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Empathy towards animals is a known influential factor in the likelihood for individuals to engage in conservation behavior, so it is of significant interest that the zoo community considers how to evoke constructive empathetic responses in their guests. To date, much of the research that has been conducted on empathy in zoos has focused on live animals, but are we overlooking a potential instrument of empathy-building? Based on observations made during an evaluation of guest interactions with a bronze animal statue, this paper will explore the potential for static, lifelike animal statues to serve as conduits for empathy-building and make a strong argument for the much needed research in this area.

By combining all available banding and tracking data, we found that Willets (Tringa semipalmata) have a strong migratory connectivity between breeding and nonbreeding locations at the range-wide and subspecies levels, exposing two subspecies to varying threats such as hunting for the eastern subspecies (Tringa semipalmata semipalmata) and climatically-altered coastal habitats for both subspecies. We found that western Willets (Tringa semipalmata inornata) primarily used nonbreeding habitats along the Pacific Coast of the United States, although their reported nonbreeding range extends to the US Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the Pacific Coast of Central and South America. Eastern Willets wintered in Central and South America, which covers much of the subspecies’ known nonbreeding range. By quantifying migratory connectivity within and between two subspecies, we could suggest subspecies-specific threats and potential limiting factors in the breeding and nonbreeding periods of the annual cycle of a declining migratory shorebird. Effective management of the species will likely require a range of conservation strategies across the diverse nonbreeding regions the two subspecies occupy within the United States, Central America, and South America. However, more data are needed from Willets breeding in mid-continental North America to understand the complete extent of overlap of the two subspecies throughout the annual cycle. The strong migratory connectivity documented here highlights the need to manage Willets by subspecies and protect a diversity of breeding and nonbreeding habitats, which will benefit the conservation of other shorebird species that overlap with Willets throughout the annual cycle.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has initiated a re-envisioned approach for providing decision makers with the best available science and synthesis of that information, called the Species Status Assessment (SSA), for endangered species decision making. The SSA report is a descriptive document that provides decision makers with an assessment of the current and predicted future status of a species. These analyses support all manner of decisions under the US Endangered Species Act, such as listing, reclassification, and recovery planning. Novel scientific analysis and predictive modeling in SSAs could be an important part of rooting conservation decisions in current data and cutting edge analytical and modeling techniques. Here, we describe a novel analysis of available data to assess the current condition of eastern black rail Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis across its range in a dynamic occupancy analysis. We used the results of the analysis to develop a site occupancy projection model where the model parameters (initial occupancy, site persistence, colonization) were linked to environmental covariates, such as land management and land cover change (sea-level rise, development, etc.). We used the projection model to predict future status under multiple sea-level rise and habitat management scenarios. Occupancy probability and site colonization were low in all analysis units, and site persistence was also low, suggesting low resiliency and redundancy currently. Extinction probability was high for all analysis units in all simulated scenarios except one with significant effort to preserve existing habitat, suggesting low future resiliency and redundancy. With the results of these data analyses and predictive models, the USFWS concluded that protections of the Endangered Species Act were warranted for this subspecies.

BACKGROUND Social media is used by young adult patients for social connection and self-identification. OBJECTIVE This study aims to compare the social media habits of young adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS This is a cross-sectional study of subjects from Boston Children’s Hospital outpatient IBD and diabetes clinics. Patients above 18 years of age were invited to complete a brief anonymous survey, which asked about the various ways they use several social media platforms. RESULTS Responses were received from 108 patients (92.5% response rate), evenly split across disease type. We found that 83% of participants spent at least 30 minutes per day on social media, most commonly on Instagram and Facebook. Although the content varied based on the platform, patients with IBD posted or shared content related to their disease significantly less than those with T1D (23% vs 38%, P=.02). Among Instagram users, patients with IBD were less likely to engage with support groups (22% vs 56%, P=.04). Among Twitter users, patients with IBD were less likely to seek disease information (77% vs 29%, P=.005). Among Facebook users, patients with IBD were less likely to post about research and clinical trials (31% vs 65%, P=.04) or for information seeking (49% vs 87%, P=.003). Patients with IBD were also less likely to share their diagnosis with friends or family in person. CONCLUSIONS Young adults with IBD were less willing to share their diagnosis and post about or explore the disease on social media compared to those with T1D. This could lead to a sense of isolation and should be further explored.

Numbers, densities, and sex ratios of Yellow Rails (Coturnicops noveboracensis) wintering at Red Slough Wildlife Management Area in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, USA, were approximated and compared to estimates from birds wintering in coastal Texas, USA. Deuterium (δD) and sulfur (δ34S) values from rectrices of birds wintering in Oklahoma and in Texas were also examined to determine where the birds bred. Yellow Rails in Oklahoma from October 2009 through April 2010 were banded. Fifty-six Yellow Rails were captured, and the population was estimated to consist of 90.3 ± 25.5 birds, or 5.3 ± 1.5 rails * ha-1, which is similar to the published density of Yellow Rails in coastal Texas. Sex ratios did not differ from an expected 1:1 male:female ratio and did not differ between Oklahoma and Texas. Rectrices from Texas (n = 40) and Oklahoma (n = 32) had similar δD values and were broadly consistent with published δD values from southeastern Alberta to James Bay in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The δ34S anal...

Background: Congenital ion channel disorders, including congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), cause significant morbidity in pediatric patients. When medication therapy does not control symptoms or arrhythmias, more invasive treatment strategies may be necessary. This study examines our institution’s clinical experience with surgical cardiac denervation therapy for management of these arrhythmogenic disorders in children. Methods: An institutional review board–approved retrospective review identified ten pediatric patients with congenital ion channelopathies who underwent surgical cardiac denervation therapy at a single institution between May 2011 and April 2014. Eight patients had a diagnosis of congenital LQTS, two patients were diagnosed with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT). All patients underwent sympathectomy and partial stellate ganglionectomy via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Results: Six of the ten patients had documented ventricular arrhythmias preoperatively, and 70% of the patients had preoperative syncope. The corrected QT interval decreased in 75% of patients with LQTS following sympathectomy. Postoperative arrhythmogenic symptoms were absent in 88% of congenital LQTS patients, but both patients with CPVT continued to have symptoms throughout the duration of follow-up. All patients were alive after a median follow-up period of 10 months. Conclusions: Surgical cardiac denervation therapy via VATS is a useful treatment strategy for congenital LQTS patients who fail medical management, and its potential benefit in the management of CPVT is unclear. A prospective comparison of the efficacy of surgical cardiac denervation therapy and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator use in congenital ion channelopathies is timely and crucial.

Yellow rails (Coturnicops noveboracensis) winter along the U.S. coast, from North Carolina to Texas and southeastern Oklahoma. Although this rail is listed as a species of special concern in most of the provinces and states where it breeds, little is known about the winter ecology or population sizes of this secretive species. The goals of our study were to approximate numbers and determine age and sex ratios of yellow rails wintering in selected marshes at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge (San Bernard NWR) in Brazoria and Matagorda counties, Texas. Yellow rails were banded in Spartina marshes from November 2009–April 2010. Feather samples were collected from each yellow rail for use in DNA sexing. We captured 170 yellow rails at the Cedar Lake Creek Unit of San Bernard NWR and recaptured 17 rails over the course of the study. We estimated that the population in marshes we sampled at San Bernard NWR (224.6 ha) from late November through mid-April consisted of 1,170 ± 300 individuals, or 5.2 ±...

The knowledge of experts presumably affects their credibility and the degree to which the trier of fact agrees with them. However, specific effects of demonstrated knowledge are largely unknown. In this experiment, we manipulated a forensic expert's level of knowledge in a mock-trial paradigm. We tested the influence of low versus high expert knowledge on mock juror perceptions of expert credibility, on agreement with the expert, and on sentencing. We also tested expert gender as a potential moderator. Knowledge effects were statistically significant; however, these differences carried little practical utility in predicting mock jurors' ultimate decisions. Contrary to the hypotheses that high knowledge would yield increased credibility and agreement, knowledge manipulations influenced only perceived expert likeability. The low-knowledge expert was perceived as more likeable than the high-knowledge counterpart, a paradoxical finding. No significant differences across expert gender were found. Implications for conceptualizing expert witness knowledge and credibility and their potential effects on juror decision-making are discussed.

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