Research priorities for the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia Pilbara form)

Significant biodiversity offset funds have been allocated towards conservation research on threatened species as part of the environmental approvals process for resource development in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. One of these species is the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia Pilbara form), which is entirely reliant on roosting in a limited number of caves and disused mines, many of which exist in the mineral-bearing strata that are the focus of mining activity. A research agenda for the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat was developed during a workshop attended by scientists, environmental consultants and mining industry representatives. Five research priorities were identified: (1) collate existing data contained within unpublished environmental surveys; (2) clarify and better characterise the number and distribution of day roosts; (3) better understand habitat requirements, particularly foraging habitat, and the movement of bats between roosts; (4) provide more robust estimates of total population and colony size, and improve understanding of social behaviour; and (5) investigate appropriate buffers in a range of mining contexts and protocols for artificial roost construction. Meta-analysis of current data, confirmation of potential day roosts, and long-term monitoring of activity patterns would rapidly increase our knowledge of the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat to enable effective conservation actions.

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Amphibians of Santa Teresa, Brazil: the hotspot further evaluated

ZooKeys ◽

10.3897/zookeys.857.30302 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 857 ◽

pp. 139-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Rodrigo Barbosa Ferreira ◽

Alexander Tamanini Mônico ◽

Emanuel Teixeira da Silva ◽

Fernanda Cristina Ferreira Lirio ◽

Cássio Zocca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Amphibian Species ◽

The World ◽

Long Term Monitoring ◽

Conservation Plans ◽

Term Monitoring ◽

Effective Conservation

A checklist of the amphibians of Santa Teresa municipality, in southeastern Brazil is presented based on fieldwork, examination of specimens in collections, and a literature review. This new amphibian list of Santa Teresa includes 108 species, of which 106 (~98%) belong to Anura and two (~2%) to Gymnophiona. Hylidae was the most represented family with 47 species (43%). Compared to the previous amphibian lists for Santa Teresa, 14 species were added, 17 previously reported species were removed, and 13 species were re-identified based on recent taxonomic rearrangements. Of the 14 species added, 11 (79%) were first recorded during our fieldwork and specimen examination. It is also the first list of caecilians for Santa Teresa. This list suggests that Santa Teresa has 0.16 species per km2 (i.e., 108 species/683 km2), one of the highest densities of amphibian species in the world at a regional scale. This richness represents 78% of the 136 anurans from Espírito Santo state and 10% of the 1,080 amphibians from Brazil. We highlight the need for long-term monitoring to understand population trends and develop effective conservation plans to safeguard this remarkable amphibian richness.

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Demography and population structure of Northeastern mediterranean monk seal population

Mediterranean Marine Science ◽

10.12681/mms.21913 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

MERVE KURT ◽

ALI CEMAL GÜCÜ

Keyword(s):

Population Size ◽

Camera Traps ◽

The Body ◽

Closed Population ◽

Open Population ◽

Seal Population ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Term Monitoring ◽

Natural Marks

The Northeastern Mediterranean coasts that border southern Turkey host one of the last strongholds for the survival of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus, 1779). The seal colonies inhabiting south coast of Turkey have been studied since 1994 through various short-term research projects focusing on distinct small populations that were thought to be isolated. In this study, the entire extent of the area was monitored approximately for 3 years (between 2015 and 2018) with camera traps places in 20 caves known to be actively used by the seals. A total of 7014 images taken throughout the study period, along with 25,100 images taken previously, were used to identify the seals inhabiting the area. In total, 37 individuals were identified based on the natural marks on the body. Based on photo-identified seals, a mark-recapture method was applied to estimate the total population size within the Northeastern Mediterranean. The overall population size was found to be 46 (SE=7.7) in the case of closed population and 53(SE=34.8) in the case of open population during the study period. The range of identified seals was almost six times larger than previously documented in the same area, reaching distances up to 245 km. The population estimate indicated a decrease in population size compared to previous studies. Finally, the study emphasises the importance of long-term monitoring studies elucidating changes in the demographic parameters in relation to threats posed, rather than cut-paste measurement suggestions which are not applicable in reality, while structuring the conservation actions targeting survival of this highly endangered species.

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248 Behavioural Biometrics: Using Smartphone Keyboard Activity as a Proxy for Rest-Activity Patterns

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.247 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A100-A100

Author(s):

Gerrieke Druijff-van de Woestijne ◽

Hannah McConchie ◽

Yvonne de Kort ◽

Giovanni Licitra ◽

Chao Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neurological Disorders ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Sleep Diary ◽

Monitoring Method ◽

Smartphone Use ◽

Long Term Monitoring ◽

Behavioural Biometrics ◽

Term Monitoring ◽

Rest Activity

Abstract Introduction Rest-activity patterns are important aspects of healthy sleep and may be disturbed in conditions like circadian rhythm disorders, insomnia, insufficient sleep syndrome, and neurological disorders. Long-term monitoring of rest-activity patterns is typically performed with diaries or actigraphy. Here, we propose a fully unobtrusive method to obtain rest-activity patterns using smartphone keyboard activity. This study investigated whether keyboard activities from habitual smartphone use are reliable estimates of rest and activity timing compared to daily self-reports within healthy participants. Methods First-year students (n = 51) used a custom smartphone keyboard to passively and objectively measure smartphone use behaviours, and filled out the Consensus Sleep Diary for one week. The time of the last keyboard activity before a nightly absence of keystrokes, and the time of the first keyboard activity following this period were used as markers. Results Results revealed high correlations between these markers and user-reported onset and offset of resting period (r ranged 0.74 - 0.80). Linear mixed models could estimate onset and offset of resting periods with reasonable accuracy (R2 ranged 0.60 - 0.66). This indicates that smartphone keyboard activity can be used to estimate rest-activity patterns. In addition, effects of chronotype and type of day were investigated. Conclusion Implementing this monitoring method in longitudinal studies would allow for long-term monitoring of (disturbances to) rest-activity patterns, without user burden or additional costly devices. It could be particularly useful in studies amongst clinical populations with sleep-related problems, or in populations for whom disturbances in rest-activity patterns are secondary complaints, such as neurological disorders. Support (if any):

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Four Years Continuous Monitoring Reveals Different Effects of Urban Constructed Wetlands on Bats

Land ◽

10.3390/land10101087 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1087

Author(s):

Han Li ◽

Radmila Petric ◽

Zinah Alazzawi ◽

Jake Kauzlarich ◽

Rania H. Mahmoud ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Composition ◽

Constructed Wetlands ◽

Wildlife Conservation ◽

Artificial Wetlands ◽

Bat Activity ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Species Specific ◽

The City ◽

Term Monitoring

Proactive artificial wetland constructions have been implemented to mitigate the loss of wetlands and their ecosystem services. As wetlands are habitats for bats, short-term (one or two years) studies find that constructed wetlands can immediately increase local bat activity and diversity. However, it is not clear how constructed wetlands affect bats through time while the wetlands are aging. We collected four years of continuous bat acoustic monitoring data at two constructed wetlands in an urban park in Greensboro, NC, USA. We examined bat activity and community composition patterns at these wetlands and compared them with reference sites in the city. With four years of data, we found that the effects of constructed wetlands were both habitat- and species-specific. The wetland in forests significantly increased bat activity, while the wetland in the open grass altered bat community composition. Specifically, in terms of species, we found that over time, constructed wetlands no longer attracted more big brown, silver-haired, or evening bats than control sites while the wetlands aged, highlighting the need to study broadly how each bat species uses natural and artificial wetlands. We emphasize the importance of long-term monitoring and the periodical evaluation of wildlife conservation actions.

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An efficient timing device to record activity patterns of small mammals in the field

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2014-0131 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 80 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mariana Silva Ferreira ◽

Marcus Vinícius Vieira

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Small Mammal ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Temporal Information ◽

Long Term Monitoring ◽

Term Monitoring

AbstractWe propose a simple, accurate, and inexpensive timing device to record the activity patterns of small mammals in the field using live traps. The present timing device can be used in cage-type live traps. It is built from commercially available components and does not require special skills to construct. The device is set outside the trap and does not need to be permanently affixed or require drill perforations, as others devices do. This device is easily incorporated into long-term monitoring studies to provide temporal information about small mammal populations without affecting their behavior.

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Osteoporosis treatment in patients undergoing spinal fusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Neurosurgical FOCUS ◽

10.3171/2021.3.focus2175 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (6) ◽

pp. E9

Author(s):

Vaidya Govindarajan ◽

Anthony Diaz ◽

Roberto J. Perez-Roman ◽

S. Shelby Burks ◽

Michael Y. Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spinal Fusion ◽

English Language ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Compression Fracture ◽

Osteoporosis Treatment ◽

Bisphosphonate Therapy ◽

Spinal Fusion Surgery ◽

Long Term Monitoring ◽

Term Monitoring

OBJECTIVE Bisphosphonates and teriparatide are the most common therapies used in the treatment of osteoporosis. Their impact on fusion rates in osteoporotic patients following spinal fusion has yet to be concretely defined, with previous systematic reviews focusing heavily on bisphosphonates and lacking clinical insight on the utility of teriparatide. Herein the authors present an updated meta-analysis of the utility of both bisphosphonates and teriparatide in improving spinal fusion outcomes in osteoporotic patients. METHODS After a comprehensive search of the English-language literature in the PubMed and Embase databases, 11 clinical studies were included in the final qualitative and quantitative analyses. Of these studies, 9 investigated bisphosphonates, 7 investigated teriparatide, and 1 investigated a combination of teriparatide and denosumab. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated where appropriate. RESULTS A meta-analysis of the postoperative use of bisphosphonate demonstrated better odds of successful fusion as compared to that in controls during short-term monitoring (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.72–6.42, p = 0.0003) but not long-term monitoring (p > 0.05). Bisphosphonate use was also shown to significantly reduce the likelihood of postoperative vertebral compression fracture (VCF; OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.01–0.59, p = 0.01) and significantly reduce Oswestry Disability Index scores (mean difference [MD] = −2.19, 95% CI −2.94 to −1.44, p < 0.00001) and visual analog scale pain scores (MD = −0.58, 95% CI −0.79 to −0.38, p < 0.00001). Teriparatide was found to significantly increase fusion rates at long-term postoperative periods as compared to rates after bisphosphonate therapy, with patients who received postoperative teriparatide therapy 2.05 times more likely to experience successful fusion (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.17–3.59, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The authors demonstrate the benefits of bisphosphonate and teriparatide therapy independently in accelerating fusion during the first 6 months after spinal fusion surgery in osteoporotic patients. In addition, they show that teriparatide may have superior benefits in spinal fusion during long-term monitoring as compared to those with bisphosphonates. Bisphosphonates may be better suited in preventing VCFs postoperatively in addition to minimizing postoperative disability and pain.

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A thousand days after the merger: Continued X-ray emission from GW170817

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/staa2626 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 498 (4) ◽

pp. 5643-5651 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E Troja ◽

H van Eerten ◽

B Zhang ◽

G Ryan ◽

L Piro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surrounding Medium ◽

Detection Threshold ◽

Current Data ◽

X Rays ◽

Data Set ◽

X Ray ◽

Radio Monitoring ◽

Central Engine ◽

Term Monitoring

ABSTRACT Recent observations with the Chandra X-ray telescope continue to detect X-ray emission from the transient GW170817. In a total exposure of 96.6 ks, performed between 2020 March 9 and 16 (935–942 d after the merger), a total of 8 photons are measured at the source position, corresponding to a significance of ≈5σ. Radio monitoring with the Australian Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) shows instead that the source has faded below our detection threshold (<33 $\mu$Jy, 3σ). By assuming a constant spectral index of β = 0.585, we derive an unabsorbed X-ray flux of ≈1.4 × 10−15 erg cm−2 s−1, higher than earlier predictions, yet still consistent with a simple structured jet model. We discuss possible scenarios that could account for prolonged emission in X-rays. The current data set appears consistent both with energy injection by a long-lived central engine and with the onset of a kilonova afterglow, arising from the interaction of the sub-relativistic merger ejecta with the surrounding medium. Long-term monitoring of this source will be essential to test these different models.

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