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The paper deals with the population decline in Balkan countries in the last three decades, since 1990. It researches the scale of depopulation in the Balkans and analyses the causes and possible consequences of the population decline. It argues that the failure of imposed neoliberal economic policies in the Balkan countries in the 1990s caused deindustrialization, GDP stagnation and high unemployment rates, especially of young people. Together with the shift in values from traditional to neo-liberal ones which promote materialism, hedonism, consumerism and liberal middle-class feminism, it caused dramatic reduction in fertility (live births per woman) as well as a significant brain drain and economic emigration from the Balkan countries in the last 30 years. Depopulation is becoming a limiting factor for sustainability of Balkan societies. It imposes a long-term danger for demographic survival of these societies, and generates an array of other negative economic, social and political consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A considerable body of literature suggests that immigration undermines voluntary contributions to public goods because it leads to ethnic diversity, which erodes social trust. This article posits that the effect of immigration outweighs that of ethnic diversity, so that immigration may explain why ethnic diversity is negatively associated with social trust and public goods provisioning. I also highlight a need to emphasize the moderating influence of transaction costs when analyzing provisioning problems associated with immigration and ethnic diversity. To examine my hypotheses, I use a mixed-method research design to study public goods management in randomly selected communities in rural Uganda whose rates of immigration and levels of ethnic diversity vary. I analyze community-level attempts at collective action that involve substantially different costs; that is, contributing to toilet construction and participating in litter pickup programs. The findings suggest that socio-political barriers to collective action for public goods provisioning may have less to do with the stock of demographic diversity than the flow rate of demographic change. The same findings suggest a more micro-level explanation that transcends the erosive effects (of immigration and ethnic diversity) on social trust to emphasize the moderating influence of transaction costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, discrete and stochastic changes in (effective) population size are incorporated into the spectral representation of a biallelic diffusion process for drift and small mutation rates. A forward algorithm inspired by Hidden-Markov-Model (HMM) literature is used to compute exact sample allele frequency spectra for three demographic scenarios: single changes in (effective) population size, boom-bust dynamics, and stochastic fluctuations in (effective) population size. An approach for fully agnostic demographic inference from these sample allele spectra is explored, and sufficient statistics for stepwise changes in population size are found. Further, convergence behaviours of the polymorphic sample spectra for population size changes on different time scales are examined and discussed within the context of inference of the effective population size. Joint visual assessment of the sample spectra and the temporal coefficients of the spectral decomposition of the forward diffusion process is found to be important in determining departure from equilibrium. Stochastic changes in (effective) population size are shown to shape sample spectra particularly strongly. • Demography can be modelled via spectral representation of diffusion generators. • Boundary-mutations simplify diffusion models with demography. • Spectral representation of diffusion processes aids assessment of equilibrium. • Short and mild demographic changes affect the shape of sample allele frequencies. • Estimators of past mutation rates can be inferred via sufficient statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a poorly understood yet recurring phenomenon, communities occupying diverse settings within a region may undertake large-scale migrations that cannot be easily attributed to single variables such as climate change. As a result, the study of these movements has increasingly focused on the distinct histories of localities to address how they may have articulated as large-scale abandonments. We adopt this micro-history perspective on the fourteenth to fifteenth century depopulation of a large portion of the North American Midwest and Southeast, popularly referred to as the Vacant Quarter. Our research on the Middle Cumberland drainage within the Vacant Quarter suggests that a significant exodus began slowly ca. 1300 CE; then, it accelerated extremely rapidly in the first half of the fifteenth century CE. This genesis of this trajectory seems to be related to a pattern of severe droughts, but it was brought to a close by social and demographic challenges such as endemic conflict and adverse health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation can occur at remarkably short timescales in natural populations, leading to drastic changes in phenotypes and genotype frequencies over a few generations only. The inference of demographic parameters can allow understanding how evolutionary forces interact and shape the genetic trajectories of populations during rapid adaptation. Here we propose a new Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) framework that couples a forward and individual‐based model with temporal genetic data to disentangle genetic changes and demographic variations in a case of rapid adaptation. We test the accuracy of our inferential framework and evaluate the benefit of considering a dense versus sparse sampling. Theoretical investigations demonstrate high accuracy in both model and parameter estimations, even if a strong thinning is applied to time series data. Then, we apply our ABC inferential framework to empirical data describing the population genetic changes of the poplar rust pathogen following a major event of resistance overcoming. We successfully estimate key demographic and genetic parameters, including the proportion of resistant hosts deployed in the landscape and the level of standing genetic variation from which selection occurred. Inferred values are in accordance with our empirical knowledge of this biological system. This new inferential framework, which contrasts with coalescent‐based ABC analyses, is promising for a better understanding of evolutionary trajectories of populations subjected to rapid adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term dynamics of production of the glacial relict amphipod Monoporeia affinis was examined in a small subarctic lake. The aims of this study were: (1) to compare the production of amphipods with their biomass; (2) to relate the changes in amphipod population with environmental variables. I hypothesized secondary production could provide better insight into M. affinis population dynamics, than abundance and biomass alone. Production (increment-summation method) and its standard error were estimated based on benthic samples taken at a sublittoral site from June 2002 to May 2019 (as a rule, 4–5 times a year). Production and biomass were highly correlated with each other. The annual P/B ratio varied twofold. However, the majority of estimates did not differ significantly from the mean P/B value for the study period. Effects of environmental variables (water temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration) were pronounced for offspring and juvenile amphipods only. The older amphipods showed no significant correlation with any environmental variables. Despite the initial prediction, no reliable evidence was found that production revealed greater insight into population dynamics of M. affinis. This long-term study confirms that benthic production is mainly a function of biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prioritizing prevention over treatment has been a longstanding principle in the world health system. This study aims to compare the demographic changes, mortality, clinical, and paraclinical findings of patients hospitalized in the Corona ward before and after the start of general vaccination. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized the simple random sampling method in 2022, analyzing 300 medical records of patients admitted to the Corona ward at 22 Bahman Khaf Hospital. Data were collected using a checklist with the help of the Medical Care Monitoring System and analyzed using SPSS-22 statistical software and Chi-square statistical test at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Before the start of general vaccination for COVID-19, the majority of patients were hospitalized in the Corona Intensive Care Unit (59.3%), aged between 51 and 65 years (47.3%), hospitalized for more than 3 days (54%), required intubation (49.3%), had SPO2 < 93% (60.7%), and exhibited common symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and loss of consciousness. Paraclinical findings included positive CRP, decreased lymphocytes, and ground glass opacity (GGO). After the start of general vaccination for COVID-19, most patients were hospitalized in the general care department of Corona (68%), aged between 36 and 50 years (47.3%), hospitalized for less than three days (66%), required intubation (20%), had SPO2 ≥ 93% (77.3%), and exhibited common symptoms such as weakness, headache, and body pain. Paraclinical findings were within the normal range. Conclusions: General vaccination for COVID-19 has significantly reduced patient mortality and morbidity. Health policymakers should prioritize general vaccination to achieve herd immunity and improve public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce and study the spatial replicator equation with higher order interactions and both infinite (spatially homogeneous) populations and finite (spatially inhomogeneous) populations. We show that in the special case of three strategies (rock–paper–scissors) higher order interaction terms allow travelling waves to emerge in non-declining finite populations. We show that these travelling waves arise from diffusion stabilisation of an unstable interior equilibrium point that is present in the aspatial dynamics. Based on these observations and prior results, we offer two conjectures whose proofs would fully generalise our results to all odd cyclic games, both with and without higher order interactions, assuming a spatial replicator dynamic. Intriguingly, these generalisations for N ⩾ 5 strategies seem to require declining populations, as we show in our discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic assessment of species that have experienced dramatic population declines provides critical information that is instrumental for the design of conservation recovery programs. Here, we use different sources of molecular data (mtDNA and ddRAD‐seq) to evaluate the genetic status of wild and captive populations of marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris), a duck species classified as critically endangered in Spain and near threatened at a global scale. First, we determined the evolutionary and demographic trajectories of the wild population from Spain and the currently much larger population from Iraq, which is also the documented source of European zoo stocks. Second, we evaluated the suitability of the different captive populations for ongoing restocking programs in Spain and assessed their potential impact on the genetic composition of wild populations. Populations from Spain and Iraq were assigned to distinct genetic clusters, albeit with an overall low level of genetic differentiation, in line with their recent divergence (<8000 years ago) and lack of phylogeographic structure in the species. Demogenomic inferences revealed that the two populations have experienced parallel demographic trajectories, with a marked bottleneck during the last glacial period followed by a sudden demographic expansion and stability since the onset of the Holocene. The wild population from Spain presented high levels of inbreeding, but we found no evidence of recent genetic bottlenecks compatible with the human‐driven decline of the species during the past century. The captive populations from the two Spanish centers involved in restocking programs showed genetic introgression from European zoos; however, we found limited evidence of introgression from the zoo genetic stock into the wild population from Spain, suggesting captive‐bred birds have limited breeding success in the wild. Our study illustrates how ex situ conservation programs should consider the genetic distinctiveness of populations when establishing breeding stocks and highlights the importance of genetically assessing captive populations prior to reinforcement actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Social sustainability becomes increasingly important in aging populations. Yet, scientific discussions on this topic are still emerging. This study helps to develop these discussions by exploring (1) how social sustainability is understood in studies on aging populations, (2) how this understanding differs across the topics discussed, and (3) how population aging is connected to social sustainability. Research Design and Methods This study conducts a systematic literature review using 33 texts obtained from ProQuest, JStor, and scholar.google.com (02–03/2022). The inclusion criteria were (1) scientific character and (2) explicit focus on the topics of interest. A thematic analysis was conducted. Results The texts use 3 different understandings of social sustainability: one focusing on what makes societies desirable, one focusing on the quality of life of individuals, and one balancing the interests of current and future generations. The first understanding is most prevalent. Which understanding texts choose depends on their topic, perspective, and goals. The texts describe challenges and opportunities for social sustainability in aging populations, with some recommending a general shift in perspective. Discussion and Implications Findings provide a clearer and more homogenous understanding of social sustainability for discussions on population aging. Thereby, they facilitate a dialogue between researchers working in this area. Moreover, they help gerontologists increase their contribution to cumulative knowledge building. A limitation is that only texts in English are analyzed. Findings help policymakers and practitioners better understand how to integrate research-based knowledge on social sustainability in their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how mothers' affective experience of motherhood impacts daughters' fertility intentions; the goal is to understand how adult daughters' fertility intentions are influenced by their perception of how much their mothers enjoyed mothering and loved their children. A survey of 2000 married women in Japan aged 25–35 with either no children or one child provides data to test hypotheses regarding the impact of daughters' experience of mothers' mothering. Regression and structural equation modeling reveal that those who think their mothers enjoyed being a mother and loved children have greater fertility intentions than those who sense strain in their mother's experience. This article concludes that fertility intentions are long in the making. In addition to being a product of immediate life circumstances, women's fertility intentions are partly a function of childhood and adolescence experience including affective aspects of the parenting they received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying important demographic drivers of population dynamics is fundamental for understanding life‐history evolution and implementing effective conservation measures. Integrated population models (IPMs) coupled with transient life table response experiments (tLTREs) allow ecologists to quantify the contributions of demographic parameters to observed population change. While IPMs can estimate parameters that are not estimable using any data source alone, for example, immigration, the estimated contribution of such parameters to population change is prone to bias. Currently, it is unclear when robust conclusions can be drawn from them.We sought to understand the drivers of a rebounding southern elephant seal population on Marion Island using the IPM–tLTRE framework, applied to count and mark–recapture data on 9500 female seals over nearly 40 years. Given the uncertainty around IPM–tLTRE estimates of immigration, we also aimed to investigate the utility of simulation and sensitivity analyses as general tools for evaluating the robustness of conclusions obtained in this framework.Using a Bayesian IPM and tLTRE analysis, we quantified the contributions of survival, immigration and population structure to population growth. We assessed the sensitivity of our estimates to choice of multivariate priors on immigration and other vital rates. To do so we make a novel application of Gaussian process priors, in comparison with commonly used shrinkage priors. Using simulation, we assessed our model's ability to estimate the demographic contribution of immigration under different levels of temporal variance in immigration.The tLTRE analysis suggested that adult survival and immigration were the most important drivers of recent population growth. While the contribution of immigration was sensitive to prior choices, the estimate was consistently large. Furthermore, our simulation study validated the importance of immigration by showing that our estimate of its demographic contribution is unlikely to result as a biased overestimate.Our results highlight the connectivity between distant populations of southern elephant seals, illustrating that female dispersal can be important in regulating the abundance of local populations even when natal site fidelity is high. More generally, we demonstrate how robust ecological conclusions may be obtained about immigration from the IPM–tLTRE framework, by combining sensitivity analysis and simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Some species thrive in human‐dominated environments, while others are highly sensitive to all human pressures. However, standardized estimates of species' tolerances to human pressures are lacking at large spatial extents and taxonomic breadth. Here, we quantify the world's bird species' tolerances to human pressures. The associated precision values can be applied to scientific research and conservation. Location: Global. Time Period: 2013–2021. Major Taxa Studied: 6090 bird species. Methods: We used binary observation data from eBird and modelled species' occurrences as a function of the Human Footprint Index (HFI). With these models, we predicted how likely each species was to occur under different levels of human pressures. Then, we calculated each species' Human Tolerance Index (HTI) as the level of the HFI where predicted occurrence probability was reduced to 50% of the maximum species' occurrence probability. We used resampling to obtain estimates of uncertainty of the Human Tolerance Indices. We also compared tolerances across species with increasing, stable, and decreasing population trends. Results: We found that 22% of the bird species tolerated the most modified human‐dominated environments, whereas 0.001% of species only occurred in the intact environments. We also found that HTI varied according to species' population trend categories, whereby species with decreasing population trends had a lower tolerance than species with increasing or stable population trends. Main Conclusions: The estimated HTI indicates the potential of species to exist in a landscape of intensifying human pressures. It can identify species unable to tolerate these environments and inform subsequent conservation efforts. We found evidence that species' sensitivity to human‐dominated environments may be driving birds' use of space. Bird species' tolerances are also linked to their population trends, making the tolerances a relevant addition to conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motion‐sensitive cameras are commonly used to monitor wildlife occupancy rates; however, few studies have assessed whether data from cameras are correlated with density estimates obtained from more traditional labor‐intensive methods such as those based on capture‐mark‐recapture. We used data from a boreal forest community to test whether camera data were correlated with densities estimated from independent monitoring methods. We placed 72 covert cameras in the forest around Lhù'ààn Mân' (Kluane Lake), Yukon, Canada, for 7 years and tracked changes in population densities by camera hit rates. We independently estimated population densities of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) and red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) using capture‐mark‐recapture via live trapping, and Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), coyotes (Canis latrans), and moose (Alces americanus) by snow track transects. Density estimates obtained from conventional aerial surveys were also periodically available for moose. Except for red squirrels, camera hit rates were highly correlated with population density estimates obtained by traditional methods, including across a large range of estimated densities corresponding to cyclic population dynamics in several species. Accordingly, we infer that motion‐sensitive cameras could supplement or replace traditional methods for monitoring key species in boreal forest food webs. Using cameras to monitor population change has several advantages; they require less effort in the field, are non‐invasive compared to live‐trapping, include multiple species at the same time, and rely less on weather than either aerial surveys or snow track transects. Tracking changes across the vast boreal forest is becoming increasingly necessary because of climate and landscape change and our data validate the use of motion‐sensitive cameras to provide a useful quantitative method for state‐of‐the‐environment reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The middle Holocene (8200-4200 cal BP) on California's northern Channel Islands (NCI) was a period of important population change, including the elaboration of settlement and subsistence systems during periods of environmental stress. On Santa Rosa Island (SRI), there is evidence for intensive settlement associated with greater sedentism along the relatively wet and productive northwest coast. We use faunal, chronological, and stable oxygen isotopic (δ18O) data from middle Holocene interior residential base sites to reconstruct patterns of mobility between the coast and the interior of the island. Most of the interior sites on SRI dating to this period are oriented toward the northwest coast and previous isotopic studies have indicated they were used seasonally to access terrestrial plant resources and fresh water from fog. This is supported by the faunal record from CA-SRI-50, which was occupied during the summer and fall and has a low-diversity faunal record associated with field processing prior to transporting marine foods to the site. CA-SRI-152 and -229, however, are two sites oriented toward the southwest coast, an area that is drier and less productive overall, but contained a high abundance of red abalone (Haliotis rufescens). These sites appear to have additional roles, including as stopover locations, reflected by a lower density but more diverse faunal record with settlement focused on the spring. This study indicates that the structure of interior residential bases on the NCI during the middle Holocene was not monolithic and that people traveled to the interior for different purposes. By understanding the diversity of sites in the context of environmental variability during the middle Holocene, we can better reconstruct patterns of seasonal mobility and site use during an important period of change that contributed to the eventual development of coastal hunter-gatherer-fisher social complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the impact of a millennium-long period of decreased rainfall during the transition from the Middle to Late Holocene on human diet and population dynamics in the northern neotropical Maya Lowlands. To do so, we use a nearby paleo-precipitation reconstruction to evaluate the timing of this period of reduced rainfall and compare those data to population proxies and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from directly dated human bone spanning the interval of interest. Our results show that decreased precipitation coincided with archaeological and isotopic evidence for increasing reliance on maize as a dietary staple. Two rockshelter sites located in Southern Belize have produced a mortuary assemblage that spans the Holocene. These assemblages provide a unique opportunity to examine how early farmers during the transition to agriculture may have been affected by Middle to Late Holocene climate change. Between 5600 and 4200 cal BP lowland populations were already consuming significant amounts of maize reflected in proxies for the protein and the whole diet portions, suggesting the establishment of farming communities at least 800–2200 years before the emergence of public architecture. We demonstrate that increasing reliance on maize shows the resilience of farming populations to climate variability during this crucial period just prior to massive demographic change and the emergence of complex economic institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce an ODE system to model the interaction between natural resources and human exploitation in a rich consumeristic society. In this model, the rate of change in population depends on wealth per capita, and the rate of consumption has a quadratic growth with respect to population and wealth. We distinguish between renewable and non-renewable resources, and we introduce a replenishment term for non-renewable resources. We first obtain some information on the asymptotic behavior of wealth and population, then we compute all system equilibria and study their stability when the resource exploitation parameter is low. Some numerical simulations confirm the theoretical results and suggest directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses evolutionary simulations to explore the strategies that emerge to enable populations to cope with random environmental changes in situations where lifetime learning approaches are not available to accommodate them. In particular, it investigates how the average magnitude of change per unit time and the persistence of the changes (and hence the resulting autocorrelation of the environmental time series) affect the change tolerances, population diversities, and extinction timescales that emerge. Although it is the change persistence (often discussed in terms of environmental noise color) that has received most attention in the recent literature, other factors, particularly the average change magnitude, interact with this and can be more important drivers of the adaptive strategies that emerge. Moreover, when running simulations, the choice of change representation and normalization can also affect the outcomes. Detailed simulations are presented that are designed to explore all these issues. They also reveal significant dependences on the associated mutation rates and the extent to which they can evolve, and they clarify how evolution often leads populations into strategies with higher risks of extinction. Overall, this study shows how modeling the effect of environmental change requires more care than may have previously been realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regardless of migration of the population from rural to urban areas, traditional knowledge of medicinal and aromatic plants still exists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An ethnobotanical interview has been conducted in 48 rural settlements. For every cited species, the form of use, useful parts, common name, and application were recorded. At the population level, frequency citation, relative frequency of citation and use value have been studied, in order to determine the significant plants for the local community. The participants use actively 91 plant species from 44 families. The highest number of medicinal plants belongs to the families Lamiaceae and Rosaceae. The respondents use mostly the leaves, followed by inflorescences, roots, fruits, and herbage. Plants are usually applied in the form of infusions, cordials, food supplements, and tonics. Even though the settlements have been affected by mass migration of the population, traditional knowledge related to the use of medicinal and aromatic plants still persists. Respondents over 45 years of age have reported that they know how to use 11 species of useful plants on the average. That average number goes much lower with young respondents up to 25 years of age. A marked decline has been noted in the intergenerational knowledge transfer and 17.53% of the younger respondents have never used any traditional medicine, irrespective of the fact that they can list up to five different plants. The presented results of this research should provide a basis for further investigations and management activities in the ethnobotany of Bosnia and Herzegovina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating population trends provides valuable information for conservation biologists. Although there are many methods for estimating demographic rates, capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods are known to be the most realistic method that can provide detailed data on individuals and populations, including the achievement of conservation goals. This study focused on determining the population trend of Pelophylax bedriagae caralitanus, Beyşehir frog using the CMR method in a protected area during the 2011-2019 breeding seasons. Our CMR data led to the selection of model-considering constant survival rates, capture/recapture probabilities, and year-specific immigration/emigration patterns [Φ(··) y'(t) y"(t) p(··) = c(··) N(t)]-as the most fitting biological hypothesis among 22 constructed models. According to the best-fitted model, 6% of all individuals in Gölcük population can be captured during each sampling occasion. The annual survival rates show low variation between years, and the mean survival rate was estimated as 0.85, that means 85% of the individuals of Pelophylax bedriagae caralitanus in the Gölcük population were able to live on to subsequent breeding seasons. The average population size of Gölcük population for nine consecutive years was estimated as 5094 (range 4834-5382) individuals that shows minor and acceptable levels of population size fluctuations, and slightly increasing over the years. These findings can guide future research, aiding in assessing population size changes in both protected and nonprotected areas while understanding population decline trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations' 2022 World Population Prospects suggests the global population will reach 10 billion people in 2058 and will peak in 2086. Aggregated data do not account for regional and age-group realities, which draw a more pressing picture. We analyze the World Population Prospects 2022 data according to age groups and regions and show that population peaks are going to occur sooner in some regions of the world than others, and the working-age population will peak on average 10 to 20 years before the overall population peaks. Africa is the only world region expected to continue to experience significant population growth. The population will be increasingly made up of larger proportions of older ages than younger, thereby shifting the dependency ratio. Reflections on the implications of an aging and shrinking population on policy regarding fertility, aging, migration, urban planning and economic development are needed. The challenge is not to be left for future generations to face; it is happening tomorrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many tropical species show declining populations. The pantropical order Trogoniformes has 76% of its species ranked as declining, reflecting a worldwide problem. Here, we report on the reproductive ecology and life history traits of the declining and near‐threatened old world Whitehead's Trogon (Harpactes whiteheadi), the declining new world Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris), and the stable Masked Trogon (T. personatus). We also reviewed the literature on reproductive ecology and life history traits of trogons to assess possible commonalities that might help explain population declines. We found that the declining Whitehead's and Collared Trogons had reasonable nest success (32% and 25%, respectively), while the stable Masked Trogon had poor reproductive success (9%), all contrary to population trends. However, the limited literature data suggested that poor reproductive success may be common among trogons, which may contribute to population declines. Parents fed young at a low rate and had long on‐bouts for incubation and nestling warming that reduced activity at the nest, as favored by high nest predation risk over evolutionary time. We found that young fledged from the nest with poorly developed wings, as also favored by high nest predation risk. Evolved nestling periods among trogon species suggests that poor wing development is likely common. Wing development has been shown to affect juvenile survival after leaving the nest. The poor wing development may be an important contributor to population declines that deserves more attention. Evolved life history traits are important to recognize as creating population vulnerabilities in a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Amazon tipping point" is a global change scenario resulting in replacement of upland terra‐firme forests by large‐scale "savannization" of mostly southern and eastern Amazon. Reduced rainfall accompanying the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) has been proposed to have acted as such a tipping point in the past, with the prediction that terra‐firme inhabiting species should have experienced reductions in population size as drier habitats expanded. Here, we use whole‐genomes of an Amazonian endemic organism (Scale‐backed antbirds – Willisornis spp.) sampled from nine populations across the region to test this historical demography scenario. Populations from southeastern Amazonia and close to the Amazon–Cerrado ecotone exhibited a wide range of demographic patterns, while most of those from northern and western Amazonia experienced uniform expansions between 400 kya and 80–60 kya, with gradual declines toward 20 kya. Southeastern populations of Willisornis were the last to diversify and showed smaller heterozygosity and higher runs of homozygosity values than western and northern populations. These patterns support historical population declines throughout the Amazon that affected more strongly lineages in the southern and eastern areas, where historical "tipping point" conditions existed due to the widespread replacement of humid forest by drier and open vegetation during the LGM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To effectively carry out its tasks, the church needs a stable financial system. The aim of this article is to present issues related to ensuring the stability of the Catholic Church financing system in times of significant demographic and socio-cultural changes. This study identifies and characterizes the main sources of income and directions of expenses of the available financial resources. The challenges faced by church authorities in this regard are also described. State authorities finance places of prayer for social, cultural, and psychological reasons. Churches have been places of support in difficult times for centuries as well as places of survival and mental support for society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Changes in the local population are intricately linked to healthcare infrastructure, which subsequently impacts the healthcare sector. A decreasing local population can result in lagging health infrastructure, potentially leading to adverse health outcomes as patients may be at risk of not receiving optimal care and treatment. While some studies have explored the relationship between chronic diseases and local population decline, evidence regarding cancer is insufficient. In this study, we focused on how deteriorating management of chronic diseases such as dyslipidemia could influence the risk of cancer. We investigated the relationship between changes in the local population and cancer incidence among patients with dyslipidemia. Methods: This cohort study was conducted using claims data. Data from adult patients with dyslipidemia from the National Health Insurance Service–National Sample Cohort conducted between 2002 and 2015 were included. Population changes in each region were obtained from the Korean Statistical Information Service and were used to link each individual's regional code. Cancer risk was the dependent variable, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the target associations. Results: Data from 336,883 patients with dyslipidemia were analyzed. Individuals who resided in areas with a decreasing population had a higher risk of cancer than those living in areas with an increasing population (decrease: hazard ratio (HR) = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.03–1.10; normal: HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02–1.09). Participants living in regions with a low number of hospitals had a higher risk of cancer than those in regions with a higher number of hospitals (HR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.12–1.29). Conclusion: Patients in regions where the population has declined are at a higher risk of cancer, highlighting the importance of managing medical problems caused by regional extinction. This could provide evidence for and useful insights into official policies on population decline and cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale declines in vulture populations have been recorded in West Africa. One concern is that the current trend in Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus populations in West Africa is poorly known. To help fill this knowledge gap, we conducted nationwide road counts in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, using (where possible) the same routes and methods as counts conducted in 1969–1973 and 2003–2004 (46–50 years later). Use of exactly the same routes was unfortunately possible only in Burkina Faso as a result of the security situation in sub-Saharan West Africa at the time of this study. Our results reveal that Burkina Faso remains a stronghold for Hooded Vultures with a mean abundance of 62 individuals per 100 km, reaching a peak of 217 per 100 km in the highest abundance areas. A comparison between early and recent studies shows that populations of Hooded Vulture are still declining in the West African sub-region. In Burkina Faso, the number of Hooded Vultures per 100 km decreased from 122 to 75 (a decline of 38%) over the last five decades. In the West African sub-region, under both 'best-case' and 'worst-case' scenarios, Hooded Vultures seem to have declined by 58% to 65% between the 1970s and 2019. The main causes of this population decline in West Africa are unintentional poisoning, decreasing food availability, and the trade in vulture body parts for Traditional Medicine. Conservation actions for Hooded Vultures in West Africa could include the implementation of supplementary feeding sites (also known as 'vulture restaurants') and decreasing the demand for vulture body parts (for use in Traditional Medicine and mystical practices) by offering relevant alternatives such as plants and their derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulture populations are declining across Africa and the conservation status of Rüppell's Vulture Gyps rueppelli has changed from Near Threatened in 2007 to Critically Endangered in 2015. Its global population was estimated at 30 000 individuals in the early 1990s and since then there have been no accurate estimates. During that period, it was observed that this cliff-nesting species stood out as one of the least studied vultures, particularly within the region of West Africa. During the 1960s there were breeding records of this species in Senegal, but these were later discarded on the ground that they had been misidentified, because they were tree-nesting events. It is noteworthy that, during a period when the decline of known populations and the scarce availability of data on the species is highlighted, Rüppell's Vulture is frequently sighted beyond its typical range, namely in both Europe and southern Africa. In this study, we verify the breeding of Rüppell's Vulture in Senegal, consistently noting nesting on trees. Based on the conducted counts, we provide an estimation of age ratio and conservative values regarding the abundance of the species in the area. We also give information on the characteristics of the nests and on the phenology of reproduction in the area. Finally, we discuss the potential implications for the species of the recently discovered regular movement of Rüppell's Vultures between West Africa and Europe, where the species now breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground squirrels act as important members of grassland ecosystems by serving as both ecosystem engineers and as a prey base for carnivores. There is mounting evidence that climate change is driving ground squirrel population declines. We resurveyed 54 historical localities throughout the Wyoming Basin and western Colorado where Wyoming Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus elegans) specimens were collected to investigate if climate change was driving extirpations at these historically occupied sites. We detected extirpations at 12 sites and used binomial generalized linear models in an information-theoretic framework to investigate if climate change was associated with these extirpations. Additionally, we investigated if land cover change was associated with persistence and if land cover ameliorated or exacerbated the effects of climate change. We found that changes in climate, especially increasingly dry summer air and increasing mean summer temperatures, were associated with a reduced probability that U. elegans persisted at a historically occupied site. In addition, we found that current forest cover at a site and increasing rangeland cover at the regional level were associated with reduced probability that U. elegans persisted, although these associations were weaker than the climate associations. The effects of climate change and land cover change did not interact. Our findings build on mounting evidence that montane-associated ground squirrels throughout the Western United States are negatively impacted by climate change. The reduction in ground squirrel abundance or their extirpation due to climate change could lead to changes in ecosystem structure or reductions in trophic complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many African large carnivore populations are declining due to decline of the herbivore populations on which they depend. The densities of apex carnivores like the lion and spotted hyena correlate strongly with prey density, but competitively subordinate carnivores like the African wild dog benefit from competitive release when the density of apex carnivores is low, so the expected effect of a simultaneous decrease in resources and dominant competitors is not obvious.Wild dogs in Zambia's South Luangwa Valley Ecosystem occupy four ecologically similar areas with well‐described differences in the densities of prey and dominant competitors due to spatial variation in illegal offtake.We used long‐term monitoring data to fit a Bayesian integrated population model (IPM) of the demography and dynamics of wild dogs in these four regions. The IPM used Leslie projection to link a Cormack–Jolly–Seber model of area‐specific survival (allowing for individual heterogeneity in detection), a zero‐inflated Poisson model of area‐specific fecundity and a state‐space model of population size that used estimates from a closed mark–capture model as the counts from which (latent) population size was estimated.The IPM showed that both survival and reproduction were lowest in the region with the lowest density of preferred prey (puku, Kobus vardonii and impala, Aepyceros melampus), despite little use of this area by lions. Survival and reproduction were highest in the region with the highest prey density and intermediate in the two regions with intermediate prey density. The population growth rate (λ) was positive for the population as a whole, strongly positive in the region with the highest prey density and strongly negative in the region with the lowest prey density.It has long been thought that the benefits of competitive release protect African wild dogs from the costs of low prey density. Our results show that the costs of prey depletion overwhelm the benefits of competitive release and cause local population decline where anthropogenic prey depletion is strong. Because competition is important in many guilds and humans are affecting resources of many types, it is likely that similarly fundamental shifts in population limitation are arising in many systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on why and how public attitudes towards immigration in Canada have grown more positive between 1998 and 2021, this paper examines whether the changes in attitudes stem from changes in population characteristics or changes in the effect of these characteristics. Our analysis sheds light on the implications of the 2008–2010 financial crisis on the support for immigration. Our logit regression analysis shows that positive attitudes towards immigration are positively related to higher levels of education attainment regardless of the survey years but negatively associated with the support for conservative political parties, especially during and after the financial crisis. By employing decomposition analysis, we investigate the shift in public opinions across individual characteristics before, during, and after the 2008 financial crisis. We find that, for all periods, most of the attitude shift results from the change in the effect of population characteristics rather than the change in the characteristics themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines two major phenomena that have driven the transformation of cities in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) following the fall of communism: intensive urban sprawl and population decline. Using a quantitative methodology to examine the patterns and dynamics of built-up areas and population in 93 cities from CEE, the article assesses their transformation between 1990 and 2018. The findings show that, while there are overall similarities in the dynamics of built-up area and population changes in CEE cities, there are also notable differences that vary by country, city size, proximity to Western Europe and economic attractiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most farmland birds experience strong declines across Europe. These declines are typically associated with agricultural intensification but research on alternative local causes remains scarce. We investigated variation in reproductive success as a potential driver for the observed population declines in a fragmented population of the Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis, a representative inhabitant of extensively managed mountain grasslands across Europe. Intense nest surveys in the entire Meadow Pipit metapopulation of the Northern Black Forest (SW Germany) between 2020 and 2022 provided information on reproductive success for 53 females distributed across nine habitat patches along an 18 km ridge of the Northern Black Forest. Hatching dates delayed by approx. 5.0 days per 100 m altitude and were almost 10 days later in a year with cold and rainy spring weather. Mean reproductive success per female and year (3.45 fledglings) was low compared to literature values (approx. 4.5) and may thus drive ongoing population declines. Mayfield nest survival estimates (approx. 51% across the nesting period) were comparably high, with most nest failures linked with predation or adverse weather. Low reproductive success further associated with comparably small clutch sizes and low fractions of second broods in habitat patches characterized by homogeneously dense swards. We suggest that restoration through extensive permanent cattle grazing coupled with succession control may be a key factor to increase population productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation translocation is a common strategy to offset mounting rates of population declines through the transfer of captive‐ or wild‐origin organisms into areas where conspecific populations are imperilled or completely extirpated. Translocations that supplement existing populations are referred to as reinforcements and can be conducted using captive‐origin animals [ex situ reinforcement (ESR)] or wild‐origin animals without any captive ancestry [in situ reinforcement (ISR)]. These programs have been criticized for low success rates and husbandry practices that produce individuals with genetic and performance deficits, but the post‐release performance of captive‐origin or wild‐origin translocated groups has not been systematically reviewed to quantify success relative to wild‐resident control groups. To assess the disparity in post‐release performance of translocated organisms relative to wild‐resident conspecifics and examine the association of performance disparity with organismal and methodological factors across studies, we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis of 821 performance comparisons from 171 studies representing nine animal classes (101 species). We found that translocated organisms have 64% decreased odds of out‐performing their wild‐resident counterparts, supporting claims of systemic issues hampering conservation translocations. To help identify translocation practices that could maximize program success in the future, we further quantified the impact of broad organismal and methodological factors on the disparity between translocated and wild‐resident conspecific performance. Pre‐release animal enrichment significantly reduced performance disparities, whereas our results suggest no overall effects of taxonomic group, sex, captive generation time, or the type of fitness surrogate measured. This work is the most comprehensive systematic review to date of animal conservation translocations in which wild conspecifics were used as comparators, thereby facilitating an evaluation of the overall impact of this conservation strategy and identifying specific actions to increase success. Our review highlights the need for conservation managers to include both sympatric and allopatric wild‐reference groups to ensure the post‐release performance of translocated animals can be evaluated. Further, our analyses identify pre‐release animal enrichment as a particular strategy for improving the outcomes of animal conservation translocations, and demonstrate how meta‐analysis can be used to identify implementation choices that maximize translocated animal contributions to recipient population growth and viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We quantified the effect of two cyclopoids, an invasive (Mesocyclops pehpeiensis) and a native (Mesocyclops longisetus curvatus) species on the population growth of the rotifers Brachionus havanaensis and Brachionus calyciflorus. We hypothesized that the invasive copepod would have a greater adverse effect on the test rotifers. The population growth of B. havanaensis was tested in the indirect presence of B. calyciflorus (used as prey for the predatory copepods), and the predatory copepods, M. pehpeiensis and M. longisetus curvatus. For B. calyciflorus the experimental design was as above except that we used B. havanaensis as prey. The test rotifers were separated from the competitors and predators by mesh cages placed in the experimental jars. Rotifer density and the egg ratios were quantified, followed by a daily medium change, until the population density declined. The population growth rate of B. havanaensis ranged between 0.26 and 0.30 day−1, while that of B. calyciflorus between 0.19 and 0.21 day−1. The presence of the invasive copepod had an adverse effect on the smaller (< 110 µm) B. havanaensis, but not on the larger (> 180 µm) B. calyciflorus. The results are discussed with emphasis on the differences in the indirect impact invasive and native predatory copepods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A basic theory on the existence and uniqueness of solutions and local solutions for initial value problems (IVPs) of first order ordinary differential equations is established, where the nonlinearities are L p -Carathéodory functions. The basic theory contains three parts: (i) the existence and uniqueness of solutions in C ([ a , b ] , [ c , d ]) ; (i i) the existence and uniqueness of local solutions in C ([ a , a + h 1 (p) ] ; [ c , d ]) , where the expression of the number h 1 (p) will be given and is a computable constant, and (i i i) the existence and uniqueness of solutions and nonnegative solutions by establishing a new Bihari inequality. The classical results dealt with the above part (i i) when f is continuous or an L 1 -Carathéodory function, and only obtained the existence of a number h such that the IVPs had local solutions in C [ a , a + h ]. Our methodology is to use the results obtained on (i) to study the results mentioned in (i i) when p ∈ [ 1 , p ] while the classical results used the Schauder fixed point theorems directly to obtain the existence and uniqueness of local solutions when f is continuous or p = 1. Our results in parts (i) and (i i i) are new. The results in part (i i) are new when p ∈ (1 , ∞ ] and improve the classical results when p = 1. Our results will enrich the classical basic theory. As applications of the basic theory, the existence of solutions and nonnegative local solutions for logistic type population models with heterogeneous environments is studied, where the local rates of changes in the population density are L p -Carathéodory functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 12,000 y, human populations have expanded and transformed critical earth systems. Yet, a key unresolved question in the environmental and social sciences remains: Why did human populations grow and, sometimes, decline in the first place? Our research builds on 20 y of archaeological research studying the deep time dynamics of human populations to propose an explanation for the long-term growth and stability of human populations. Innovations in the productive capacity of populations fuels exponential-like growth over thousands of years; however, innovations saturate over time and, often, may leave populations vulnerable to large recessions in their well-being and population density. Empirically, we find a trade-off between changes in land use that increase the production and consumption of carbohydrates, driving repeated waves of population growth over thousands of years, and the susceptibility of populations to large recessions due to a lag in the impact of humans on resources. These results shed light on the long-term drivers of human population growth and decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the complex relationship between population change and surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect has important practical significance for the ecological transformation development of shrinking cities in the context of the prevalence of urban shrinkage and the global climate change. This paper compares the population change and SUHI effect between population shrinking region (Northeast Region, NR) and population growing region (Yangtze River Delta, YRD) in China, and explores their differences in driving mechanisms, using GIS spatial analysis and Geodetector model. Our results indicated that there are significant differences in population changes and SUHI intensity between these two regions. About 72.22% of the cities in the NR were shrinking, while their SUHI intensities increased by an average of 1.69°C. On the contrary, the urban population in the YRD shows a linear growth trend, while their SUHI intensities decreased by 0.11°C on average. The results of bivariate Moran's I index also indicated that the spatial correlation between the urban population changes and the SUHI intensity changes are not significant in the above regions. Furthermore, there are significant differences in the primary drivers of SUHI variations between these two regions. In the NR, underlying surface changes, including the changes of green coverage and built-up areas, are the most important driving factors. However, atmospheric environment changes, such as carbon dioxide emission and sulfur dioxide emission, are the key drivers in the YRD. Northam's theory of three-stage urbanization and environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis are powerful to explain these differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The USA is fast becoming a 'majority–minority' country in which Whites will no longer comprise the numerically dominant racial group. Prior studies have linked Whites' status decline to heightened in-group solidarity and the feeling that Whites, as a group, face growing discrimination. In the light of these findings, we examine the extent to which a social norm controlling anti-White prejudice is now discernible in the USA. Drawing from an original survey measuring Americans' reactions to racially-offensive speech, we examine second-order beliefs about the social inappropriateness of offensive statements targeting White Americans. We find that White Americans (in comparison to non-Whites) are indeed more likely to profess a social norm governing anti-white prejudice. The pattern is most discernible among white Republicans whom we expect to be most fearful of demographic change. This article is part of the theme issue 'Social norm change: drivers and consequences'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life tables are one of the most common tools to describe the biology of insect species and their response to environmental conditions. Although the benefits of life tables are beyond question, we raise some doubts about the completeness of the information reported in life tables. To substantiate these doubts, we consider a case study (Corcyra cephalonica) for which the raw dataset is available. The data suggest that the Gaussian approximation of the development times which is implied by the average and standard error usually reported in life tables does not describe reliably the actual distribution of the data which can be misleading and hide interesting biological aspects. Furthermore, it can be risky when life table data are used to build models to predict the demographic changes of the population. The present study highlights this aspect by comparing the impulse response generated by the raw data and by its Gaussian approximation based on the mean and the standard error. The conclusions of this paper highlight: i) the importance of adding more information to life tables and, ii) the role of raw data to ensure the completeness of this kind of studies. Given the importance of raw data, we also point out the need for further developments of a standard in the community for sharing and analysing data of life tables experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kazakhstan is in a state of transformation. This is due, on the one hand, to the internal processes of generational change, the economic crisis, and demographic changes. But also, on the other hand, to the collapse of the global security system and the dysfunctionality of international organisations such as Amnesty International, Red Cross, OSCE, and UN. These challenges lead to the construction of a new system of meanings that will help unite Kazakh society. Mythodesign can be a technology for achieving this. In scientific publications, there are gaps in the analysis of how mythodesign is used in Kazakhstan. The article will analyse the state and prospects of mythodesign development in modern Kazakh reality. Mythodesign in the first thirty years of Kazakhstan's independence included the following elements. Domestic policy: multiculturalism and dialogue in Kazakh society, especially the between the titular (Kazakh) and non-titular (Russian) nations. Foreign policy: a multi-vector policy that came about as a response to Kazakhstan's geopolitical position. This manifests itself in Kazakhstan's participation in the Eurasian Economic Union. The key political figure who constructed the national myth was N. Nazarbayev, whose political brand followed these key elements. This study can be used to develop new mythologemes for Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The adaptive processes and resilience of Mansonia vectors responsible for bioindicators can change in response to climate, land use, and environmental changes. This study evaluated the effects of expanding farmlands with the domestication of animals in the vicinity of either disturbed swamps or built-up farmland ponds on the population dispersion and decline of locally adapted Mansonia faunas as a result of expanding farmlands in Thailand. Materials and Methods: Based on environmental surveys, four different geographically defined study sites were selected: I - the expanding farmlands with domestication of livestock and pet animals in the vicinity of low-lying swamp with habitat fragmentation and aquatic vegetation; II - the expanding farmlands with domestication of pet animals in the vicinity of elevated swamp with habitat destruction and aquatic vegetation; III - the expanding farmlands with domestication of livestock and pet animals in the vicinity of low-lying farmland ponds with restoration and aquatic vegetation; and IV - the expanding farmlands with domestication of pet animals in the vicinity of elevated farmland ponds with restoration and aquatic vegetation. Human landing catch collection method was used to periodically assess the species composition and abundance of Mansonia vectors. Results: Aggregated distributions and seasonal abundances of Mansonia faunas (Mansonia uniformis, Mansonia indiana, Mansonia annulifera, Mansonia annulata, Mansonia bonneae, and Mansonia dives) with variable proportions were observed at all the study sites. A decline in the population of Mansonia faunas, except for Ma. uniformis, was observed at study sites I and II. Conclusion: The anticipated effects of expanding farmlands affected the population dispersion and decline of locally adapted Mansonia faunas, thus representing a diverse assemblage of Mansonia species with different adaptations, ecological tolerances, and host exploitation strategies in life. These effects depended either on the function of disturbed swamps or on the development of farmland ponds, whether they provided a wide range of freshwater habitats, or on the domestication of animals, whether they provided animal blood meal sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life table response experiments (LTREs) decompose differences in population growth rate between environments into separate contributions from each underlying demographic rate. However, most LTRE analyses make the unrealistic assumption that the relationships between demographic rates and environmental drivers are linear and independent, which may result in diminished accuracy when these assumptions are violated. We extend regression LTREs to incorporate nonlinear (second‐order) terms and compare the accuracy of both approaches for three previously published demographic datasets. We show that the second‐order approach equals or outperforms the linear approach for all three case studies, even when all of the underlying vital rate functions are linear. Nonlinear vital rate responses to driver changes contributed most to population growth rate responses, but life history changes also made substantial contributions. Our results suggest that moving from linear to second‐order LTRE analyses could improve our understanding of population responses to changing environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is one of the major sources of protein worldwide. Its hexaploidy significantly complicates the identification of genes that may be crucial for improving wheat production to meet the challenges of an increased world population and climate change. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) using Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV)-based constructs has proven to be a very useful tool in the analysis of gene function in the hexaploid plant, wheat. However, most published applications of this technique focus on phenotypes that can be observed in the leaves of wheat. A few studies have reported successful VIGS in the spikes of wheat, but this has proven to be more difficult than the seedling leaf assays. This study reports a time course analysis of the movement of BSMV from the site of inoculation into the meristematic region of wheat. It also describes how the photobleaching phenotype resulting from silencing phytoene desaturase (PDS), which is often used as a reporter for VIGS, does not indicate the full extent of where VIGS occurs, and this can mislead scientists as they design silencing studies. These findings provide guidance for more effective VIGS studies to determine the function of genes expressed in the spikes of wheat and may be important for wheat improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depopulation is caused by low fertility rates and out-migration, and it applies to countries, regions and smaller areas. Rural depopulation is defined as a sharp population decline that falls well below an adequate population size and indicates that an area has lost its demographic reproductive capacity. This paper discusses the socioeconomic and territorial aspects of rural depopulation, attempting to do justice to the spatial dimensions of the phenomenon. Greece exhibits all the symptoms of demographic transition, leading to labour shortages, declining economic productivity, and increasing demands on the health and welfare system. The study on rural depopulation in Greece focuses on the changes and dynamics observed at the municipal and regional levels. A typology has been developed to identify rural communities in Greece. The main source of demographic data for our study is the Greek censuses (1991, 2001, 2011, and 2021). Demographic and socioeconomic trends in Greece are interlinked and show different regional and local dynamics. Rural depopulation is closely related to the study of (international and internal) migration, even though the latter does not provide a permanent solution to depopulation. An empirical analysis has shown that there is a need to revitalise rural areas through socioeconomic improvements, infrastructure investments, and policies that directly impact rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The first direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were reimbursed via Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in March 2016. This was based on the recommendation from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) that the regimens would be acceptably cost-effective at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) no greater than $15,000/quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Since the initial PBS listings for DAA therapies and subsequent listings of newer DAA treatments such as glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Maviret®), the demographics and some of the disease characteristics of currently treated patients have markedly changed. This analysis aims to reassess the cost-effectiveness of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, accounting for the changes to the HCV population currently seeking treatment and incorporating retreatment in first-line failures and the treatment of new infections in previously treated individuals. Methods: To assess the cost-effectiveness 7 years after initial listing of DAAs, an update was made to the Markov model used to achieve PBS reimbursement for Viekira-Pak® in May 2016. Amendments to the Viekira-Pak® model include: changes to baseline age and fibrosis distribution of treated patients, and inclusion of retreatment of first-line failures [those not achieving a sustained virologic response (SVR12)] and reinfected individuals. Treatment-related inputs including SVR12 response rates, adverse events, treatment-related disutility, and discontinuations were sourced from pivotal glecaprevir/pibrentasvir clinical trials. Results: Using the published price of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, the ICER is below $15,000/QALY. Conclusions: Despite changes in demographics and disease characteristics of treated patients, and changes to the model structure to reflect retreatment in clinical practice in Australia, DAAs remain cost-effective in 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population size and geographical range are the key quantitative criteria used by the IUCN to assess the conservation status of a species. However, such information is often incomplete and inconsistent, even for seemingly abundant species. To assess the population and conservation status of Indian primates, we conducted a systematic review of recent research using the searching, appraisal, synthesis and analysis (SALSA) approach. We reviewed a total of 41 studies on Indian primates conducted during the last 2 decades (2000–2021) for information on various parameters that influence their conservation. We found that 20 out of a total of 26 primate species were evaluated for their population status, and the majority of these studies (71%) showed an overall declining population trend. Remarkably, all but one of the studies conducted exclusively within protected areas revealed declining population trends, whereas trends were more variable for primate populations in non-protected areas. Our data indicate that only 27% (n = 7) of Indian primate species have been surveyed or re-surveyed to assess their population status within the last 5 years. Although threats vary in time and space from species to species, 78% of the studies recorded natural system modifications including habitat loss and fragmentation among the main threats to the survival of Indian primates. Most studies on the population status of Indian primates have either been spatially limited or used outdated methods. We recommend that future studies adopt robust techniques to estimate populations and work across larger geographical scales to develop effective management strategies for the conservation of primates in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intertidal mussels (Mytilus spp.) and their benthic invertebrate predators were monitored annually for 25 years at 10 sites within Lough Hyne Marine Reserve in southwest Ireland. Mussel abundance was relatively low in the early 1990s but increased substantially after the cold winter of 1995/1996. High mussel abundance was maintained until 2014 after which there was an abrupt decline leading to low levels in 2015–2019, when populations were dominated by older size-classes. Recruitment on benthic rock surfaces in 2018 and 2019 was low in contrast to that on an isolated mooring rope in deep water, suggesting mortality of recruits (e.g. from predation or benthic hypoxia). The generalist predatory starfish, Marthasterias glacialis , increased substantially during the study, with population peaks in 2005 and 2009 that mirrored the peaks of mussel populations. Predatory dogwhelks were not abundant at the monitoring sites and were never seen associated with mussels. Predators or other physical factors may have reduced recruitment, but the decline of the mussel population probably reflected increasing age and removal by wave action combined with consistently sparse recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities function in people's minds as reservoirs of opportunities and possibilities. For many people, living in a city seems an attractive and logical life choice compared to areas perceived as provincial. However, the reality of the modern city is also associated with numerous nuisances. The occurrence of these disadvantages has led to the development of mechanisms intended, at least in principle, to counteract the ills of urban life. One such mechanism is the phenomenon of suburbanization. The outpouring of urban functions beyond its boundaries occurs all over the world. However, this phenomenon also entails exacerbating transport bottlenecks, requires a lot of local investment, contributes to the deterioration of the environment, and disrupts household time budgets. This paper addresses population change as one of the demographic aspects of suburbanization. The trends characterizing the outflow of population from cities and the inflow of population to suburban areas has been examined. The study covers several of Poland's largest cities using data from the 2011 and 2021 National Censuses. The main objectives of this study are to assess the scale of suburbanization in large and medium-sized Polish cities, so as to determine whether suburbanization occurs similarly regardless of city size. To identify those urban centers where the population change in neighboring municipalities is particularly high so as to raise the awareness of decision-makers and real estate market participants in relation to the challenges posed by suburbanization. In addition, using one city as an example, an assessment of how the influx of population affects number of transactions on selected real estate market was carried out. The results of the study may be useful in analyzing investment needs for various types of infrastructure, including roads and technical infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]