Search

The vast majority of travel behavior and sustainable transportation research has focused on urban areas. A rural perspective is lacking. In this study, we aim to dive deeper into understanding how people travel and their perceptions and opinions about various components of travel in a majority rural state. By speaking directly with Vermonters through in-person interviews, we obtain uniquely personal points of view and analyze them for commonalities and differences between urban, suburban, and rural Vermonters. We ask questions on day-to-day challenges of traveling, suggestions for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, responses to fuel prices, and opinions on electric vehicles. Some of our key findings incude that rural areas struggle most with traveling long distances to reach services, urban areas are more concerned with traffic, and opinions on electric vehicle (EV) ownership are consistent across the state, with people being likely to consider owning an EV if costs were to decrease. Our interviews identify additional questions that should be evaluated further to help states develop practical and effective policies aimed at reducing GHG emissions in rural areas. We also recommend further in-depth survey research to provide a more complete picture of the potential to shift travel behavioral, particularly in rural areas. This research adds to the body of knowledge in a historically understudied population, enabeling the reseach community to better understand and work more closely with small and rural communities to address climate change and achieve deeper GHG emission reductions.

Little is known about the current state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada, one of the countries with the greatest amount of surface waters in the world. To address this knowledge gap, we compiled a list of all available assessments of conservation status for freshwater species (over 3000 taxa) and further evaluated the overall status of six distinct taxonomic groups, focusing on organisms reliant on fresh waters (i.e., aquatic plants, invertebrates (with a focus on freshwater mussels), fishes, herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), birds, and mammals). Overall, 11.7% of all freshwater species of plants and animals assessed were found to be “at risk” (i.e., listed as “Threatened”, “Endangered”, or “Extirpated”) and 17.9% identified as “Special Concern”. We found that 37.9% of species lacked sufficient data to enable their status to be assessed. Data gaps in Canada’s assessment of its freshwater species were most prevalent in invertebrates (excluding freshwater mussels). Given the alarming state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada, we conclude by providing recommendations that focus on evaluating temporal trends and informing conservation actions.

Rationale. The two most frequent early-onset restrictive food intake disorders are early-onset anorexia nervosa (EOAN) and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorders (ARFID). Although the core symptoms of EOAN(i.e., fear of gaining weight and disturbed body image) are not present in ARFID, these symptoms are difficult to assess during the initial phase of hospitalisation. Objectives: (i) To identify restrictive food intake disorder subtypes in children using latent class analysis (LCA) based on information available at admission to hospital, and (ii) to determine the agreement between the subtypes identified using LCA and the final diagnosis: EOAN or ARFID. Method: We retrospectively included 97 children under 13 years old with severe eating disorders (DSM-5) at their first hospitalisation in a specialized French paediatric unit. LCA was based on clinical information, growth chart analyses and socio-demographic parameters available at admission. We then compared the probabilities of latent class membership with the diagnosis (EOAN or ARFID) made at the end of the hospitalisation. Results: The most parsimonious LCA model was a 2-class solution. Children diagnosed with EOAN at the end of hospitalisation had a 100% probability of belonging to class 1 while children diagnosed with ARFID had an 8% probability of belonging to class 1 based on parameters available at admission. Discussion: Our results indicate that clinical and socio-demographic characteristics other than the core symptoms of EOAN may be discriminating for a differential diagnosis.

Therapeutic touch body care in the management of eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa, aims to deepen the relationship of trust and the therapeutic alliance. Nursing research and the development of clinical nursing care, with nursing diagnoses as a support, have made it possible to provide new responses adapted to the patient's needs. This reassuring helping relationship favors the work around the patient's psychic and physical perceptions. The notion of the gender of the caregiver in the body approach care is a dimension to be taken into consideration.

The controversy over the taxonomic identity of the eggs exploited by Australia’s first people around 50,000 y ago is resolved. The birds that laid these eggs are extinct, and distinguishing between two main candidates, a giant flightless “mihirung” Genyornis and a large megapode Progura, had proven impossible using morphological and geochemical methods. Ancient DNA sequencing remains inconclusive because of the age and burial temperature of the eggshell. In contrast, ancient protein sequences recovered from the eggshell enabled estimation of the evolutionary affinity between the egg and a range of extant taxa. The eggs are those of a Galloanseres (a group that includes extinct Dromornithidae, as well as extant landfowl and waterfowl), Genyornis, and not of the megapode (Megapodiidae, crown Galliformes). The realization that ancient biomolecules are preserved in “fossil” samples has revolutionized archaeological science. Protein sequences survive longer than DNA, but their phylogenetic resolution is inferior; therefore, careful assessment of the research questions is required. Here, we show the potential of ancient proteins preserved in Pleistocene eggshell in addressing a longstanding controversy in human and animal evolution: the identity of the extinct bird that laid large eggs which were exploited by Australia’s indigenous people. The eggs had been originally attributed to the iconic extinct flightless bird Genyornis newtoni (†Dromornithidae, Galloanseres) and were subsequently dated to before 50 ± 5 ka by Miller etnbsp;al. [Nat. Commun. 7, 10496 (2016)]. This was taken to represent the likely extinction date for this endemic megafaunal species and thus implied a role of humans in its demise. A contrasting hypothesis, according to which the eggs were laid by a large mound-builder megapode (Megapodiidae, Galliformes), would therefore acquit humans of their responsibility in the extinction of Genyornis. Ancient protein sequences were reconstructed and used to assess the evolutionary proximity of the undetermined eggshell to extant birds, rejecting the megapode hypothesis. Authentic ancient DNA could not be confirmed from these highly degraded samples, but morphometric data also support the attribution of the eggshell to Genyornis. When used in triangulation to address well-defined hypotheses, paleoproteomics is a powerful tool for reconstructing the evolutionary history in ancient samples. In addition to the clarification of phylogenetic placement, these data provide a more nuanced understanding of the modes of interactions between humans and their environment.

SignificanceThe controversy over the taxonomic identity of the eggs exploited by Australia's first people around 50,000 y ago is resolved. The birds that laid these eggs are extinct, and distinguishing between two main candidates, a giant flightless "mihirung"