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Migration evolved as a behavior to enhance fitness through exploiting spatially and temporally variable resources and avoiding predation or other threats. Globally, landscape alterations have resulted in declines to migratory populations across taxa. Given the long time periods over which migrations evolved in native systems, it is unlikely that restored populations embody the same migratory complexity that existed before population reductions or regional extirpation.We used GPS location data collected from 209 female bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) to characterize population and individual migration patterns along elevation and geographic continuums for 18 populations of bighorn sheep with different management histories (i.e., restored, augmented, and native) across the western United States.Individuals with resident behaviors were present in all management histories. Elevational migrations were the most common population‐level migratory behavior. There were notable differences in the degree of individual variation within a population across the three management histories. Relative to native populations, restored and augmented populations had less variation among individuals with respect to elevation and geographic migration distances. Differences in migratory behavior were most pronounced for geographic distances, where the majority of native populations had a range of variation that was 2–4 times greater than restored or augmented populations.Synthesis and applications. Migrations within native populations include a variety of patterns that translocation efforts have not been able to fully recreate within restored and augmented populations. Theoretical and empirical research has highlighted the benefits of migratory diversity in promoting resilience and population stability. Limited migratory diversity may serve as an additional factor limiting demographic performance and range expansion. We suggest preserving native systems with intact migratory portfolios and a more nuanced approach to restoration and augmentation in which source populations are identified based on a suite of criteria that includes matching migratory patterns of source populations with local landscape attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a discussion on the importance of a better understanding of the relationship between San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) and larger canids that prey on them. Monitoring of survival and cause of death on the Carrizo Plain Natural Area, California; Other contributing factors that decreases kit foxes' population; Vulpes macrotis mutica; Canis latrans; Intraguild predation.

Background: Much remains unknown about experiences, including working activities and pay, of women in cardiology, which is a predominantly male specialty. Objectives: The goal of this study was to describe the working activities and pay of female cardiologists compared with their male colleagues and to determine whether sex differences in compensation exist after accounting for differences in work activities and other characteristics. Methods: The personal, job, and practice characteristics of a national sample of practicing cardiologists were described according to sex. We applied the Peters-Belson technique and multivariate regression analysis to evaluate whether gender differences in compensation existed after accounting for differences in other measured characteristics. The study used 2013 data reported by practice administrators to MedAxiom, a subscription-based service provider to cardiology practices. Data regarding cardiologists from 161 U.S. practices were included, and the study sample included 2,679 subjects (229 women and 2,450 men). Results: Women were more likely to be specialized in general/noninvasive cardiology (53.1% vs. 28.2%), and a lower proportion (11.4% vs. 39.3%) reported an interventional subspecialty compared with men. Job characteristics that differed according to sex included the proportion working full-time (79.9% vs. 90.9%; p < 0.001), the mean number of half-days worked (387 vs. 406 days; p = 0.001), and mean work relative value units generated (7,404 vs. 9,497; p < 0.001) for women and men, respectively. Peters-Belson analysis revealed that based on measured job and productivity characteristics, the women in this sample would have been expected to have a mean salary that was $31,749 (95% confidence interval: $16,303 to $48,028) higher than that actually observed. Multivariate analysis confirmed the direction and magnitude of the independent association between sex and salary. Conclusions: Men and women practicing cardiology in this national sample had different job activities and salaries. Substantial sex-based salary differences existed even after adjusting for measures of personal, job, and practice characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The burden of caregiving for family members is significant and becomes particularly challenging at end of life, with negative effects on mental health, including anxiety and depression. Research has shown caregivers need better communication with their health care team. Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between hospice team communication with caregivers and caregiver involvement in care. Methods: The purpose of this secondary analysis of data collected from a U.S.-based cluster crossover randomized trial was to evaluate whether caregiver-centered communication (Caregiver-Centered Communication Questionnaire) is associated with a caregiver's perceptions of involvement in care (Perceived Involved in Care Scale). A block-wise approach was used to estimate linear models, which were created using total scores and subscale scores. Results: Caregiver-centered communication was positively associated with perceptions of involvement in care. Conclusion: Skilled communication between hospice clinicians and family caregivers is critical in helping family members perception they are involved in the care of their loved one. There could be similar benefit in caregiver-centered communication during cancer treatment as well.

The current opioid crisis in the United States is a major problem facing health-care providers, even at the end of life. Opioids continue to be the mainstay treatment for pain at the end of life, with the prevalence of pain reported in up to 80% of patients and tends to increase as one gets closer toward the end of life. In the past year, 20.2 million Americans had a substance use disorder (SUD) and SUDs are disabling disorders that largely go untreated. In addition, the coexistence of both a mental health and SUD is very common with the use of opioids often as a means of chemical coping. Most hospice programs do not have standardized SUD policies/guidelines in place despite the increasing concerns about substance abuse within the United States. The goal of this article is to review the literature on this topic and offer strategies on how to manage pain in patients who have active SUD or who are at risk for developing SUD in those dying on hospice.

Predatory fish introduction can cause cascading changes within recipient freshwater ecosystems. Linkages to avian and terrestrial food webs may occur, but effects are thought to attenuate across ecosystem boundaries. Using data spanning more than four decades (1972-2017), we demonstrate that lake trout invasion of Yellowstone Lake added a novel, piscivorous trophic level resulting in a precipitous decline of prey fish, including Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Plankton assemblages within the lake were altered, and nutrient transport to tributary streams was reduced. Effects across the aquatic-terrestrial ecosystem boundary remained strong (log response ratio ≤ 1.07) as grizzly bears and black bears necessarily sought alternative foods. Nest density and success of ospreys greatly declined. Bald eagles shifted their diet to compensate for the cutthroat trout loss. These interactions across multiple trophic levels both within and outside of the invaded lake highlight the potential substantial influence of an introduced predatory fish on otherwise pristine ecosystems.

In contrast to broad range expansion through translocations, many mountain goat ( Oreamnos americanus) populations have shown signs of decline. Recent documentation of pneumonia in mountain goats highlights their susceptibility to bacterial pathogens typically associated with bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis) epizootics. Respiratory pathogen communities of mountain goats are poorly characterized yet have important implications for management and conservation of both species. We characterized resident pathogen communities across a range of mountain goat populations as an initial step to inform management efforts. Between 2010 and 2017, we sampled 98 individuals within three regions of the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA), with a smaller sampling effort in southeast Alaska, US. Within the GYA, we detected Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in two regions and we found at least two Pasteurellaceae species in animals from all regions. Mannheimia haemolytica was the only pathogen that we detected in southeast Alaska. Given the difficult sampling conditions, limited sample size, and imperfect detection, our failure to detect specific pathogens should be interpreted with caution. Nonetheless, respiratory pathogens within the GYA may be an important, yet underappreciated, cause of mountain goat mortality. Moreover, because of the strong niche overlap of bighorn sheep and mountain goats, interspecific transmission is an important concern for managers restoring or introducing mountain ungulates within sympatric ranges.

Objective: To describe (1) the institutional variability in study approval and willingness to obtain federal assurance documents for a federally supported, minimal risk health services research project conducted during the implementation of the Privacy Rule and federalwide assurances, and (2) the potential impact of such policy on selection of research subjects and generalizability of study results., Data Sources: Primary data collection from 2001 to 2004., Study Design: We provide a descriptive analysis of a prospective, observational, out-of-hospital study., Study Setting: Twenty-seven pediatric receiving hospitals were approached for participation in a study validating a decision rule to identify seriously injured children involved in motor vehicle crashes in Los Angeles County. Two federal research policies, the Privacy Rule and the requirement for federalwide assurances, were implemented during the project., Data Collection: All 27 hospitals were sent an identical research protocol requesting approval to review charts of children transported to their facility. The research protocol included strict confidentiality protections, was noninterventional, did not alter the standard of care at the scene or at the hospital, and met requirements for waivers of both informed consent and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Because the project was federally supported, all participating hospitals were required to have a federalwide assurance. The hospitals receiving the research protocol were the unit of analysis and outcomes included: approval of the research protocol, total number of days to study approval, and successfully obtaining a federalwide assurance., Principle Findings: Overall, 6 of 27 (22 percent) hospitals refused to participate in the study, all of which were community hospitals. The median time from submitting an application to study approval was 118 days (interquartile range 34-254, range 12-960 days) and time to study approval differed when hospitals were categorized by type and the presence of an institutional review board (p=.053). No institutional review resulted in a change in the basic study protocol, although one hospital required paramedic consent. Following intensive efforts to secure federalwide assurances, 12 of 27 hospitals (44 percent) possessed the necessary assurance to conduct the study. If all patients transported to hospitals that failed to obtain such an assurance were omitted, the sample size would have been reduced by 62 percent and would have excluded all children transported to community hospitals., Conclusions: There is substantial institutional variability in approval of a minimal risk observational study and in willingness to obtain a federalwide assurance, particularly among community hospitals. Federal research policy involving patient privacy and institutional assurances may be contributing to this variability, which can adversely affect selection of research subjects, disrupt population-based study design, and threaten the generalizability of study results.