Search

El tlacuache ratón gris (Tlacuatzin canescens) es uno de los marsupiales más pequeños de México. Se le encuentra a lo largo del litoral del Pacífico desde la región de Álamos, Sonora hasta Oaxaca y Chiapas. También en poblaciones aisladas en las Islas Tres Marías y al norte de la Península de Yucatán. Los nuevos registros de T. canescens fueron obtenidos principalmente de un monitoreo con cámaras automáticas en la Reserva Jaguar del Norte® y un rancho que participa en el programa Viviendo con Felinos®, el cual compensa monetariamente a los dueños por apoyar la protección de la vida silvestre en su propiedad, especialmente felinos. Se documentaron 7 registros de T. canescens en Sahuaripa, Sonora. Tres registros son de cámaras automáticas, 3 corresponden a animales que fueron encontrados muertos, y 1 avistamiento de un ejemplar vivo en la Reserva Jaguar del Norte® entre 2015 y 2020. Estos nuevos registros de T. canescens corresponden a una extensión de distribución para la especie en por lo menos 240 km al norte del rango de distribución antes conocido. La Reserva Jaguar del Norte®, cuya misión es proteger parte de la población más norteña de jaguares (Panthera onca), también representa un refugio para especies menores como el tlacuache ratón gris, el cual es un marsupial endémico de México.

Faced with an impending shortage of physicians, the U.S. healthcare industry’s capability and capacity to meet its growing clientele’s needs rely on finding reliable alternative primary care providers. This study examines how professional independence granted to nurse practitioners could change their labor market outcomes and help alleviate the shortage crisis. The study finds that full scope-of-practice laws increase nursing practitioners’ working time allocation, particularly in administrative and consultation tasks. This study’s findings clarify how full scope-of-practice could enhance nurse practitioners’ involvement and professional contributions in healthcare industry, especially benefitting regions and populations that are underserved.

The Madrean sky islands of North America, in southern Arizona and adjacent Sonora, harbor a great diversity of vertebrates, but data about the distribution and abundance of mammal species in this region are needed to develop strategies for their management and conservation. We used camera traps to record medium and large mammals in 4 sky islands in the state of Sonora, Mexico. We compared species richness and diversity of the 25 species detected: 1) within and outside a natural protected area; 2) according to land use (natural protected area, private property, or conservation area); 3) according to the presence or absence of cattle; and 4) among 7 monitored sites. We found no differences in richness, diversity, and composition of species in our comparative analyses, suggesting homogeneity of the communities. This homogeneity could be the result of the direct or indirect influences of past human impacts in the region, given that federal protection, type of land use, and ranching did not influence the community of medium and large mammals. We discuss the importance of maintaining sites dedicated exclusively to conservation in the region, as well as promoting management at unprotected sites to make predators compatible with livestock and agricultural production.

This study utilizes Farm Service Agency lending data to verify if previous racial and gender bias allegations still persist in more recent lending decisions. Beyond loan approval decisions, this study focuses on trends in direct loan packaging terms for approved single proprietorship farm borrowers. Results indicate that although no significant disparities were noted in loan amounts and maturities prescribed for various racial and gender minority groups, nonwhite male and female borrowers were usually charged higher interest rates than the others. Loan pricing differentials could have been the lenders' strategy for price management of borrowers' credit risks.

Ocelots Leopardus pardalis are legally protected in Mexico as an endangered species. The main threats throughout the speciesí range are habitat loss and fragmentation. The ocelot population that inhabits Sonora, Mexico, is at the northern limit of the speciesí distribution and knowledge about it is still scarce. We used remote camera data from 2010-2012 and spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models for density estimation, and the Barker robust design mark-recapture model to estimate survival, abundance, and density of ocelots in an arid region in northeastern Sonora. Average apparent survival was 0.65 for females and 0.63 for males; abundance estimates (mean ± SE) ranged from 2.02 ± 0.13 to 7.06 ± 0.24 ocelots. Average (±SE) density was 0.63 ± 0.06 females 100 km-2 and 0.95 ± 0.08 males 100 km-2 using Barker robust design, and 0.51 ± 0.26 females 100 km-2 and 0.77 ± 0.25 males 100 km-2 using the SECR. Our survival and density estimates are the lowest reported. However, due to the low human population density in our study area, we consider that our findings must be associated with natural processes rather than human-caused disturbance, without dismissing an additive factor by the latter. Arid environmental features could have a negative influence on primary productivity and consequently on prey availability, limiting ocelot survival and density in this region. Large tracts of unpopulated wildlands over a non-fragmented landscape favor ocelots in this area, and it is important to maintain current habitat conditions for this Neotropical species to continue thriving in this region of North America.

In this study, we estimate life history parameters and abundance for a protected jaguar population using camera-trap data from a 14-year monitoring program (2002–2015) in Belize, Central America. We investigated the dynamics of this jaguar population using 3,075 detection events of 105 individual adult jaguars. Using robust design open population models, we estimated apparent survival and temporary emigration and investigated individual heterogeneity in detection rates across years. Survival probability was high and constant among the years for both sexes (φ = 0.78), and the maximum (conservative) age recorded was 14 years. Temporary emigration rate for the population was random, but constant through time at 0.20 per year. Detection probability varied between sexes, and among years and individuals. Heterogeneity in detection took the form of a dichotomy for males: those with consistently high detection rates, and those with low, sporadic detection rates, suggesting a relatively stable population of ‘residents’ consistently present and a fluctuating layer of ‘transients’. Female detection was always low and sporadic. On average, twice as many males than females were detected per survey, and individual detection rates were significantly higher for males. We attribute sex-based differences in detection to biases resulting from social variation in trail-walking behaviour. The number of individual females detected increased when the survey period was extended from 3 months to a full year. Due to the low detection rates of females and the variable ‘transient’ male subpopulation, annual abundance estimates based on 3-month surveys had low precision. To estimate survival and monitor population changes in elusive, wide-ranging, low-density species, we recommend repeated surveys over multiple years; and suggest that continuous monitoring over multiple years yields even further insight into population dynamics of elusive predator populations. Published version

We present the first study that evaluates jaguar-puma interactions in the arid lands of northern Mexico, where jaguars have their northernmost breeding population and both predators are persecuted for livestock depredation. We tested whether jaguars are the dominant species in this unique ecosystem, where: (1) pumas outnumber jaguars, (2) pumas are better adapted to arid environments, and (3) jaguars and pumas are of similar size. We analyzed four years of data with two approaches; a two species conditional occupancy model and an activity patterns analysis. We used camera location and prey presence as covariates for jaguar and puma detection and presence probabilities. We also explored overlap in activities of predators and prey. Where both species were detected, peccary presence was positively correlated with both jaguar and puma presence, whereas in areas where jaguars were detected but pumas were not, deer presence explained the probability of jaguar presence. We found that both predators were more likely to co-occur together than to be found independently, and so we rejected the hypothesis that jaguars were the dominant species in our study area. Predators were mainly nocturnal and their activity patterns overlapped by 60%. Jaguar, as compared with puma, overlapped more with deer and calves; puma overlapped with calves more than with other prey, suggesting a preference. We believe exploring predator relationships at different scales may help elucidate mechanisms that regulate their coexistence.

Our objective in this study was to determine the density of the jaguar Panthera onca from camera-trap data, using an open population model, in a private protected natural area, the Northern Jaguar Reserve, and 10 adjoining cattle ranches in the state of Sonora, Mexico. The region is considered a long–term jaguar conservation unit. As well as being the most northerly recorded reproductive population of the jaguar, the arid habitat of this region is atypical for the species. During 16 months of sampling we identified 10 individual jaguars and the data met the three main assumptions of open population models. The estimated mean density was 1.05±SE 0.4 individuals per 100 km2, with a constant survival probability of 0.94 and capture probability of 0.23. This estimate of density is lower than reported in studies of the jaguar from more southerly locations in Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Bolivia and Brazil but cannot be attributed to a single factor even though in general there is an apparent relationship between jaguar density and precipitation. The main objectives of the management of the Northern Jaguar Reserve are to reduce the impact of cattle and restore jaguar habitat, with strategies focused on water retention, removal of invasive grass, reforestation and environmental education. Livestock have been gradually excluded since 2003 and, combined with the protection provided under the agreements with the surrounding ranches, the area is now a suitable place for long-term studies of the jaguar.

White-tailed deer are an ecologically and economically important species in Mexico, with limited information on population status throughout the country. The aim of this study was to estimate the abundance and density of white-tailed deer using an alternative method with camera traps in northeastern Sonora, Mexico. We placed 31camera traps with attractants along trails and major wildlife crossings. The photographic records obtained were identified at the individual level through a comparative analysis of opinions. We built a capture-recapture history for each individual, thus creating a database of presence - absence. The abundance was estimated using the program MARK. We calculated an effective sampling area based on the average home range of the species of 55.10 km2. The abundance was divided by the effective sampling area to estimate density. Abundance for white-tailed deer was 130 ± 26.51 individuals for a density of 2.36 ± 0.48 ind/km2. These results are comparable to previous studies using fecal group surveys and aerial count surveys. Thus indicating a healthy local white-tailed deer population; however it is necessary to extend the camera trap monitoring to additional areas with different types of management. Finally, we consider the use of camera traps and the method developed for this study, to be valid and valuable alternatives to estimate white-tailed deer population fast and efficiently, particularly in such locations where information is lacking, additionally this methodology could be applied to the other mammalian species that potentially could be photographed in a given session.

We present the first study of density and apparent survival for a jaguar (Panthera onca) population in northern Mexico using 13 years of camera trap data from 2000 to 2012. We used the Barker robust design model which combines data from closed sampling periods and resight data between these periods to estimate apparent survival and abundance. We identified 467 jaguar pictures that corresponded to 48 jaguar individuals. We included camera type and field technician as covariates for detection probabilities. We used three covariates to evaluate the effect of reserve on jaguar apparent survival: i) private reserve creation ii) later reserve expansions, and iii) cattle ranches’ conservation activities. We found that the use of digital cameras in addition to film cameras increased detection probability by a factor of 6x compared with the use of only film cameras (p = 0.34 ± 0.05 and p = 0.05 ± 0.02 respectively) in the closed period and more than three times in the open period (R = 0.91 ± 0.08 and R = 0.30 ± 0.13 mixed and film cameras respectively). Our availability estimates showed no temporary emigration and a fidelity probability of 1. Despite an increase of apparent survival probability from 0.47 ± 0.15 to 0.56 ± 0.11 after 2007, no single covariate explained the change in these point estimates. Mean jaguar density was 1.87 ± 0.47 jaguars/100 km2. We found that 13 years of jaguar population monitoring with our sampling size were not enough for detecting changes in survival or density. Our results provide a baseline for studies evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas and the inclusion of ranch owners in jaguar conservation programs and long-term population viability.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the principle forms of hyperandrogenism that affects women of reproductive age. Few studies have evaluated the body composition of patients with PCOS being based mainly on an evaluation of the quantity and distribution of the fat mass. Objectives: to evaluate the body composition of patients affected by PCOS and to establish the hormonal factors that determine possible differences in body composition compared with healthy women. Methods: 110 Caucasian women affected by clinical hyperandrogenism and/or irregular menstrual periods were included in the study; the control group was made up of 90 healthy Caucasian women, of reproductive age, without hyperandrogenism. The control group and the patients were similar in age (23 ± 3 vs. 24.1 ± 6.4 years old) but not in body weight or body mass index (BMI). A hematic sample was taken from both groups, on the fifth day of the menstrual cycle, to measure the quantities of glycaemia, insulin, testosterone (T), SHBG and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS). In the hyperandrogenic patients the quantities of serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone (on the 5th day of the menstrual cycle) and of progesterone (on the 22nd day of the menstrual cycle) were also measured. Moreover, the hyperandrogenic patients underwent a pelvic or intra-vaginal ultrasound scan to evaluate the ovarian morphology. Results: the patients with classic PCOS showed serum levels higher in testosterone, FAI and insulin than the patients with ovulatory PCOS and idiopathic hyperandrogenism; the patients with ovulatory PCOS had higher levels of testosterone, FAI and insulin (p

Cardiovascular diseases represent the major cause of death in most of developed countries and ultimately kill as many men as women. Both genders are exposed to the same risk factors but their rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are very different until old age. This represents a crucial point; in fact, only at age 75 and over cardiovascular rates of women approximate those of men. It has been suggested that differences in hormonal status and mainly in androgen levels may explain such gender disparity. Consistently with this hypothesis, it has been shown that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have elevated cardiovascular risk despite their young age. However, the possibility that androgens may increase cardiovascular risk remains controversial. Hyperandrogenism, as isolated androgen excess, has not been clearly recognised so far as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the risk of premature cardiovascular diseases in PCOS is at present uncertain. Long-term studies examining the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among women with PCOS did not demonstrate a clear increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Thus, it seems that androgens have a limited role in inducing cardiovascular risk; the altered risk factors found in women with PCOS are mainly dependent on the metabolic components of this syndrome as well as on insulin resistance and reduced adiponectin secretion.