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Increased interest in renewable energy has fostered development of wind and solar energy facilities globally. However, energy development sometimes has negative environmental impacts, such as wildlife fatalities. Efforts by regional land managers to balance energy potential while minimizing fatality risk currently rely on datasets that are aggregated at continental, but not regional scales, that focus on single species, or that implement meta-analyses that inappropriately use inferential statistics. We compiled and summarized fatality data from 87 reports for solar and wind facilities in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts region of southern California within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area. Our goal was to evaluate potential temporal and guild-specific patterns in fatalities, especially for priority species of conservation concern. We also aimed to provide a perspective on approaches interpreting these types of data, given inherent limitations in how they were collected. Mourning doves (Zenaida macroura), Chukar (Alectoris chukar) and California Quail (Callipepla californica), and passerines (Passeriformes), accounted for the most commonly reported fatalities. However, our aggregated count data were derived from raw, uncorrected totals, and thus reflect an absolute minimum number of fatalities for the monitored period. Additionally, patterns in the raw data suggested that many species commonly documented as fatalities (e.g., waterbirds and other nocturnal migrants, bats) are rarely counted during typical pre-construction use surveys. This may explain the more commonly observed mismatch between pre-construction risk assessment and actual fatalities. Our work may serve to guide design of future scientific research to address temporal and spatial patterns in fatalities and to apply rigorous guild-specific survey methodologies to estimate populations at risk from renewable energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing for the effects of climate change on species whose populations are currently imperiled requires detailed knowledge of the relationship between their demographic rates and climate variables. We sought this information for the West Coast breeding population of snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus), which was federally listed as threatened in 1993 due to substantial declines in the numbers of plovers breeding along the coast and in the number of sites occupied for breeding. Snowy plovers employ a serially polygamous breeding system in which the male typically tends chicks to independence. This unusual breeding system is favored by male‐biased sex ratios in local populations. As part of a multispecies study of the effect of climate change on population growth, we used mark–capture models to examine climate drivers of adult survival for 1219 snowy plovers banded at Monterey Bay over 38 years and known to overwinter on the surrounding north‐central California outer coast. Nonclimate variables, including sex and unmeasured annual mortality risks (e.g., predator abundance), were the primary factors affecting adult survival. However, there is evidence that cold weather, particularly extended cold snaps with daily low temperatures below 2°C and daily high temperatures below 10°C, decreases overwinter survival. Exceptionally cold winters had a particularly strong effect on adult female plovers, contributing to the male‐biased adult sex ratios. Future winter climate on the north‐central California coast is projected to be generally warmer with fewer and shorter cold snaps. Reduced mortality from cold winter weather may mitigate other threats faced by plovers, such as anthropogenically enhanced predator populations, habitat loss, and accelerated sea level rise, while altering the adult sex ratio and potentially shifting the evolutionary landscape maintaining the plover's unusual breeding system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The interaction between cancer diagnoses and COVID‐19 infection and outcomes is unclear. We leveraged a state‐wide, multi‐institutional database to assess cancer‐related risk factors for poor COVID‐19 outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the University of California Health COVID Research Dataset, which includes electronic health data of patients tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) at 17 California medical centers. We identified adults tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 from 2/1/2020–12/31/2020 and selected a cohort of patients with cancer. We obtained demographic, clinical, cancer type, and antineoplastic therapy data. The primary outcome was hospitalization within 30d after the first positive SARS‐CoV‐2 test. Secondary outcomes were SARS‐CoV‐2 positivity and severe COVID‐19 (intensive care, mechanical ventilation, or death within 30d after the first positive test). We used multivariable logistic regression to identify cancer‐related factors associated with outcomes. Results: We identified 409,462 patients undergoing SARS‐CoV‐2 testing. Of 49,918 patients with cancer, 1781 (3.6%) tested positive. Patients with cancer were less likely to test positive (RR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.67–0.74, p < 0.001). Among the 1781 SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive patients with cancer, BCR/ABL‐negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (RR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.25–3.41, p = 0.007), venetoclax (RR 2.96, 95% CI: 1.14–5.66, p = 0.028), and methotrexate (RR 2.72, 95% CI: 1.10–5.19, p = 0.032) were associated with greater hospitalization risk. Cancer and therapy types were not associated with severe COVID‐19. Conclusions: In this large, diverse cohort, cancer was associated with a decreased risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 positivity. Patients with BCR/ABL‐negative myeloproliferative neoplasm or receiving methotrexate or venetoclax may be at increased risk of hospitalization following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Mechanistic and comparative studies are needed to validate findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2020 wildfire season was devastating to the Western United States and affected the region’s NICUs. In this study, we ask the question, “what tools/strategies do medical professionals deem as important and most helpful as they are preparing for wildfire disaster response?” It is a follow up to our previous study: Learning fromWildfire Disaster Experience in California NICUs. We reevaluated how California NICUs dealt with the 2020 wildfires and expanded to Oregon and Southwest (SW)Washington NICUs. We conducted a survey with eleven Oregon and SWWashington NICUs about their wildfire evacuation preparedness. We also interviewed two neonatologists about their wildfire disaster experience evacuating their NICU or preparing to evacuate. Our findings suggest there is more work needed to fully prepare NICUs for wildfire disasters. We hope that by bringing light to the strategies used by affected clinicians, we can educate and support future NICU disaster preparedness responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study sought to extend findings from previous studies of the association between having had interpersonal contact with individuals with mental illness and the desire to avoid contact with them (i.e., social distance).Methods: The authors used a longitudinal design with a representative sample of 1,057 California adults who completed a survey in 2013 (wave 1) and 2014 (wave 2). Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to test whether demographic characteristics and changes in past-year contact with individuals with mental illness affected perceptions of the dangerousness of individuals with mental illness and willingness to move next door to someone with mental illness.Results: An increase in contact with someone with mental illness between the two waves was associated with a decrease in unwillingness to move nearby a person with mental illness, even after the analysis accounted for contact and unwillingness at wave 1 (odds ratio [OR]=0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.31-0.84). Wave 1 beliefs that persons with mental illness are dangerous were associated with unwillingness to move nearby (OR=3.81, 95% CI=2.29-6.35) but changes in beliefs about dangerousness were not (OR=0.71, 95% CI=0.42-1.19).Conclusions: Increased naturally occurring contact with individuals with mental illness appears to decrease unwillingness to move near a person with mental illness for as long as 1 year after the contact. Housing and services that aim to integrate individuals with mental illness into the community should consider strategies that include contact with individuals with mental illness to counter community opposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) is a new technique for identifying criminal suspects that has sparked controversy. The technique involves uploading a crime scene DNA profile to one or more genetic genealogy databases with the intention of identifying a criminal offender's genetic relatives and, eventually, locating the offender within the family tree. IGG was used to identify the Golden State Killer in 2018 and it is now being used in connection with hundreds of cases in the USA. Yet, as more law enforcement agencies conduct IGG, the privacy implications of the technique have come under scrutiny. While these issues deserve careful attention, we are concerned that their discussion is, at times, based on misunderstandings related to how IGG is used in criminal investigations and how IGG departs from traditional investigative techniques. Here, we aim to clarify and sharpen the public debate by addressing four misconceptions about IGG. We begin with a detailed description of IGG as it is currently practiced: what it is and—just as important—what it is not. We then examine misunderstood or not widely known aspects of IGG that are potentially confusing efforts to have constructive discussions about its future. We conclude with recommendations intended to support the productivity of those discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess trends in consumption of soda, sweetened fruit drinks/sports drinks and any sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) from 2013 to 2016 among all children in California aged 2-5 and 6-11 years and by racial-ethnic group.Design: Serial cross-sectional study using the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS).Setting: CHIS is a telephone survey of households in California designed to assess population-level estimates of key health behaviours. Previous research using CHIS documented a decrease in SSB consumption among children in California from 2003 to 2009 coinciding with state-level policy efforts targeting child SSB consumption.Participants: Parents of children in California aged 2-11 years (n 4901 in 2013-2014; n 3606 in 2015-2016) were surveyed about the child's consumption of soda and sweetened fruit drinks/sports drinks on the day prior.Results: Among 2-5-year-olds, consumption of soda, sweetened fruit drinks/sports drinks and any SSB remained stable. Sweetened fruit drink/sports drink consumption was higher than soda consumption in this age group. Latino 2-5- year-olds were more likely to consume any SSB in both 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 compared with Whites. Among 6-11-year-olds, consumption of soda, sweetened fruit drinks/sports drinks and any SSB also remained stable over time. Latino and African-American 6-11-year-olds were more likely to consume an SSB in 2013-2014 compared with White children.Conclusions: SSB consumption among children in California was unchanged from 2013 to 2016 and racial-ethnic disparities were evident. Increased policy efforts are needed to further reduce SSB consumption, particularly among children of Latino and African-American backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires have been affecting California greatly, and vulnerable patients in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are not exempt. Our aim was to learn how personnel working in NICUs of California hospitals handled issues of neonatal transfer during wildfire disasters in recent years, with an ultimate goal to share lessons learned with healthcare teams on disaster preparedness. We identified California fires through newspaper articles and the CalFire.gov list. We determined which hospitals were affected and contacted members of the healthcare team through connections via the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC) database. We audio recorded interviews over phone or remote conferencing software or by written survey. We coded and analyzed transcripts and survey responses. While describing disaster preparedness, equipment (such as bassinets and backpacks), ambulance access/transport and documentation/charting were noted as important and essential. Teamwork, willingness to do other tasks that are not part of typical job descriptions, and unconventional strategies contribute to the success of keeping NICU babies safe when California wildfire strikes. Healthcare teams developed ingenious and surprising ways to evacuate NICU babies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the strongest biological impacts of climate change has been the movement of species poleward and upward in elevation. Yet, what is not clear is the extent to which the spatial distribution of locally adapted lineages and ecologically important traits may also shift with continued climate change. Here, we take advantage of a transplant experiment mimicking up‐slope seed dispersal for a suite of ecologically diverse populations of yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus sensu lato) into a high‐elevation common garden during an extreme drought period in the Sierra Nevada mountains, California, USA. We use a demographic approach to quantify fitness and test for selection on life history traits in local versus lower‐elevation populations and in normal versus drought years to test the potential for up‐slope migration and phenotypic selection to alter the distribution of key life history traits in montane environments. We find that lower‐elevation populations tend to outperform local populations, confirming the potential for up‐slope migration. Although selection generally favored some local montane traits, including larger flowers and larger stem size at flowering, drought conditions tended to select for earlier flowering typical of lower‐elevation genotypes. Taken together, this suggests that monkeyflower lineages moving upward in elevation could experience selection for novel trait combinations, particularly under warmer and drier conditions that are predicted to occur with continued climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To use cognitive interviewing and pilot testing to develop a survey instrument feasible for administering in the food pantry setting to assess daily intake frequency from several major food groups and dietary correlates (e.g. fruit and vegetable barriers) - the FRESH Foods Survey.Design: New and existing survey items were adapted and refined following cognitive interviews. After piloting the survey with food pantry users in the USA, preliminary psychometric and construct validity analyses were performed.Setting: Three US food banks and accompanying food pantries in Atlanta, GA, San Diego, CA, and Buffalo, NY.Participants: Food pantry clients (n 246), mostly female (68 %), mean age 54·5 (sd 14·7) years.Results: Measures of dietary correlates performed well psychometrically: Cronbach's α range 0·71-0·90, slope (α) parameter range 1·26-6·36, and threshold parameters (β) indicated variability in the 'difficulty' of the items. Additionally, all scales had only one eigenvalue above 1·0 (range 2·07-4·71), indicating unidimensionality. Average (median, Q1-Q3) daily intakes (times/d) across six dietary groups were: fruits and vegetables (2·87, 1·87-4·58); junk foods (1·16, 0·58-2·16); fast foods and similar entrées (1·45, 0·58-2·03); whole-grain foods (0·87, 0·58-1·71); sugar-sweetened beverages (0·58, 0·29-1·29); milk and milk alternatives (0·71, 0·29-1·29). Significant correlations between dietary groups and dietary correlates were largely in the directions expected based on the literature, giving initial indication of convergent and discriminant validity.Conclusions: The FRESH Foods Survey is efficient, tailored to food pantry populations, can be used to monitor dietary behaviours and may be useful to measure intervention impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rising temperatures are amplifying drought-induced stress and mortality in forests globally. It remains uncertain, however, whether tree mortality across drought-stricken landscapes will be concentrated in particular climatic and competitive environments. We investigated the effects of long-term average climate [i.e. 35-year mean annual climatic water deficit (CWD)] and competition (i.e. tree basal area) on tree mortality patterns, using extensive aerial mortality surveys conducted throughout the forests of California during a 4-year statewide extreme drought lasting from 2012 to 2015. During this period, tree mortality increased by an order of magnitude, typically from tens to hundreds of dead trees per km2, rising dramatically during the fourth year of drought. Mortality rates increased independently with average CWD and with basal area, and they increased disproportionately in areas that were both dry and dense. These results can assist forest managers and policy-makers in identifying the most drought-vulnerable forests across broad geographic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to explore food preparation behaviours, attitudes, meal planning and shopping among Mexican-American mothers.Design: Data were collected through four focus groups with mothers of Mexican origin/ancestry who considered themselves to be the primary food preparer. Topics included food preparation behaviours and influencers (culture, family, attitudes, barriers, meal planning and shopping). Data were analysed using a qualitative grounded theory approach. All focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded for themes.Setting: Data were collected in southern California, USA in 2013.Subjects: Of the sample of twenty-one Mexican-American mothers, thirteen were born outside the USA and the mean household size was five members.Results: Participants reported that food was often prepared using traditional staples and food preparation behaviours were learned from maternal family members. Participants also suggested that health was influenced by foods eaten and how they were prepared. Salient factors influencing food preparation behaviours included culture and tradition, maternal family members' food preparation behaviours, food preparation self-efficacy and attitudes towards healthy eating. Time and busy schedules were cited as barriers.Conclusions: Future interventions should consider utilizing family-based approaches and teaching culturally relevant food preparation skills, especially to youth, while reinforcing more healthful dietary practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquitoes are major infectious disease-carrying vectors. Assessment of current and future risks associated with the mosquito population requires knowledge of the full repertoire of pathogens they carry, including novel viruses, as well as their blood meal sources. Unbiased metatranscriptomic sequencing of individual mosquitoes offers a straightforward, rapid, and quantitative means to acquire this information. Here, we profile 148 diverse wild-caught mosquitoes collected in California and detect sequences from eukaryotes, prokaryotes, 24 known and 46 novel viral species. Importantly, sequencing individuals greatly enhanced the value of the biological information obtained. It allowed us to (a) speciate host mosquito, (b) compute the prevalence of each microbe and recognize a high frequency of viral co-infections, (c) associate animal pathogens with specific blood meal sources, and (d) apply simple co-occurrence methods to recover previously undetected components of highly prevalent segmented viruses. In the context of emerging diseases, where knowledge about vectors, pathogens, and reservoirs is lacking, the approaches described here can provide actionable information for public health surveillance and intervention decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]