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There is growing interest in using deep learning models to automate wildlife detection in aerial imaging surveys to increase efficiency, but human-generated annotations remain necessary for model training. However, even skilled observers may diverge in interpreting aerial imagery of complex environments, which may result in downstream instability of models. In this study, we present a framework for assessing annotation reliability by calculating agreement metrics for individual observers against an aggregated set of annotations generated by clustering multiple observers' observations and selecting the mode classification. We also examined how image attributes like spatial resolution and texture influence observer agreement. To demonstrate the framework, we analyzed expert and volunteer annotations of twelve drone images of migratory waterfowl in New Mexico. Neither group reliably identified duck species: experts showed low agreement (43–56%) for several common species, and volunteers opted out of the task. When simplified into broad morphological categories, there was high agreement for cranes (99% among experts, 95% among volunteers) and ducks (93% among experts, 92% among volunteers), though agreement among volunteers was notably lower for classifying geese (75%) than among experts (94%). The aggregated annotation sets from the two groups were similar: the volunteer count of birds across all images was 91% of the expert count, with no statistically significant difference per image (t = 1.27, df = 338, p = 0.20). Bird locations matched 81% between groups and classifications matched 99.4%. Tiling images to reduce search area and maintaining a constant scale to keep size differences between classes consistent may increase observer agreement. Although our sample was limited, these findings indicate potential taxonomic limitations to aerial wildlife surveys and show that, in aggregate, volunteers can produce data comparable to experts'. This framework may assist other wildlife practitioners in evaluating the reliability of their input data for deep learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the rapid growth in the older inmate population and the economic impact of end-of-life treatments within the cash-strapped prison system, consideration should be given to inmate treatment preferences. We examined end-of-life treatment preferences and days of desired life for several health scenarios among male inmates incarcerated primarily for murder. Design and Methods: Inmates over the age of 45 who passed a cognitive screening completed face-to-face interviews (N = 94; mean age = 57.7; SD = 10.68). Results: We found a 3-way interaction indicating that the effect of parole expectation on desire for life-sustaining treatment varied by race/ethnicity and treatment. Minority inmates desired cardiopulmonary resuscitation or feeding tubes only if they believed that they would be paroled. The model predicting desire for palliative care was not significant. Future days of desired life were related to prospective health condition, fear of death, negative affect, and trust in prison health care. Caucasian inmates expressed a desire for more days of life out of prison, whereas minority inmates did not differ in days of desired life either in or out of prison. Minorities wanted more days of life than Caucasians but only if they believed that they would be paroled. Implications: End-of-life care for the burgeoning inmate population is costly, and active life-sustaining treatments may not be desired under certain conditions. Specifically, expectation of parole but not current functional ability interacts with future illness condition in explaining inmates' desire for active treatment or days of desired life in the future.

Purpose: Exemplary care (EC) is a new construct encompassing care behaviors that warrants further study within stress process models of dementia caregiving. Previous research has examined EC within the context of cognitively intact older adult care recipients (CRs) and their caregivers (CGs). This study sought to expand our knowledge of quality of care by investigating EC within a diverse sample of dementia CGs. Design and Methods: We examined the relation between CG subjective appraisal (daily care bother, burden, and behavioral bother), EC, and CG emotional outcomes (depression and positive aspects of caregiving [PAC]). Specifically, EC was examined as a possible mediator of the effects of CG subjective appraisals on emotional outcomes. Using a bootstrapping method and an SPSS macro developed by Preacher and Hayes (2008 Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models), we tested the indirect effect of EC on the relation between CG subjective appraisals and CG emotional outcomes. Results: Overall, EC partially mediates the relation between the subjective appraisal variables (daily care bother, burden, and behavioral bother) and PAC. Results for depression were similar except that EC did not mediate the relation between burden and depression. This pattern of results varied by race/ethnicity. Implications: Overall, CGs' perception of providing EC to individuals with dementia partially explains the relation between subjective appraisal and symptoms of depression and PAC. Results of this study suggest that interventions may benefit from training CGs to engage in EC to improve their emotional outcomes and quality of care.

AbstractObjectivesMethodResultsConclusionCertified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are responsible for 80–90% of direct-to-resident care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and may develop close, family-like relationships with their residents. With SNFs becoming a common place of death for older adults, CNAs now find themselves engaging in end-of-life caregiving with limited training and institutional support for emotional outcomes. This study aimed to understand and evaluate the relations between bereavement, death exposure, and compassion fatigue among CNAs, hypothesizing that (a) experiential avoidance moderates the relation between death exposure and negative death attitudes and (b) death attitudes moderate the relation between death exposure and compassion fatigue.One hundred and ten CNAs across all shifts from four skilled nursing facilities in the southeastern United States participated in surveys and, potentially, focus groups.Results failed to find support for death exposure being related either to experiential avoidance or negative death attitudes. However, results supported the relation between negative death attitudes and compassion fatigue.Implications highlight the need to develop interventions focusing on palliative skills-based training and emotional support of CNAs in their role as end-of-life caregivers. By reducing compassion fatigue, it may be possible to decrease job turnover and increase quality-of-care for residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We examined the effects of home-delivered cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) on depressive symptoms among rural, diverse, and vulnerable older adults. Furthermore, we differentiated depression into its two salient aspects: psychological and somatic. Method Data came from a randomized controlled experiment of CBT on 134 individuals residing in rural Alabama. Results Cognitive-behavior therapy resulted in significantly lower depressive symptom severity scores. When depressive symptoms were categorized as psychological or somatic, CBT was found to significantly improve the former but not the latter. Notably, there was a trend toward somatic symptom improvement. Conclusion Cognitive-behavior therapy can be an effective treatment for depression in a hard-to-reach group of older adults. Home delivery affords advantages but is also an expensive delivery modality. Diverse older adults responded to the CBT intervention. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective We examined positive and negative religious coping as moderators of the relation between physical limitations, depression, and desire for hastened death among male inmates incarcerated primarily for murder. Methods Inmates over the age of 45 years who passed a cognitive screening completed face-to-face interviews ( N = 94; mean age = 57.7 years; SD = 10.68). Multiple regression analyses included age, race/ethnicity, parole belief, physical health, positive or negative religious coping, and all two-way interactions represented by the product of health and a religious coping variable. Results Older inmates and those who reported greater levels of positive religious coping endorsed fewer symptoms of depression, whereas those who reported greater levels of negative religious coping endorsed more symptoms of depression. Inmates who reported higher levels of depression endorsed a greater desire for hastened death. The effect of physical functioning on desire for hastened death is moderated by negative religious coping such that those who endorsed higher levels of negative religious coping reported a greater desire for hastened death. Conclusions Examinations of religious/spiritual practices and mindfulness-based interventions in prison research have assumed a positive stance with regard to the potential impact of religious/spiritual coping on physical and mental health. The current findings provide cautionary information that may further assist in selection of inmates for participation in such interventions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]