable health service delivery. The majority of studies to date have utilised aspatial methods to identify OCC. In this study, we use high-resolution geographical analyses to identify spatio-temporal trends in OCC incidence, emphasising the value of geospatial methods for public health research. Methods Using province-wide population incidence data from the British Columbia Cancer Registry (1981–2009, N  = 5473), we classify OCC cases by census-derived neighbourhood types to differentiate between urban, suburban, and rural residents at the time of diagnosis. We map geographical concentrations by decade and contrast trends in age-adjusted incidence rates, comparing the results to an index of socioeconomic deprivation. Results Suburban cases were found to comprise a growing proportion of OCC incidence. In effect, OCC concentrations have dispersed from dense urban cores to suburban neighbourhoods in recent decades. Significantly higher age-adjusted oral cancer incidence rates are observed in suburban neighbourhoods from 2006 to 2009, accompanied by rising socioeconomic deprivation in those areas. New suburban concentrations of incidence were found in neighbourhoods with a high proportion of persons aged 65+ and/or born in India, China, or Taiwan. Conclusions While the aging of suburban populations provides some explanation of these trends, we highlight the role of the suburbanisation of socioeconomically deprived and Asia-born populations, known to have higher rates of risk behaviours such as tobacco, alcohol, and betel/areca consumption. Specifically, betel/areca consumption among Asia-born populations is suspected to be a primary driver of the observed geographical shift in incidence from urban cores to suburban neighbourhoods. We suggest that such geographically-informed findings are complementary to potential and existing place-specific cancer control policy and targeting prevention efforts for high-risk sub-populations, and call for the supplementation of epidemiological studies with high-resolution mapping and geospatial analysis

Key Challenges for Land Use Planning and Its Environmental Assessments in the Abuja City-Region, Nigeria

Land use planning as strategic instruments to guide urban dynamics faces particular challenges in the Global South, including Sub-Saharan Africa, where urgent interventions are required to improve urban and environmental sustainability. This study investigated and identified key challenges of land use planning and its environmental assessments to improve the urban and environmental sustainability of city-regions. In doing so, we combined expert interviews and questionnaires with spatial analyses of urban and regional land use plans, as well as current and future urban land cover maps derived from Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing. By overlaying and contrasting land use plans and land cover maps, we investigated spatial inconsistencies between urban and regional plans and the associated urban land dynamics and used expert surveys to identify the causes of such inconsistencies. We furthermore identified and interrogated key challenges facing land use planning, including its environmental assessment procedures, and explored means for overcoming these barriers to rapid, yet environmentally sound urban growth. The results illuminated multiple inconsistencies (e.g., spatial conflicts) between urban and regional plans, most prominently stemming from conflicts in administrative boundaries and a lack of interdepartmental coordination. Key findings identified a lack of Strategic Environmental Assessment and inadequate implementation of land use plans caused by e.g., insufficient funding, lack of political will, political interference, corruption as challenges facing land use planning strategies for urban and environmental sustainability. The baseline information provided in this study is crucial to improve strategic planning and urban/environmental sustainability of city-regions in Sub-Saharan Africa and across the Global South, where land use planning faces similar challenges to address haphazard urban expansion patterns.Peer Reviewe

Probabilistic linkage without personal information successfully linked national clinical datasets: Linkage of national clinical datasets without patient identifiers using probabilistic methods.

BACKGROUND: Probabilistic linkage can link patients from different clinical databases without the need for personal information. If accurate linkage can be achieved, it would accelerate the use of linked datasets to address important clinical and public health questions. OBJECTIVE: We developed a step-by-step process for probabilistic linkage of national clinical and administrative datasets without personal information, and validated it against deterministic linkage using patient identifiers. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We used electronic health records from the National Bowel Cancer Audit (NBOCA) and Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) databases for 10,566 bowel cancer patients undergoing emergency surgery in the English National Health Service. RESULTS: Probabilistic linkage linked 81.4% of NBOCA records to HES, versus 82.8% using deterministic linkage. No systematic differences were seen between patients that were and were not linked, and regression models for mortality and length of hospital stay according to patient and tumour characteristics were not sensitive to the linkage approach. CONCLUSION: Probabilistic linkage was successful in linking national clinical and administrative datasets for patients undergoing a major surgical procedure. It allows analysts outside highly secure data environments to undertake linkage while minimising costs and delays, protecting data security, and maintaining linkage quality

Broccoli

For ages farmers have looked to the weather with hope or apprehension. A farmer\u27s would revolves around the seasons and weather and much of what is accomplished depends on what the weather brings. On the student farm, we have gained a deep understanding of this dependency