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Habitat loss and changing climate have direct impacts on native species but can also interact with disease pathogens to influence wildlife communities. In the North American Great Plains, black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a keystone species that create important grassland habitat for numerous species and serve as prey for predators, but lethal control driven by agricultural conflict has severely reduced their abundance. Novel disease dynamics caused by epizootic plague (Yersinia pestis) within prairie dog colonies have further reduced prairie dog abundances, in turn destabilizing associated wildlife communities. We capitalized on a natural experiment, collecting data on prairie dog distributions, vegetation structure, avian abundance, and mesocarnivore and ungulate occupancy before (2015–2017) and after (2018–2019) a plague event in northeastern Wyoming, USA. Plague decimated black‐tailed prairie dog populations in what was then the largest extant colony complex, reducing colony cover in the focal area from more than 10,000 ha to less than 50 ha. We documented dramatic declines in mesocarnivore occupancy and raptor abundance post‐plague, with probability of occupancy or abundance approaching zero in species that rely on prairie dogs for a high proportion of their diet (e.g., ferruginous hawk [Buteo regalis], American badger [Taxidea taxus], and swift fox [Vulpes velox]). Following the plague outbreak, abnormally high precipitation in 2018 hastened vegetation recovery from prairie dog disturbance on colonies in which constant herbivory had formerly maintained shortgrass structure necessary for certain colony‐associates. As a result, we observed large shifts in avian communities on former prairie dog colonies, including near‐disappearance of mountain plovers (Charadrius montanus) and increases in mid‐grass associated songbirds (e.g., lark bunting [Calamospiza melanocorys]). Our research highlights how precipitation can interact with disease‐induced loss of a keystone species to induce drastic and rapid shifts in wildlife communities. Although grassland taxa have co‐evolved with high spatiotemporal variation, fragmentation of the remaining North American rangelands paired with higher‐than‐historical variability in climate and disease dynamics are likely to destabilize these systems in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite advances in behavioral science, there is no widely shared understanding of the "mechanisms of action" (MoAs) through which individual behavior change techniques (BCTs) have their effects. Cumulative progress in the development, evaluation, and synthesis of behavioral interventions could be improved by identifying the MoAs through which BCTs are believed to bring about change.Purpose: This study aimed to identify the links between BCTs and MoAs described by authors of a corpus of published literature.Methods: Hypothesized links between BCTs and MoAs were extracted by two coders from 277 behavior change intervention articles. Binomial tests were conducted to provide an indication of the relative frequency of each link.Results: Of 77 BCTs coded, 70 were linked to at least one MoA. Of 26 MoAs, all but one were linked to at least one BCT. We identified 2,636 BCT-MoA links in total (mean number of links per article = 9.56, SD = 13.80). The most frequently linked MoAs were "Beliefs about Capabilities" and "Intention." Binomial test results identified up to five MoAs linked to each of the BCTs (M = 1.71, range: 1-5) and up to eight BCTs for each of the MoAs (M = 3.63, range: 1-8).Conclusions: The BCT-MoA links described by intervention authors and identified in this extensive review present intervention developers and reviewers with a first level of systematically collated evidence. These findings provide a resource for the development of theory-based interventions, and for theoretical understanding of intervention evaluations. The extent to which these links are empirically supported requires systematic investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding links between behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and mechanisms of action (the processes through which they affect behaviour) helps inform the systematic development of behaviour change interventions.Purpose: This research aims to develop and test a methodology for linking BCTs to their mechanisms of action.Methods: Study 1 (published explicit links): Hypothesised links between 93 BCTs (from the 93-item BCT taxonomy, BCTTv1) and mechanisms of action will be identified from published interventions and their frequency, explicitness and precision documented. Study 2 (expert-agreed explicit links): Behaviour change experts will identify links between 61 BCTs and 26 mechanisms of action in a formal consensus study. Study 3 (integrated matrix of explicit links): Agreement between studies 1 and 2 will be evaluated and a new group of experts will discuss discrepancies. An integrated matrix of BCT-mechanism of action links, annotated to indicate strength of evidence, will be generated. Study 4 (published implicit links): To determine whether groups of co-occurring BCTs can be linked to theories, we will identify groups of BCTs that are used together from the study 1 literature. A consensus exercise will be used to rate strength of links between groups of BCT and theories.Conclusions: A formal methodology for linking BCTs to their hypothesised mechanisms of action can contribute to the development and evaluation of behaviour change interventions. This research is a step towards developing a behaviour change 'ontology', specifying relations between BCTs, mechanisms of action, modes of delivery, populations, settings and types of behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Background Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (naCRT) for upper gastrointestinal malignancies induces a pathological complete response (pCR) in 25–85% of patients, depending on disease stage and regimen chosen. All patients with a pCR will have a clinical complete response (cCR). Avoidance of surgery is desirable where feasible, as operative intervention entails morbidity and mortality risks and a reduction in lifelong health related quality of life (HRQoL). Pursuant on a policy of permitting selected patients with a cCR to opt for surveillance, this study aims to compare the QoL of patients who chose surveillance over adjuvant surgery following a cCR to naCRT. Methods: Methods One hundred and fourteen patients participated in the study. These comprised 4 groups; Group 1 (n = 31) were healthy controls; Group 2 (n = 26) had chemoradiotherapy only; Group 3 (n = 31) had oesophagectomy post naCRT and Group 4(n = 26) had gastrectomy alone. A novel 33 point questionnaire assessing 5 functional domains was completed focusing on symptoms of antro-pyloric function, respiratory reflux and post-vagotomy symptoms, as well as a previously validated questionnaire instrument for purposes of comparison and external validation. The data was aggregated to produce a total score ranging from 20–93 with 20 representing the least symptomatic. Results: Results Mean(± sd) overall QoL scores were significantly better in patients avoiding resection (28.9 ± 4.5) vs oesophagectomy (32.3 ± 58. P = 0.042) and vs gastrectomy(33.19 ± 5.9, P  = 0.004. Scores did not differ between patients undergoing oesophagectomy or gastrectomy (P = 0.889). Oesophagectomy was associated with a trend towards increased reflux-related respiratory symptoms (7.3 ± 2.2 vs 6.5 ± 1.9; P = 0.396) while gastrectomy patients reported more symptoms related to vagotomy (1.82 ± 0.9 vs 1.4 ± 0.6; P  = 0.438) and early dumping (8.2 ± 1.4 vs 7.1 ± 1.7; P  = 0.239). The mean score for the control group administered the novel questionnaire was 20.74, approaching the lowest possible score of 20. This was significantly lower than any of the scores recorded for the treatment groups (P  = < 0.001). Conclusion: Discussion A strategy of active surveillance in complete responders to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is rewarded with a superior quality of life than in those undergoing surgery. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding the mechanisms through which behavior change techniques (BCTs) can modify behavior is important for the development and evaluation of effective behavioral interventions. To advance the field, we require a shared knowledge of the mechanisms of action (MoAs) through which BCTs may operate when influencing behavior., Purpose: To elicit expert consensus on links between BCTs and MoAs., Methods: In a modified Nominal Group Technique study, 105 international behavior change experts rated, discussed, and rerated links between 61 frequently used BCTs and 26 MoAs. The criterion for consensus was that at least 80 per cent of experts reached agreement about a link. Heat maps were used to present the data relating to all possible links., Results: Of 1,586 possible links (61 BCTs × 26 MoAs), 51 of 61 (83.6 per cent) BCTs had a definite link to one or more MoAs (mean [SD] = 1.44 [0.96], range = 1-4), and 20 of 26 (76.9 per cent) MoAs had a definite link to one or more BCTs (mean [SD] = 3.27 [2.91], range = 9). Ninety (5.7 per cent) were identified as "definite" links, 464 (29.2 per cent) as "definitely not" links, and 1,032 (65.1 per cent) as "possible" or "unsure" links. No "definite" links were identified for 10 BCTs (e.g., "Action Planning" and "Behavioural Substitution") and for six MoAs (e.g., "Needs" and "Optimism")., Conclusions: The matrix of links between BCTs and MoAs provides a basis for those developing and synthesizing behavioral interventions. These links also provide a framework for specifying empirical tests in future studies., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.)