The extinction of 80% of megaherbivore (>1,000 kg) species towards the end of the Pleistocene altered vegetation structure, fire dynamics and nutrient cycling world‐wide. Ecologists have proposed ...(re)introducing megaherbivores or their ecological analogues to restore lost ecosystem functions and reinforce extant but declining megaherbivore populations. However, the effects of megaherbivores on smaller herbivores are poorly understood.
We used long‐term exclusion experiments and multispecies hierarchical models fitted to dung counts to test (a) the effect of megaherbivores (elephant and giraffe) on the occurrence (dung presence) and use intensity (dung pile density) of mesoherbivores (2–1,000 kg), and (b) the extent to which the responses of each mesoherbivore species was predictable based on their traits (diet and shoulder height) and phylogenetic relatedness.
Megaherbivores increased the predicted occurrence and use intensity of zebras but reduced the occurrence and use intensity of several other mesoherbivore species. The negative effect of megaherbivores on mesoherbivore occurrence was stronger for shorter species, regardless of diet or relatedness.
Megaherbivores substantially reduced the expected total use intensity (i.e. cumulative dung density of all species) of mesoherbivores, but only minimally reduced the expected species richness (i.e. cumulative predicted occurrence probabilities of all species) of mesoherbivores (by <1 species).
Simulated extirpation of megaherbivores altered use intensity by mesoherbivores, which should be considered during (re)introductions of megaherbivores or their ecological proxies. Species' traits (in this case shoulder height) may be more reliable predictors of mesoherbivores' responses to megaherbivores than phylogenetic relatedness, and may be useful for predicting responses of data‐limited species.
Megaherbivore (re)introductions have been proposed as a means to restore lost ecosystem functions associated with megafaunal extinctions. However, the effects of megaherbivores on smaller herbivores are poorly understood. Long‐term exclosure experiments reveal that megaherbivores generally suppress other herbivores in ways that are influenced by species' traits such as height.
Children with two homes BERGSTRÖM, MALIN; FRANSSON, EMMA; WELLS, MICHAEL B. ...
Scandinavian journal of public health,
03/2019, Letnik:
47, Številka:
2
Journal Article
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Aim: Joint physical custody, children spending equal time in each parents’ respective home after a parental divorce, is particularly common in Nordic compared with other Western countries. Older ...children have been shown to fare well in this practice but for young children there are few existing studies. The aim of this paper is to study psychological problems in 2- to 9-year-old Nordic children in different family forms. Methods: Total symptom score according to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as well as scores showing externalizing problems were compared among 152 children in joint physical custody, 303 in single care and 3207 in nuclear families through multiple linear regression analyses. Results: Children in single care had more psychological symptoms than those in joint physical custody (B = 1.08; 95% CI 0.48 to 1.67) and those in nuclear families had the least reported symptoms (B = −0.53; 95% CI −0.89 to −0.17). Externalizing problems were also lower in nuclear families (B = −0.28, 95% CI −0.52 to −0.04) compared with joint physical custody after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions: Young children with non-cohabiting parents suffered from more psychological problems than those in intact families. Children in joint physical custody had a lower total problem score than those in single care after adjusting for covariates. Longitudinal studies with information on family factors before the separation are needed to inform policy of young children’s post-separation living arrangements.
Equity in ecosystem restoration Wells, Harry B. M.; Kirobi, Elijah H.; Chen, Cadia L. ...
Restoration ecology,
July 2021, 2021-07-00, 20210701, Letnik:
29, Številka:
5
Journal Article
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The importance of equity has been emphasized in climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and ecosystem restoration. However, equity implications are rarely considered explicitly in ...restoration projects. Although the role of equity has been studied in the context of biodiversity conservation and environmental governance, environmental variables are often ignored in equity studies, and spatial analyses of equity are lacking. To address these gaps, we use a mixed methods approach, integrating spatially explicit ecological and social data to evaluate, through an equity lens, a restoration project in a semi‐arid rangeland socioecological system in Kenya. We use questionnaires and semi‐structured key informant interviews to explore four dimensions of equity: distributional, procedural, recognitional, and contextual. Our results show that restoration employment and distance to the restoration site strongly influence perceived distributional and procedural equity. Employment and distance to restoration site can interact in counterintuitive ways in their influence on aspects of perceived equity, in this case, the fairness of site selection. Our findings exemplify that equity dimensions are intimately linked, and trade‐offs can occur between equity dimensions, across socio‐temporal scales, and in choosing the ethical framework to apply. Our work demonstrates how restoration is influenced by different dimensions of equity and we opine that incorporating equity in project planning and implementation processes can improve restoration outcomes. We emphasize the importance of respecting plurality in the values systems and ethical frameworks that underlie what is considered equitable, while negotiating trade‐offs between diverse ethical positions in the design and implementation of ecosystem restoration projects.
Cattle and other livestock graze more than a quarter of the world's terrestrial area and are widely regarded to be drivers of global biodiversity declines. Studies often compare the effects of ...livestock presence/absence but, to our knowledge, no studies have tested for interactive effects between large wild herbivores and livestock at varying stocking rates on small‐bodied wild vertebrates.
We investigated the effects of cattle stocking rates (none/moderate/high) on the diversity of wildlife 0.05–1,000 kg using camera traps at a long‐term exclosure experiment within a semi‐arid savanna ecosystem in central Kenya. In addition, by selectively excluding wild ‘mesoherbivores’ (50–1,000 kg) and ‘megaherbivores’ (>1,000 kg; elephant and giraffe), we tested whether the presence of these two wild herbivore guilds (collectively, ‘larger wild herbivores’) mediates the effect of cattle stocking rate on habitat use and diversity of ‘smaller wildlife’ (mammals ranging between 10 and 70 cm shoulder height and birds).
Our results show that cattle enhance alpha diversity of smaller wildlife (with or without larger wild herbivore presence) and of all wildlife 0.05–1,000 kg (with or without megaherbivore presence), by altering vegetation structure. However, for smaller wildlife, this effect is less pronounced in the presence of larger wild herbivores, which also shorten grass. In the absence of cattle, mesoherbivore‐accessible sites showed higher alpha diversity of smaller wildlife than sites excluding mesoherbivores.
Smaller wildlife habitat use was increased by high cattle stocking rates and wild mesoherbivores more in the presence of the other.
Synthesis and applications. Our findings imply that grazing, whether by livestock or wildlife, can enhance local savanna wildlife diversity. The biodiversity benefits of localised increases in herbivory are likely to be due to shortened grass and associated visibility improvements (for predator avoidance/foraging). This suggests that land managers can increase local biodiversity by shortening grass, with wild or domestic herbivores (or both), at least in patches within a taller grass matrix.
Our findings imply that grazing, whether by livestock or wildlife, can enhance local savanna wildlife diversity. The biodiversity benefits of localised increases in herbivory are likely to be due to shortened grass and associated visibility improvements (for predator avoidance/foraging). This suggests that land managers can increase local biodiversity by shortening grass, with wild or domestic herbivores (or both), at least in patches within a taller grass matrix.
•Quality improvement (QI) programs are warranted in sub-Saharan African countries owing to the existing substandard quality of care currently being associated with poor maternal and neonatal health ...outcomes.•Knowledge on costs and cost drivers for this and similar future Quality Improvement (QI) programs can inform implementation planning, budgeting, resource requirements and resource mobilization approaches both for scale-up and sustainability.•Implementation of evidence-based midwifery quality improvement (QI) practices (DBP, SSC, DCC practices) under the MIDWIZE framework is clinically feasible at reasonable economic and financial costs for a health facility (based on scenario 1 and 2 of implementation) in resource-constrained settings using the collaborative program implementation approaches.•From a programmatic scenario approach (scenario 3) that assumes that the health facility does not have donor funding, higher financial and economic costs to achieve similar adoption levels for the QI practices (DBP, SSC, DCC practices adoption levels in collaborative approaches) are required to be mobilized by the health facility through expanded budgetary allocation support as well as from alternative facility financing and resource mobilization strategies.•Reproductive health leaders, health facility managers and policy makers can use this information on scenarios of costs and resource requirements to project, plan, and budget for scaling the QI implementation in similar settings and in covering major costs drivers’ especially financial and economic costs for the capacity building for a QI leader.
Three evidence-based midwife-led care practices: dynamic birth positions (DBP), immediate skin-to-skin contact (SSC) with zero separation between mother and newborn, and delayed cord clamping (DCC), were implemented in four sub-Saharan African countries after an internet-based capacity building program for midwifery leadership in quality improvement (QI). Knowledge on costs of this QI initiative can inform resource mobilization for scale up and sustainability.
We estimated the costs and intermediate outcomes from the implementation of the three evidence-based practices under the midwife-led care (MIDWIZE) framework in a single facility in Kenya through a pre- and post-test implementation design. Daily observations for the level of practice on DBP, SSC and DCC was done at baseline for 1 week and continued during the 11 weeks of the training intervention. Three cost scenarios from the health facility perspective included: scenario 1; staff participation time costs ($515 USD), scenario 2; staff participation time costs plus hired trainer time costs, training material and logistical costs ($1318 USD) and scenario 3; staff participation time costs plus total program costs for the head trainer as the QI leader from the capacity building midwifery program ($8548 USD).
At baseline, the level of DBP and SSC practices per the guidelines was at 0 % while that of DCC was at 80 %. After 11 weeks, we observed an adoption of DBP practice of 36 % (N = 111 births), SSC practice of 79 % (N = 241 births), and no change in DCC practice. Major cost driver(s) were midwives’ participation time costs (56 %) for scenario 1 (collaborative), trainers’ material and logistic costs (55 %) in scenario 2(collaborative) and capacity building program costs for the trainer (QI lead) (94 %) in scenario 3 (programmatic). Costs per intermediate outcome were $2.3 USD per birth and $0.5 USD per birth adopting DBP and SSC respectively in Scenario 1; $6.0 USD per birth adopting DBP and $1.4 USD per birth adopting SSC in Scenario 2; $38.5 USD per birth adopting DBP and $8.8 USD per birth adopting SSC in scenario 3. The average hourly wage of the facility midwife was $4.7 USD.
Improving adoption of DBP and SSC practices can be done at reasonable facility costs under a collaborative MIDWIZE QI approach. In a programmatic approach, higher facility costs would be needed. This can inform resource mobilization for future QI in similar resource-constrained settings.
•The net-based programme seems appropriate to the country contexts.•Leaders with various professional backgrounds strengthened the programme.•Midwives can work in interdisciplinary teams, providing ...effective midwifery practice.•The medical and midwifery associations can support the capacity building of midwives.•Collaboration between leaders in the countries can be achieved through an alumni network.
The Swedish care model MIDWIZE defined as midwife-led interdisciplinary care and zero separation between mother and newborn, was implemented in 2020–21 in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Somalia in a capacity building programme funded by the Swedish Institute.
To determine the feasibility of using an internet-based capacity building programme contributing to effective midwifery practices in the labour rooms through implementation of dynamic birthing positions, delayed umbilical cord clamping and skin-to-skin care of newborns in the immediate postnatal period.
The design is inspired by process evaluation. Focus group discussions with policy leaders, academicians, and clinicians who participated in the capacity building programme were carried out. Before and after the intervention, the numbers for dynamic birthing positions, delayed umbilical cord clamping and skin-to-skin care of the newborn in the immediate postnatal period were detected.
Participants believed the internet-based programme was appropriate for their countries’ contexts based on their need for improved leadership and collaboration, the need for strengthened human resources, and the vast need for improved outcomes of maternal and newborn health.
The findings provide insight into the feasibility to expand similar online capacity building programmes in collaboration with onsite policy leaders, academicians, and clinicians in sub-Saharan African countries with an agenda for improvements in maternal and child health.
The spread of multi-drug resistance and the slow pace at which antibiotics come onto the market are undermining our ability to treat human infections, leading to high mortality rates. Aiming to ...overcome this global crisis, antimicrobial peptides are considered promising alternatives to counter bacterial infections with multi-drug resistant bacteria. The cathelicidins comprise a well-studied class of AMPs whose members have been used as model molecules for sequence modifications, aiming at enhanced biological activities and stability, along with reduced toxic effects on mammalian cells. Here, we describe the antimicrobial activities, modes of action and structural characterization of two novel cathelicidin-like peptides, named BotrAMP14 and CrotAMP14, which were re-designed from snake batroxicidin and crotalicidin, respectively. BotrAMP14 and CrotAMP14 showed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against susceptible microorganisms and clinical isolates with minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 2-35.1 μM. Moreover, both peptides had low cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cells in vitro. In addition, in vivo toxicity against Galleria mellonella moth larvae revealed that both peptides led to>76% larval survival after 144 h. Microscopy studies suggest that BotrAMP14 and CrotAMP14 destabilize E. coli membranes. Furthermore, circular dichroism and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that, in a membrane-like environment, both peptides adopt α-helical structures that interact with bilayer phospholipids through hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interaction. Thus, we concluded that BotrAMP14 and CrotAMP14 are helical membrane active peptides, with similar antibacterial properties but lower cytotoxicity than the larger parent peptides batroxicidin and crotalicidin, having advantages for drug development strategies.
Physical inactivity is responsible for 5.3 million deaths annually worldwide. To measure physical activity energy expenditure, the doubly labeled water (DLW) method is the gold standard. However, ...questionnaires and accelerometry are more widely used. We compared physical activity measured by accelerometer and questionnaire against total (TEE) and physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) estimated by DLW.
TEE, PAEE (TEE minus resting energy expenditure) and body composition were measured using the DLW technique in 25 adolescents (16 girls) aged 13 years living in Pelotas, Brazil. Physical activity was assessed using the Actigraph accelerometer and by self-report. Physical activity data from accelerometry and self-report were tested against energy expenditure data derived from the DLW method. Further, tests were done to assess the ability of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) to predict variability in TEE and to what extent adjustment for fat and fat-free mass predicted the variability in TEE.
TEE varied from 1,265 to 4,143 kcal/day. It was positively correlated with physical activity (counts) estimated by accelerometry (rho = 0.57; p = 0.003) and with minutes per week of physical activity by questionnaire (rho = 0.41; p = 0.04). An increase of 10 minutes per day in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) relates to an increase in TEE of 141 kcal/day. PAEE was positively correlated with accelerometry (rho = 0.64; p = 0.007), but not with minutes per week of physical activity estimated by questionnaire (rho = 0.30; p = 0.15). Physical activity by accelerometry explained 31% of the vssariability in TEE. By incorporating fat and fat-free mass in the model, we were able to explain 58% of the variability in TEE.
Objectively measured physical activity significantly contributes to the explained variance in both TEE and PAEE in Brazilian youth. Independently, body composition also explains variance in TEE, and should ideally be taken into account when using accelerometry to predict energy expenditure values.
A relative lack of standardised long‐term monitoring data often limits the ability of African conservancies to quantify their efficacy to protect wildlife. In this study, we combined eight 2‐km long ...transects surveyed monthly between October 2017 and March 2020 (total 240 transects sampled) with a hierarchical multi‐species and multi‐season distance sampling modelling framework to: (1) estimate monthly density of an ensemble of 10 different large herbivores and (2) understand how species respond to changes in vegetation productivity and time across the Naboisho Conservancy in the Greater Mara Ecosystem, Kenya. We documented a total of 55,298 individuals from 6830 animal groups. The median coefficient of variation for all density estimates was 27.67%. On average, number of groups was higher at intermediate levels of vegetation productivity. We found that in general, populations of large herbivores remained stable in the conservancy during the study period, except for wildebeest which decreased in density. We showed that multi‐species monitoring frameworks can be used to understand how species abundance changes across space and time, providing indications as to how they are responding to environmental dynamics or management prescriptions—both of which are valuable tools for under‐resourced wildlife conservancies.
Résumé
Le manque relatif de données standardisées de suivi à long terme limite souvent la capacité des conservatoires africains à quantifier leur efficacité en matière de protection de la faune et de la flore. Dans cette étude, nous avons combiné huit transects de 2 km de long examinés mensuellement entre octobre 2017 et mars 2020 (240 transects échantillonnés au total) avec un cadre de modélisation hiérarchique multi‐espèces et multi‐saisons d’échantillonnage à distance pour: (1) estimer la densité mensuelle d’un ensemble de 10 grands herbivores différents et (2) comprendre comment les espèces réagissent aux changements de productivité de la végétation et au temps dans la zone de conservation de Naboisho dans l’écosystème du Grand Mara, au Kenya. Nous avons répertorié un total de 55 298 individus appartenant à 6 830 groupes d’animaux. Le coefficient médian de variation pour toutes les estimations de densité était de 27,67 %. En moyenne, le nombre de groupes était plus élevé à des niveaux intermédiaires de productivité de la végétation. Nous avons constaté qu’en général, les populations de grands herbivores sont restées stables dans le conservatoire au cours de la période d’étude, à l’exception des gnous dont la densité a diminué. Nous avons démontré que les cadres de suivi multi‐espèces peuvent être utilisés pour comprendre comment l’abondance des espèces change dans l’espace et dans le temps, fournissant des indicateurs sur la façon dont elles réagissent à la dynamique environnementale ou aux prescriptions de gestion ‐ deux outils précieux pour les conservatoires de la faune sauvage qui manquent de ressources.
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