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Background: Anthropogenic food sources (AFSs) are widespread in human-transformed landscapes and the current scale at which they occur drives ecological change at the individual, population, and community levels. AFSs are exploited extensively by common ravens, Corvus corax. Understanding how raven populations use AFSs can provide insight into their ecological responses to AFSs., Methods: We equipped 81 ravens in the Austrian Alps with GPS-transmitters over a period of 2.75 years. Using these tracking data, we investigated how cohort differences (i.e., age, sex, and origin) and seasonal changes influence raven movement patterns (i.e., occurrence distribution and maximum daily displacement) and AFS-use (i.e., number of AFSs visited and probability of being present at any AFS) at 45 extensively exploited sites., Results: We found that proxies for experience and dominance, inferred by age (i.e., juvenile versus adult) and origin (i.e., wild-caught versus captive-bred-released) cohorts, influenced movement patterns and the number of AFSs visited. However, all individuals were equally likely to be present at AFSs, highlighting the importance of AFSs for non-breeders in the study population. Seasonal changes in environmental conditions that affect energetic demands, the availability of natural and anthropogenic food, and foraging competition,  influenced individuals' occurrence distributions and AFS-use. We found that under harsher conditions in autumn and winter, individuals ranged wider and depended on AFSs to a larger degree. However, contrary to expectation, they were less likely to be present at AFSs in these seasons compared to spring and summer, suggesting a trade-off between time spent moving and exploiting resources. We attribute the small ranging movements exhibited by non-breeders in spring and summer to the presence of highly territorial and socially dominant breeders. As breeders mostly stay and forage within their territories during these seasons, competition at AFSs decrease, thereby increasing the likelihood of individuals being present at any AFS., Conclusions: We emphasize that movement and AFS-use differ according to cohort differences and the seasonality of the environment. Our results highlight that predictable AFSs affect foraging strategies among non-breeding ravens. The extent of AFS-exploitation among non-breeding ravens in our study emphasize the potential of AFSs in shaping raven movement and resource-use., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To investigate and compare the extent of shared decision making (SDM) in orthodontics from the perspective of patients, clinicians and independent observers., Design: A cross-sectional, observational study., Setting: NHS teaching hospital., Participants: A total of 31 adult patients and their treating clinicians were included in the study., Methods: The extent of SDM in new patient orthodontic consultations was measured using three versions of a validated instrument: the self-administered patient dyadic-OPTION scale; the self-administered clinician dyadic-OPTION scale; and an independent observer-rated OPTION 12 scale. Patients and clinicians completed the 12-item dyadic-OPTION questionnaire independently at the end of the consultation to rate their perceived levels of SDM. The consultations were also audio-recorded and two calibrated raters independently rated the extent of SDM in these consultations using the OPTION 12 scale., Results: There was excellent inter-rater reliability between the two independent raters using the OPTION 12 scale (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.909). The mean patient, clinician and independent observer OPTION scores for SDM were 90.4% (SD 9.1%, range 70.8% to 100%), 76.2% (SD 8.95%, range 62.5% to 95.8%) and 42.6% (SD 17.4%, range 13.5% to 68.8%), respectively. There was no significant correlation between the OPTION scores for the three groups (ICC = -0.323)., Conclusions: The results showed that generally high levels of SDM were perceived by patients and clinicians but lower levels of SDM were scored by the independent observers. However, it could be argued that the patient's perception of SDM is the most important measure as it is their care that is affected by their involvement.

The global lockdown to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic health risks has altered human interactions with nature. Here, we report immediate impacts of changes in human activities on wildlife and environmental threats during the early lockdown months of 2020, based on 877 qualitative reports and 332 quantitative assessments from 89 different studies. Hundreds of reports of unusual species observations from around the world suggest that animals quickly responded to the reductions in human presence. However, negative effects of lockdown on conservation also emerged, as confinement resulted in some park officials being unable to perform conservation, restoration and enforcement tasks, resulting in local increases in illegal activities such as hunting. Overall, there is a complex mixture of positive and negative effects of the pandemic lockdown on nature, all of which have the potential to lead to cascading responses which in turn impact wildlife and nature conservation. While the net effect of the lockdown will need to be assessed over years as data becomes available and persistent effects emerge, immediate responses were detected across the world. Thus, initial qualitative and quantitative data arising from this serendipitous global quasi-experimental perturbation highlights the dual role that humans play in threatening and protecting species and ecosystems. Pathways to favorably tilt this delicate balance include reducing impacts and increasing conservation effectiveness., Competing Interests: Authors declare no competing interests., (© 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Relatively little effort has been directed towards elucidating the role of physiological stress pathways in mediating avian responses to global heating. For free-ranging southern pied babblers, Turdoides bicolor, daily maximum air temperatures (Tmax) between ∼35 and ∼40°C result in reduced foraging efficiency, loss of body mass and compromised breeding success. We tested the hypothesis that very hot days are experienced as stressors by quantifying relationships between Tmax and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) levels in naturally excreted droppings. On days when Tmax<38°C, fGCM levels were independent of Tmax (mean±s.d. 140.25±56.92 ng g-1 dry mass). At Tmax>38°C, however, fGCM levels increased linearly with Tmax and averaged 190.79±70.13 ng g-1 dry mass. The effects of Tmax on fGCM levels did not carry over to the following morning, suggesting that very hot days are experienced as acute stressors., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2021. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Background: Orthodontic treatment is a common health care intervention; treatment duration can be lengthy (2-3 years on average), and adherence to treatment advice is therefore essential for successful outcomes. It has been reported that up to 43% of patients fail to complete treatment, and there are currently no useful predictors of noncompletion. Given that the National Health Service England annual expenditure on primary-care orthodontic treatment is in excess of £200 million (US $267 million), noncompletion of treatment represents a significant inefficient use of public resources. Improving adherence to treatment is therefore essential. This necessitates behavior change, and interventions that improve adherence and are designed to elicit behavioral change must address an individual's capability, opportunity, and motivation. Mobile phones are potentially an invaluable tool in this regard, as they are readily available and can be used in a number of ways to address an individual's capability, opportunity, and motivation., Objective: This study will assess the effectiveness and acceptability of a personalized mobile phone app in improving adherence to orthodontic treatment advice by way of a randomized controlled trial., Methods: This study will be conducted in 2 phases at the Eastman Dental Hospital, University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust. Phase 1 is feasibility testing of the My Braces app. Participants will be asked to complete the user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale. The app will be amended following analysis of the responses, if appropriate. Phase 2 is a randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness and acceptability of the My Braces app., Results: This study was approved by the London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee on November 5, 2019 (reference 19/LO/1555). No patients have been recruited to date. The anticipated start date for recruitment to phase 1 is October 2020., Conclusions: Given the availability, affordability, and versatility of mobile phones, it is proposed that they will aid in improving adherence to treatment advice and hence improve treatment completion rates. If effective, the applicability of this methodology to developing behavior change/modification interventions and improving adherence to treatment across health care provides an exciting opportunity., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04184739; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04184739., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): PRR1-10.2196/18021., (©Mohammad Owaise Sharif, Jonathon Timothy Newton, Susan J Cunningham. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 13.01.2021.)

An improved understanding of life-history responses to current environmental variability is required to predict species-specific responses to anthopogenic climate change. Previous research has suggested that cooperation in social groups may buffer individuals against some of the negative effects of unpredictable climates. We use a 15-year dataset on a cooperative breeding arid zone bird, the southern pied babbler Turdoides bicolor , to test (i) whether environmental conditions and group size correlate with survival of young during three development stages (egg, nestling, fledgling) and (ii) whether group size mitigates the impacts of adverse environmental conditions on survival of young. Exposure to high mean daily maximum temperatures (mean T max ) during early development was associated with reduced survival probabilities of young in all three development stages. No young survived when mean T max > 38°C, across all group sizes. Low survival of young at high temperatures has broad implications for recruitment and population persistence in avian communities given the rapid pace of advancing climate change. Impacts of high temperatures on survival of young were not moderated by group size, suggesting that the availability of more helpers in a group is unlikely to buffer against compromised offspring survival as average and maximum temperatures increase with rapid anthropogenic climate change.

Introduction Shared decision-making (SDM) is a process by which patients and clinicians work collaboratively to make decisions about healthcare. Previously, research has shown that patients want to be more involved in decisions about their care, but more recent evidence suggests that some patients may not wish to have the level of involvement that is now expected of them.Aims This study therefore investigated adult orthodontic patients' preferred and perceived roles in treatment decision-making.Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out in a teaching hospital using the Control Preferences Scale (CPS). This involved asking patients to choose one of five cards relating, firstly, to their preferred role in orthodontic decision-making, and then their perceived role in their current orthodontic treatment decision-making, and these were compared.Results One hundred patients were recruited and perceived roles in decision-making tended to be more passive than those patients said they preferred. Males were significantly more likely to select a passive role than females (p = 0.018).Conclusions Adult orthodontic patients perceived a more passive role in their current treatment decisions than they would have preferred. This highlights the importance of clinicians asking patients about their preferred role in treatment decision-making from the outset.

Background Mobile phones are potentially an invaluable tool in addressing the global challenge associated with dental caries as they may elicit behaviour change by incorporating numerous behaviour change techniques (BCTs) to address an individual's capability, opportunity and motivation.Methods The methodology for this review is published on the PROSPERO database (CRD42017078414).Results Two randomised controlled trials were included, both were undertaken with orthodontic patients and both reported significantly reduced plaque scores in the intervention group compared with the control at final follow-up. One study also reported statistically significantly lower gingival bleeding scores and caries in the intervention group at final follow-up. The risk of bias was 'unclear' for both studies and neither study intervention appeared to be based on specific theories of behaviour change. Of 93 BCTs available, only six were utilised across the two trials. The overall strength of evidence for the effectiveness of mobile phones in reducing plaque score was rated as moderate using GRADE, while the effectiveness in reducing bleeding scores was considered to be high.Conclusion There is some evidence that mobile phones are effective in improving adherence to oral hygiene advice in orthodontic patients. The generalisability of this review is limited due to the small number of trials and the unclear risk of bias of included studies.

Introduction: Despite the increases in adults undergoing orthodontic treatment in both the public and private sectors, satisfaction with the treatment process has not been widely explored. In this study, we investigated factors influencing satisfaction with the process of orthodontic treatment in adult patients., Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional qualitative study. Participants were adults who had completed orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances and were recruited from 2 sites (a National Health Service public sector teaching hospital and a private specialist practice). Data were collected using in-depth interviews, and a content thematic analysis with a framework approach was used to analyze the data., Results: A total of 26 adults were recruited (13 at each site). Five main themes were identified relating to patient satisfaction with the process of treatment: communication, staff, physical environment, appointments, and impact of appliance treatment. Effective communication was a dominant theme, particularly relating to explanations during treatment and making patients feel involved in their own care., Conclusions: In general, adult orthodontic patients were satisfied with the process of treatment, and good communication played a major part in this. Despite the differences in working models in the public and private sectors, many similarities arose when comparing the factors between the 2 sites., (Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Patient decision-making aids (PDAs) are instruments that facilitate shared decision making and enable patients to reach informed, individual decisions regarding health care. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a PDA compared with traditional information provision for adolescent patients considering fixed appliance orthodontic treatment., Methods: Before treatment, orthodontic patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups: the intervention group received the PDA and standard information regarding fixed appliances, and the control group received the standard information only. Decisional conflict was measured using the Decisional Conflict Scale, and the levels of decisional conflict were compared between the 2 groups., Results: Seventy-two patients were recruited and randomized in a ratio of 1:1 to the PDA and control groups. Seventy-one patients completed the trial (control group, 36; PDA group, 35); this satisfied the sample size calculation. The median total Decisional Conflict Scale score in the PDA group was lower than in the control group (15.63 and 19.53, respectively). However, this difference was not statistically significant (difference between groups, 3.90; 95% confidence interval of the difference, -4.30 to 12.11). Sex, ethnicity, age, and the time point at which patients were recruited did not have significant effects on Decisional Conflict Scale scores. No harm was observed or reported for any participant in the study., Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the provision of a PDA to adolescents before they consented for fixed appliances did not significantly reduce decisional conflict. There may be a benefit in providing a PDA for some patients, but it is not yet possible to say how these patients could be identified., Registration: This trial was registered with the Harrow National Research Ethics Committee (reference 12/LO/0279)., Protocol: The protocol was not published before trial commencement., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: This audit investigated factors which motivate patients to seek orthognathic treatment, assessed how confident patients were that they would be satisfied with the outcome of treatment, and explored possible influencing factors., Materials and Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to pre-surgical patients at two centres (United Kingdom and Switzerland); questions asked what patients wished to gain from orthognathic treatment and how confident they were that they would be satisfied with treatment outcome. Gender, age and location were recorded as demographic variables, and type of malocclusion was also recorded., Results: A total of 202 questionnaires were returned (UK, n = 149; Switzerland, n = 53). Reported motivating factors focused on improvements in aesthetics (specified and unspecified) (UK vs. Switzerland: 91.3% vs. 83.0%), function (72.5% vs. 66.0%), psychosocial health (51.7% vs. 20.8%), speech (4.0% vs. 7.5%), alleviation of pain (5.4% vs. 17%) and normalization of breathing (1.3% vs. 7.5%). No significant relationships were observed relative to patient age, gender or malocclusion. The anticipated satisfaction levels were generally high (86.5% vs. 89.9%)., Conclusion: Although the distribution of motivational factors varied between the two sites, it did not affect the anticipated satisfaction level. Patients were generally confident that they would be satisfied with their treatment outcome and that their reasons for seeking treatment would be addressed., (Copyright © 2017 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Research has shown that orthodontic patients are more likely to retain information presented in an audiovisual format. However, there has been little research on the effectiveness of audiovisual information provided through different routes such as the Internet. This parallel-group randomized controlled trial assessed whether provision of audiovisual information on the YouTube (Google, San Bruno, Calif) Web site to orthodontic patients undergoing fixed appliance treatment results in improved patient knowledge when compared with conventional methods of information provision. The effects of sex and ethnicity were also investigated., Methods: Participants were recruited from the Department of Orthodontics of the Eastman Dental Hospital, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom. The patients were 13 years of age and over, with no history of orthodontic treatment, and patient and parental (where appropriate) consent were obtained. The participants were randomized into control (n = 34) and intervention (n = 33) groups using a random number table; there was stratification based on age group, with permuted blocks of 10 patients. Both groups were given routine verbal and written patient information related to fixed appliances, and the participants in the intervention group were sent 3 e-mails over 6 weeks requesting that they view a 6-minute YouTube video containing similar information but in audiovisual format. Patient knowledge was measured using identical questionnaires answered on the day of recruitment (baseline) and again 6 to 8 weeks later. The researchers were unaware of group allocations when enrolling patients and scoring questionnaires., Results: Sixty participants (89.55%) completed the study. Those who completed the trial in the intervention group (n = 30) demonstrated significantly greater improvements in knowledge than did those in the control group (n = 30), scoring, on average, almost 1 point more (95% CI for the difference, 0.305-1.602; P = 0.005) on the final questionnaire. Ethnicity had a statistically significant effect on improvement in knowledge, but sex did not. No harm to any patient was noted during the trial., Conclusions: Presenting audiovisual information through the YouTube Web site to orthodontic patients resulted in a significant improvement in patient knowledge. Supplementation of verbal and written patient information with audiovisual information via the Internet is therefore worthy of consideration., Registration: National Research and Ethics Service (REC number 12/LO/0863), United Kingdom., Protocol: The protocol was not published before trial commencement., Funding: No funding or conflict of interest to be declared., (Copyright © 2015 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)