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Purpose: To examine differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between native and foreign-born gynaecological cancer patients in Sweden, taking into account clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. Methods: The 30-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and a study-specific questionnaire covering demographic and socioeconomic factors were answered by 684 women aged ≥ 18 years old, diagnosed in 2014, 2016, or 2018 with gynaecological cancer in the Stockholm-Gotland health care region, Sweden. Clinical data were obtained from the Swedish Cancer Register. Data were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test and linear regression. Results: The women had a mean age of 65.4 years, with 555 (81.1%) born in Sweden, 54 (7.9%) in other Nordic countries (ONC), 43 (6.3%) in other European countries (OEC), and 32 (4.7%) in non-European countries (NEC). HRQoL differed significantly between the four groups for 14 of the 15 QLQ-C30 scales/items. On average, Swedish-born women scored 2.0, 15.2, and 16.7 points higher for QoL/functioning scales/items and 2.2, 14.1, and 18.7 points lower for symptom scales/items, compared with ONC-, OEC-, and NEC-born women, respectively. In adjusted analyses, none of the differences between Swedish-born and ONC-born women were significant, while for OEC- and NEC-born women the differences were significant for most QLQ-C30 scales/items. Conclusion: HRQoL differs between native and foreign-born gynaecological cancer patients in Sweden, with lower HRQoL the further from Sweden the women are born. A more individualised cancer care, with tailored support to optimize HRQoL is needed for this vulnerable group of patients.

Background Substantial research suggests that the risk of substance misuse is higher among individuals who remain unmarried or experience marital dissolution, whereas marriage tends to be protective. However, few studies have considered the role of substance misuse for transitions between discrete marital status categories. The current study aims to estimate associations between substance misuse and marital status transitions from ages 20–66. Methods Our study population was a national Swedish cohort born in 1953 (n=71 901), followed from 1973 to 2019. Annual marital status and hospitalisation records for substance misuse were derived from the Total Population and National Patient registers, respectively. We used a five-state multistate model to estimate associations between substance misuse and marital status transitions—the state space included never married, married, divorced and widowed with death as the absorbing state. We further used fixed-effect models to estimate the effects of substance misuse on transitions out of marriage. Results Findings suggested that individuals’ substance misuse was associated with an increased risk of transitioning from married to divorced (HR=3.54, 95% CI 3.40 to 3.69) or widowed (HR=1.71, 95% CI 1.46 to 2.01), and transitioning to death from all states. Substance misuse was also negatively associated with transitioning from never married to married (HR=0.59, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.61), and into remarriage after divorce (HR=0.86, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.92). The fixed-effect results suggested that substance misuse increased the risk of transitioning to divorce and widowhood, net of sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusion Substance misuse is associated with an increased risk of marital dissolution and death when accounting for nearly 50 years of marital biographies.

Climate is assumed to strongly influence species distribution and abundance. Although the performance of many organisms is influenced by the climate in their immediate proximity, the climate data used to model their distributions often have a coarse spatial resolution. This is problematic because the local climate experienced by individuals might deviate substantially from the regional average. This problem is likely to be particularly important for sessile organisms like plants and in environments where small-scale variation in climate is large. To quantify the effect of local temperature on vital rates and population growth rates, we used temperature values measured at the local scale (in situ logger measures) and integral projection models with demographic data from 37 populations of the forest herb Lathyrus vernus across a wide latitudinal gradient in Sweden. To assess how the spatial resolution of temperature data influences assessments of climate effects, we compared effects from models using local data with models using regionally aggregated temperature data at several spatial resolutions (≥1 km). Using local temperature data, we found that spring frost reduced the asymptotic population growth rate in the first of two annual transitions and influenced survival in both transitions. Only one of the four regional estimates showed a similar negative effect of spring frost on population growth rate. Our results for a perennial forest herb show that analyses using regionally aggregated data often fail to identify the effects of climate on population dynamics. This emphasizes the importance of using organism-relevant estimates of climate when examining effects on individual performance and population dynamics, as well as when modeling species distributions. For sessile organisms that experience the environment over small spatial scales, this will require climate data at high spatial resolutions.

Purpose: To examine differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between native and foreign-born gynaecological cancer patients in Sweden, taking into account clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. Methods: The 30-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and a study-specific questionnaire covering demographic and socioeconomic factors were answered by 684 women aged ≥ 18 years old, diagnosed in 2014, 2016, or 2018 with gynaecological cancer in the Stockholm-Gotland health care region, Sweden. Clinical data were obtained from the Swedish Cancer Register. Data were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test and linear regression. Results: The women had a mean age of 65.4 years, with 555 (81.1%) born in Sweden, 54 (7.9%) in other Nordic countries (ONC), 43 (6.3%) in other European countries (OEC), and 32 (4.7%) in non-European countries (NEC). HRQoL differed significantly between the four groups for 14 of the 15 QLQ-C30 scales/items. On average, Swedish-born women scored 2.0, 15.2, and 16.7 points higher for QoL/functioning scales/items and 2.2, 14.1, and 18.7 points lower for symptom scales/items, compared with ONC-, OEC-, and NEC-born women, respectively. In adjusted analyses, none of the differences between Swedish-born and ONC-born women were significant, while for OEC- and NEC-born women the differences were significant for most QLQ-C30 scales/items. Conclusion: HRQoL differs between native and foreign-born gynaecological cancer patients in Sweden, with lower HRQoL the further from Sweden the women are born. A more individualised cancer care, with tailored support to optimize HRQoL is needed for this vulnerable group of patients.

El auge de las formaciones de ultraderecha ha suscitado una serie de investigaciones desde diferentes disciplinas, incluido el enfoque crítico del discurso. Sin embargo, apenas hay investigaciones sobre la cuestión demográfica atendiendo a la intersección entre el género y la raza y a la representación que hace el partido de este tema. Por ello, la investigación tiene como objetivo, por un lado, comprobar la presencia de la cuestión demográfica en el discurso de Vox y analizar su enmarcado; y, por otro lado, determinar las estrategias discursivas a través de las cuales (re)construye el enmarcado. Este análisis resulta pertinente para comprender los discursos de la ultraderecha española y observar cómo se están activando una serie de marcos vinculados a la teoría del reemplazo demográfico, fortaleciendo el orden de género y racial, (re)construyendo feminidad y masculinidad patriarcal para el endogrupo, y produciendo diferenciación racial desde la otredad amenazante. El presente trabajo analiza los tuits publicados en las cuentas del partido de derecha radical español, Vox, así como de dos militantes activos del partido: el eurodiputado Jorge Buxadé y la diputada Rocío de Meer, durante el periodo del 15 de mayo de 2021 hasta el 16 de enero de 2023. Para el análisis, se recurre al enfoque crítico del discurso de Wodak, Van Dijk y Jäger, prestando especial atención a los instrumentos empleados en las estrategias de referenciación, predicación y argumentación., The rise of extreme right-wing political formations has triggered a number of studies from a variety of disciplines, including critical discourse analysis. However, there is little research on the demographic issue and how the party represents these changes, and how looking at how gender and race are intersecting as ideology. Thus, this study aims to verify the presence of the demographic issue in the discourse of Vox and also to identify the discursive strategies used to (re-)construct this category. This analysis is relevant for understanding the discourses of the Spanish far right and how a series of frameworks related to the Great Replacement Theory that reinforcing gender and racial orders, (re)constructing patriarchal in-group femininity and masculinity, and producing racial differentiation from threatening otherness. This paper analyses the tweets posted on the accounts of the Spanish radical right-wing party, Vox, as well as two party assets: MEP Jorge Buxadé and MP Rocío de Meer during the period from 15 May 2021 to 16 January 2023. In order to do so, we will use critical discourse analysis of the discourse of Wodak, Van Dijk and Jaeger, with special attention to the resources used in the strategies of promotion, argument and reference.

The objectives of this paper are to examine to what extent Big Data are presently used in population research and to consider their potential for causal inference. After examining the characteristics and challenges of big data, the subsequent section deals with the use of big data in the study of the key demographic phenomena and is based on a literature review for the period 2015-2022 of 63 scientific journals concerned with population issues. The final section examines to what extent the use of big data could improve causal inference. Our results show that demographers continue to privilege sources of numerical data and are less prone to use digital media data or other sources such as images. Big Data can contribute to improving explanations in demography thanks to the large number of observations and variables in the data sets, especially when they can be individually linked together. Causal knowledge requires however that one can propose and test a suitable mechanism explaining why a variation in one variable produces a variation in another variable.

Interest in and funding for wildfire risk mitigation to protect people and property are more prominent than ever. Climate change, urbanization, and expanded human activity have increased the risk and impacts of wildfire in the wildland-urban interface and make it critical that sound strategies are identified to help people better coexist with fire and other natural disasters. There is significant research focused on different elements of wildfire, but there are important limitations around a lack of consideration of spatial relationships and interactions, quantitative decision making support, and high-resolution analysis of social and socioeconomic variation in wildfire vulnerability. This dissertation extends current understanding of wildfire risk and best practices for risk reduction at the parcel, neighborhood, forest, and regional scales. The use of spatial optimization, statistical, and GIS methods are employed to prioritize risk reduction actions and assess existing tools. This work helps decision makers reduce wildfire risk through allocation of resources and development of targeted and individualized policies while considering space, balancing multiple management goals, and incorporating social diversity of communities.

Geospatial population data are typically organized into nested hierarchies of areal units, in which each unit is a union of units at the next lower level. There is increasing interest in analyses at fine geographic detail, but these lowest rungs of the areal unit hierarchy are often incompletely tabulated because of cost, privacy, or other considerations. Here, the authors introduce a novel algorithm to impute crosstabs of up to three dimensions (e.g., race, ethnicity, and gender) from marginal data combined with data at higher levels of aggregation. This method exactly preserves the observed fine-grained marginals, while approximating higher-order correlations observed in more complete higher level data. The authors show how this approach can be used with U.S. census data via a case study involving differences in exposure to crime across demographic groups, showing that the imputation process introduces very little error into downstream analysis, while depicting social process at the more fine-grained level.

U.S. women's age at first birth has increased substantially. Yet, little research has considered how this changing behavior may have affected the motherhood pay penalty, or the wage decrease with a child's arrival, experienced by the current generation. Using Rounds 1-19 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), in this research note we examine shifts in hourly pay with childbirth for a cohort of women who became mothers mostly in the 2000s and 2010s. Results from fixed-effects models indicate that the motherhood pay penalty for NLSY97 women who had their first child before their late 20s is generally similar to that of previous cohorts. Those who became mothers near or after age 30, however, encounter a parenthood premium, as men do. The growing proportion of women delaying motherhood, coupled with the rising heterogeneity in motherhood wage outcomes by childbearing timing, contributes to a comparatively small motherhood penalty for this recent cohort. The pay advantage of "late mothers" cannot be explained by factors such as their labor market locations, number of children, stage of childrearing, marital status, or ethnoracial composition. Instead, the hourly gain stems from such mothers' tendency to reduce working hours more than other mothers without experiencing a commensurate decrease in total pay. Unlike the fatherhood premium, the premium for late mothers does not lead to a real boost in income.

While there is a long history of racial change in the United States, and how this plays out within neighbourhoods, a key recurring question is whether some neighbourhoods are able to achieve and maintain racial diversity, or whether they simply transition to dominance by a new racial group. We test and find evidence of 1631 neighbourhoods across the United States from 1980 to 2020 that exhibit persistent racial diversity (PRD), and assess where this PRD occurs. Our analysis shows that PRD neighbourhoods (PRDNs) are likely to be present in counties with more economic opportunities–that is, counties with higher socioeconomic status (SES). PRDNs themselves, however, tend to be relatively lower SES neighbourhoods within relatively higher SES counties, suggesting that affordable locations surrounded by more economic opportunities may have served as an environment in which diversity can persist over a long period of time in the United States.

The gun assault case fatality rate measures the fraction of shooting victims who die from their wounds. Considerable debate has surrounded whether gun assault case fatality rates have changed over time and what factors may be involved. We use crime event data from Los Angeles to examine the victim and situational correlates of gun assault case fatality rates over time. We estimated log binomial regression models for the probability of death in each year from 2005 to 2021, conditioned on situational and victim characteristics of the crime. Case fatality rates increased by around 1.3% per year between 2005 and 2021 from around 15.9 to 19.7%. Baseline case fatality rates differed systematically by most situational and victim but followed similar temporal trends. Only victim age significantly covaried with the temporal trend in case fatality rates. An individual shot in Los Angeles in 2021 was 23.7% more likely to die than the equivalent victim in 2005. The steady increase in case fatality rates suggests that there were around 394 excess fatalities over what would have occurred if case fatality rates remained at the 2005 level. Increases in the average age of victims over time may contribute to the general temporal trend. We hypothesize that older victims are more likely to be shot indoors where lethal close-range wounds are more likely.

In 2020, California passed a flavored tobacco sales restriction (FTSR), but the tobacco companies filed a referendum, and the ban will not be implemented unless approved by voters in November 2022. This study examined the percentage of the California population covered by a city FTSR and identified groups more likely to be covered. Mean demographics as well as tobacco use and control measures were compared for California cities with (n = 93) and without (n = 389) a FTSR, and t tests were used to examine the differences. We calculated adjusted odds ratios using logistic regression models. City FTSR policies covered 20.7% of the California population. Adjusted predictors of having a FTSR included the American Lung Association tobacco control score (odds ratio [OR] = 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.17, 1.38]), voting democratic (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: [1.02, 1.10]). and having a lower adult smoking prevalence (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: [0.72, 0.99]). A state-level policy would cover all populations in California.

Taking a relational and systemic approach, this dissertation offers theoretical, methodological, and empirical advancements in understanding the social forces that drive or inhibit human migration. We consider migration flows among geographical areas as a network system, analyzing its dynamics using the exponential-family random graph models (ERGMs) and simulation methods. Chapter 2 grapples with the computational hurdle for modeling valued/weighted networks using ERGMs. We propose and implement an efficient parallelizable subsampled Maximum Pseudo-Likelihood Estimation (MPLE) scheme, which enables fast and accurate computation of ERGMs for big valued networks with high edge variance. The comparative simulation experiments further show whether and how the performance of existing computational approaches vary by the network size and the variance of edge values, providing guidelines for choosing and tuning those methods for different use cases. Chapter 3 applies the implemented method to study intercounty migration in the United States (U.S.), whose migration rates have declined for decades and reached a historical low. We found a pattern of "segmented immobility," where fewer people migrate between counties with dissimilar political contexts, levels of urbanization, and racial compositions. We also propose a "knockout experiment" framework to quantify the impact of segmentation on population immobility. The chapter reveals the social and political cleavages that underlie population immobility in the U.S., bridging the scholarly domains of (im)mobility, segregation, and polarization. Motivated by debates about California’s net migration loss ("California Exodus"), Chapter 4 examines the scale of and the mechanisms behind the migration-induced population redistribution among U.S. states. We combine ERGMs, knockout experiments, and a protocol for functional form visualization to understand the complex effects of political climates, housing costs, racial dynamics, and ur

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) currently has no cure and typically affects adults ages 65 and older, although some AD patients are younger. Current AD research studies genetic biomarkers and potential causes and treatments, but research in the veteran population is limited. The incidence of AD in veterans is important to study because the veteran population often experience risk factors that may contribute to onset of AD, such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The aim of this thesis is to focus on the veteran population and its sub-populations to investigate if they are at a higher risk of AD. Improved understanding of the risk of AD within the veteran population may help to facilitate improvements in preventative measures, and treatment. Data from the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics6 , U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Statistical Projections of Alzheimer’s Dementia for VA Patients, VA enrollees, and US Veterans for Fiscal Years 2021 and 20338 , and the Alzheimer's Association4 were grouped into age categories of 65-74, 75-74, and 85+ and used for estimation of the number of veterans and non-veterans with and without AD in each age band. These population estimates were then used for Chi-Squared tests due to the categorical nature of the data. This study found that the veteran population overall, as well as the female veteran population, African American veterans, veterans with PTSD, and veterans experiencing housing insecurities, have higher rates of AD diagnosis than that of the general population cohorts. These results suggest that further studies need to be done to enhance patient care and preventative strategies, and that the veteran population may be integral for motivating research into future medications, therapies, and practices for AD indications.

We used a reverse-correlation image-classification paradigm to visualize facial representations of immigrants and citizens in the United States. Visualizations of immigrants' faces were judged by independent raters as less trustworthy and less competent and were more likely to be categorized as a non-White race/ethnicity than were visualizations of citizens' faces. Additionally, image generators' personal characteristics (e.g., implicit and explicit evaluations of immigrants, nativity status) did not reliably track with independent judges' ratings of image generators' representations of immigrants. These findings suggest that anti-immigrant sentiment and racial/ethnic assumptions characterize facial representations of immigrants in the United States, even among people who harbor positivity toward immigrants.

Scots pine is the foundation species of diverse forested ecosystems across Eurasia and displays remarkable ecological breadth, occurring in environments ranging from temperate rainforests to arid tundra margins. Such expansive distributions can be favored by various demographic and adaptive processes and the interactions between them. To understand the impact of neutral and selective forces on genetic structure in Scots pine, we conducted range-wide population genetic analyses on 2321 trees from 202 populations using genotyping-by-sequencing, reconstructed the recent demography of the species and examined signals of genetic adaptation. We found a high and uniform genetic diversity across the entire range (global FST 0.048), no increased genetic load in expanding populations and minor impact of the last glacial maximum on historical population sizes. Genetic-environmental associations identified only a handful of single-nucleotide polymorphisms significantly linked to environmental gradients. The results suggest that extensive gene flow is predominantly responsible for the observed genetic patterns in Scots pine. The apparent missing signal of genetic adaptation is likely attributed to the intricate genetic architecture controlling adaptation to multi-dimensional environments. The panmixia metapopulation of Scots pine offers a good study system for further exploration into how genetic adaptation and plasticity evolve under gene flow and changing environment.

More renters, fewer family households, and more people living alone continue to distinguish the capital city from the rest of the state.

The Utah Population Committee (UPC) produces annual state and county population estimates for Utah and its counties. This document describes the methodology for the postcensal population estimates produced by the UPC following the release of the state and county level 2020 Census results. This work is used in many different capacities by local Utah entities, serves as inputs to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute Long-Range Planning Projections, and county level controls for the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute Subcounty population estimates.

Utah Informed ​is a collection of tables, charts, ideas, and schematics to prompt consideration of a compelling trend, spur an innovative idea, or inspire an aspirational thought. Decision makers are advantaged when they understand the past 20 years as they plan for the next 20 years. It is in the spirit of seeing more clearly and preparing for the future that we produce Utah Informed. In it, we provide relevant and interesting information to help Utahns make informed decisions in the coming year in the coming year and beyond. The Gardner Institute, in partnership with the Salt Lake Chamber, publishes Utah Informed annually.

ObjectiveWe describe the experiences and preferences of women who switched from clinic-administered intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM) to self-administered subcutaneous DMPA (DMPA-SC) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe conducted interviews with women in California and Washington about their experiences with self-administered DMPA-SC. We interviewed women after their first or second self-administered DMPA-SC injection and conducted follow-up interviews after their third or fourth injection. We performed both thematic and descriptive content analyses.ResultsWe completed 29 interviews with 15 women. Most participants (n = 10) were between the ages of 20 and 39 and the majority (n = 12) used DMPA primarily for contraception. Most (n = 13) described self-administered DMPA-SC as "very easy" or "somewhat easy" to use and reported greater convenience, decreased pain, fewer logistical and financial challenges, increased privacy, and improved comfort with injection compared to DMPA-IM. Participants identified difficulties obtaining DMPA-SC from pharmacies and safe needle disposal as barriers. Most (n = 13) would recommend DMPA-SC to a friend and desired to continue self-administration beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants recommended counseling all patients about this option alongside other contraceptive methods, and offering clinician supervision, if desired.ConclusionWomen who switched from in-clinic DMPA-IM to self-administered DMPA-SC during the COVID-19 pandemic preferred the latter and intended to continue self-administration. Self-administration of DMPA-SC should be routinely offered and easily accessible to patients.

The State of the Nordic Region 2024 provides a status update in three key areas – demographics, the labour market and the economy – all of which encompass socio-economic trends with a significant impact on the lives of everybody in the Nordic countries. The report that provides a Nordic panorama of regional development trends in the Nordic countries, regions, municipalities, and cities based on the latest statistical data, maps and analyses.

This report aims to shed light on development of the common Nordic labour market in the past 70 years and also look ahead to its potential. The focus is on labour migration and commuting between the Nordic countries. However, working in multiple countries or working remotely – which has become more common after the pandemic – will also be discussed.

In recent years, demographers have parsed variation in survivorship into two distinct components: the shape and the pace of ageing. The pace of ageing is defined by measures of longevity such as mean life expectancy or maximum longevity, whereas measures of the shape of ageing attempt to classify different shapes of the survivorship curve. We recently published a paper pointing out that a commonly used discretization of a shape measure, Keyfitz' entropy, does not correctly classify survivorship curves into negatively and positively senescing curves (de Vries et al., 2023). In that paper, we also suggested an alternative, accurate discrete-time version of Keyfitz' entropy. de Vries et al. (2023) ended with two open questions, both of which have been answered by Giaimo (2024) now: (1) Can a discrete-time entropy measure of survivorship be generalized beyond age-based population models? Giaimo (2024) introduce a new formula that achieves this. (2) Will a discretization of Keyfitz' derivation of his measure as the elasticity of lifespan to a uniform change in mortality lead to the same formula as a discretization of Keyfitz' result? Giaimo (2024) answers: no. Here, we briefly discuss the implications of the results obtained by Giaimo (2024), and the implementation of his new formula into the Rpackage Rage, which is widely used for comparative demographic studies. We showcase the strength of the new method by reanalysing a comparison of Keyfitz' entropy to another shape measure. We find that the comparison is significantly altered by using Giaimo's new Keyfitz' formula. This example strengthens Giaimo's (2004) words of warning in approaching discretizations with attentiveness.

BACKGROUND: Nonsurgical refractory back pain (NSRBP) is broadly defined as chronic refractory back pain in patients who have not had previous spine surgery and, because they are deemed inappropriate candidates for surgery, are reliant on conventional medical management (CMM), which often provides poor long-term outcomes. High-frequency spinal cord stimulation (10kHz SCS) has demonstrated high rates of pain relief and improvements in functioning in patients with NSRBP. However, despite the use of temporary trial stimulation to select patients who will respond to therapy, some patients fail to achieve long-term therapy response with permanent implants. Prediction analysis founded on patients' baseline characteristics may enrich the appropriate selection of patients for permanent implantation. OBJECTIVES: To examine baseline patient characteristics to predict long-term pain and functional responses to treatment with 10 kHz SCS for NSRBP. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of baseline patient characteristics as predictors of 24-month pain and functional outcomes from a previous multicenter randomized controlled trial of 10 kHz SCS in patients with NSRBP. PATIENTS: Patients diagnosed with chronic, neuropathic, axial, low back pain refractory to CMM who had had no previous spine surgery, were deemed unsuitable candidates for it according to a spine surgeon, were implanted with 10kHz SCS and continued with CMM for up to 24 months. METHODS: The baseline characteristics of and 24-month outcomes in the 125 implanted patients who participated in the NSRBP randomized controlled trial (RCT) were included in this analysis. The baseline characteristics included demographics, baseline pain on the visual analog scale (VAS), baseline function based on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), mental health according to the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), neuropathic pain as measured by PainDETECT, and each patient's temporary trial response. Patient response at 24 months was d

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of the multiple dimensions of biodiversity, including functional or genetic diversity as well as species diversity, most conservation studies on ecosystem service-providing insects focus on simple diversity measures such as species richness and abundance. In contrast, relatively little is known about the genetic diversity and resilience of pollinators or natural enemies of crop pests to population fragmentation and local extinction. The genetic diversity and demographic dynamics of remnant populations of beneficial insects in agricultural areas can be a useful indicator proving additional insights into their conservation status, but this is rarely evaluated. Although gene flow between agricultural and seminatural areas is key to maintaining genetic diversity, its extent and directionality remain largely unexplored. Here, we apply a pan-European sampling protocol to quantify genetic diversity and structure and assess gene flow between agricultural and nearby seminatural landscapes in populations of two key ecosystem service-providing insect species, the lady beetle Coccinella septempunctata, an important predator of aphids and other crop pests, and the bee pollinator Andrena flavipes. We show that A. flavipes populations are genetically structured at the European level, whereas populations of C. septempunctata experience widespread gene flow across the continent and lack any defined genetic structure. In both species, we found that there is high genetic connectivity between populations established in croplands and nearby seminatural areas and, as a consequence, they harbor similar levels of genetic diversity. Interestingly, demographic models for some regions support asymmetric gene flow from seminatural areas to nearby agricultural landscapes. Collectively, our study demonstrates how seminatural areas can serve as genetic reservoirs of both pollinators and natural enemies for nearby agricultural landscapes, acting as

This study concerns the demographic changes in a group known as båtsmän (seamen and other naval personnel), during 1837-1870 which was an era of great economic, social, technological and demographic transformation. This group of people were the backbone of the standing royal Swedish navy, and they had some benefits compared to the rest of the agrarian society which they lived in. They got a croft and a small plot of land to live off and a yearly wage from the state, just as an example. These båtsmän were of interest because of the region and time they lived in. The parish of Skön in the county of Västernorrland was a place of great industrial development in the 19th century and seated parts 1:a Norrlands Båtsmanskompani 2:del, the company that these båtsmän were a part of. As mentioned earlier, the demographic changes in 19th century Sweden were dramatic, and this study wanted to find out if the same changes could be seen with the båtsmän and their families. The study found that the båtsmän of Skön parish partly followed the demographic patterns of the rest of the Swedish society, but deviated roughly halfway through the study. The study also found that the båtsmän of Skön parish most likely in one way or another took part in the Swedish mobilization of 1848 in case the Schleswig-Holstein war escalated., Slutgiltigt godkännandedatum: 2024-06-10

Scots pine is the foundation species of diverse forested ecosystems across Eurasia and displays remarkable ecological breadth, occurring in environments ranging from temperate rainforests to arid tundra margins. Such expansive distributions can be favored by various demographic and adaptive processes and the interactions between them. To understand the impact of neutral and selective forces on genetic structure in Scots pine, we conducted range-wide population genetic analyses on 2321 trees from 202 populations using genotyping-by-sequencing, reconstructed the recent demography of the species and examined signals of genetic adaptation. We found a high and uniform genetic diversity across the entire range (global FST 0.048), no increased genetic load in expanding populations and minor impact of the last glacial maximum on historical population sizes. Genetic-environmental associations identified only a handful of single-nucleotide polymorphisms significantly linked to environmental gradients. The results suggest that extensive gene flow is predominantly responsible for the observed genetic patterns in Scots pine. The apparent missing signal of genetic adaptation is likely attributed to the intricate genetic architecture controlling adaptation to multi-dimensional environments. The panmixia metapopulation of Scots pine offers a good study system for further exploration into how genetic adaptation and plasticity evolve under gene flow and changing environment.

Sexual selection and the evolution of costly mating strategies can negatively impact population viability and adaptive potential. While laboratory studies have documented outcomes stemming from these processes, recent observations suggest that the demographic impact of sexual selection is contingent on the environment and therefore may have been overestimated in simple laboratory settings. Here we find support for this claim. We exposed copies of beetle populations, previously evolved with or without sexual selection, to a 10-generation heatwave while maintaining half of them in a simple environment and the other half in a complex environment. Populations with an evolutionary history of sexual selection maintained larger sizes and more stable growth rates in complex (relative to simple) environments, an effect not seen in populations evolved without sexual selection. These results have implications for evolutionary forecasting and suggest that the negative demographic impact of sexually selected mating strategies might be low in natural populations. Sexual selection can both aid and impede evolutionary rescue. This study shows that the complexity of the environment can play a central role in how sexual selection impacts population viability and adaptive potential, and suggests that complex environments may increase the net benefit of sexual selection.image

Active restoration through silvicultural treatments (enrichment planting, cutting climbers and liberation thinning) is considered an important intervention in logged forests. However, its ability to enhance regeneration is key for long-term recovery of logged forests, which remains poorly understood, particularly for the production and survival of seedlings in subsequent generations. To understand the long-term impacts of logging and restoration we tracked the diversity, survival and traits of seedlings that germinated immediately after a mast fruiting in North Borneo in unlogged and logged forests 30–35 years after logging. We monitored 5119 seedlings from germination for ~1.5 years across a mixed landscape of unlogged forests (ULs), naturally regenerating logged forests (NR) and actively restored logged forests via rehabilitative silvicultural treatments (AR), 15–27 years after restoration. We measured 14 leaf, root and biomass allocation traits on 399 seedlings from 15 species. Soon after fruiting, UL and AR forests had higher seedling densities than NR forest, but survival was the lowest in AR forests in the first 6 months. Community composition differed among forest types; AR and NR forests had lower species richness and lower evenness than UL forests by 5–6 months post-mast but did not differ between them. Differences in community composition altered community-weighted mean trait values across forest types, with higher root biomass allocation in NR relative to UL forest. Traits influenced mortality ~3 months post-mast, with more acquisitive traits and relative aboveground investment favoured in AR forests relative to UL forests. Our findings of reduced seedling survival and diversity suggest long time lags in post-logging recruitment, particularly for some taxa. Active restoration of logged forests recovers initial seedling production, but elevated mortality in AR forests lowers the efficacy of active restoration to enhance recruitment or diversity of seedling

Sexual selection and the evolution of costly mating strategies can negatively impact population viability and adaptive potential. While laboratory studies have documented outcomes stemming from these processes, recent observations suggest that the demographic impact of sexual selection is contingent on the environment and therefore may have been overestimated in simple laboratory settings. Here we find support for this claim. We exposed copies of beetle populations, previously evolved with or without sexual selection, to a 10-generation heatwave while maintaining half of them in a simple environment and the other half in a complex environment. Populations with an evolutionary history of sexual selection maintained larger sizes and more stable growth rates in complex (relative to simple) environments, an effect not seen in populations evolved without sexual selection. These results have implications for evolutionary forecasting and suggest that the negative demographic impact of sexually selected mating strategies might be low in natural populations. Sexual selection can both aid and impede evolutionary rescue. This study shows that the complexity of the environment can play a central role in how sexual selection impacts population viability and adaptive potential, and suggests that complex environments may increase the net benefit of sexual selection.image

Scots pine is the foundation species of diverse forested ecosystems across Eurasia and displays remarkable ecological breadth, occurring in environments ranging from temperate rainforests to arid tundra margins. Such expansive distributions can be favored by various demographic and adaptive processes and the interactions between them. To understand the impact of neutral and selective forces on genetic structure in Scots pine, we conducted range-wide population genetic analyses on 2321 trees from 202 populations using genotyping-by-sequencing, reconstructed the recent demography of the species and examined signals of genetic adaptation. We found a high and uniform genetic diversity across the entire range (global FST 0.048), no increased genetic load in expanding populations and minor impact of the last glacial maximum on historical population sizes. Genetic-environmental associations identified only a handful of single-nucleotide polymorphisms significantly linked to environmental gradients. The results suggest that extensive gene flow is predominantly responsible for the observed genetic patterns in Scots pine. The apparent missing signal of genetic adaptation is likely attributed to the intricate genetic architecture controlling adaptation to multi-dimensional environments. The panmixia metapopulation of Scots pine offers a good study system for further exploration into how genetic adaptation and plasticity evolve under gene flow and changing environment.

Sexual selection and the evolution of costly mating strategies can negatively impact population viability and adaptive potential. While laboratory studies have documented outcomes stemming from these processes, recent observations suggest that the demographic impact of sexual selection is contingent on the environment and therefore may have been overestimated in simple laboratory settings. Here we find support for this claim. We exposed copies of beetle populations, previously evolved with or without sexual selection, to a 10-generation heatwave while maintaining half of them in a simple environment and the other half in a complex environment. Populations with an evolutionary history of sexual selection maintained larger sizes and more stable growth rates in complex (relative to simple) environments, an effect not seen in populations evolved without sexual selection. These results have implications for evolutionary forecasting and suggest that the negative demographic impact of sexually selected mating strategies might be low in natural populations. Sexual selection can both aid and impede evolutionary rescue. This study shows that the complexity of the environment can play a central role in how sexual selection impacts population viability and adaptive potential, and suggests that complex environments may increase the net benefit of sexual selection.image

Active restoration through silvicultural treatments (enrichment planting, cutting climbers and liberation thinning) is considered an important intervention in logged forests. However, its ability to enhance regeneration is key for long-term recovery of logged forests, which remains poorly understood, particularly for the production and survival of seedlings in subsequent generations. To understand the long-term impacts of logging and restoration we tracked the diversity, survival and traits of seedlings that germinated immediately after a mast fruiting in North Borneo in unlogged and logged forests 30–35 years after logging. We monitored 5119 seedlings from germination for ~1.5 years across a mixed landscape of unlogged forests (ULs), naturally regenerating logged forests (NR) and actively restored logged forests via rehabilitative silvicultural treatments (AR), 15–27 years after restoration. We measured 14 leaf, root and biomass allocation traits on 399 seedlings from 15 species. Soon after fruiting, UL and AR forests had higher seedling densities than NR forest, but survival was the lowest in AR forests in the first 6 months. Community composition differed among forest types; AR and NR forests had lower species richness and lower evenness than UL forests by 5–6 months post-mast but did not differ between them. Differences in community composition altered community-weighted mean trait values across forest types, with higher root biomass allocation in NR relative to UL forest. Traits influenced mortality ~3 months post-mast, with more acquisitive traits and relative aboveground investment favoured in AR forests relative to UL forests. Our findings of reduced seedling survival and diversity suggest long time lags in post-logging recruitment, particularly for some taxa. Active restoration of logged forests recovers initial seedling production, but elevated mortality in AR forests lowers the efficacy of active restoration to enhance recruitment or diversity of seedling

Restrictive immigration policies harm the mental health of undocumented immigrants and their U.S. citizen family members. As a sociopolitical stressor, threat to family due to immigration policy can heighten anxiety, yet it is unclear whether political engagement helps immigrant-origin students to cope. We used a cross-sectional survey of college students from immigrant families (N = 2,511) to investigate whether anxiety symptomatology was associated with perceived threat to family and if political engagement moderated this relationship. We stratified analyses by self/parental immigration statuses-undocumented students, U.S. citizens with undocumented parents, and U.S. citizens with lawfully present parents-to examine family members' legal vulnerability. Family threat was significantly associated with anxiety; higher levels of political engagement reduced the strength of this relationship. However, this moderation effect was significant only for U.S. citizens with lawfully present parents. These findings emphasize the importance of the family immigration context in shaping individuals' mental health outcomes.

Background: Despite the significant number of older Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Australians, our understanding of their healthcare barriers and utilisation, the associated socio-demographic factors, and the relationship with burden of disease is fragmented, under-researched, and reliant on qualitative studies. Older CALD Australians may also rely more on informal caregivers, which may lead to higher psychological distress amongst caregivers, but this is also largely unmeasured. Nationally representative datasets exist that measure health and healthcare utilization, however they are underutilised, and quantitative approaches in older CALD Australian research is scarce. Objectives: This thesis aims to examine the feasibility of using nationally representative datasets from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to address the gaps in CALD research with a focus on older people and their carers’ health, healthcare use, and carer wellbeing. Using the Yang and Hwang’s multicultural healthcare framework based on the Andersen behavioural model of healthcare utilisation as the theoretical framework, this thesis analysed Australian Bureau of Statistics datasets to address three research aims: 1) Measure self-reported healthcare barriers and utilisation in older CALD Australians, and identification of associated factors; 2) Measure psychological distress amongst carers of older CALD Australians, and identify associated factors; and 3) Measure prevalence of long-term health conditions by multiple measures of cultural and linguistic diversity, and an exploration of the geo-spatial distribution of three long-term health conditions in the three largest older CALD communities. Methods: Regression modelling were used to address Research aims 1 and 2. Outcome measurements in Research aims 1 included self-reported primary healthcare barriers and self-reported number of visits to primary healthcare in the last twelve months, and for Research aim 2 this was psychological d

This study concerns the demographic changes in a group known as båtsmän (seamen and other naval personnel), during 1837-1870 which was an era of great economic, social, technological and demographic transformation. This group of people were the backbone of the standing royal Swedish navy, and they had some benefits compared to the rest of the agrarian society which they lived in. They got a croft and a small plot of land to live off and a yearly wage from the state, just as an example. These båtsmän were of interest because of the region and time they lived in. The parish of Skön in the county of Västernorrland was a place of great industrial development in the 19th century and seated parts 1:a Norrlands Båtsmanskompani 2:del, the company that these båtsmän were a part of. As mentioned earlier, the demographic changes in 19th century Sweden were dramatic, and this study wanted to find out if the same changes could be seen with the båtsmän and their families. The study found that the båtsmän of Skön parish partly followed the demographic patterns of the rest of the Swedish society, but deviated roughly halfway through the study. The study also found that the båtsmän of Skön parish most likely in one way or another took part in the Swedish mobilization of 1848 in case the Schleswig-Holstein war escalated., Slutgiltigt godkännandedatum: 2024-06-10

Whole-plant senescence, defined as a decrease in individual fitness as an organism grows older, has often been assumed to not occur in plants; however, it has now been detected in a range of plant taxa. Still, reported senescence patterns vary substantially, and it remains unknown how consistent patterns are within phylogenetic groups and how they may be affected by environmental factors. Plants show a high diversity in life-history traits within phylogenetic groups and environments, but shared traits among related species are also common, making both diverse and similar patterns probable. Here, we explore how mortality changes with advancing age in four closely related species (Dactylorhiza incarnata, D. lapponica, D. maculata and Gymnadenia conopsea) across two sites in Norway: the coastal Nordmarka and inland Sølendet. Using data collected over 34 years, following more than 2500 individual plants, we conduct Bayesian survival trajectory analysis to assess mortality age trajectories. A simple Weibull model, illustrating increasing mortality at a decelerating rate with age, was the best fit for all species at both sites. From these models, we calculate rates of senescence and compare them using Kullback–Leibler divergences, finding no notable differences in rates between species or sites. Synthesis. Our findings suggest that actuarial senescence, an increase in mortality with advancing age, may be common in orchids and show that demographic ageing can proceed similarly in closely related taxa across different environments.

Sexual selection and the evolution of costly mating strategies can negatively impact population viability and adaptive potential. While laboratory studies have documented outcomes stemming from these processes, recent observations suggest that the demographic impact of sexual selection is contingent on the environment and therefore may have been overestimated in simple laboratory settings. Here we find support for this claim. We exposed copies of beetle populations, previously evolved with or without sexual selection, to a 10-generation heatwave while maintaining half of them in a simple environment and the other half in a complex environment. Populations with an evolutionary history of sexual selection maintained larger sizes and more stable growth rates in complex (relative to simple) environments, an effect not seen in populations evolved without sexual selection. These results have implications for evolutionary forecasting and suggest that the negative demographic impact of sexually selected mating strategies might be low in natural populations. Sexual selection can both aid and impede evolutionary rescue. This study shows that the complexity of the environment can play a central role in how sexual selection impacts population viability and adaptive potential, and suggests that complex environments may increase the net benefit of sexual selection.image

Background The mortality of oral squamous cell cancer (OSCC) in Serbia increased in the last decade. Recent studies on the Serbian population focused mainly on the epidemiological aspect of OSCC. This study aimed to investigate the demographic and imaging features of OSCC in the Serbian population at the time of diagnosis. Methods We retrospectively analyzed computed tomography (CT) images of 276 patients with OSCC diagnosed between 2017 and 2022. Age, gender, tumor site, tumor volume (CT-TV, in cm3), depth of invasion (CT-DOI, in mm), and bone invasion (CT-BI, in %) were evaluated. TNM status and tumor stage were also analyzed. All parameters were analyzed with appropriate statistical tests. Results The mean age was 62.32 ± 11.39 and 63.25 ± 11.71 for males and females, respectively. Male to female ratio was 1.63:1. The tongue (36.2%), mouth floor (21.0%), and alveolar ridge (19.9%) were the most frequent sites of OSCC. There was a significant gender-related difference in OSCC distribution between oral cavity subsites (Z=-4.225; p < 0.001). Mean values of CT-TV in males (13.8 ± 21.5) and females (5.4 ± 6.8) were significantly different (t = 4.620; p < 0.001). CT-DOI also differed significantly (t = 4.621; p < 0.001) between males (14.4 ± 7.4) and females (10.7 ± 4.4). CT-BI was detected in 30.1%, the most common in the alveolar ridge OSCC. T2 tumor status (31.4%) and stage IVA (28.3%) were the most dominant at the time of diagnosis. Metastatic lymph nodes were detected in 41.1%. Conclusion Our findings revealed significant gender-related differences in OSCC imaging features. The predominance of moderate and advanced tumor stages indicates a long time interval to the OSCC diagnosis.

Lors d’une conférence prononcée en 1922, Louis Alexandre Taschereau, premier ministre du Québec et d’ascendance noble, fait l’apologie de la noblesse canadienne en insistant sur le fait qu’elle occupe toujours le premier rang de la société. À l’inverse, une certaine historiographie (Ouellet, 1966; Brunet 1969 ; Séguin, 1970) a prétendu que le groupe nobiliaire a perdu son autorité dès la Cession de la Nouvelle-France. Il est indéniable que la noblesse s’est transformée lorsque la période préindustrielle a peu à peu laissé place à l’ère industrielle, mais dans quelle mesure? Cette thèse poursuit l’objectif d’établir un portrait du devenir de l’ensemble des familles nobles d’origine française restées au Canada, de la Cession de la Nouvelle-France jusqu’à la Première Guerre mondiale, en portant une attention particulière à ses comportements démographiques et matrimoniaux ainsi qu’aux parcours professionnels et à l’identification à ses lignées ancestrales. Si la Cession nécessite une adaptation, la deuxième moitié du XIXe siècle constitue un choc encore plus important. De nombreuses familles nobles ont connu un glissement social, mais ce processus s’est effectué progressivement dans le temps et à des moments différents selon les cas. Surtout, l’ensemble des thèmes étudiés convergent vers un noyau de familles ayant réussi à conserver une position élitaire et à maintenir une autorité locale, régionale et, dans quelques cas, nationale, voire plus rarement, impériale. Des caractéristiques du régime français persistent au sein de ce sous-groupe restreint, telle que la propriété foncière et la valeur du service. Celui-ci fait aussi preuve d’adaptation, par exemple sur le plan professionnel et du choix des conjoints. Alors que de nombreuses familles déclinent au fil du XIXe siècle, des initiatives identitaires émergent parallèlement chez celles s’étant maintenues, qui revendiquent une appartenance à une lignée le plus souvent en voie d’extinction démographique., In a 1922 conference, Louis Alexandre Taschereau, of noble descent and Prime Minister of Quebec, insisted that Canadian aristocracy still occupied at that moment the highest social rank. On the other hand, some historians claimed that aristocrats had declined in tandem with the Cession of New France in 1763 (Ouellet, 1966; Brunet, 1969; Séguin, 1970). In fact, it is undeniable that nobility metamorphosed as the pre-industrial period gradually made its way to the Industrial Era. In that respect, how did aristocracy evolved ? From the Cession of New France to the First World War, the present thesis aims to analyse the becoming of noble families of French descent who stayed in Canada. Indeed, this study focuses on their respective demographic and matrimonial background, as well as their career paths and their identification with their ancestral lineages. If the Cession required adaptation the second half of the 19th century constituted an even more significant shock as aristocracy lost its bearing. This came as a challenge to aristocrats who had to reinvent themselves in order to maintain their high social status. Many noble families progressively experienced a social shift over time and at various moments throughout different events. But all the studied themes converge toward a core of families who succeeded in retaining an elite position and maintaining local, regional and, sometimes national, and somewhat rarely, imperial authority. We observe that characteristics of the French regime persist within this restrictive subgroup, such as land ownership and the value of service. These aristocrats also adapted their career paths and choices of spouse. While aristocracy declined over the course of the 19th century, identity initiatives emerged among those who remained noble, claiming to belong to an aristocracy lineage, that often was on the verge of demographic extinction.

Purpose: To examine differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between native and foreign-born gynaecological cancer patients in Sweden, taking into account clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. Methods: The 30-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and a study-specific questionnaire covering demographic and socioeconomic factors were answered by 684 women aged ≥ 18 years old, diagnosed in 2014, 2016, or 2018 with gynaecological cancer in the Stockholm-Gotland health care region, Sweden. Clinical data were obtained from the Swedish Cancer Register. Data were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test and linear regression. Results: The women had a mean age of 65.4 years, with 555 (81.1%) born in Sweden, 54 (7.9%) in other Nordic countries (ONC), 43 (6.3%) in other European countries (OEC), and 32 (4.7%) in non-European countries (NEC). HRQoL differed significantly between the four groups for 14 of the 15 QLQ-C30 scales/items. On average, Swedish-born women scored 2.0, 15.2, and 16.7 points higher for QoL/functioning scales/items and 2.2, 14.1, and 18.7 points lower for symptom scales/items, compared with ONC-, OEC-, and NEC-born women, respectively. In adjusted analyses, none of the differences between Swedish-born and ONC-born women were significant, while for OEC- and NEC-born women the differences were significant for most QLQ-C30 scales/items. Conclusion: HRQoL differs between native and foreign-born gynaecological cancer patients in Sweden, with lower HRQoL the further from Sweden the women are born. A more individualised cancer care, with tailored support to optimize HRQoL is needed for this vulnerable group of patients.

Purpose: To examine differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between native and foreign-born gynaecological cancer patients in Sweden, taking into account clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. Methods: The 30-item European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-C30) and a study-specific questionnaire covering demographic and socioeconomic factors were answered by 684 women aged ≥ 18 years old, diagnosed in 2014, 2016, or 2018 with gynaecological cancer in the Stockholm-Gotland health care region, Sweden. Clinical data were obtained from the Swedish Cancer Register. Data were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test and linear regression. Results: The women had a mean age of 65.4 years, with 555 (81.1%) born in Sweden, 54 (7.9%) in other Nordic countries (ONC), 43 (6.3%) in other European countries (OEC), and 32 (4.7%) in non-European countries (NEC). HRQoL differed significantly between the four groups for 14 of the 15 QLQ-C30 scales/items. On average, Swedish-born women scored 2.0, 15.2, and 16.7 points higher for QoL/functioning scales/items and 2.2, 14.1, and 18.7 points lower for symptom scales/items, compared with ONC-, OEC-, and NEC-born women, respectively. In adjusted analyses, none of the differences between Swedish-born and ONC-born women were significant, while for OEC- and NEC-born women the differences were significant for most QLQ-C30 scales/items. Conclusion: HRQoL differs between native and foreign-born gynaecological cancer patients in Sweden, with lower HRQoL the further from Sweden the women are born. A more individualised cancer care, with tailored support to optimize HRQoL is needed for this vulnerable group of patients.

Although still prevalent in many human societies, the practice of cousin marriage has precipitously declined in populations undergoing rapid demographic and socioeconomic change. However, it is still unclear whether changes in the structure of the marriage pool or changes in the fitness-relevant consequences of cousin marriage more strongly influence the frequency of cousin marriage. Here, we use genealogical data collected by the Tsimane Health and Life History Project to show that there is a small but measurable decline in the frequency of first cross-cousin marriage since the mid-twentieth century. Such changes are linked to concomitant changes in the pool of potential spouses in recent decades. We find only very modest differences in fitness-relevant demographic measures between first cousin and non-cousin marriages. These differences have been diminishing as the Tsimane have become more market integrated. The factors that influence preferences for cousin marriage appear to be less prevalent now than in the past, but cultural inertia might slow the pace of change in marriage norms. Overall, our findings suggest that cultural changes in marriage practices reflect underlying societal changes that shape the pool of potential spouses.

Contemporary demographic processes involving the decline and aging of the population and the accompanying economic crisis in many cities around the world are referred to as shrinking. The causes and effects of this phenomenon are still insufficiently explained. The article investigates the financial effects of shrinking on the budgets of Polish cities. The article aims to indicate how the loss of inhabitants may affect the city’s economy, and thus the city’s budget, and to identify and assess differences between selected budget categories in shrinking cities and in those cities that have not experienced the problem of depopulation. First, a literature review was conducted, followed by a financial analysis of the budgets of shrinking cities, which was supplemented with a comparative analysis of the selected revenues and expenditures of budgets of cities that were not undergoing the shrinking process. The research period covered the years 2018–2022. As the analyses show, the way in which cities’ demographic problems impact their financial situation occurs through the economy, the condition of which in the era of knowledge-based economies depends on human capital resources. The financial analysis of selected budget indicators allowed us to conclude that shrinking cities had much lower budget revenues per capita, lower revenue independence, and lower budget expenditures. The opposite situation was observed in the case of expenditure on benefits for natural persons, the higher level of which in shrinking cities confirmed the need for greater involvement of cities in financing social policy., Contemporary demographic processes involving the decline and aging of the population and the accompanying economic crisis in many cities around the world are referred to as shrinking. The causes and effects of this phenomenon are still insufficiently explained. The article investigates the financial effects of shrinking on the budgets of Polish cities. The article aims to indicate how the loss of inhabitants may affect the city’s economy, and thus the city’s budget, and to identify and assess differences between selected budget categories in shrinking cities and in those cities that have not experienced the problem of depopulation. First, a literature review was conducted, followed by a financial analysis of the budgets of shrinking cities, which was supplemented with a comparative analysis of the selected revenues and expenditures of budgets of cities that were not undergoing the shrinking process. The research period covered the years 2018–2022. As the analyses show, the way in which cities’ demographic problems impact their financial situation occurs through the economy, the condition of which in the era of knowledge-based economies depends on human capital resources. The financial analysis of selected budget indicators allowed us to conclude that shrinking cities had much lower budget revenues per capita, lower revenue independence, and lower budget expenditures. The opposite situation was observed in the case of expenditure on benefits for natural persons, the higher level of which in shrinking cities confirmed the need for greater involvement of cities in financing social policy.

Active restoration through silvicultural treatments (enrichment planting, cutting climbers and liberation thinning) is considered an important intervention in logged forests. However, its ability to enhance regeneration is key for long-term recovery of logged forests, which remains poorly understood, particularly for the production and survival of seedlings in subsequent generations. To understand the long-term impacts of logging and restoration we tracked the diversity, survival and traits of seedlings that germinated immediately after a mast fruiting in North Borneo in unlogged and logged forests 30–35 years after logging. We monitored 5119 seedlings from germination for ~1.5 years across a mixed landscape of unlogged forests (ULs), naturally regenerating logged forests (NR) and actively restored logged forests via rehabilitative silvicultural treatments (AR), 15–27 years after restoration. We measured 14 leaf, root and biomass allocation traits on 399 seedlings from 15 species. Soon after fruiting, UL and AR forests had higher seedling densities than NR forest, but survival was the lowest in AR forests in the first 6 months. Community composition differed among forest types; AR and NR forests had lower species richness and lower evenness than UL forests by 5–6 months post-mast but did not differ between them. Differences in community composition altered community-weighted mean trait values across forest types, with higher root biomass allocation in NR relative to UL forest. Traits influenced mortality ~3 months post-mast, with more acquisitive traits and relative aboveground investment favoured in AR forests relative to UL forests. Our findings of reduced seedling survival and diversity suggest long time lags in post-logging recruitment, particularly for some taxa. Active restoration of logged forests recovers initial seedling production, but elevated mortality in AR forests lowers the efficacy of active restoration to enhance recruitment or diversity of seedling