Bait‐marking is a widely used technique for determining the territorial configuration of social groups of the European Badger (Meles meles). Applications include ecological research and applied wildlife management problems. Bait laced with indigestible plastic pellets is fed to Badger social groups, and the markers are identified in subsequent defecations. Feeding a unique colour and/or shape of pellet to each social group allows the origin of droppings to be assigned. This method is particularly suited to Badgers because they mark their territorial boundaries with communal latrines. In this paper the technique is described in detail for the first time in the scientific literature. Data from sequential visits to latrines during the survey period showed significant short‐term variation in the number of marked droppings counted at individual latrines. This suggests that counting marked droppings may be of limited value in quantifying defecation rates and latrine use. However, counts of droppings at latrines could be useful if repeated over time and/or grouped into broad categories. Bait marking does provide reliable data for the estimation of territorial boundaries between Badger groups, although it is labour intensive and time‐consuming, with the best results obtained by experienced fieldworkers.
Summary1. Conservation issues and a potential role in disease transmission generate the continued need to census Eurasian badgers Meles meles , but direct counts and sett counts present difficulties. The feasibility of estimating social group size and population density of badgers by quantifying their use of latrines was evaluated. 2. The number of latrines, or preferably the number of separate dung pits, which were known from bait-marking to be used by members of a social group, was positively correlated with adult group size estimated from mark-recapture studies at Woodchester Park and North Nibley (south-west England). In the latter study area both latrine-use measures were also significantly associated with total group size (i.e. including cubs and adults). 3. In spring 1997 and 1998, we quantified latrine use along strip transects, following linear features across four and five areas, respectively, in England, where badger density in summer was known from mark-recapture/resight studies. 4. Seven latrine-use measures were evaluated with regard to their potential to predict badger density. Each measure separately explained between 62% and 91% of the variation in population density in a given year. The simplest measures (latrines km -1 and pits km -1 ) were most stable between years. 5. For these two simple latrine-use measures, a linear model without an intercept term explained the highest proportion of variation in population density. A stepwise procedure to produce the best model selected only one (latrines km -1 ) of the two measures as an explanatory variable, indicating that pits km -1 is colinear with the former variable. 6. A badger census technique based on simple measurements of latrine use has great promise but needs to be validated across a wider range of badger populations, habitats, years, seasons and weather conditions.
BackgroundPatient empowerment represents a potent tool for addressing racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health care, particularly for chronic conditions such as HIV infection that require active patient engagement. This multimodal intervention, developed in concert with HIV patients and clinicians, aims to provide HIV patients with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and tools to become more activated patients.Methods/DesignRandomized controlled trial of a multimodal intervention designed to activate persons living with HIV. The intervention includes four components: 1) use of a web-enabled hand-held device (Apple iPod Touch) loaded with a Personal Health Record (ePHR) customized for HIV patients; 2) six 90-minute group-based training sessions in use of the device, internet and the ePHR; 3) a pre-visit coaching session; and 4) clinician education regarding how they can support activated patients. Outcome measures include pre- post changes in patient activation measure score (primary outcome), eHealth literacy, patient involvement in decision-making and care, medication adherence, preventive care, and HIV Viral Load.DiscussionWe hypothesize that participants receiving the intervention will show greater improvement in empowerment and the intervention will reduce disparities in study outcomes. Disparities in these measures will be smaller than those in the usual care group. Findings have implications for activating persons living with HIV and for other marginalized groups living with chronic illness.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02165735, 6/13/2014.
Recent advances in silicon photonics have enabled large-scale optical phased arrays for applications such as beam steering and directional light detection. However, to date, these results have only been applied to coherent light. Many applications, including passive imaging with natural illumination, require operation using incoherent and/or broadband light. Here, we implement an optical phased array designed for these applications using a planar, fractal, path length-matching architecture known as an “H-tree.” We demonstrate electronic beamsteering and natural light imaging using this flat, broadband, photonic-integrated device.
Badgers are believed to be responsible for a high proportion of the cases of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in southwest England where, despite the onset of badger control operations in 1975, comparatively high numbers of cattle continue to fail the tuberculin test. To determine why the disease remains a problem in these areas, data on badger densities and patterns of land use were examined. Areas subject to repeated badger control operations had greater landscape heterogeneity and a higher density of linear habitat features. These habitat features were not related to badger density, measured as the mean number of social groups per square kilometre. Environmental contamination by infected badger urine is thought to be the main mode for the transmission of bovine tuberculosis. Field studies in an area with tuberculosis in both badgers and cattle showed that badgers may urinate on pasture after crossing through a linear feature, and that the number of these crossing-point urinations increases with the number of linear features crossed. The hypothesis is presented that these crossing-point urinations are a major source of bovine tuberculosis infection in cattle, and that areas with increased numbers of linear features have greater levels of contamination of pasture with badger urine and hence increased opportunities for disease transmission.
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